kootchman
Yea, the barriers to entry generally are, access to capital, skill sets, and the ability to market. Devolution at a time when you are demanding more taxes? COmmodity prices are not underpinned by industrial demand. Commodity speculation is loose cash looking for a home. Commodity prices actually stabllize when industrial demand is known. There is no “demand” reason for gold to be at 1600 per ounce. You can hedge commodity positions so the downside is less risky than … say… losing 40% of your net worth in a government induced housing bubble. There are also efficiencies in production, unti costs of refining and extraction can drop. Where were oil prices in the height of world production and demand. From 1986 to 1990 they were below $40 per barrel.
local businesses like these return at least twice as much money to local economies than their chain competitors.
If that were true… there would be no Target, or chain stores. If you can raise it, grow it, sell it, cheaper by going local… I’ll buy it.