Re: Black markets vs. cryptoanarchy

[Jim Wise <jw250@columbia.edu>]

On Tue, 12 Nov 1996, Timothy C. May wrote:

> My piece was written as a rant about the dangers of the proposed talk of
> "privatizing food distribution points," about how this would result in a
> system where only the rich could get access to nutritional food, and how
> the poor would be made to suffer. And how this "caloric anarchy" would
> result in vicious monopolies, price wars, and deviation from Recommended
> Governmental Caloric Intake Rules.

Which it does...  FWIW, I tend to agree with your general point, but I
moved from downtown Manhattan to Harlem recently, and was surprised to see
how many foodstuffs cost _more_ up here, as well as the obvious fact that
many are harder to get...  Junk food and cheap liquor are everywhere,
though...

Which doesn't say that a centralized food distribution system would be a 
win, but don't bet on privatization being a win either.  Many of the local
stores won't even hire in the neighborhood...

Of course, with big supermarket chains finally breaking into this island,
that is becoming less of an issue, so maybe things will balance.  Looking 
around me, I'm not inclined to bet on it, tho.

--
				Jim Wise
				System Administrator
				GSAPP, Columbia University
				jim@santafe.arch.columbia.edu
				http://www.arch.columbia.edu/~jim
				* Finger for PGP public key *