sf wrote:
>
> On Wed, 07 May 2014 08:52:17 -0500, "Pete C." >
> wrote:
>
> >
> > sf wrote:
> > >
> > > On Tue, 6 May 2014 21:49:03 +0000 (UTC), Oregonian Haruspex
> > > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > My
> > > > opinion is that any farmer greedy enough to pass off poisoned meat and
> > > > produce to an unsuspecting public, while lobbying against effective food
> > > > safety standards, is a criminal.
> > >
> > > They do that while taking farm subsidies and government provided crop
> > > insurance. What a racquet. Their hand is out to the government and
> > > they're on the dole - but they can't make the mental connection that
> > > they're receiving welfare.
> > >
> >
> > By all means stop all the subsidies and crop insurance. Wait a year or
> > so and see your food options dwindle to barely affordable imported crap
> > from China or completely unaffordable US produced foods.
>
> Baloney.

Hardly.

> >
> > What we need is more people growing their own food in backyard and
> > community gardens a.k.a. the old "Victory Gardens".
>
> At the price of water these days? You missed your calling as a
> standup comedian.

The "price of water" is not an issue, I can pump all I want / need from
my own well here in the free world (not CA). Also water is not much of
an issue even in cities as modern farming techniques (hydroponic and
aquaponic) use 75% less water than old school dirt farming.

There are a few medium scale urban farming projects going on currently
in big cities in old warehouse buildings, collecting organic waste from
the city and recycling it into the farms. So far they seem to be having
decent results and for the first time in history essentially a large
city is actually producing something it needs rather than being
dependent on rural areas for survival (yet disrespectful of those in the
rural areas they depend on).

>
> > Of course we have
> > allowed housing to be dense to the point that nobody has room to grow
> > anything, and where there is a little yard, we allow sickening HOAs to
> > prohibit growing anything edible.
>
> HOAs serve a good purpose. It keeps neighborhoods from looking like a
> junkyard populated by the colorblind.

No, that is the job of town/city government where laws and legal
protections rule for all. HOAs are sickening extra-judicial entities
that run roughshod over people's rights with no legal protections.