The Smithian

…”hate” probably isn’t a strong enough word for how conservatives seem to feel about a relatively simple program that allows the denizens of Gotham to use admittedly unaesthetic, corporate-branded bicycles at their convenience…the very essence and values of this program must be excoriated for the good of conservative dogma…Nobody is being compelled to use the bikeshare program, any more than anyone would be compelled to take any other means of publicly available transportation. And yet, prominent conservatives seem to view the program as a totalitarian evil simply because of its emotional resonance, and its promotion of values that, while nominally universal, are far more characteristic of progressive circles.

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…Becker crisscrossed the globe, from the beaches of Sri Lanka to the game reserves of sub-Saharan Africa, from the vineyards of France to America’s national parks, measuring the impact of the tourist trade. And while she finds plenty of inspiring examples of wise governance and corporate responsibility, in many other cases greed and shortsightedness have ruined once-pristine environments, exacerbated human misery and destroyed the spontaneity that once made travel an adventure.

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In 2008, “farmers produced more grain than ever, enough to feed twice as many people as were on Earth. In the same year, for the first time in history, a billion people went hungry.” How could we produce more food and more hunger? The answer…is that food became virtualized, or in this case “financialized.” Instead of using data systems to find sensible ways to distribute real food, we have increasingly used them to trade virtual food as a speculative object, much like the complicated financial products that helped pump up the housing bubble. The result: Prices skyrocket, real food sits uselessly, people starve.

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Does it surprise you that food giants Kraft, Pepsi, and General Mills use extensive research-and-development processes designed to find a consumer’s ideal “bliss point”? Does it surprise you that said “bliss point” is a combination of way more sugar, salt, and fat than any of us would load up on a plate otherwise? Does it surprise you that this makes those corporate food giants a huge ton of cash?

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One of our most successful new companies is not paying a dime in taxes.

Appalachia may be blessed with the “world’s best metallurgical coal,” but as journalist Galuzka’s powerful book shows, this coal is both “a curse and a prize.” According to Galuszka, the “coal barons” have deliberately thwarted the growth of a middle-class among miners in order to cement their social control.

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The opposition by the New York State chapter of the N.A.A.C.P. to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s restrictions on…soda caught many…by surprise. But it shouldn’t: though the organization argues it is standing up for consumer choice and minority business owners, who it claims would be hurt, this is also a favor for a stalwart ally—Coca-Cola…has given generously to support N.A.A.C.P. initiatives over the years. This is more than a story of mutual back-scratching, though. It is the latest episode in the long and often fractious history of soft drinks, prohibition laws and race.

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