>Doug wrote:
>
>"And why is keeping trade in the neighborhood so desirable, anyway?
>That sounds cramped, xenophobic, and suffocating."
>
>1. reduces driving, reduces energy consumption
>2. makes seller more accountable to buyer
>3. locally grown stuff, according to some, is healthier
>4. customizes market to buyer
I should have also said that these are specific instances where the local may be preferable to the non-local (though I'm skeptical about accountability - I'm thinking of the archetypal petit bourgeois who runs the high-priced hardware store down the block as an example from daily life). But I don't see how there's any virtue to the local in itself.
Doug