If you think about it, free markets are obviously not always right.  Our current recession is just the most recent example of free markets getting it seriously wrong.  In point of fact, during the past 30 years free markets have suffered serious collapses seven times in the US alone.

It wasn’t always so, by the way.  After the regulations imposed during the Great Depression (another problem caused by free markets not getting it right) America enjoyed more than 40 years of avoiding financial collapses. 

But starting with the Reagan Presidency, Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” insight morphed into what I call “Capitalism On Steroids.”  The lessons of the Great Depression were forgotten (as well as what Smith had in mind when he coined the “invisible hand” concept) and out of that memory hole came the idea that free markets would always come up with the best possible solution to a problem.  The flip side to this goofy idea was another, equally goofy one, that government’s can’t really do anything good.

Goofy or not, a lot of people believe it to be so.  That history clearly shows it isn’t true seems to be an irrelevant observation for these folks.

It’s as though someone pointed to the West one morning and remarked “let’s enjoy the sunrise” as the sun obviously rose in the East.  And a lot of people did look to the West, as recommended, murmuring “ahh what a beautiful sunrise” into their own shadows.

But enough of that.  What is true is that free markets have strengths and weaknesses as do governments.  When things work well it’s often because they are working in tandem.  On the same page, if you like.

From my perspective, governments are best that wisely govern or regulate markets.  Governments set the ground rules within which markets can perform not only efficiently, but in a way that does not undermine the safety and health of the nation.

Many if not most of the obvious problems now pestering our country could not have occurred without the “free markets” always get things right faith.  

Our financial system is on the rocks because of weakened regulations and regulators who were looking West for the sunrise. 

Our agricultural system has turned against its own citizens, producing shadow food that is often toxic.  Again with the help of regulators who believe, if only we let these companies alone, they will provide the best answers to our food problems.  Same philosphy at work here, and you can count on this, the same lousy result will evolve.

And the flip side of this goofy idea is at work as well.  Obviously, if you believe the government can’t do anything good, then you certainly don’t want to pay taxes.  So you come up with the nostrum that tax cuts are always the right thing to do, because the free markets will have more money to figure out their solutions to our problems. 

History shows that the only thing across the board tax cuts are sure to create is deficits.  In the US, periods of strong income and job growth have been just as frequent when tax rates were strongly progressive as when they weren’t. 

I’d say “look it up if you don’t believe me,” but I’m talking to a group of folks who have suspended their belief in history.   Which means inevitably, we’re all going to repeat our mistakes.

If there’s one thing I can count on it’s that this new “philosophy” about the invincibility of free markets will give us another whiz bang of a financial meltdown as well as create a multitude of other problems in every aspect of our economy.

The industrialization of our food industry is churning out great volumes of lousy food.  It looks OK, and tastes OK, but it’s shadow food.  It really isn’t the same food your grandparents ate.  It’s a shadow of that food.

Even if you don’t consciously understand, your body does.  It knows you’re eating shadow food.  The bulk is there, but the nutrients aren’t.  So your body says “Eat More.”  And you do.  Couple that with a sedentary lifestyle and Bingo!  You’re fat.  Keep it up and you’re really fat.  And really develop diabetes and a host of other debilitating, expensive, illnesses.

Which is just fine for Industrial Ag because they’re making a fortune on shadow food.   And of course our federal government is pleased too because they’ve instituted policies and subsidies that feed Industrial Ag.  No shadow food for Industrial Ag.  They get the real dough.

Plus, Industrial Ag has figured out that they can get us to eat this shadow food in quantity by simply adding more sugar, salt and fat.  They cram more of this stuff into their shadow food to make it tasty, tasty.  For it’s part, the government steps up to the plate by subsidizing corn so the sugar part (via High Fructose Corn Syrup) can be ladled in without limit.  Walk down your supermarket store and look at the list of ingredients in almost any can of food.  There it is, high fructose corn syrup.  It is literally in every can.

Unless, of course, if it’s organic.

Take, for one example, comparisons between organic foods versus the conventional “shadow” food.

From “The Kind Diet” by Alicia Silverstone:

“Organic foods outperform their conventional cousins like this: 

• 63% more calcium
• 78% more chromium
• 73% more iodine
• 59% more iron
• 138% more magnesium
• 125% more potassium
• 390% more selenium
• 60% more zinc

And remember, nonorganic food is not only sprayed with nasty chemicals, it comes from soil filled with them, so they actually get into the vegetables as they grow.  There’s no escaping the chemical cocktail.”

And here’s a nice, brief summary article about this overeating from the blog “opposing views.”

As the waistlines of Americans continue to grow, Dr. David Kessler provides answers to some of my lingering questions about the causation of this epidemic. What is it about food that does not let us stop with one piece of cake or a single slice of pizza? Why do we override our innate fullness sensor and continuously overeat? How can this be stopped? Dr. Kessler tackles all these questions in his recent book, The End of Overeating.

Question 1: What is it about food that does not let us stop with one piece of cake or a single slice of pizza?

Food today has three major additives that have been added to our food in major quantities compared with days of past: sugar, fat, and salt. These three components make manufactured food addicting, as proved by recent studies. A University of Washington researcher added sugar to skim milk, whole milk, half and half, and a heavy cream safflower oil mixture. Participants in the study preferred the cream and oil mixture (containing the most fat and sugar) to all others. Food companies have picked up on the fact that sugar, salt, and fat sell and are using it to their benefit.

Question 2: Why do we override our innate fullness sensor and continuously overeat?

Simply put, sugar, salt, and fat are rewarding. Think about a time when you have a plate of cookies in front of you. You eat one, it is delicious, you eat another and it is still delicious. Before you know it, the plate is half gone. Your control in this situation is damped by the sugar and fat. Continued exposure to overwhelming rewards from foods leads to conditioned overeating, a term used by Dr. Kessler. “Chronic exposure to highly palatable foods changes our brains, conditioning us to seek continued stimulation. Over time, a powerful drive for a combination of sugar, fat, and salt competes with our conscious capacity to say no.”

Question 3: How can this be stopped?

Sadly, we are incapable of changing the manufacturing procedures of food. Therefore, we must learn to control ourselves. First, understand conditioned overeating. No progress can be made in our battle with food if we do not acknowledge that hyper palatable foods are to blame. Next, you must learn to say no. Dr. Kessler reminds us that we have a choice when it comes to what goes into our bodies, and the urges we have for that next cookie can be ignored. We are warned that this is difficult, and there will be times when we slip. After practice, food will lose its captivating power over us… freedom at last!

I encourage you to read The End of Overeating in its entirety. It offers a new perspective on food and our addiction to it.

By Mitzi Dulan with research assistance from Kaylee O’Connell

Beezer here.  I disagree with the kind Dr. Kessler when he says we can’t do anything about it but to limit our eating.  We can change the subsidies flowing into conventional Industrial Ag and, instead, redirect this money to balanced, organic farming.

Instead of subsidizing corn to feed cows (it makes them sick and us too because the corn fed cows need antibiotics) and make cheap suger substitutes, why can’t we subsidize organic farming?  It’s healthier by far for everyone, and modern organic techniques have produced some of the most efficient farms in America.

I’m an optimist.  And stubborn to boot.  Particularly when I spot something that is so inefficient and unhealthy for us all like our modern, warped food system.  Or Wall Street.  Oligopolies both dominated by huge corporations which have purchased our government into their fold and point of view.

Time for change.