The Hightower Report

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Buy Organic, Buy Local

When 90 members of the Wampanoag tribe joined 50 Pilgrims for the first Thanksgiving back in 1621, they had a cornucopia of food. For three days, they feasted on venison, goose, turkey, eels, lobster, hoecakes, corn, cranberries, beer, wine ... and so much more. Yet, this abundance didn't require any chemical additives, genetic engineering, pesticides, antibiotics, growth hormones, or other weaponry of today's high-tech agribusiness industry. Those poor ignorant fools just didn't know how it should be done, I guess.

Well, as we approach this Thanksgiving, I'm thankful that so many farmers, consumers, and others are realizing that we've been played the fool by corporate profiteers who've been messing so much with our food supply. There's a widespread back-to-the-future movement in our farm and food world, bringing some democratic control and common sense back to the food economy.

One sign of this is the surge in America's organic sales, now topping $10 billion annually and growing 20% per year. And now, thanks to grassroots pressure, the Department of Agriculture recently created a national organic label so we consumers can readily identify foods produced without such tortures as chemicals and genetic engineering.

But using organic methods is not enough. If General Mills monopolizes organic production and processing, if the crops are produced in China or elsewhere with sweatshop labor, if Wal-Mart squeezes out local sellers and corners the retail market -- that's not an organic system. Food should also be about sustaining our local economies and communities. The good news here is that there's a boom all across America in farmers' markets, community-supported agriculture, direct sales to restaurants, co-ops, and other enterprises that bring the wholesomeness and neighbor-to-neighbor connectedness that only comes from locally produced food.

This Thanksgiving, connect the feast back to nature ... and back to your own community.

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The Highway of Riches

Would you shell out $1.2 million for a one-bedroom home that has only 280 square feet in it?

OK, it's a luxurious 280 square feet. This house has designer interiors, plush furnishings, solid oak cabinets, a king-sized bed, a four-door refrigerator, whirlpool bath ... and so forth. But still, that's a lot of bucks for what's essentially a box that's 8-feet by 35-feet. The price tag works out to more than $4,000 per square foot, which is double the going rate of a penthouse apartment overlooking Central Park in New York City.

Yeah, but this apartment -- tiny as it is -- not only can overlook Central Park, but also the Grand Canyon, the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans, Mount Rushmore, or any other priceless location. That's because it's the latest thing in RVs: The super-luxurious supersized, I've-got-one-and-you-don't, mine-is-bigger-than-yours, recreational vehicle of the pampered set. Yes ... trailer trash has gone upscale!

These are mobile homes on steroids, chugging down the highways and byways of our country in high style and comfort. However, fueled by 500-horsepower diesel engines and weighing a plodding 60,000 pounds, their routes have to be carefully mapped to make sure there are plenty of filling stations along the way -- they get only seven to 10 miles per gallon. And this doesn't count the extra fuel consumption by owners who tow a big hog of an SUV behind their royal rigs.

"We believe in having a good time," says one of these elite road warriors. Another exulted that "I had an airplane, boats, and two motorcycles. But this is the ultimate."

Of course, class seeks its own level, so these nomads are not going to hang out with the Gulfstream crowd. Instead, they join such groups as the Royale Coach Club, restricted to members owning RVs priced above $800,000. They might share the road ... but not the same space.