Closed economy
One of the great things about the Eldorado scandal is that the nation gets an opportunity to really look at the Mormons. lupoleboucher, in a recent post, calls the Mormons "America's Holy Warriors". They see America as their holy land and are supremely patriotic, says he.
Authorities, however, are still fishing for something to pin on the YFZ membership to cover for the initial raid. A lawyer searching through the groups finances points out that no one can account for the purchase of significant agricultural implements. The FLDS church never registered as not-for-profit, and have paid their taxes on time, so many of their financial dealings have simply remained private. But since some people may believe this possibility might indict the group, it's trumpeted on the AP wire like the fresh gossip it is.
A couple of interesting points made in the AP article indicate that the people on the ranch lived in a largely self-sufficient community. They had their own dairy and their own construction crews and they could put up a house with a garden for a family in about 2 1/2 weeks. They built the value of their 'compound' up from the $700K they paid up to $20.5 million in about five years. How are they able to do this? Because they have a closed economy with a strongly hierarchical culture.
We are told in this interview with Raj Patel that many Americans live in 'food deserts', in which fresh food is unavailable to them because it is not profitable for suppliers or grocers to serve them. The biggest problem with the majority of the current food market is that the means of production and supply are owned by only a few companies, so they can control who gets to eat.
One solution to this problem is for people such as these to join into a closed economy, by which their needs are provided for through the labors of the group. From an economic perspective, joining a Mormon community such as the FLDS is extremely attractive. Who wouldn't want a free house with all bills paid? Free, fesh farm food, free health care, and free child care? An inclusive, homogeneous community with little crime and few problems? Is it really such a horrible thing if they have to exchange selling insurance or schlepping drinks for milking cows or building fences?
If one can look past the religious layer and instead examine the functional aspects of the YFZ group (as is becoming increasingly more easy to do), one will find their work instructional as a successful model of a sustainable community.
Authorities, however, are still fishing for something to pin on the YFZ membership to cover for the initial raid. A lawyer searching through the groups finances points out that no one can account for the purchase of significant agricultural implements. The FLDS church never registered as not-for-profit, and have paid their taxes on time, so many of their financial dealings have simply remained private. But since some people may believe this possibility might indict the group, it's trumpeted on the AP wire like the fresh gossip it is.
A couple of interesting points made in the AP article indicate that the people on the ranch lived in a largely self-sufficient community. They had their own dairy and their own construction crews and they could put up a house with a garden for a family in about 2 1/2 weeks. They built the value of their 'compound' up from the $700K they paid up to $20.5 million in about five years. How are they able to do this? Because they have a closed economy with a strongly hierarchical culture.
We are told in this interview with Raj Patel that many Americans live in 'food deserts', in which fresh food is unavailable to them because it is not profitable for suppliers or grocers to serve them. The biggest problem with the majority of the current food market is that the means of production and supply are owned by only a few companies, so they can control who gets to eat.
One solution to this problem is for people such as these to join into a closed economy, by which their needs are provided for through the labors of the group. From an economic perspective, joining a Mormon community such as the FLDS is extremely attractive. Who wouldn't want a free house with all bills paid? Free, fesh farm food, free health care, and free child care? An inclusive, homogeneous community with little crime and few problems? Is it really such a horrible thing if they have to exchange selling insurance or schlepping drinks for milking cows or building fences?
If one can look past the religious layer and instead examine the functional aspects of the YFZ group (as is becoming increasingly more easy to do), one will find their work instructional as a successful model of a sustainable community.