Comments on: NYC mulls tax dollars for farmland preservation

By: Tim Worstall

Tim Worstall — Fri, 13 May 2016 08:14:51 +0000

The reason I recall the Seabright story, and that Clear Lake one, was that I was living and working in Moscow at the time. Still had food rationing. And then, as a result of what Yeltsin and others learned in that period, they simply abolished all food price controls.

It was entirely astonishing what happened. Food blossomed out of every crevice of the city in a matter of weeks. Actually living through it was extraordinarily educational. At that time I was, oooh, late 20s or so? Had a degree in economics and so on. But that experience turned me from a roughly centrist middle of the road type to the full on red in tooth and claw free marketeer that I am.

There’s nothing quite like living in the rubble of socialism to do that to you.

By: Noncenx

Noncenx — Fri, 13 May 2016 02:38:06 +0000

Somehow I see the entire $5 million being used for the bureaucracy just to get it through the first meeting of the initial planning stage. Figure on $100M in the 1st year to feed 3 people. Then because of it’s “success” it will be expanded to reach 6 people at a cost of $250M in year 2.

After that you can forget about ever cutting it, I mean, think of the children!

By: Igor

Igor — Thu, 12 May 2016 22:04:31 +0000

If you need something screwed up even further, get the Gubmint involved.
“Government is not the solution, Government is the problem!”

By: Jim

Jim — Thu, 12 May 2016 15:25:24 +0000

In reply to Walter Olson.

http://blog.chron.com/thetexican/2014/04/when-boris-yeltsin-went-grocery-shopping-in-clear-lake/

By: Walter Olson

Walter Olson — Thu, 12 May 2016 13:26:06 +0000

In reply to Tim Worstall. Thanks, very helpful. I've edited the post slightly to make it consistent with either version of the story.

By: Tim Worstall

Tim Worstall — Thu, 12 May 2016 12:26:24 +0000

Not in the 1970s:

“Shortly after the Soviet Union collapsed, a Russian bureaucrat travelled to the west to seek advice on how the market system functioned. He asked the economist Paul Seabright to explain who was in charge of the supply of bread to London. He was astonished by the answer: “Nobody.””

1990, 1991. One of Yeltsin’s people asked the question.

By: Wfjag

Wfjag — Thu, 12 May 2016 08:19:37 +0000

NYC, becoming more like Venezuela all the time.