If you’ve ever wondered what might have happened if the south had won the civil war, head to California.
“A handful of billionaires now have unprecedented control over banking, the food we eat, the health care we can access, and the information we receive. Folks, this is what oligarchy looks like.” Robert Reich, June 2023
Until you know the history of a place, you cannot know who, or what, you’re fighting for or against. Today, 50–87% of everything you eat — yes you — is grown in California’s Great Central Valley. If the mid-west’s independent farming model had been planted in this valley, Americans today would be food secure. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened.
The southern plantation model was planted in this valley. As a result, more than 80% of the entire U.S. population now depends on a handful of billionaires for food. Plantation culture is also the reason that the California valley that feeds you is ultra-conservative, rural Republican red today. If you thought California’s tech-bros were troublesome, let me introduce you to California’s plantation billionaires’ trusty politicians.
Rural Americans have endured centuries of colonization without relief. After the civil war, plantations collapsed in the south, but flourished in California. By virtue of its abundant natural resources, massive size, and…
