Mr. Gaertner, thank you for your most thoughtful and instructive reply.

Just to be clear, I think of capitalism, colonialism, corporatism, plantations, mass-production and factories as different words for the same insidious social engineering ideology.

Over time, racism turns people against themselves, and it takes people a long time to realize they are being poisoned by beliefs – not circumstances, other people or the government. Racism is the only thing that held people in the southern states, and California’s central valley down. The Red Legs of Barbados are a good example (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY4rDnb11bY).

For several years, I served on the board of a large nonprofit in the central valley. One day, they threw me off their board, then offered me the position of executive director (which I accepted). The problem was that these farmers and independent oil producers were so focused on their own farms and fields they had no idea what was happening around them. They paid me to go out, do my thing, and bring them a coherent understanding.

I’ll never forget the day that board finally realized that what was best for everyone was the very best thing they could do for themselves. That was important, because these people had money, power and connections. Soon enough, politicians, civic leaders and nonprofits were on board. Within a year, the state approved a planning process that enabled cities, towns and counties to eliminate zoning in their general plans.

We worked with several cities, and one county that used the new planning process to eliminate zoning during General Plans updates – even won some nice awards for that work too.

But we could not raise the millions necessary to fund the critical public education component necessary to overcome the public’s fear-driven opposition to such a big change in practices that impacted their homes, and businesses. Change is so scary, people prefer to stay with what they know, even when they know it’s hurting them. Today, California’s huge homeless population is the result of the public’s fear of change.

That’s the long way of saying, that I think education is the most valuable thing anyone can do.

Oh, before I forget. Please do debunk that stupid yeoman farmer myth. IMHO, you couldn’t be ruthless enough in that endeavor.