Proof that corporate-conservative groups are CONSPIRING against public workers

[nashville_brook]

Scaife, Coors, and Koch...the corporate-conservative conspiracy behind the demonization of public servants

"Conspiracy" is a strong word, and one that's not looked upon kindly in many circles, but there's no other adequate or honest description of what's behind the recent attacks on public sector workers, including teachers, firefighters, police, state administrators of every kind.

Unpacking one small corner of the public worker pension hysteria, by Dave Johnson, in an article reprinted at Truth-Out, lays bare the conspiracy against our nation's least appreciated, lowest-paid, and most necessary workers.

But wait, there's more! Any DU'ers wonder WHY, all of a sudden, there's a constant drumbeat against public sector pensions? Might it have something to do with the recent financial skinning we've all taken from the great gambling casino on Wall Street? See, first they came for your houses. Then, they came for your jobs. Now, they're coming for your retirement. If you follow the money you'll see that the plan is to screw you ONE MORE TIME before you die by taking the only means public workers have to support themselves in retirement. Bonus points for smearing unions simultaneously.

-- brook


____________________________



http://www.truth-out.org/discover-network-out-crush-our-public-workers67663


Discover the Network Out to Crush Our Public Workers
Wednesday 09 February 2011
by: Dave Johnson | Campaign for America's Future | Report

(snip)

A Distraction From The Real Problems

These state pension reform campaigns across the country come at a time when so many states are in a terrible budget squeeze and are looking for solutions. This storyline diverts public attention from the real culprits. Of course, the obvious solution is to ask the wealthy to pay their fair share, and to cut back on tax breaks, subsidies and “incentive programs” for corporations. The campaign attempts to distract voters from the obvious and lead them to different conclusions, including:

1) Don’t raise state taxes, cut public employee pensions instead.
2) Public employee unions are strangling us and keeping the budget high.

The story also diverts the public from asking where all that pension money went. Right when people should be blaming the financial industry and the financial crisis they caused for state pension shortfalls, up come these studies and PR tactics blaming public employee pensions and unions. The fact that this is happening in several states, from organizations linked in many ways, with similar language, similar tactics, quoting the same “studies”, from organizations with similar boards, etc. suggests this is a coordinated strategy, designed to have the appearance of popular uprising.

In One State

This is a brief look at one small part of a state "pension reform" campaign that is occurring in California.

(snip)

A bigger example of the campaign, closer to its source, came in a January 18, 2011 LA times op-ed, Pension reform or else, that talks of “retirement scandals” in which a fire chief gets a $200,000 pension, and tuition increases that will go to cover “pension debt.” It also scares readers about huge pension obligations, attempting to make people think that public employees enjoy lucrative pensions while the rest of us receive very little.

A tip-off that helps us understand the agenda underlying this op-ed comes when the author declares: “Although the public employee union bosses will fight to retain them, financially unsustainable pension benefits must end.” Whenever you hear someone refer to "union bosses" you know something is going on under the surface. From the op-ed,

PensionTsumani: THINK TANKS

Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions

Calvert Institute

Cato Institute

Claremont Institute

Commonwealth Foundation (PA)

Empire Center for New York State Policy

Heartland Institute

Illinois Policy Institute

Independent Institute

Ludwig von Mises Institute

Manhattan Institute

National Center for Policy Analysis

Pacific Research Institute

Pensions Institute

Pew Charitable Trusts

Reason Foundation

RetirementReform.org

Rio Grande Foundation

Rockefeller Fiscal Studies

Sierra Environmental Studies Foundation

The Free Enterprise Nation

Yankee Institute

(snip -- go to the link to read this section, it's important, but it's too much for a post)


Cookie-Cutter Think Tanks

This is all from pulling the threads just a little bit that come from just one op-ed on pension reform. I didn’t go into the funding of these organizations or look at what else they are doing, other associations, etc. These are just a few of the network of conservative "institutes," etc. around the country. Just a very few. (Here is a list of 185 organizations purporting to be conservative state think tanks, a list of 40 conservative national organizations with state networks and a list of 306 organizations purporting to be conservative national think tanks and 65 conservative "family policy" organizations. There are other lists with other criteria.)

As you follow these threads you discover layer upon layer of corporate/conservative front groups, masking their activities and funders with more layers of front groups. They all have similar mission statements, have similar people on their Boards with similar backgrounds, cover the same issues the same way, and even use remarkably similar language. They seem to be not just connected but interconnected. The sheer number of these similar "think tanks" make it appear that there must be a machine somewhere that stamps these things from a template. That machine is named “Scaife/Coors/Koch…”

(Please read also --> http://www.truth-out.org/joshua-holland-how-right-wing-billionaires-and-business-propaganda-got-us-economic-mess-century63462 ...and spend some time here --> http://www.commonwealinstitute.org/archive/information-about-the-right .)

These corporate/conservative organizations are very good at manipulating the media and public opinion -- it is their purpose. Their "experts" are well paid and always available to talk to reporters, appear on TV and radio shows and write articles and opinion pieces for newspapers, blogs and for their network of similar organizations. Their "reports' and "studies" reach the conclusions that fit the strategy, and are crafted to sound just right. And there are so many of them! The result is development of "conventional wisdom" about what is going on in our society. This is why that conventional wisdom more and more reflects the corporate/conservative line. And right now the corporate conservative line is that we should think that public employees and their unions are responsible for state and local budget shortfalls.

[RKP5637]

1. And clearly politicians consider themselves the ruling class, not public workers,

so they consider themselves exempt.

[nashville_brook]

5. their bread is mostly buttered by the monied interests...

we were able to counter this, somewhat, in decades past -- but no more. Not after Citizens United. I'm afraid things are going to get much uglier before they get better.

I'd like to see a Jan 25 movement here that focused exclusively on Citizens United. Corporations are not people, and people can't compete with corporations for power. That's why we created government in the first place.

We're at a major turning point.

[fasttense]

61. And that's why there was a Boston Tea Party.

The East India Tea Company's tea was thrown overboard because the British government taxed all the other tea companies. The British royals owned shares in the East India Company and made the East India Tea Company a monopoly. By taxing all the East India Tea Company's competitors, the British king decided to get rich off the back of Americans.

[calimary]

2. Infrastructure. They've spent billions and decades building infrastructure.

And look at what they can do now.

While our side snoozed.

Hey nashville_brook, thanks for this! EXPERT connecting-of-dots! I wish we had more people doing this. Rachel Maddow does it. I really don't know of anyone else who does, on a mainstream scale - outside an occasional Jon Stewart bit.

[nashville_brook]

4. many of these corpo-conservative groups started after Watergate...

their funding and vendetta is legendary. When I was in college in the 80s I started doing little progressive publications on campus, and later out in the city, and I kept running up against these glossy, well-funded conservative rags. Didn't think much of it until one of my poly-sci profs asked me to research a couple of them and I found that they were all getting salaries and had their hard costs paid for by Scaife and the Heritage Foundation. I took this personally as someone who was out pounding the pavement to find funding my projects.

Now, everyone needs to be taking it personally.

[DirkGently]

3. Funny how the national conversation suddenly flipped from "Wall Street screwed us" to "Unions &

teachers are screwing us," isn't it?

This is nothing short of the Wealth Siphon, Part II. The middle class held a lot of its wealth (and thereby, power) through home ownership. Not just in terms of equity, but stability and community pride and cohesion as well. Have you noticed the sudden rush of talking heads positing that "We need to re-think the American Dream of home ownership?" And then came the rush of foreclosures, which have NOT stopped, by the way, but only paused as the "robo-signing" scandal was uncovered and then, apparently dismissed.

So they've got the houses. And all of that imaginary value didn't just disappear -- it went into the pockets of the very people who started the ball rolling with tranched securities and evaporating loan underwriting standards. The wealth in middle class houses didn't disappear.

They took it.

And now we're on to the next phase, packaged and sold, as usual, as the cure for the last phase. We don't need "job-killing regulation," we need more tax cuts for the rich, fewer unions, lower wages, no pensions, and a decimated public sector. Oh, and public education has got to go, too. Educated laborers are so fussy.

They're taking education from our children, and retirement for our parents and ourselves. What good are the young or the old, when they don't even work?


And you're dead-on with the cookie-cutter think tanks. This is sock-puppetting on a national scale. How else are such inane messages commandeering the national debate?

Monday: New Study Finds Americans Don't Need Houses anymore; Should find an Apartment and Shut Up.

Tuesday: Governors Agree: State Pensions & Teachers Bleeding Us Dry!


I'm pretty sure they don't want to see what they have waiting for us the rest of the week.

Great post, brook.

[nashville_brook]

6. "sock-puppetting on a national scale" -- wow, that's spot-on!

they're eating the seed corn at this point. you can't privatize education out of existence and expect to have any sort of "society" worth living in.

[DirkGently]

7. Works great if you want two sharply divided social classes though, doesn't it?

Can't afford private school? Your cubicle / eating / sleeping / pooping trough is right this way. Your boarding-school-educated manager / whip master will have instructions as soon as his hover yacht arrives.

[nashville_brook]

10. few people see that we've already developed a class of "untouchables"

like in India. Unemployed then homeless...with no way to get out of the cycle as most jobs require workers to have been employed recently to qualify for a job. Add any sort of illness to this -- especially mental illness, and you've got a whole class of people who will never, ever, make it back into society.

[DirkGently]

11. Don't forget the pre-employment credit check. Don't want to give a job to someone who needs it.

[nashville_brook]

12. don't get me started!

[stockholmer]

62. there isnt even 'seed corn' anymore, Monsanto terminator genes see to that

welcome to the austerity party, it has been well-planned for years by the systemic controllers

much of the EU is well into the 2nd round of poison drinks now, including our Nordic neighbours, the newest Eurozone member/victim, Estonia

[nashville_brook]

68. good point! the thing with the honey bees, and corn...it's like bad science fiction

[snot]

37. +1!

[defendandprotect]

8. K/R -- and back to actually read this later -- but, the real irony to me

is that we would even discuss capitalism and PRIVATE business any longer

without :rofl: --

and it's damned hard to laugh that hard when the corruption and crimes of

capitalism and "bus-i-ness" have so DESTROYED THE PLANET and bankrupted the

American taxpayer bailing them out!!

WHAT A HUGE JOKE ALL OF THIS IS!!

ARE WE ALL NUTS OR WHAT??

[nashville_brook]

9. socialize the risk, privatize the gain -- it's the basest form of corruption

[DirkGently]

13. Socialized risk, privatized profit. Because it's really all THEIR money, anyway.

Edit: Oops. Didn't see you beat me to it, nb. :D

[nashville_brook]

28. jinx -- you owe me a Koch

:evilgrin:

[DirkGently]

29. Ack.

:spray:

[kenfrequed]

59. I wish I knew how to fix all this...

Sadly our leaders are either in on it, ignorant of it, or too afraid of this to stand up.

[defendandprotect]

82. In any of those circumstances, we should be moving them out -- !!

[sasha031]

14. excellent research, should be put in greatest

the infrastructure they have created all these years is mind boggling.

[high density]

15. We are getting this nonsense currently in the state of Maine

Our new teabagger governor is effectively planning on taking money from state workers and state retirees and giving it to private hospitals.

[DirkGently]

17. Maine, Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida, etc. etc. Pretty coordinated effort.

[defendandprotect]

85. How about 4 RECALLS and throwing the voting computers into the

river, this time?

[nashville_brook]

23. our new FL gov has proposed raising electric rates on residents in order to lower cost for Biz.

that's just one tidbit of his horrible budget. $3.6 billion cut from schools. cutting pensions for public workers. eliminating whole regulatory agencies. privatizing medicaid. this list goes on and on.

[Fuddnik]

33. He's also said that Homeowners insurance rates are too low.

He even said it during his campaign.

I just got canceled by State Farm, and have to go with Citizens. The prices are astronomical. I had to drop sinkhole coverage and cut my personal property insurance just to pay it.

But, Rick Scott insists that if rates were higher, more companies would come to Florida to "compete" for our business. It sounds like an invitation to a gang rape to me.

[nashville_brook]

77. i had to carry Citizens on a house in Satellite Beach...couldn't afford it

had to sell the house (it was after my parents died, inheritance -- the State Farm insurance had expired).

[Hannah Bell]

39. It's happening in every state. It's no conspiracy; or rather, the entire ruling class

is on board, not just koch et al. The attack is from all directions, & top-down.

BTW, Calvert is tied to Gates.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Hannah%20Bell/153

[Initech]

16. It really goes to show you who the real criminals of this country are, doesn't it?

[Evasporque]

18. Coors buys Miller, Buys Governor, Governor threatens state workers...

break the state worker unions and you can guy government....and privatize it all.

[nashville_brook]

19. eggsactly. it's an OLD game, and it used to be hidden...now they're out in the open

public services which are cut to the bone, are to be privatized so the good old boys can take their 20, 30, and 40% markup.

omg, it makes my blood boil.

[shanti]

21. oh yeah

they aren't hiding it anymore. my question is and has always been: why the hell do they need ALL that money!? rhetorical question - i have my theories, but will leave them unspoken.

[nashville_brook]

22. that's something i don't understand, either -- comes a point where

having ALL the money becomes meaningless.

then again, I'm watching the HBO series Rome on DVD, and there's some hints there. it's power and control, and that's something i'll never understand on the grandest scale. To Rule The World...that's the game. And I ask, "then what." Seriously.

[shanti]

36. but they already have control

what else could they friggin want is right!

[defendandprotect]

83. "Then what?" .... exactly!!! Especially after you've destroyed the planet ...

and everything on it!!

[socialist_n_TN]

32. That it's so out in the open now is what gets me............

going the worst. The capitalists used to hide their contempt for the working class/poor with insincere platitudes. They no longer even TRY to do that. They must be feeling EXTREMELY confident.

As an optimist, all I can hope for is that it get so obvious that even the American Idolators can see it. For every 10 persons that recognize it, MAYBE there'll be one who'll want to do something about it. I know we're all impatient, but in reality as far as the general public goes, we're still at the education/agitation stage. And THAT sentiment comes from an OPTIMIST.

[defendandprotect]

84. How long would it take us all to make "capitalism" a dirty word?

I'm guessing about 6 months!

Meanwhile, it's taken them 50 years to make "liberal" a dirty word!!

and we're recovering from that!!

[DirkGently]

20. U.S.A., Inc. (nt)

[Chimichurri]

24. disparaging remarks about unions has become the Lady Gaga of talking points. It's astonishing just

how stupid the American public is.

[nashville_brook]

26. "the Lady Gaga of talking points" -- niiiiiiiice!

[DirkGently]

27. Very nice.

[truedelphi]

73. + My household. n/t

[Poboy]

25. recommend.

[Starry Messenger]

30. k&r

[hay rick]

31. K&R

[glinda]

34. K & R n/t

:puke: :puke: :puke:

[scarletwoman]

35. Excellent, excellent. K&R. (nt)

[snot]

38. K&R'd

[6000eliot]

40. Public workers' unions are also a big Democratic power base.

[nashville_brook]

42. you'd think there'd be more support from Dems for public workers

[TBF]

41. This is not a new conspiracy - capital has always done this against workers. nt

[DirkGently]

44. Seems to be picking up speed, though, eh?

[TBF]

46. Yes, especially under a democratic administration.

I was really thinking we'd get another "new deal" with Obama, but they're not even bothering with that sort of thing anymore. Just flat out thievery.

[DirkGently]

76. Meet the new deal. Nothing like the New Deal.

[vssmith]

43. It is just like George Carlin said,

"It's Called The American Dream, Because You have To Be Asleep To Believe It."

[nashville_brook]

67. bada bing!

it's funny b/c it's true.

[Roland99]

45. And modifications of pension plans like Criminal Gov. Scott is planning here in FL

and merit pay systems for teachers and .....

[nashville_brook]

78. at least Scott is getting pushback -- he's doing himself no favors, though

we need to push back hard while as he's quickly alienating himself with his own party.

[jotsy]

47. Ran but one name on that list through the Muckety. Oy.

Follow a financial affiliation from the board of Free Enterprise Nation to Templeton Funds, which becomes Franklin Resources and on that board we find a couple of familiar names...

Thomas Kean, chairman of the 9/11 commission.

Kenneth A Lewis, former CEO from BofA
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3otpHys5B8c&feature=related>

I have way too much fun at this place! Recently learned the only Bushco daughter is a Koch wife.
<http://www.muckety.com/Free-Enterprise-Nation/5087657.muckety>



RECOMMENDED

[RufusTFirefly]

55. Just FYI: Dubya's sister is a Koch, but it's not THOSE Kochs.

Unless I'm mistaken, he's a Democrat and the CEO of the Wine Institute.

Also, unlike the Kochs in Koch Industries, whose name is pronounced "Coke," I believe that Bobby Koch's last name is pronounced "Kotch," like the former New York Mayor.

[a2liberal]

48. Here in Michigan DEMOCRATIC party leaders are talking about

the need to "reform" "unsustainable" public pensions. Sad.

[nashville_brook]

58. yes, that's the problem with these *carpet meme bombs*

they give cover to blue dog dems, and blindside low-information dems. it's up to us to counter the spin, i guess. as if we don't have enough weighing us down with joblessness, losing our homes and running out of options, generally.

[defendandprotect]

86. These destructive policies come from the right --

too often now a "D" is meaningless --

Let's get rid of these voting computers -- we should have a large

PUSH for that!!

[young_at_heart]

49. I wonder if "the machine" told Bush/Cheney not to fund the Iraq war?

Public employees and their unions are NOT responsible for state and local budget shortfalls!

Because the US borrowed to finance the Iraq war, the cost will be borne by future generations---and it's still going to be one of the most expensive wars we have ever fought. The disastrous and yet unaccountable Iraq war has caused a tremendous debt and yet the Bush White House is seldom mentioned as the cause of the debt and thus budget shortfalls.

[CrossChris]

50. Even libararies have been coming under fire lately.

I've heard several repub co-workers repeating anti-library talking points. Like "if we need these libraries, why is no one ever in there?" They're the same people who complain about uneducated young people, etc. They see no connection between these anti-government talking points, and the society they live in. It's just something nasty to say, so they say it.

[Reader Rabbit]

51. Can we use this to put all the teacher-bashing to rest?

The whole "merit pay" and "accountability" thing is just a right-wing scam, and sadly, too many Democrats have already bought into it.

[Blue Owl]

52. This must be the glorious new reality Karl Rove helped create

Let's send that shit sandwich back to the kitchen.

[MasonJar]

53. Could we compile a list of the products made by these officious conservative

destroyers of Democracy? Then we could send it out over the ether and keep it out there. Let's stop them in their despicable tracks the only way they appreciate...their pocket books. I am pretty sure the Koch Brothers make Bounty paper products. Brawny too. In any case I never buy either. Do y'all know other things their companies make? Let's boycott their products.

[nashville_brook]

69. it might be easier to list what they don't make -- CSA's -- join one today!!

http://www.localharvest.org/community-farm-connection-M21827


Community-supported agriculture (in Canada Community Shared Agriculture) (CSA) is a socio-economic model of agriculture and food distribution. A CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farming operation where the growers and consumers share the risks and benefits of food production. CSAs usually consist of a system of weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetables and fruit, in a vegetable box scheme, and sometimes includes dairy products and meat.

Community-supported agriculture began in the early 1960s in Germany, Switzerland and Japan as a response to concerns about food safety and the urbanization of agricultural land. In the 1960s groups of consumers and farmers in Europe formed cooperative partnerships to fund farming and pay the full costs of ecologically sound and socially equitable agriculture. In Europe, many of the CSA style farms were inspired by the economic ideas of Rudolf Steiner and experiments with community agriculture took place on farms using biodynamic agriculture. In 1965 mothers in Japan who were concerned about the rise of imported food and the loss of arable land started the first CSA projects called Teikei (提携) in Japanese – most likely unrelated to the developments in Europe.

The idea started to take root in the United States in 1984 when Jan VanderTuin brought the concept of CSA to North America from Europe.<1> At the same time German Biodynamic farmer Trauger Groh and colleagues founded the Temple-Wilton Community Farm in Wilton, New Hampshire.<2> VanderTuin had co-founded a community-supported agricultural project named Topinambur located near Zurich, Switzerland. Coinage of the term "community-supported agriculture" stems from Vander Tuin and the Great Barrington CSA that he co-founded with its proprietor Robyn Van En.<3> Since that time community supported farms have been organized throughout North America — mainly in the Northeast, the Pacific coast, the Upper-Midwest and Canada. North America now has at least 13,000 CSA farms of which 12,549 are in the US according to the US Department of Agriculture in 2007.<4> Some examples of larger and well established CSAs in the US are Angelic Organics<5> and Roxbury Farm.<6> The largest subscription CSA with over 13,000 families is Farm Fresh To You in Capay Valley, California<7>.

The CSA system

CSAs generally focus on the production of high quality foods for a local community, often using organic or biodynamic farming methods, and a shared risk membership–marketing structure. This kind of farming operates with a much greater degree of involvement of consumers and other stakeholders than usual — resulting in a stronger consumer-producer relationship. The core design includes developing a cohesive consumer group that is willing to fund a whole season’s budget in order to get quality foods. The system has many variations on how the farm budget is supported by the consumers and how the producers then deliver the foods. CSA theory purports that the more a farm embraces whole-farm, whole-budget support, the more it can focus on quality and reduce the risk of food waste or financial loss.


Structure

In its most formal and structured European and North American forms CSAs focus on having:
a transparent, whole season budget for producing a specified wide array of products for a set number of weeks a year;
a common-pricing system where producers and consumers discuss and democratically agree to pricing based on the acceptance of the budget; and
a ‘shared risk and reward’ agreement, i.e. that the consumers receive what the farmers grow even with the vagaries of seasonal growing.
Meaning that individuals, families, &/or groups do not directly pay for x pounds or kilograms of produce but rather support the budget of the whole farm and receive weekly what is seasonally ripe.

This approach eliminates the marketing risks, costs for the producer and an enormous amount of time and labor, and allows producers to focus on quality care of the soils, crops, animals and co-workers as well as on serving the customers. There is financial stability in this system which allows for thorough planning on the part of the farmer.

Some farms are dedicated entirely to their CSA while others also sell through on-farm stands, farmers' markets and other channels. Most CSAs are owned by the farmers while some offer shares in the farm as well as the harvest. Consumers have organized their own CSA projects and have gone as far as leasing land and hiring farmers. Many CSAs have a core group of members that assist with CSA administration. Some require or offer the option of members providing labor as part of the share price.
Some CSAs have evolved into social enterprises employing a number of local staff, improving the lot of local farmers and educating the local community about organic and ecologically responsible farming.

Typically CSA farms are small, independent, labor-intensive family farms. By providing a guaranteed market through prepaid annual sales consumers essentially help finance farming operations. This allows farmers to not only focus on quality growing but can also level the playing field in a food market that favors large-scale, industrialized agriculture over local food.

Vegetables and fruit are the most common CSA crops. Many CSAs practice ecological, organic or biodynamic agriculture by avoiding pesticides and inorganic fertilizers. The cost of a share is usually competitively priced when compared to the same amount of vegetables conventionally grown – partly because the cost of distribution is lowered.

Distribution and marketing methods

A distinctive feature of CSAs is the method of distribution. In the U.S. and Canada shares are usually provided weekly with pick-ups or deliveries occurring on a designated day and time. CSA subscribers often live in towns and cities – local drop-off locations, convenient to a number of members, are organized, often at the homes of members. Shares are also usually available on-farm.

CSAs are different from buying clubs and home delivery services where the consumer buys a specific product at a predetermined price. CSA members purchase only what the farm is able to successfully grow and harvest sharing some of the growing risk with the farmer. If the strawberry crop is not successful, for example, the CSA member will share the burden of the crop failure by receiving fewer, or lower quality, strawberries for the season. CSA members are often more actively involved in the growing and distribution process through shared newsletters and recipes, farm visits, farm work-days, advance purchases of shares and picking up their shares of produce.
Some families have enrolled in subscription CSAs in which a family pays a fixed price for each delivery and can start or stop the service as they wish. This kind of arrangement is also referred to as crop-sharing or box schemes. In such cases the farmer may supplement each box with produce brought in from neighboring farms for a wider variety. Thus there is a distinction between the farmers selling pre-paid shares in the upcoming season's harvest or a weekly subscription that represents that week's harvest. In all cases participants purchase a portion of the farm's harvest either by the season or by the week in return for what the farm is able to successfully grow and harvest.

An advantage of the close consumer-producer relationship is increased freshness of the produce because it does not have to be shipped long distances. The close proximity of the farm to the members also helps the environment by reducing pollution caused by transporting the produce. CSAs often include recipes and farm news in each box in which tours of the farm and work days are announced. Over a period of time consumers get to know who is producing their food and what production methods are used.

Share prices can vary dramatically depending on location. Variables also include the length of share season and average quantity and selection of food per share. As a rough average, in North America, a basic share may be $350–550 for a season lasting for 14–20 weeks in June to September (or October). The produce would be enough of each included crop for at least two people consisting of perhaps 8–12 common garden vegetables. Seasonal eating is implied as shares are usually based on the outdoor growing season which means a smaller selection at the beginning, and perhaps the end, of the period as well as a changing variety as the season progresses. Some CSA programs offer different share sizes or choices of share periods e.g. full-season and peak season.
The film The Real Dirt on Farmer John documents the resurrection of a family farm through its conversion to a CSA model.

[RedCloud]

54. Shouldn't this be of an immediate understanding?

But we always have those new to the flock.

[Viking12]

56. Here in WI, The Club for Growth was airing radio ads within hours of Gov Walker's announcement

Here in WI, The Club for Growth was airing radio ads in support of Gov Walker's plan to rape public employees and bust their unions within hours of the Gov's announcement of the plan. The only way that could have been accomplished is by planned coordination.

[nashville_brook]

57. good point -- question, is there any sense from WI GOP'ers that Walker is going too far?

i.e., does he have the support of his party on this?

[Viking12]

60. I received an e-mail this morning from an organizer that said...

"Word at the Capitol is that several Republican state senators are feeling a lot of pressure and could be wavering. Apparently the amount of phone calls this weekend was overwhelming."

Hopefully, that is true and enough GOP legislators will buckle under the pressure.

[nashville_brook]

64. yes, i asked b/c we've got a similar situation here in FL, and the GOP is having

trouble selling the cuts to each other. rural and small biz interests have run up against the interests of big biz, and they're not having it.

it's still going to be ugly, but at least the GOP is fighting it out amongst themselves.

[OnyxCollie]

63. K&R. nt

[LaPera]

65. Greedy fucking republicans!

[blackspade]

66. Thanks, Great info!

This is part of the continuing effort by a handful of rich corpratists to shift the country from the center-left to who knows where.
The problem is that there are no major network news organizations that are not on the corporate payroll.
The indies and internet are the only places that the truth gets out.

[nashville_brook]

70. yes, and it's getting to the point where no one believes big media anymore

given enough rope, they are hanging themselves.

[blackspade]

71. And the sooner, the better.

for all of us!

[BrklynLiberal]

72. anyone who has doubts about this is living on a totally different place of reality than the rest of

us who have to work and struggle every day.

[blondeatlast]

74. I simply can't repeat it enough--EVERYONE should read "The Republican Noise Machine."

David Brock doesn't just expose the works, he lays bare the connections. NOTHING the RW does is accidental. Ever.

[nashville_brook]

75. Brock's work is priceless. Check out the Commonweal stuff too!

[Enthusiast]

79. Conspiracy is the exact word.

That is what we are victims of.

[nashville_brook]

80. thank you -- i think so too.

[drm604]

81. K&R Kick Kick Kick

VERY important stuff here.

I just recommended the article on FB.