Scholarship / Max Borders on Regulation video "New Threats to Freedom" [2]

Rosalee Ponce
University of Arkansas
Undergraduate Student

03/20/2011

Scholarship Essay Response.

In Max Borders on Regulation: New Threats to Freedom video he stated that "...cottage industries are at the beginning of wealth creation." This is a profound statement. The need for cottage industries should be addressed by every community across our nation. Mankind can no longer afford the ostentatious practice of importing the majority of their goods and foods; be it across the nation or from around the world.

Man still has a choice of how to live. He can live like there is no tomorrow or he can live responsibly, care about his fellow man, and take interest in the future well-being of generations to come. Where and how people spend their money and the value they place on products, greatly affects the local economy. An all too familiar story revolves around the mega stores that are still being built at the outskirts of towns across America. Too many times the result is the slow death of the city's business infrastructure. It has become far too easy to shrug off the guilt of watching downtown shrivel and die as friends and neighbors are financially forced to close their stores. A healthy balance must be achieved.

A line has to be drawn somewhere to stop the insanity that can only lead to self-destruction. The goal of every community should be to develop and maintain a healthy, well educated, and financially stable populace. Cottage industries provide the means to achieve these goals and draw a line of defense against destruction.

Cottage industries and local agriculture once were and still can be the backbone of strong local economies. They hold the key to a productive future. Cottage industries must be encouraged and supported by local government. A license does not a business make. Their fate is in the hands of the very individuals that previously shunned small businesses in the community. Every citizen must commit to buying local. In so doing, a strong business network can be established and a healthy balance achieved in supply and demand and between big and small business.

Developing a strong network of cottage industries requires new perspectives and attitudes towards small business. Take a poll within your community to discover the availability of skilled artisans and craftsmen as well as the willingness of the populace to buy local if a variety of quality goods and services were available to them. Don't be surprised to find your populace lacking in many of the skills necessary to establish a diverse business infrastructure. Sadly, great craftsmen are not created overnight, yet they are typically the first to disappear. Fair pricing, quality, and durability of products seem to have disappeared with them.

It's a matter of choice. Wait for the national economy to improve or change the local economy by supporting local business. It takes time to grow a self-supporting, sustainable community. Cottage industries are not only the beginning of wealth creation; they are a viable answer to a secure economic future one community at a time.

Max Borders Regulation video link: youtube.com/watch?v=_gIGpzoZxuA