A number of factors have gelled for me into an important understanding, however unlikely it is to be original: Neither money, real estate, precious metals, nor any other tangible good or floating trade medium possesses rigorous intrinsic value - in each case, their value can be corrupted or undermined through various manipulative processes (e.g., stock market shenanigans, currency policy, fraud, etc). Even food, energy, or water, when provided by a producer to a consumer, can be manipulated in similar ways. But when something is produced by the consumer, pure economics is at work in how it is used - you have begun the process of vertically integrating your own personal economy. Such a move must necessarily begin with energy, so I will examine its purpose, implications, and how it may be approached.
continued at Daily Kos....
