Revitalizing rural America

REVITALIZING rural America and conserving its fundamental resources—soil, water, and people—re inextricably linked, despite the tendency politically in our society to separate them. And the debate over the future of rural America, what little debate goes on, tends o be basic, parochial, and even fatalistic bout the future of rural communities. My view is much less fatalistic and I hope nore responsible. We are in charge of what iappens in rural communities. We are in Nharge of what happens in our society. The aconomy is a function of society. The market s a reflection of normative behavior, behavor based on values-what we think is right, vhat we think is proper, what we think is iecessary for society to function. What holds ociety together is not efficiency, or producivity, or wealth. It is not supply and denand. These are all figments of the econony. What holds society and the economy ogether is a common understanding about he way things ought to be and, when necessary, the will to change those things that do lot measure up to those expectations. All of this is to say that I do not accept he direction in which things are going …