A leading thinker on the left recently wrote that elite authorities have failed us and require grassroots input to become accountable.

A leading thinker on the right recently wrote that centralized authorities have failed us and should be balanced by stronger local economic, political, and social networks.

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Now Woody Tasch of the Slow Money Alliance wants to get people with these sentiments working together. He’s calling for a green version of the Tea Party:

We all share an abiding frustration at the dysfunctions of Wall Street and Washington. We are deeply frustrated at the damage caused by money that is too fast, investment banks that are too big and government programs that are too complex. But the mark we are trying to hit isn’t in Washington or on Wall Street. It’s much closer to home. It’s right here, in our own backyards, in our communities. That’s why David Brooks wrote last week that both the welfare state and the market state are models that have failed …

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The new direction in which we must head can be called many things: relocalization, rebalancing, rebuilding, revitalizing, restoration and preservation, redevelopment, job creation, retooling, decentralization. This will take many shapes. I would suggest as one of the cornerstones of this rebuilding process the following goal: a million investors investing 1% of their assets in local food systems …

We need balance — and the balance we need must be achieved in both our food system and our financial markets. We don’t want to be dependent on crazy financial schemes or far-flung food supply chains, the security of which is impossible to guarantee. We don’t want our investments or our food filled with ingredients that we do not understand. We want new, simpler recipes for economic, social and personal health.

So, let’s start fixing America — restoring our shared sense of purpose and our common dreams — from the ground up, starting with food. [Emphasis mine.]

Even Glenn Beck seems to have a soft spot distributed energy and local food.

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Libertarian righties and locavores working for shared goals? Crazy. So how do we make this partnership happen?