"The inanity of our bread and circuses" via beer grants, jobs, lumbersexuals & LegoLand Dubai.

Talk about a complex piece of writing. It's food for thought in multiple courses. The major point of the essay is government incentives for economic development, but this doesn't do it justice.

First and last paragraphs only ... enjoy the read.

Beer Grants, Jobs, Lumbersexuals & LegoLand at Wigwam: A Home Economy Journal

I was sitting in Yummy Taco on 17k in Newburgh last December having lunch with a friend. We met a dozen years ago, when he was running a small eatery on Main Street in Beacon and I ran a second-hand furniture place next door. As we sampled what he called the fusion menu—the place was obviously a former Chinese restaurant that had added a few Mexican dishes—he mentioned the large grant given to Jalor Properties, LLC to turn an old factory building in Beacon into a brewery and taproom. There was a decent helping of skepticism in his tone ...

 ... The inanity of our bread and circuses, by definition inane to begin with, has reached a screeching apex, and it is only down, down, from here. While Dubai and LegoLand may be extreme examples, Beacon’s economy is by no means exempt from the complexities brought on by vast inputs of energy. In an upcoming post, we’ll look at the job situation from a local historical perspective, and see how this ever-increasing complexity has landed us in a bit of a pickle. Meanwhile, a raising of the glasses to Jalor Properties. Whatever else it may aspire to be, at least it will be a place where something useful is made. The beer grant for Beacon certainly makes better use of our money than a theme park; long after the last tourist has had a tasting, the brewing kettles can continue to be a source of jobs, and produce a crafty brew that should help former Model Citizens face the prospects of long-term unemployment.