SNIP
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>But I understand you're a fan of local economies. Personally, I am beginning to think that the whole salary system, of everybody in the world, must be restructured. Same with costs of living. In a stable 'place' there is a certain, stable, relationship between income and costs of living. It is no big deal when the guy from the nearby village comes to our village to work. But distance is no longer a stabilizing buffer in this connectivity world.

That's exactly what's happening, Peter, except no one has had the guts to tell us!
Wages are getting lower and lower here while they go from $0. to just above $0. in China. Statistically China has a fast-rising "standard of living" though in fact 99% of the Chinese, including ALL the workers, are NOT having any meaningful change in their living standard.
Politicians use number like these to show that "a rising tide raises all boats" but the fact is that the tide rises in China as it falls here. Some day we will all be "level". Realize that this really means that we have gone DOWN while others have gone up, and I bet we won't "meet" in the middle!

Jim