"Local production? A good idea mainly for food.

My non-expert opinion. "

Growing up in the '50's & '60's, there was a small, local company called the Knit Mill.... they had the machines that could make knitted goods like sweaters, etc. Or could buy the yarns & patterns to make you own. It was small, family owned & made a good living for everyone on the payroll. No need to create a million of the same thing for the box stores... just serve their local area. And that was the pattern all over - before the federally funded superhighways & "cheap" fuel made consolidation into bloated megacorps the norm.

The biggest issue with our system is a combination of waste ( gas & resources) and too many middlemen all getting their "share"... not to mention overblown salaries for the ones at the top.