Is the U.S. on the brink of food rationing? Possibly. Reports The New York Sun:

Major retailers in New York, in areas of New England, and on the West Coast are limiting purchases of flour, rice, and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply.

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It’s hard to know what to make of the report, though. The Sun article focuses mainly on anecdotal evidence: shoppers at a Costco in Silicon Valley — one of the the most prosperous areas on the planet — a guy who runs a survivalist website (sample line from ad: "Free XD pistol!"), and "an anonymous high-tech professional writing on an investment website."

Still, if they really are rationing rice in Silicon Valley — and flour and cooking oil in Queens — then something weird is afoot. Rather than everybody panicking and stocking up on guns, ammo, canned goods, and grains, I’d rather see us reinvest in local-food production networks. Call me wacko.