Healthy skepticism mixed with hope for entrepreneurship. We certainly need some creative approaches to some of these big issues. I noticed today that the new " Communities Putting Prevention to Work" initiative of the Reinvestment Act has a focus on Improved nutrition (e.g. increased fruit/vegetable consumption, reduced salt and transfats & Decreased overweight/obesity prevalence (among other things). One of the intervention areas is "access" (Healthy food/drink availability) I wonder if this might be a way to put your ideas into action? Have a look.

American Recovery Reinvestment Act of 2009 Communities Putting Prevention to Work

Purpose: The purpose of this FOA is to create healthier communities through sustainable, proven, population-based approaches such as broad-based policy, systems, organizational and environmental changes in communities and schools. Awardees funded under this FOA will work collaboratively to promote and sustain policy change efforts in communities and schools. It is recommended that awardees include a strong focus on the needs of populations who suffer disproportionately from the burden of disease.

thanks!  This should be sent to the Miami-Dade health department.

Blake, thanks for the observations about Yunus. When I was at Vanderbilt I had the good fortune to hear Yunus speak about his experiences. (I believe Scot was there too). There are places in the USA adopting his model. The precise reference escapes me now, but I know that several groups have adopted his model for implementation at home and abroad. What impresses me most about Yunus is his steadfast believe that we need to change the odds, and not just beat the odds, which is the most common mantra in the present economic system. In my view, we need to empower people to become entrepreneuria, but always remember that we also need to create conditions for people to get a fair chance in life. At present, the entrepreneurial discourse relies too heavily on people's self-generated motivation and not enough on the conditions required to motivate people. Individual motivation derives from a fertile soil. Right now the soil is fertile only for those who were born in favorable conditions. Without favorable conditions, only very few people will beat the odds. We need to change the odds to help people beat the odds.

While microenterprise is a great advance in poor countries, it is less significant in wealthier countries where the microbusinesses are usually insufficient in themselves to enable people to meet the current prevailing standard of living. In the USA microbusiness can be a significant income supplement, complementing low wages, and contributing to a slightly standard of living. Thus, a person employed in a low wage service sector job might have a second source of income through a microenterprise that would enable the household to at least achieve self sufficiency. In Miami Dade about half the households do not officially reach that standard! An important challenge for us to contemplate: as income declines in the USA, but wealth is increasingly concentrated at the top, what wil the new economy look like?