Today I interview Joshua Longbrook on real world applications of Private Membership Associations for creating systems of support – i.e. the parallel society – outside the jurisdiction of the public (State dominated) sphere.
We’ll cover what PMAs are, what protections they do and do not offer, how they are best utilized as extensions of a larger unincorporated Church, and the types of voluntary interactions they enable within and between local communities.
We’ll also get into Josh’s personal experience with running the Agora Food Club and how the structure has enabled many home-scale producers to supply their wares or seasonal abundance to their fellow food club members in exchange for credits they can apply towards their own grocery bill. I think this is one of the “killer apps” the PMA structure can provide a network of homestead-minded people. Let’s face it – even if you’re just gardening for yourself, or have a small orchard with even a handful of fruit trees, it’s very easy to be overwhelmed with the seasonal abundance from these systems. The PMA creates a way for these small scale producers to exchange their goods that doesn’t require all of the licensing and legal hopscotch that becoming an official business does. The PMA literally enables the creation of circular, local economies without the energetic drain of taxes, licensing and all the things the State requires to be deemed “legal”.
As Josh shares in the interview, a PMA enables the same dynamics that take place when you invite friends over for dinner – you cook food for them in your home (no food service business license, no health inspections etc), you might offer them a drink of wine (no liquor license required), and you might even offer them a bottle to take home for a few bucks. All of this is OK within the confines of your private home, but for some reason when this activity takes place in a business, and selling is happening, then it needs to be regulated (and taxed). The PMA is basically just a bigger dinner party with more friends all happening within the private sphere.
Resources
- The Agora Hub – the Church that Joshua and company run, of which the Agora Food Club is an auxiliary
- The Agora Food Club
- The Agora Ministries – Christian ministry based in Hixson, TN.
- [VIDEO] Joel Salatin – Food Freedom In The Private Domain (PMAs)
- Rogue Food Conference
- David Edwards PMA Service
- Freedom Works – Mission Society-based Private Membership Association
- Josh’s podcast – Our Foundations
- Josh’s email if you’d like to contact him directly with questions: ourfoundations@protonmail.com
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