I admit to being surprised at the reports of Sam’s Club and other retailers limiting bulk sales of rice. Panic-buyers, breathlessly reported by mass media, generating concern among the public of possible food shortages, and skyrocketing prices of basic food staples. Is this the next crisis we must face in these bizarre times, or is this just another sign of the times?

In fact, WSJ’s Brett Arends opined the other day that “maybe it’s time for Americans to start stockpiling food.”

Maybe it is.

9/11, Katrina, H5N1 preparation, …. If these events didn’t get America’s attention, then maybe a potential problem with food supplies will do the job.

We have been buying a few extra cans all along, trying to get to the point that we can go for ninety days — like FEMA has recommended to our hospitals — but 90 days of self-sufficiency is a tall order. That’s a lot of cans.

Kind of like filling the Strategic Petroleum reserve. If it’s there when you need it, it really doesn’t matter what you paid for it.