>Co-ops are wonderful when they work well and terrible when they
don't.<

Thanks for your comments,  Miriam.  Yes , there are still some of the food
co-ops in Madison, but they are really just fancy, health food groceries now.
 We no longer have the radical versions, with food displayed in cardboard
boxes, dogs in the aisles, and cashiers imbibing behind the counters.  I
don't know if the idealism is now as neatly packaged as the merchandise, but
Madison has certainly become more mainstream these days.

I think your points about successful co-ops are very wise.  I am thinking
these days specifically about the very nature of how people can work
successfully together.  The issues are often the same, no matter what label
you attach to the effort.

Thanks  again,  Miriam

Amelia