Questioning Going Local

I wonder if Go Local campaign has any economic merit. I wonder if it is really fair for the very locals the campaign targets to help.

1. Why go local?
2. Why should you pay a higher cost to buy local when the market offers a lower price in places that are "non local" and products that are "non local"?
3. Do we know for sure that the value creation (environment, labor, community impact) are all demonstrably higher with local vs. non local?
4. Why pay for the inefficiencies of a local store or producer? If Wal Mart squeezes out the inefficiencies to provide customers with lower cost, would it simply not be better to take capture the added value?
   
5. Do you stop at goods and services for local? How about ideas? Should you listen to and cultivate only the local thought leaders?
6. What does it mean when a bookstore says Buy Local? Should people only read books written by local authors and printed using paper produced from local trees by local paper companies and sold in local bookstores?
7. What about the locals who work in chains? Is it fair to deny them their right to earn a living by working in a place that offers them the best value?