ITHACAHOUR at aol.com
01-08-1995, 09:01 PM
TOURISM
There is no analysis of the loss of tourist dollars from this Wal-Mart and
related urbanization. People come to Ithaca to visit a small city and big
lake, surrounded by forests and waterfalls. They do not come to see
waterfalls surrounded by malls. The specialty shops found only in Ithaca
contribute to our community's identity, too. Fewer tourists would come here
to visit Anytown, USA. What is the effect of this loss on sales taxes?
PRICES
Wal-Mart does not believe in fair enterprise. They cut prices long enough
to kill competition, then raise them (Hardware Age Magazine 2/88). Says the
Wall Street Journal, "Wal-Mart uses its size and clout to bleed rivals dry"
(11/18/93). They've been sued and convicted ($289,000 penalty) for unfair
trade practices (WSJ 10/13/93). Wal-Mart's hidden prices, not shown on tags,
are the costs already mentioned, to the city, to the environment, and to the
community.
RKG Associates has been described by Al Norman (coordinator of the
successful Greenfield, Massachusetts, opposition to Wal-Mart) as a "barnacle
on the whale," one of several firms which thrives by studying mall proposals.
Why should we expect them to condemn the damage Wal-Mart does? Without
malls, there would be nothing for them to be paid to study.
FREE MARKET
Many people in Ithaca believe that anybody who has money and land should
have the freedom to do anything they want with them. They believe the
freedom of the rich to invest as they please is the cornerstone of our
Republic, the source of all wealth, and the most precious of liberties. Some
believe that what is good for Wal-Mart is good for Ithaca.
Yet, laws have long restrained the free market from abusing other freedoms
perhaps even more important, such as by prohibiting child labor or slavery,
challenging unsafe labor conditions, banning hazardous products, stopping
false advertising, limiting pollution of water and air, penalizing
union-busting, and preventing monopoly restraint of trade.
While Wal-Mart is not more evil than most corporations, they are big enough
to have power over many lives. So when they are bad, they are very bad.
They sell goods made by Asian children (NBC Dateline, 12/92). They prohibit
dating between employees (NYT 7/14/93). Although the USA' s wealthiest
retail employer, they oppose health care reform (Atlanta Const. 11/1/93).
They've been targeted by AIDS activists (Publisher's Weekly 6/29/92), and by
unions (national picket by UF&CW: NYT 5/3/93). They had to be forced by a
federal court to declare themselves an equal employment opportunity and
affirmative action employer (NYT 4/20/93).
Thus in Ithaca, New York, the law properly gives the people who live here
more rights than corporations, to determine the uses of land. Within public
limits, beneficial and socially-responsible enterprises can thrive.
Wal-Mart's request for 24 acres of Ithaca wetland is another of many
opportunities for Ithacans to decide what kind of job base we prefer, what
kind of community we value, and how we want to live. There are fine
alternatives which build prosperity with local creativity, in the spirit of
the Farmer's Market and Sciencenter. This decision is our responsibility,
and now is our time to make it.
This post transferred from the cdb-l mailing list
There is no analysis of the loss of tourist dollars from this Wal-Mart and
related urbanization. People come to Ithaca to visit a small city and big
lake, surrounded by forests and waterfalls. They do not come to see
waterfalls surrounded by malls. The specialty shops found only in Ithaca
contribute to our community's identity, too. Fewer tourists would come here
to visit Anytown, USA. What is the effect of this loss on sales taxes?
PRICES
Wal-Mart does not believe in fair enterprise. They cut prices long enough
to kill competition, then raise them (Hardware Age Magazine 2/88). Says the
Wall Street Journal, "Wal-Mart uses its size and clout to bleed rivals dry"
(11/18/93). They've been sued and convicted ($289,000 penalty) for unfair
trade practices (WSJ 10/13/93). Wal-Mart's hidden prices, not shown on tags,
are the costs already mentioned, to the city, to the environment, and to the
community.
RKG Associates has been described by Al Norman (coordinator of the
successful Greenfield, Massachusetts, opposition to Wal-Mart) as a "barnacle
on the whale," one of several firms which thrives by studying mall proposals.
Why should we expect them to condemn the damage Wal-Mart does? Without
malls, there would be nothing for them to be paid to study.
FREE MARKET
Many people in Ithaca believe that anybody who has money and land should
have the freedom to do anything they want with them. They believe the
freedom of the rich to invest as they please is the cornerstone of our
Republic, the source of all wealth, and the most precious of liberties. Some
believe that what is good for Wal-Mart is good for Ithaca.
Yet, laws have long restrained the free market from abusing other freedoms
perhaps even more important, such as by prohibiting child labor or slavery,
challenging unsafe labor conditions, banning hazardous products, stopping
false advertising, limiting pollution of water and air, penalizing
union-busting, and preventing monopoly restraint of trade.
While Wal-Mart is not more evil than most corporations, they are big enough
to have power over many lives. So when they are bad, they are very bad.
They sell goods made by Asian children (NBC Dateline, 12/92). They prohibit
dating between employees (NYT 7/14/93). Although the USA' s wealthiest
retail employer, they oppose health care reform (Atlanta Const. 11/1/93).
They've been targeted by AIDS activists (Publisher's Weekly 6/29/92), and by
unions (national picket by UF&CW: NYT 5/3/93). They had to be forced by a
federal court to declare themselves an equal employment opportunity and
affirmative action employer (NYT 4/20/93).
Thus in Ithaca, New York, the law properly gives the people who live here
more rights than corporations, to determine the uses of land. Within public
limits, beneficial and socially-responsible enterprises can thrive.
Wal-Mart's request for 24 acres of Ithaca wetland is another of many
opportunities for Ithacans to decide what kind of job base we prefer, what
kind of community we value, and how we want to live. There are fine
alternatives which build prosperity with local creativity, in the spirit of
the Farmer's Market and Sciencenter. This decision is our responsibility,
and now is our time to make it.
This post transferred from the cdb-l mailing list