[Vision2020] Buildings old and new + taxes

[Mark Solomon]

What didn't survive Ernst were the three locally 
owned small hardware stores right downtown. Ward 
Paint and Hardware made the most valiant effort, 
but a hardware store is no longer part of 
downtown contributing to all the other problems 
moving commercial centers to peripheries cause 
such as crosswalks and pedestrians (how dare they 
walk and slow traffic!).

Mark Solomon

>Well, I think that is an example of the inept, 
>corrupt or incompetent management issue that you 
>raised regarding box stores - fact is it was a 
>box store, the community survived its presence 
>here and its demise.  And the building is now 
>occupied by two more box stores - Office Depot 
>and Hastings.
>
>At 05:49 PM 4/11/2005, you wrote:
>
>>Not really fair to include Ernst...it was a bankrupcy problem. But the
>>Moscow store was doing fine.
>>PK
>>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "Melynda Huskey" <mghuskey at msn.com>
>>To: <jeffh at moscow.com>; <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>>Sent: Monday, April 11, 2005 10:16 AM
>>Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Buildings old and new + taxes
>>
>>
>>Jeff writes:
>>
>>>Markets run best when demand is the driving force for the operation of the
>>>market.  An unfettered demand (that invisible hand) will allocate goods and
>>>services to their appropriate values.  For those that fear the appearance
>>>of "new" box stores, they should put their fears at rest.  If the box store
>>>is serving the needs of the market, it will survive.  If it doesn't serve
>>>the interests of the consumer, it won't.  Even in Moscow, we have had the
>>>box stores come and go - Ernst, K-Mart, Lamont's, "big" style Sears, even
>>>Tidyman's.
>>
>>Jeff, something that has always troubled me about this model is that "the
>>market" is so vaguely defined.  For example, the benefit to shareholders is
>>a powerful driver of corporate policy, often to the detriment of consumers,
>>who may not even know how badly they're being screwed by sweet deals among
>>capitalists.  And when a company like, say, Enron collapses, the victims of
>>this operation of the free-market are the rank and file employees and
>>consumers, not the executives.  The free market allows the folks who have
>>broken the law and grown rich at the expense of others to buy their way out
>>of trouble, while those folks who lost their pensions after years of working
>>for the company have no hope of recovering their lost earnings.
>>
>>The destruction of the natural world, negative health effects, the
>>consumption of irreplaceable natural resources--clearly NOT in the long-term
>>interest of consumers--are rarely part of the operations of the market.
>>Similarly, this model doesn't consider the benefits to shareholders and some
>>consumers of unethical behavior.
>>
>>Clearly, one reason WalMart has prospered is its unethical and sometimes
>>illegal labor practices--from union busting to hiring undocumented workers
>>and then refusing to pay them to various just-barely-legal ways of evading
>>paying for workers' health benefits.  Another reason it's done so well is
>>that it uses its enormous market share to pressure suppliers to reduce
>>prices at any cost, thus encouraging equally exploitative labor practices in
>>its suppliers.  Its size allows it to overwhelm competitors by short-term
>>price adjustments, but once well-established, it can alter its pricing
>>structure to maximize profits without reference to the good of the consumer
>>or the well-being of its employees.
>>
>>The siren song of "Trust the Invisible Hand" sounds a lot more like "Pay no
>>attention to the man behind the curtain" to me.
>>
>>Melynda Huskey
>>
>>
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>>
>>_____________________________________________________
>>  List services made available by First Step Internet,
>>  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>>                http://www.fsr.net
>>           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
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>>
>>
>>
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