There is discussion going on about putting a Walmart in my hometown of Bath, New York. Here is an article about the effects Walmart has on a town, state, and country.If you live in Bath, ask yourself if adding 300 people earning $12,000 per year to the town is a good thing or a bad thing... if that will mean more wealth or less wealth... if that will mean more poverty or less poverty... if that will mean higher taxes to pay for village services (police, ambulance, school) or lower taxes. How many of those 300 people will get health insurance from Walmart? Perhaps it will just be an opportunity for already poor people to work two low-paying jobs instead of one good-paying job? That's nice.
Everybody I met in Bath recently is complaining about how the V.A. Center's drug rehabilitation program is dumping possibly-not-recovered drug addicts onto the streets of this little village. These drug addicts are deciding not to go back to the cities they came from, and instead are bringing their family and friends up to live in Bath as well. I hate to sound elitist but: Now you want to give them jobs? Actually encourage them to stick around? It sounds to me like this is a point in time to consider avoiding the addition of low-skilled, low-paying job opportunities in the region.
Well, if they do build a Walmart in Bath, at least y'all will save 15 cents on Brillo pads, right folks?
1 comment:
Drug and alcohol abuse is an increasing social problem in this country. This could be a huge catastrophe if it is not tackled wisely. I know friends who have loved ones trapped in this situation and have no one to turn to. Many of them have young children to care for and the children end up as victims of these circumstances. There are hundreds of Drug Rehabilitation Center around and finding the right one at a reasonable cost can be a tough decision.
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