There's a lot to be said about that type of ability, but I imagine sometimes it can be frustrating. If we put it into the context of what's happening in Altadena today, I can tell you he's verklempt. He's having a hard time understanding why our town, usually so adamant about not letting in large stores, is seemingly embracing the idea of our newest proposed neighbor, a Walmart Neighborhood Store. I'm wondering why as well. We know the history of this corporation, yet some folks are expecting them to be different this time. Isn't that a quote from Albert Einstein? The definition of insanity is repeating the same thing and expecting different results.
What Scott sees happening is our independent stores being slowly squeezed out, creating more trouble than there was in the first place, without Walmart, and I agree with him. This is a familiar argument, one that's been voiced all across the US, so much so that people here seem to tune out. Maybe it's just a Southern California thing, this ennui. No big deal, right? Maybe is isn't and maybe it is, but as one commenter on the most recent story on the situation in our local newsblogs put it, "now's the time for the mom and pops in town to get it together" (paraphrased for brevity). I agree with that as well! As much as we can, after slogging through this recession and so-called recovery, I call on all of us small business people to "get it together"!
See what's happening in your town - don't be a turtle, don't lose interest, don't think that it won't affect you. We all need to become more involved, more supportive and care more about what happens here in Altadena. Let's talk about it - start now and start here at SaveAltadena.com.
Have an excellent week ahead, my friends, and we'll talk again next week!
Lori and Scott
2 comments:
I think a WalMart in Altadena is bad for Pasadena, too, so I hope people will remain on alert. This company has a history of being bad for every community it enters. I can't imagine a reason to shop in a WalMart.
I heard they're coming to Pasadena, too, Petrea. Walmart is making a massive move across the SoCal area with these new, smaller format stores because for 3 years running, profits have been down in their superstores. The Institute Of Local Self Reliance figured that for the budget that Walmart has to accomplish this, they'd have to open over 200 new stores. Every city and town is vulnerable, particularly with Michelle Obama's endorsement of their "healthy" choices in "food deserts". Why she thinks that anywhere in California, who is the number one producer of fruits and vegetables in the nation, has places that could be termed a food desert is beyond me.
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