The real problem is that we are all significantly underpaid. Let me pose a question; suppose you were making $70,000 to $120,000.00 per year, would you really complain about "higher taxes?" Would you even shop at WalMart? Would you really care about "paid garbage stickers, parking meters, etc, etc? Of course not. So the real problem is not the unavailability of cheap goods, but that we are all badly underpaid for our labor. The money is here, mind you, but you and I just can't get our hands on it. And how does that happen? Just imagine that you are a small business owner in town (or a big business like our Banks), and you need to pay someone to help your customers spend money in your business, what are you going to pay them? You do a little research and ... boom, you see WalMart is paying minimum wage, so isn't Dairy Mart, Wilson's, the coffee shops, . So what the heck, I'll pay you minimum wage. "And if you don't like it, go work at WalMart. Believe it or not, WalMart sets the wage tone in a community. Especially when it will hire 200 to 250 people from a population of 19,000 people. It has significant influence in the competitive wage marketplace. And if we continue to bring in these low wage jobs, there will be no competition for the higher pay wage scale which is really what we need. WalMart loves this because it depends completely on the "low wage earner" to be its customer. Its even participates in maintaining this low wage consumer by influencing that very same marketplace. How can you support any of the other down town businesses if you can't afford to buy there? Eat there? See some entertainment there? My experience with trying to change this paradigm by working with and supporting the Greenfield Mercantile is a case in point. One of the biggest concerns with people investing in the Mercantile (For Profit, Community Retail Store) has been. "Well, how are you going to survive "WalMart when it comes?" We calculate it will take at least $500,000.+ just to open the doors and another $300,000 to remain viable. What single Sole Proprietor is going to invest that kind of money in Greenfield's downtown when WalMart will open its doors in the same marketplace in the near future? But that is exactly what our own business owners and people with money say about why they will not invest in the Mercantile. "Because WalMart is coming."

The Mayor and all of the local/regional politicians should only be concentrating on bringing in higher paying jobs so you and I can afford Greenfield's ever rising taxes and cost of living. What makes you think costs will come down? Have they ever? We should not expect town services in the future will be cheaper. Do you really want to pay the police less? The fire department less? the business owner less?, your waitress less? your children less? Do you really want to maintain poverty? Or do you want to rise above this? Costs will always go up, never down. That's reality. And WalMart is "BANKING ON IT."