The downtown area was deserted because in general, people started building stores on the Loop instead of the downtown area, which is completely out-of-the-way for most people.

I know many if not most of the people that own and have owned businesses in that downtown. None that I know of shut down because of Walmart… not even indirectly. If they say otherwise, it's more or less an easy excuse for running a business that people didn't find value in. It wasn't because they were undercut 10% on their prices for some certain widget. Small stores run with shaky business plans barely get buy in a good economy. When it heads south, only the best survive.

This is a puff piece. Let's get real people.

quote*Wal-Mart firmly believes in local procurement. We recognize that by purchasing quality products, we can generate more job opportunities, support local manufacturing and boost economic development. Over 95% of the merchandise in our stores in China is sourced locally. We have established partnerships with nearly 20,000 suppliers in China. *end quote!

Now! if there be 182 country’s making items for the world to buy and they have only 5% of the pie in China…duh! This company makes the nice people of China support their currency(yuan) by keeping it in their country working for the people there…. but with the “yuan” going up in value and the US dollar going down…all the foreign items that the American consumer buys thinking it is cheap has went up in price.

People…its all about the currency and to keep a currency strong you got to keep it floating around the country you live in so it can work for you. For the past 12 years all them US dollars are being shipped overseas to a foreign bank and with the American worker not making anything for the foreigner to buy the “we the people” have to turn to the “second” largest employer in America(Uncle Sam) to sell “we the people” debt in order to get all them dollars back!

50 years ago a foreigner would had given their left nut for a US dollar or a Hershey’s chocolate bar and today the same foreigner has got Uncle Sam and the American consumer by both all the while Hershey is moving the chocolate factory to Mexico. Wake up! America and think “MADE IN AMERICA.”

OrganicallyTvs last blog post..A humorous and eye opening short film about plastic bags

A 1300 foot cottage with a 100 X 120 foot lot in town in good condition costs about 60,000.

Those young people who remain lined up for jobs at Walmart. They get $10 per hour. They were getting the minimum wage in Michigan of 7.25.

The Walmart has only been here 6 months. The stores in town have not yet gone out of business. We have two other supermarkets. I do not know if they will be able to survive.

The Walmart provides cheap food and supplies to retired people on a very limited income. Walmart also supplies items that were never before available in town.

The loss of home town businesses will surely hurt people. The bottom line is that when people vote with their check books, Walmart wins. It is a simple but high impact equation.