I’m upset with tax abatements, it is “one sided capitalism”.

“Posted by andefromtn on July 8, 2007 at 5:44 a.m. ”

“Perhaps Penn State didn’t teach Leroy that when you only have x many dollars to feed your children or yourself then buying a can of beans on sale “is” what it is about. You have to be able to serve your target costumer, not your costumer serve you. If I, an East Knox resident, can go to your competitor and buy more groceries on my budget, guess what? I am going to Kroger, Food City or Save-a-lot to do so, regardless of anyone else’s plans for a shopping center. Lofty goals are one thing but the bottom line is if you can’t provide the goods at a price I can afford then I or anyone else can’t shop there even if we agree that we want economic development and improvements in our community. Economic development has to be good for both sides, both in the short and long term. You can’t expect the community to over pay for services or products just because you are next door to their house. That isn’t economic development, it is one sided capitalism. If Save-a-lot can build a new store and it is doing well only a short distance from this grocer then why did it succeed and IGA fold? Instead of blaming the community for lack of support prehaps the blame lays with the management of the site and the overall business plan.”

Elected officials are trying to solve community problems with money and not reality. Tax abatements need to stop; it only feeds the problem of a forgotten community.