Sunday, June 7, 2009
THINKING TOO SMALL
The SNH has an idea and call it "Look, Live, Love Suffolk." On June 20 they suggest each citizen buy $20 worth of something at any retail outlet downtown. (Where exactly is that?) I wish I hadn’t been so impetus…just yesterday I took SNH advice and filled 6 five-gallon tanks of gasoline in preparation for hurricane season, you just can’t be without a generator when those winds howl. My spouse did her usual shopping at the big “W” (maybe that's not in downtown) plus she stocked up the old freezer in case, you know, flooding conditions and/or power outages. Unfortunately it added up to well over three hundred dollars. We should have waited. But then there has never been a case of “driving downtown” when we spent less than a hundred if you also count lunch, a stop at Lowes, a few bargains at Belk, and a “poke around” at Big Lots. If SNH wants to accomplish a difference with LLL, make it at least fifty bucks person. Lets see, 82,000 people times $50, now that’s a good number.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
Sorry to say it but now that Bush is no longer in office the global weather situation will improve. Global warming will fade away to climate change. CO2 levels and ocean water temperatures will plunge helping to reduce the probagation of hurricanes. Lastly Bush will no longer be able to personnaly direct storms towards impoverished hapless "Chocolate Cities" like New Orleans. How do I know this? The kind people at ACORN told me just before I voted for Barack Obama.
Once again the SNH embarks on one of their unfunded programs to get people deeper into debt or pointless street fairs like A Taste (Waste) of Suffolk. Such childish concepts clearly demonstrate their diisconnect from reality. How about turning it around for our local government to embark on a more rational idea call it; "Manage, Market, Maintain Suffolk". Maybe then we can get some of our taxes reduced.
Oh happy day for downtowners the farmers market is returning to it's old haunts next to the train station. Once again we can enjoy fruits and vegitables from far exotic lands like Mexico and Honduras and crunch on fly encrusted breads and cakes. Perhaps you want to sample the seafood from an obscure branch of an unidentified river. Maybe I can spend my Look, Live, Love Suffolk post property tax dollars there. But before I do, I want to see the SNH Editor with his hands and mouth full.
Did you spend your $20 downtown? If not why not? We all need to support our downtown venders and the other venues like the Suffolk Center for Cultural ARTS. These jems only require a few public dollars to get many more in private spending to keep tje juices flowing. If not we will see the bad old days return where the street front is slowly boarded up and crime starts to go up. Come on dow and spend your money for lunch, buy some art, buy something for the house. Don't be a tight-wad and make the day of a local merchant. The City has spent alot of money to get downtown to work and we need you to spend to make that pay! See you for lunch at Barron's Pub, or the Shooting Star to buy a nice print!
June 21st comment was interesting. I though we already paid our twenty dollars a hundred thousand times with all the municipal, public/private projects and the yearly cost to sustain them. Apparently that isn't enough nor will spending $20. No the real fix for downtown is a much larger matter related to strategic economic development, community revitalization. Government has and will never be the answer.
Reading the puff piece in the SNH was a sad commentary on their editor's inability to grasp the urgency and severity of the economic downture. But if buying lunch this one day has them believe they made a difference, who am I to question their wisdom?
Dear Editor of SNH please declare everyday June 20th so we can give more of our post tax dollars to the city. They need the revenue and anything you can do to help them will be repaid in advertising dollars.
I have faith that you and the reporter babes can convince the few thousand subscribers left to give up a few more post Selena dollars to make you look good.
I kept my $20 bill and will not patronize the hack businesses downtown. Many seem to feel that they control our local government, so go to them as usual for your money.
Project Challenges Shoppers To Spend $50 A Month At Three Local Businesses.
The Chicago Tribune (7/1, Zambo) reports that Hinsdale, Ill., is among Chicago-area communities that have begun a challenge "being adopted by other municipal and business leaders across the country." The 3/50 Project asks shoppers to "pick three independently owned businesses that they cannot live without and shop there regularly," spending "at least $50 at one of the businesses each month." The Tribune notes that 3/30 Project founder and retail consultant Cinda Baxter "said if half of the employed US population spends $50 a month in small, independent businesses, they would generate $42.6 billion in a year. And out of every $100 spent at independent retailers, Baxter said $68 returns to that local economy." In contrast, "only $43 out of every $100 spent" at chain stores comes back, she said. Baxter's "idea started from a blog entry she wrote at the end of March" on her website, The350Project.net. The Tribune notes that "registering as a supporter is free, as are materials and fliers that can be printed from her site." Materials include window banners, countertop signs, movie theater screen ads, and website items.
Post a Comment