Thanks for the pings. Would to God that an African-American such as Dr Sowell would run for President, instead of the Marxist who is running.
as a person running a small health food store, I can tell that the most obnoxious person in the world is the one who comes in and speaks admiringly of the need for a small store like this in the neighborhood and then they don’t buy squat to support the store.
once the notion of “a living Constitution” became fashionable, the Constitution’s protection of property rights has been “interpreted” virtually out of existence by judges.
Thanks for the Pings jaz. Read all three installments of “Too Complex?”
Really enjoy his style of presentations.
The trouble with chain stores is that while one or two are no problem, their marketing departments all use the same models.
If, say, a Starbucks moves into an area full of local businesses, suddenly every building within a block or two is examined for takeover potential by at least a dozen other chains. They use the argument that Starbucks must have thought it was a good location, so it must be.
The chains also have considerable savvy when they scout new locations, so instead of coming in “fair and square”, they are looking for eminent domain takings, incentives to move in, as well as tax abatement offers. They present pitches to P&Z boards and city councils that have been successful in the past, and they use all sorts of tricks to undermine opposition.
As a group, what was suddenly one chain store wanting to move in, becomes a major redevelopment project replacing any number of local stores with chain stores. Local color is replaced with standardized franchises. The neighborhood ceases to exist, as such.
The chain stores then want to drum up their maximum customer base. Often this means they want single family homes replaced with higher density apartments, or preferably high rise businesses. Again, their marketing department determines what will maximize profits, and how to lobby city councils to change their city to best suit their corporation.
So it spreads out from the redevelopment area into adjacent neighborhoods, seeking to supplant them as well.
But eventually, having done all this, the chains do not like the new situation they have created. Each of them want to be surrounded by local businesses, and share in the local color. So when it is nothing but other chains surrounded by high rises, they want to scout up new neighborhoods to relocate.
What a great series - Parts I, II, and III.
A capstone keeper of a paragraph.