Big box blues

I found the letter about Jess Ruf's Do-it Center rather ironic although certainly a statement of good sportsmanship. I would like to take a moment to spell out the real issue for those who have not yet gotten it.

I found the comment about Ruf "fighting for survival" overly dramatic. Although I have no first hand knowledge, I suspect that Ruf, who owns the Do-it Center chain and a string of patio furniture stores, is in better financial shape than I will ever be if I live 100 years, but that is not and has never been the issue. Whether Ruf's opposition was purely selfserving or altruistic, the fact remains that the real issue is whether big box stores benefit a community outweighs the potential harm, and the answer is almost always no.

Most reading this letter would think me sophomoric if I told them not to put their entire life savings in one investment and that diversifying is a matter of common sense, and yet these same people routinely fail to apply the same logic to their communities.

Big box stores have established a clear predatory pattern of driving out local businesses, becoming an addictive source of tax revenue and subsequently using their consolidated power to exert undue influence. The true cost of mega retailers is to undermine local economies, subvert democracy, weaken our sense of community and ignore the costs of our decisions on future generations.

Who would you expect to have a vested interest in the long term health of your community- a local business owner or some fat cat sitting in a corporate office thousands of miles away? The seductive allure of paying a few cents less for a product in the short-term is no substitute for a well-balanced community who still have the final say in what is good for its own long-term health.

Thus municipalities across the country have begun adopting new rules similar to Agoura's Proposition H guidelines and are already benefiting from the results. Larry Brown Agoura Hills