If Measure R passes, citizens will
score a victory that sends the message that Lodi belongs
to the people and not big business interests who think
they can steamroll their way to whatever their heart
desires.
On the
other hand, should Measure R fail, not only does Lodi
get yet another hideous
box store but also
traffic will increase,
pollution will worsen, and the hope that a
greenbelt can be maintained between
Lodi and Stockton will fade even further.
Measure R is an excellent example
of democracy at work. While your votes for Congress,
Senate and President are important, your individual vote
on Measure R—unlike the statewide and national races
decided by huge margins—truly matters.
Not surprisingly, opposition to
Measure R is well funded. According to News-Sentinel
staff writer Jennifer Pearson Bonnett in her story
“$100,000 spent on Measure R,” Citizens Against Measure
R and its ally the Lodi Balanced Business Coalition have
outspent those in favor by a ratio of about 2-1.
Wal-Mart made the largest
contribution of either side, $50,000, to support a “No”
vote.
With its partner in crime Lowe’s
and countless residential and commercial developments,
Wal-Mart symbolizes the nation’s losing battle to
control sprawl.
And little wonder that Wal-Mart is
associated with greedy growth. Last week, the company
announced its plans to open approximately 40-45 new
discount stores and 240-250 Super Centers in the United
States during its next fiscal year.
In addition, Wal-Mart will expand
its Neighborhood Market concept by adding approximately
25 to 30 new units.
Finally, the Sam’s Club division
will open an additional 30 to 40 domestic clubs in the
upcoming fiscal year.
Lee Scott, President and CEO said
"The
planned square footage growth for the coming year
represents approximately 55 million square feet of new
retail space, and represents more than an 8% increase
over the 655 million square feet we estimate we will
have at the end of fiscal year 2005. We also plan to
remodel approximately 360 stores and clubs in the next
year." [Press
release]
These staggering projections
fulfill the pledge made in 1998 by Wal-Mart’s then Chief
Operating Officer, David Glass who revealed his
company’s strategy,
"First we dominate North America, then South America,
then Europe and Asia."
But to many, the Wal-Mart
philosophy as expressed by Glass was a call to arms.
Ann Cerney, who has been
fighting for sensible land-use for many years, told
me that Measure R
“represents a message to the developers and other powers
that be that we insist on reasonable growth. We will not
let you continue your onslaught in the
San Joaquin Valley. You must stop.”
Cerney is a member of the Small
City Preservation Committee.
Measure R, despite the claims of
its opponents, does not ban anything.
What is does is give voice to the
people to chose how and when Lodi will grow.
And arguments that shopping choices
will be restricted are even more vacuous.
Right now, shoppers can go from the
front door of the existing Wal-Mart to Food-4-Less to
Lowe’s to Safeway to Marshall’s to Staples to Target to
Starbucks—a distance of less than two miles—within
five minutes.
Name one necessity that you cannot
buy at those stores.
And please don’t tell me that with
gas at $2.30 per gallon people will be driving to
Stockton to shop at a Super Wal-Mart.
Measure R is the point of no
return. A “No” vote seals Lodi’s fate forever. If
Super Wal-Mart comes to town, there will be no turning
back.
Please vote “Yes” on Measure
R to protect Lodi from continued assault by huge
retailers.
JOENOTE TO VDARE.COM READERS:
I
have been writing about the perils of immigration-driven
overpopulation and sprawl for more years than I care to
think about—16 if you really need to know.
To
say that the
San Joaquin Valley is
disappearing before my very eyes is not
exaggeration. Every lost acre sadly fulfills my
predictions made time and again
since 1988.
Finally, citizens have begun to fight back against
Wal-Mart and the other big box stores. The Los Angeles
City Council recently backed a
proposal that would force Wal-Mart its environmental
and economic impact on surrounding neighborhoods before
building new Super Stores.
The
upcoming Measure R vote will tell whether people care
more about the quality of life or saving 15 cents on a
tub of soap powder.
Joe Guzzardi [email
him], an instructor in English
at the Lodi Adult School, has been writing a weekly
column since 1988. It currently appears in the
Lodi News-Sentinel.
