Commentary

Posted in: Commentary
Commentary: Avoiding a train wreck
By Mitch Traphagen
Oct 9, 2008 - 7:00:29 PM

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Watching the nightly news is like seeing a train wreck in slow motion. It seems the news of our economy is bad and getting worse. People are beginning to freak out about it - and I am among them. Yes, as a small business owner myself, I am worried about the future. The disaster on Wall Street has already hit Main Street as advertisers scale back due to falling sales.

In times such as these it should be expected that people will tighten their belts and reduce expenses. But in doing so, it is critically important to remember that now more than ever, as a community we need to support our local businesses. They are the foundation of our towns and they are our hope for the future. If Victor, Marengo and Williamsburg are to remain viable, we will need healthy businesses to do so. I can assure you that Walmart will survive a recession - without our help, the local hardware store may not. If the local hardware store goes, not only will they never return but other businesses may suffer the same fate in a domino effect. Such losses would be unimaginable.

It should also be remembered that as of right now, the economy in Iowa is strong. I’ve heard of no mass layoffs in Iowa County (perhaps I spoke too soon on that one...) - on the contrary, some of our manufacturers are still begging for qualified employees (still true). Today, we are no worse off than yesterday and tomorrow the sun will rise much the same as it did today. We should be grateful that we have, as of yet, escaped the worst of what other parts of the nation are suffering. But that we are beginning to freak out is understandable. The news certainly is scary these days.

Yes, saving money is of primary importance right now - but sometimes, the few dollars saved will carry a cost that is much greater. The small savings you realize buying somewhere else could begin the cracks in our business foundation. The tradeoff simply isn’t worth it. Please not only remember our local businesses, but rather, think of them first. They are there for us - as consumers, as their neighbors, now more than ever we need to be there for them.

The good news about a slow-motion train wreck is that we have the ability to see it coming - and to get out of the way. Supporting our local businesses will do much to prevent it from happening here.

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