Fact checking TWK
I'd like to comment about not-quite-departed TWK'S 5/22/22 column about deploring stereotypes (yes!) while spewing a few of his own (progressives, Nor Cal, and “those sensitive hearts” in Redwood Valley). Some fact-checking:
1. The site of the proposed Dollar General in 2016 was the East side of East Road, south of the Redwood Valley Market, NOT the NW corner of School and East Rd. That latter site did, indeed, become the future site of the said storage facility. The County General Plan had suggested that the latter site could best become something like mixed commercial/ residential development. When it came down to it, the residents of Redwood Valley had no “say” whatsoever with what the landowner decided to build, as the storage facility conformed to the zoning. End of story. The community of Redwood Valley, as represented by the RV Municipal Advisory Council (RVMAC) formed in 2016, opposed the storage facility, hoping to see useful commercial and/ or residential construction instead. Alas, by the time the RVMAC actually was notified by the County of the storage facility plans, ground was about to be broken.
2. If Mr. Kramer were at all familiar with the Dollar General business model, he would see that it is one designed to put all competitors out of business by offering loss leaders like beer, cigarettes, and cheap stuff from China. One means the model uses to keep prices down is to under-staff and underpay employees, leading to difficulties maintaining staffing, Fire code and OSHA violations, and labor problems, exacerbated by the pandemic. In Lake County, new Dollar Generals in recent years led to numerous closures of local and family-run businesses. Look around those neighborhoods now and you'll notice patterns of closures that resemble the detritus left by Dollar Generals nation-wide. All the revenue, except the low pay for the few employees, goes out of our state and back to the the corporate offices in Tennessee.
Low prices are good, but the real costs to local communities incurred by stores using a model like Dollar General serve to cheapen our entire way of life. That's one reason why some of us “sensitive hearts” prefer to look at the big picture, rather than some kneejerk stereotype, when we assess the problems and challenges in American society, from racism to income inequality to Americans arming themselves to protect against other Americans. As one man said some years ago, can't we all just get along?