This is in reference to the local editorial for Dec. 28,
pertaining to the closure of the local car dealership and its
effect on the local economy.
Dear Editor,
This is in reference to the local editorial for Dec. 28, pertaining to the closure of the local car dealership and its effect on the local economy.
I am sorry for the loss of a long-time employer of residents of Hollister and a local icon for the city, but I hardly find this and any other businesses that do not make it these days the fault of the local citizens or their responsibility to fix these situations.
These companies are the same people that do not want to provide fair paying jobs to the middle class person, provide medical insurance or some type of health care plan for its workforce, provide a decent pension plan for its workforce and call the outsourcing of jobs to lower-paying, third world countries good business. These are the same companies that receive huge tax credits from local and federal agencies with some companies receiving multi-million dollar tax refunds when they as a company have not paid a single cent in tax, according to another article with the same publishing date that this story ran.
This is the same old story with the same old request for the public to feel sorry for big business and to sacrifice our dwindling valued dollar to help the business community at our expense.
WorldCom, Enron and United Air business failures were not as much from the slowing economy as from poor management of the businesses that caused the failure of the companies. I do not know the whole story behind the Lindeman case, but there are other dealerships still in business. And, as with any trickle down-based economy, until the driving force of any economy (average Joe) has money in his pocket and a secure feeling about his future and his job, more than likely the safe bet is he will hold on to his money. You may need it to make your mortgage or put food on the table when your job is sent to another country in the best interest of the company.
As for the housing moratorium preventing economic growth, how many new houses have been built in the last five years? With all the revenue that has been generated from those houses where are we today in proportion to where the services are now? My wife and other volunteers spend countless hours at the elementary schools to help our kids and working to provide basic school supplies by hustling in the form of fundraisers to pay for basic supplies. Are the big developers really looking out for the best interests of our community or their bottom line?
Oscar R. Estrada, Hollister
