The Evi's Of Big Box Stores

[SiouzQ.]

I had never heard of this practice and it got its start in Michigan. Makes me SICK....


http://www.ilsr.org/dark-store-tax-tactic-makes-big-box-stores-terrible-deal-for-cities/

[Gregg]

Capitalism being perverted in such a way is sad because people will start to believe its the actual economic system that's broken. Centralized management with no accountability who answer only to anonymous shareholders, legal teams with virtually unlimited resources on a specific mission to gain any/every possible financial advantage regardless of who's left holding the bill, slick marketing departments who face no scrutiny for "false advertising" when they sell the dream to unsuspecting local entities... The story keeps getting repeated and we keep buying into the myth. It would be interesting to see what would happen if Americans just decided to cut their consumption in half. That would be a fun little fantasy if half of Americans didn't work in places that need the consumption to keep going.

[bae]

Capitalism being perverted in such a way is sad because people will start to believe its the actual economic system that's broken.

In this article though, it's not capitalism being perverted, it's the government. The tax system and the property valuation system are the work of government, and the companies are simply acting as any rational profit-maximizing person might, when faced with such nonsense rules and policies. The regulations need a redo. Our elected officials have to have the strength of character to do so, and the intelligence to pull it off. And the citizenry has to elect people who will represent us in these matters, and not the typical weasels we seem to elect now.



It would be interesting to see what would happen if Americans just decided to cut their consumption in half. That would be a fun little fantasy if half of Americans didn't work in places that need the consumption to keep going.


That is an excellent point and concern. Whenever I visit the mainland and drive through "civilized" areas, I am struck by the sheer number of businesses that exist to sell needless goods to people who themselves work at stores selling needless goods, or making/distributing those goods. We probably can't build a sustainable economy taking in each others' laundry....

[Ultralight]

Yeah, strange system we've got going. Looks like a bubble waiting to pop.

[Gregg]

In this article though, it's not capitalism being perverted, it's the government. The tax system and the property valuation system are the work of government, and the companies are simply acting as any rational profit-maximizing person might, when faced with such nonsense rules and policies. The regulations need a redo. Our elected officials have to have the strength of character to do so, and the intelligence to pull it off. And the citizenry has to elect people who will represent us in these matters, and not the typical weasels we seem to elect now.





Emphasis mine and true that. Additionally, "strength of character" is not the exact phrase that popped into my mind, but it is certainly accurate and more acceptable in polite company than where I would have gone.

[Lainey]

I had never heard of this practice and it got its start in Michigan. Makes me SICK....


http://www.ilsr.org/dark-store-tax-tactic-makes-big-box-stores-terrible-deal-for-cities/

wow, this is a new one. In addition to demanding money up front for "job creation" now they continue the pillaging by reducing their taxes to a net negative for the community. Is everyone so dazzled by these name companies that they are unable to have them sign a reasonable contract so the community doesn't actually go backwards??

[befree]

....and I thought my opinion of Wal-mart couldn't get any lower....but, as always, corporate lawyers have created a new low. Sometimes I think it won't take foreign terrorists or global warming to do America in; our own people will drag us under

[bae]

Emphasis mine and true that. Additionally, "strength of character" is not the exact phrase that popped into my mind, but it is certainly accurate and more acceptable in polite company than where I would have gone.

I have to apologize for my phrasing. Weasels are quite nice creatures, and I did not mean to impugn their reputation.

[Gregg]

I like what bae said above, when you boil it all down it is our system of laws that allow this to happen. We need to stop being surprised that someone will take advantage of that system for less than altruistic reasons and just fix it. Big box retailers won't skip over a promising location for very long just because the citizens and/or their representatives demand fair play.