All over the country small towns are dying. They are being replaced by housing communities. The town proper is still there but local business is all but non existent. Mom and Pop replaced by the chain stores. The residents of these communities have little connection with the past. They move there for the peace and quiet of that small town experience but demand amenities. Shopping twenty four hours, fancy eateries and movie theater complexes. These centers of commerce pop up in various locations. Good night Mom and Pop. And it is these Mom and Pops that are the soul of the town. Make no mistake about it, these businesses are what drew the community together in the first place. The Mom and Pops were the first step to settlement. They provided a service that was necessary. They began by providing the staples and expanded as the town prospered. Now, it would seem America is outgrowing itself. The staples are not enough anymore.
The lucky little towns have something to offer. They are by the water or scenic area in the country. Maybe they have a significant connection to history. The unlucky ones are just withering up. Like those old ghost towns in the west they are becoming abandoned.
It is all just the progression of time. Time changes all things. And now we want it all. We want small town ambiance and big city service. We want to have the past,while living in the future. Our children will be saying the same thing about their childhood. They will lament the loss.
The real underlying issue behind all this is the tax base. Without a tax base to support the town, it dies. This tax may have to come from other sources. The Mom and Pop stores and businesses cannot support the towns anymore. There was a time when it was possible. Government regulation and restrictions have made that an impossibility. Small towns everywhere are scrambling to develop this tax base. And the cycle continues. We want more, we need more and that means money. More money for the taxpayer,more money for the businessman and more money for the government ! Money is the engine that drives all of this. An unfortunate and sad fact. One fact remains, no matter how much money is spent you cannot buy back the past. The past is gone.
The lucky little towns have something to offer. They are by the water or scenic area in the country. Maybe they have a significant connection to history. The unlucky ones are just withering up. Like those old ghost towns in the west they are becoming abandoned.
It is all just the progression of time. Time changes all things. And now we want it all. We want small town ambiance and big city service. We want to have the past,while living in the future. Our children will be saying the same thing about their childhood. They will lament the loss.
The real underlying issue behind all this is the tax base. Without a tax base to support the town, it dies. This tax may have to come from other sources. The Mom and Pop stores and businesses cannot support the towns anymore. There was a time when it was possible. Government regulation and restrictions have made that an impossibility. Small towns everywhere are scrambling to develop this tax base. And the cycle continues. We want more, we need more and that means money. More money for the taxpayer,more money for the businessman and more money for the government ! Money is the engine that drives all of this. An unfortunate and sad fact. One fact remains, no matter how much money is spent you cannot buy back the past. The past is gone.
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