WILLIAMSVILLE — I am not fond of Dollar General stores; I call them “the Chinese store” as most of the products sold there come from a country where there are no pollution controls, notorious human-rights abuses, super tankers burning illegal high-sulfur fuel oils to carry these products to our shores, and trade imbalance. We have lost U.S. employment opportunities due to these greedy, toxic trade practices.
Dollar General stores are cropping up everywhere for a reason. I can afford to boycott them, as I have the financial means to shop where I choose a higher value that reflects my ethics. But not everybody can do so; they are struggling just to get food on the table.
There is nothing wrong with holding to high standards, but the inequities in our local populations need to be acknowledged to truly be inclusive for all who live here.
If a Dollar General is bound for Townshend, I'd urge raising the issue of aesthetic appearance while there is still some bargaining capital. The unspoiled landscapes of Vermont attract travelers; the appearance of Dollar General stores makes us look like the “geography of nowhere” that folks are trying to leave behind when they come here.
It is in the state's economic interests to develop some kind of policy to protect the aesthetic values associated with the very necessary tourist industry, which brings in a lot of money to our region - especially in vulnerable cases, like this one in Townshend, where no such zoning protection is in place.