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If you don't build it they will leave As the saying goes, "If you build it, they will come." Unfortunately, for Clarke County, especially Jackson, the saying is "If you don't build it, they will leave." I am a proud native of Jackson; however, because I had to follow my educational path and subsequently, my career path, I left and now reside in Shelby County, the fastest growing county in the state of Alabama. I have often considered returning to Jackson. My parents are there, a lot of my family is there, and the precious memories of my childhood are there. But every time I consider it, I visit home and am thrown back into the realization of how unhappy I would be if I did move back. I have become accustomed to the amenities and conveniences of suburban life: a nationallyrecognized restaurant or two, a major department store, a movie theater, a grocery store that doesn't have to compete with a retail giant. I am not proposing that Jackson become a bustling metropolis. I am simply asserting the fact that young, progressive thinking people like me rarely return to Jackson for the lack of convenience and comfort. This fact also doesn't help the county or city much financially given the fact that when people do want to spend their dollars at a mainstream department store, they are taking their dollars south to Mobile or north to Tuscaloosa- those places don't need Jackson residents' money. Jackson does. Yes, Jackson does have character with its quaint shops and home-grown restaurants. But all of those places cannot support the ever-increasing appetites that people are starting to exhibit. Competition isn't always bad. In most cases, it serves as motivation to make those other places step up to the plate and retain their customers by going that extra mile that is necessary. Herbert Hoover said, "Competition is not only the basis of protection to the consumer, but is the incentive to progress." The fact that more stores are not lured to Jackson makes me wonder how much those who could do such things care about Jackson's consumers. With the ever-increasing prices of gas, not only are people driving to Mobile and spending their money there; now people are spending $3 a gallon to get there. I am, by no means, slandering or talking negatively about the town I love so much. If anything, my heart breaks for its existence because people will continue to leave and take with them their money, intelligence and forward-thinking mentalities. Whoever is in charge and has the ability to do and say something must do it quickly. I pose one question: When the baby boomer generation retires and ceases to bear the weight of making the city of Jackson run, who will be left to carry the burden? Carla D. Morris
Calera
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