Letter to the editor: Real issue is stifling competiton

By: By REX A. WOOD | Marion
Published: September 24, 2009

In my letter to the editor "Hot dog cart seems to be losing proposition" published Sept. 23, at the end of the letter I said stay tuned for my interview with the "Hot Dog Man."
Today, I made a trip down to the Exxon station next to Love's and I spent the better part of an hour talking to Will Crawford and his son, James, who operate the hot dog stand. I had a great conversation, tasted one of their awesome hot dogs and learned a lot about this family, their dreams and aspirations.
Will and his son set up shop this morning at around 9 a.m. By the time I arrived at 1 p.m., I was eager to ask, "So how much did you make today?" Will just smiled, shook his head and pulled out $16.
One thing that impressed me the most was the fact that the food vendor issue is not the real story here. The real story is one about economic growth and how healthy competition benefits everyone. Will was told by a council member that his hot dog stand did not provide any jobs. I guess that council member had forgotten about the Tailgate Market, where vendors from McDowell and surrounding counties sell their goods, take the money back to their respective counties and they don't provide jobs either.
This is also not a jobs issue. It is a blatant attempt to discourage and stifle any business competition in the downtown district. Mike Ornberg had made the statement during a meeting that if he lost 10 percent of his business, he would have to close his doors. Well, Mike, I have some bad news for you. Marion does not have a stimulus or bailout program. When a hot dog cart can put you out of business then your business is already faltering. I do think it would be informative to see how many hot dogs it would actually take to hit that 10 percent mark. By stifling competition, you also stifle growth.
Our upcoming city elections will be centered around change and growth, and will afford the citizens the opportunity to side with selfishness and pettiness, or vote for a new vision for Marion.
Editor's note: Want to respond to this letter? Send your own letter to the editor to news@mcdowellnews.com or go here: http://www2.mcdowellnews.com/p/content/mmn-submit-letter/

Letter to the editor: Real issue is stifling competiton

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