Very early this morning — 12:04am to be exact — the Daily Post received the following, rather brief email from local activist Barr Bentley:
Walmart, one of the largest and most powerful corporations in the world, has announced plans to invade Pagosa with a superstore. This would spell death for our small town quality of life and many of our small locally-owned businesses.
The impact of a multi-billion dollar corporation muscling into our local economy can be predicted from the history of what has occurred in other small towns. And it is not pretty. Check out the video WALMART: The High Cost of Low Prices [click here to view on YouTube] and join Pagosa First at our first anti-Walmart rally [today] Friday, February 3, from 12 noon-2pm at the corner of Hot Springs Boulevard and Highway 160... to let Wal-Mart and our local Town Council know we won't sacrifice our small town values to feed the appetite of megacorporate greed.
See you at the Rally!
Pagosa First, the organization mentioned in this press release, is a newly-formed group made up of local citizens concerned about the arrival of Walmart and about other local social and economic issues. Unlike some private non-profits — like, for example, the Pagosa Springs Community Development Corporation — the Pagosa First group receives no government subsidies but is supported by local businesses and individuals.
 You can learn a little about Pagosa First at their fledgling website, where you can also sign up to receive an email newsletter. |