Chamber's Action Defended

An anonymous writer fires back at "chamber member"

Chamber Member:

The Chamber of Commerce is trying to SAVE the locally owned businesses. Or what's left of them. I am aghast that our friends in Cleveland would stoop to such a low tactic, but I am not so lily-livered that I am ready to hand them the keys to MY city.

I will boycott the retailers in Cleveland, their restaurants, their University with the performing arts venue....and I recommend that you do the same. Greenville has everything that I want or need.

Wow! This "courthouse" issue seems more heated than any of late. It is refreshing to know that there are still some staunch supporters of Greenville and that they are willing to speak up; however, I am not sure that boycotting retailers or universities is the solution.

I prefer to view the Delta as family of cities and small communities that share a unique culture as well as difficult economic challenges. The Delta has lost many major industries (jobs) over the past decade, so what makes this issue different?

I see it as a sense of betrayal... by a family member!

We can understand when industries relocate to Mexico or the mid-west for well established economic and business reasons, but to lose an icon of federal notoriety to a "family member" 40 miles away... well, it just hurts. It also scares us a bit to know that we (Deltans) have begun competing internally over scarce jobs and public facilities.

Let us not forget that in the early 1900's, the founding fathers of Greenville turned down the offer to have a "Teacher's College" built here for fear of an influx of radical and liberal thinkers who might disrupt our southern way of living. Cleveland seized upon that opportunity and I believe that the entire "Delta" has prospered as a result.

Unfortunately, the ultimate decision to keep or relocate the Federal Building is not one that we Deltans will make. It will be made by politicians whose daily lives will remain untouched by their final decision.

And at the end of the day, we shall all still live, eat and shop in the Delta.

Forthright