Quick Links for March 12th

Here are some Quick Links to mull over while you search for the working class, blue collar folk that can afford to live in Brookside. Because nothing says "hard working" like a series of gated communities.

Good try, but slightly misguided

The endless Lodi-WalMart feud continues. This time, it's yet another marathon meeting were Wal-Mart's opponents cited the economy as a reason CCR's favorite town doesn't need a Supercenter. We understand their argument, and in theory it works. Local businesses are struggling like a motherfucker right now and opening up a Supercenter could be the final straw for a lot of businesses that are just barely holding on. Which works right up until you consider these 2 things.

For one, Lodi already has a fucking Wal-Mart. All the Supercenter would do is close down the existing Wal-Mart and open up a new one that has a grocery store in it. And considering the shopping center that the current Wal-Mart is in already has a discount supermarket in Food 4 Less in it, I can't imagine the Super Wal-Mart affecting businesses any more negatively than the current one already has. The only businesses that can really, truly claim that a Super Wal-Mart would hurt their business is the one's that would have to share a shopping center with the disheveled corpse of the old Wal-Mart.

The other thing with the economy argument, is that by the time they finish building the Super Wal-Mart there's a good chance the economy will already be on the rebound. I'm not saying it'll be totally recovered. Hell, it might not even be rebounding by then, that was a total guess. But there's a halfway decent chance that during the construction of a massive shopping center and the lengthy hiring process (Wal-Mart lays off all the employees of old Wal-Mart's and makes them reapply for their jobs when replacing stores with Supersized versions) the economy will have enough time to get back on it's feet. And that's also ignoring the fact that the construction of a new shopping center means a bunch of sorely needed construction jobs are available, not to mention the new jobs created by Wal-Mart turning over it's entire Lodi workforce.

So while citing the economy seems like a good idea on the surface, it's really just another desperate attempt to stall this already ridiculously lengthy situation.

Volunteers of for America

We were skeptical of Ann Johnston's plea for volunteers, mostly because VISTAS is a really lame name. Also because we really wanted a big announcement. Ed Chavez spoiled us. She couldn't even lure a Texas Roadhouse over here or something? I demand a restaurant where I can pick out my uncooked steak before it hits the grill dammit!

But if this is the kind of volunteerism she was talking about, it's something we can get behind. Canceling the fireworks during the 4th of July is like canceling the nudity from a strip club, or canceling the green dye during St. Patrick's Day. It's just not the same. Plus, this is Stockton, if you cancel a city-sponsored fireworks show people are going to take it upon themselves to "volunteer" and unsafely shoot off bottle rockets and roman candles in their backyards. How much money do you really save when the fire department is scurrying all over town trying to put out misguided attempts at patriotism?

On a side note: all I need to close down my street is a red vest?

Bank robbing is all the rage right now

Bris touched on this earlier, but Christian Burkin pointed out something that we didn't notice before. Two robberies in a row is totally enough for a trend piece on bank robbing! (Side note: Did the ukelele ever really leave?) All we need now is some interviews with people who've experienced a bank robbery in the past, a quote from an "expert" saying that robberies are on the rise in today's economy, and a quote from Pete Smith denying that there's a significant change in reported bank robberies and bickety bam we gots a trend piece that would make LENS editor Robin Nichols happy she doesn't have to read some bullshit feature about an 80 and over synchronized swimming team.

Although CB did miss the obvious trend piece sweeping the nation, pilots everywhere are doing their best Sully impression! Man, if I wasn't so drunk I probably would have been a lot more worried on our flight back from Vegas. What the fuck's going on with airplanes these days? See, trend piece!