I think it’s great the people of the area are going to bat to try and keep hometown companies such as A-B and Chrysler.  It’s too bad that we  didn’t fight for SW BELL at the time, but that is behind us so let’s not  dwell on the past. Keeping these two companies open mean a big  boost for the local economy.  But let’s not forget companies that are here and thriving, at the moment, which can use the same fervor from the public. I refer to our local grocery chains Schnucks, Diergbergs, and Shop-n-Save (whose coporate office is in Mn. but was once based here). These companies have grown and thrived from the publics business but are being threatened by the giant WAL-MART and our elected officials are much of the problem. They cow-tow to this coporate giant by giving public funds; TIFs, rezone public  property, etc. and don’t bat an eye in doing it while the LOCALS have built their stores with THEIR money. These city fathers have turn their backs to the LOCALS and allowed rezoning and public funds to help  WAL-MART’s developers. For instance, Mayor Hancock of Fenton fully endorsed a recent rezoning of a parking lot so WAL-MART would be within code to expand it’s store in order to house a grocery store within it’s walls, which is in direct competition to Shop-n-Save across Hwy. 141 and Dierbergs just down the road. And yet, he will be the first to ‘do whatever it takes’ to keep Chrysler open (rightfully so). I just use him as an example. He’s far from the only one. My point is. if we want to save local companies from hostile takeovers and economic cutbacks, let’s also try and save what else we have before we have another  SWBell on our hands and ask ourselves, “how did this happen to our local stores” while we walk thru a ‘Lee Scott hell’ !!!!!

Ron Wilson

Affton