by Arlene Jones
I, too, got the e-mail saying that Wal-Mart had caused the closure of businesses because of its presence in the Austin community. I, too, looked at the report that was prepared by individuals from both Loyola University and UIC to back up that assertion. After looking at all the facts, figures, dots and dashes, I concluded that I am neither a mathematician nor a statistician.
But I am a “common-sense-tician” who must have been on another planet to have missed the devastation to my community that the report concluded. Especially since I pride myself on noticing situations and bringing them to the forefront before anyone else. So to hear that jobs were lost and businesses closed due to Wal-Mart’s presence right under my nose was unsettling.
