Lipsky's "Moxie" on Wal-Mart

In today's Rockland Journal News the paper editorializes on the Wal-Mart $4 prescription drug plan and the paper opines that this is just the kind of thing that makes it so difficult to fight the giant retailer. No matter that the company's growth is at the expense of its low-paid employees and the small businesses that it eliminates, the fact that it can deliver lower prices fuels its metastization.

The News does, however, give kudos to the Alliance and Richard Lipsky for their fighting spirit in the face of the low price mantra; "Frankly, you can only admire the moxie associated with such a tough sell..." On the other hand, we have found that this has not been such a tough sell in any number of neighborhoods where we have successfully organized against the Walmonster.

Which brings us to the Monsey Wal-Mart plan. One of the key issues here is the traffic and its attendant dangers on Route 59 and assorted side roads around the proposed site. These dangers were brought home last Friday night when a Monsey mother of three was run down and killed. With an additional six million cars a year on area roads as a result of the Wal-Mart (should it be built), what happened Friday will sadly be repeated with all too much frequency.

Put very simply: The Route 58 corridor is simply too crowded and dangerous for a Wal-Mart to be built at the proposed location. Monsey doesn't need moxie to say NO! to this bad idea.