The money that circulates throughout our local community is gradually shaved off over time by the disparity between local wages and distant corporate profits. Competition depends on higher corporate profits and lower costs such as salaries and wages for the local franchise managers and employees.

Corporations are constantly under threat of hostile takeover by other corporations, and these fights usually occur in a boardroom somewhere on Wall Street, New York.

Corporate interests amount to nothing more than profits and the bottom line. They can operate at a loss; selling products and services at artificially low prices until local competitors are out of business.

Local businesses must compete by driving down their own costs, much like AT&T did when it got wind of Worldcom's falsified profit numbers. Laying off employees, cutting benefits, cutting corners on customer service. AT&T never fully recovered from Worldcom's fakery, but that's just one big corporation competing with another big corporation.

This map shows where in Sangamon County, Illinois, people spend more than a third of their income on rent alone. In Sangamon County, more than 60% of the population spends at least that much on housing.

Not only local merchants suffer. Local commercial property owners are faced with collapsing property values against a backdrop of increasing taxes that are subsidizing low wage employees of big corporations, who must support their families.

Whole neighborhoods fall victim as well. Causing people to search for jobs far away from their homes. This is especially devistating as gas prices contine to climb.

Even the Poor Man's Store is gone!

There was a time when a business could thrive and grow. Walgreens had a head start as an Illinois Business and expanded quickly and overran Thrifty Drugs back in the 70's. Now, Walgreens faces Jewel/Osco's, CVS, and Walmart's Pharmacies. Look for the same products sold at all three locations and compare the quality.

The Esquire Theater closed in 2004. The last theater centrally located in Springfield.

The movie theater industry is faced with competition from home video rentals, Family Video, and Blockbuster Video. Here's a challenge; rent the same movie from Blockbuster and Family Video, and compare them scene for scene. See if there is any censorship.

Finally, look at the disparity of wages in Sangamon County.
This chart shows the division of monetary wages between the workers in Sangamon County, Illinois. When you include the data from the Rent over 35% of income chart, you begin to see the limitations of disposable income.