To the editor:

Today I received my Marion County Record. On the back were people and their pictures. Their comments as to what this town needs, the main complaint was we have no businesses!

I came to Marion in October 1951, after the flood. At that time, there were a number of car agencies, Ford, Chevy, Olds, Buick, Pontiac, and Dodge.

Then there were appliance stores, GE, RCA, Firestone, Westinghouse, Maytag, Western Auto, Gamble’s, Norge, and Zenith. Five restaurants, two shoe stores, three clothing stores, four grocery stores, and approximately 14 gas stations. All of them were paying taxes. With them gone, you are making up the difference. It is not going to improve, I feel.

As one dealer told me when he got a new truck, some customers quit him because they thought he was getting rich. People never figured out these businesses were taking on a big amount of the taxes.

Customers went to Gem’s, David’s, and Walmart — these did not pay any of your taxes. The result is Main Street dried up. So we whine, cry, and wring our hands, not willing to admit those “cheap” trips cut our own throats.

John Britain, Marion