Dear Editor: I don’t think the people of Marengo county should use the sales tax increase as a point of rebellion. I have heard several people say that people in Demopolis, when the tax goes through, will rebel by shopping somewhere else. I don’t think this is the right thing to do for a few reasons.

First, Marengo county is supported by the people that live in it. If the people in this area go elsewhere for all of their shopping needs than where will the money come from that is desperately needed? Our schools are laying off personnel, teachers are making half the money they deserve, etc… Why make it any harder for our county to fund things that are so important to this area?

Second, where do go to shop? Tuscaloosa is probably the closest place to go to do any real shopping other than the Thomasville Wal-Mart Supercenter. But you definitely won’t save any money by going there. Tuscaloosa is about an hour’s drive from Demopolis. That comes out to be about 4.5 gallons of gas (about 7 bucks worth) for the round trip. So you have spent 7 bucks on gas, and two hours of your time, and you haven’t even bought anything yet. But it still gets a little worse, Tuscaloosa has the same 9 percent sales tax as Marengo county will, so you save nothing there either.

Lastly, local businesses need all the help they can get. Our local businesses help our economy to thrive. Competitive market is what makes businesses strive to give better product at a cheaper price, but they have to stay in business to be competitive!

I was born and raised in Demopolis. I have been there all of my life, with the exception of the last couple of years in Tuscaloosa (attending school). No matter where I live, Demopolis is and always will be my home. Because of that I want Demopolis to grow into a stronger, more productive town than it already is. No, I don’t agree that the tax should have been passes the way it was, but I do agree that our county deserves it. I want to encourage everyone to support our county by keeping your money here. But that’s just my two cents for what it’s worth!