Alb Journal goes pro-java

It seems that the WSJ has seen fit to endorse the Starbucks on 4th street (See yesterday's WSJ)
El Picador cannot remember the Journal ever taking a stand on any proposed village action before. WSJ had no position on such past controversial proposals as the plan to narrow fourth street (and the subsequent bogus lawsuit that cost the village millions in federal funding), the location of a "head shop" near a middle school, a complete overhaul of the zoning codes, the formation of the planing and zoning commission, the fight to get the fireworks store to install sprinklers, and many others. Similarly, the WSJ has stayed mum on many more recent issues, like the RGB setbacks, the Unser museum, the re-location of the fire station, the trashing of the VC zone to allow for gas stations and the accompanying threat to use eminent domain to seize private property for commercial development---to name but a very few. All of these did not merit the Journals attention----but keeping out a Starbucks? That's downright un-American!

Lang must really need his java fix bad!

Especially amusing to El Picador was the editor's lecture about how we villagers just have to accept "progress" like Starbucks. The editorial writer goes on to claim that any decent commercial development these days needs a Starbucks. Oh, really?

But can a Starbucks really turn over $56,000 in GRT per year, as the WSJ claims?

Lets do a little math. The total GRT is around 6.5%, and the state takes a third of that. Say LR keeps 4%. That would project gross sales at this single Starbucks of almost $1.5 MILLION per year! Thats a lotta tall mochas!!! Suffice it to say EL Picador is a bit skeptical about those numbers. Those numbers sound like they came to the WSJ via village hall, courtesy of hizzonher himself, who came out squarely in favor of the jitter-joint in a recent Village Vision. (Even more interesting is the statement in the editorial that the village administration is supporting the Starbucks---despite the fact that the variances were REJECTED by the planning and zoning commission? So just what --or who--is this "village administration" referred to in the WSJ? You got it---the fourth stooge himself! )

Well, at least the west-siders will have a place to loose that drowsy feeling that one gets after gassing up the hummer at the mega-station and gorging on Golden Starches fare at the new "village center".