Limiting competition is harmful to free enterprise

Pat Patrick's comments at the Sept. 7 council meeting should be of great interest to the Lodi business community.

Mr. Patrick wants to protect the big car dealerships in town by preventing a business from outside the community from doing business in Lodi a few times per year.

Last year, Mr. Patrick spoke in favor of a business from outside the community that would directly compete with local businesses on a permanent basis.

The auto tent sales do provide benefits to our community and its local businesses. They bring sales tax revenues, they bring customers to our local restaurants and specialty stores, and they bring affordable car prices to citizens.

If this sounds familiar, it should. These are the same arguments that were used by Mr. Patrick in support of the other outside business.

The big difference here is that a few weekend sales events won't close the big car dealerships or even the small used car dealerships. In fact, they may help those businesses by bringing people to our city who are looking to buy a car.

If they don't find what they want at the sale, maybe they might find it at one of Lodi's car dealerships, big or small.

To take Mr. Patrick's comments even further, maybe we need to stop having the Lodi Street Faire that brings in "unneeded outside business," and competes with the downtown antique stores and specialty shops. And don't forget the Farmers Market, as that competes with the grocers in town.

It's all about free enterprise. It's not about limiting competition, as Mr. Patrick's comments suggest.

As you indicated last year, Mr. Patrick, competition is a good thing for the citizens of Lodi, and people need choices, more than Geweke, Plummer and Sanborn.

It is Mr. Patrick's job to support local businesses, but he should not be selective as to those that he supports.

Treacy Elliott
Lodi