To the editor:

Having once taken umbrage with Mr. Orear in print about one of his articles, I felt it only fair to point out my agreement to his article dated 11/19/17.

When I lived in Gibbon, I found myself in need of a garage door. I went to the local hardware store and purchased one. As I walked out a fellow who had been observing the dealings followed me and said, “I bet you could have bought that cheaper at Menards.” I said “Right! And when Menard’s starts paying taxes in Gibbon I may buy from them.”

My dad always said you should pick where you scratch. Your hometown has to pay for infrastructure repair and a host of other things, (hired help etc.)

If you go down to a local store and find a “going out of business” sign on the door, would you stop and think “did I patronize this business as I could have or did I contribute to it’s demise.” That makes one less taxpayer in town When the taxes on your house go up, maybe you can figure out one of the reasons why. I personally do not buy anything from groceries to cars whose corporate office is in a foreign country.

Amazon has huge break on warehousing, sales taxes, and so forth. Again, Mr. Orear, you hit the nail on the head, although…….everyone has a right to shop where they choose. This is their choice. My point is to buy local when possible.

Claus Sieh

New Ulm