On Thursday, Aug. 8, The Tribune published a list of issues that would be in the fall election, Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart local option (Burlington 1 Precinct.) What most people in Burlington did not see was this issue is about selling alcohol in Burlington Sam’s and Wal-Mart.

The residents of Burlington Precinct 1 will make a decision this fall to allow or not to allow the local Sam’s and Wal-Mart to sell alcohol in their stores.

I do know that both stores have been a great help in the economic structure of the township and county. And they both have helped many agencies as well as the churches and local people do purchase products from the Burlington stores which gives many positive effects in the local area.

But all the good it does, will not justify the intentions of selling alcohol at the Burlington stores. More than 40 percent of those who start drinking at the age of 14 or younger become alcoholics. Every day, 7,000 children in America under the age of 16 take their first drink. More than 100,000 U.S. deaths are caused by excessive alcohol consumption each year.

Alcohol abuse can destroy families in many ways. More than 40 percent of separation or divorced couples were dealing with a problem drinker within the family. Seventy-three percent of child beating cases are related to alcohol use by one or both parents in the family.

This decision is good for greedy corporations, but not for the people of Burlington.

They are not family stores who have your personal well-being in their business planning. They do not care if you miss a house payment, rent, car payment, or money for food to feed your children. They won’t care if your children go hungry because you spend your pay check on alcohol.

If you allow Pandora’s Box to be opened for the sale of alcohol in Burlington, you will also open doors for other businesses in the spring election to do the same thing.

If you destroy the ability of the people to work or function within society, then you are not working for the well being of the people or the community in which your business serves. It’s all about profit growth.

Dr. Scott Mann

Burlington