Win-win outcome would be possible

Editor,

Attending the meeting regarding Wal-Mart last week was an experience in small town government worthy of a nostalgic Norman Rockwell painting and a Mad Magazine cartoon at the same time.

There were intelligent and well-constructed arguments on both sides, by thinking people. And then there were speakers who would have made the wildest TV evangelist sit up and take lessons. High-pitched, even frantic emotionalism, seemed to be the popular tenor of the evening, at times making reasonable discussion impossible.

The very name of Wal-Mart, the highest grossing corporation in America, is unequaled in business history for stirring emotions. In our small town meeting, those feelings drove people to disregard, and even mock, the rules initially announced as the format of the evening. Those who chose to break the rules were actually cheered by many in the noisy crowd. I had visions of the chairman of the Planning Board being hauled out and lynched by the Hanging Tree mentality manifested by the audience.

I am writing this letter, not to give my take on the issue of whether or not Wal-Mart should be allowed to expand in Polson, but to express my concern over the image of Polson which the more vocal of the crowd gave our city. To me, the rabid behavior of some in the audience and at the podium is far more troubling than any impact a given business might have on the environment, the economy, or the scenery.

"Beauty," it is said, "is in the eye of the beholder." Why can't we calmly recognize that, when it comes to Wal-Mart; the two sides exist because people in Polson "behold" it differently. Neither side is necessarily right nor wrong. Each side relates to a given set of life experiences, values and background.

For one person, beauty is a long drive up the east shore on a gorgeous fall day; for the other, it is not having to drive 50-70 miles just to buy an item that can't be found in Polson. For one, beauty is the stunning view of Flathead Lake from the knoll on Highway 93 South; for the other, it is the box store just below that knoll that provided a job when no one else would.

For one, beauty is the long family history of homesteading this valley, and memories of Grampa's horse ranch; for another, it is the prosperity symbolized in the growth along the shore and the fact that a large corporation might actually see such future here that they would invest millions to have a piece of it.

It is my hope that both sides can realize their dreams, and that the victory of one side does not mean the destruction of the other. That will require concessions on both sides. Rational compromise is the only way to a win-win situation.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and in my eyes, win-win is beautiful.

Ellen Traylor-Schulz

Polson