Cutting costs can hurt local businesses

This year Des Plaines will be spending their usual $16,000 for fireworks but is re not paying for any entertainment. Itasca also prefers to cut back on the entertainment and other events and not the fireworks. Officials say it's a quality-of-life issue.

While I appreciate the effort to get (literally) more bang for their buck in providing entertainment to the largest number of people possible, I urge local governments to consider the impact on the many area entertainers and related businesses who rely on summer festivals for a substantial part of their incomes. I'm not against Chinese firework factory employees making a living, but it seems to me that with the current recession there are better ways to spend local tax dollars and corporate donations, such as supporting the local entertainment industry, which provides employment for many area workers and produces a larger benefit to local economies.

Or we can just keep sending what little money and jobs we have left overseas.

I realize aging rock stars and one-hit-wonder bands from 30 years ago demand exorbitant fees, but high quality local or regional entertainment of all types can be had at a small fraction of the cost of nationally known acts, and in many cases, even perform their hits better.

I agree with the chairman of Itasca's finance committee, it is a quality-of-life issue. But speaking from the viewpoint of a local entertainer and taxpaying citizen who would like to be able to continue making a positive contribution to our economy, the quality of my life definitely improves when I can afford to pay my bills and eat.

Support your local businesses.

Scott Merrill

Wauconda