Untaxed Competitors

Facing unfair competition from tax-exempt charities

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Your article addressed a problem that most businesses face but few can face up to -- unfair competition from tax-exempt charities. However, business owners need look no further than the government itself for such competition.

I operate a video store in a community in which our tax-supported library provides the same tapes for free. While rental prices in our city are not unreasonably high, librarians are feverishly expanding their video catalog to meet the demand caused by unexplained video store failures. Since the provision of these tapes encourages an increasingly illiterate community to spend even less time reading, one might think that the library is operating in direct conflict with its avowed purpose. But what businessperson would like to publicly oppose such a popular program?

The local newspaper in Pullman, Wash., that considered Jerry Brong an "unconstructive pest" for courageously opposing such encroachment is the unwitting advocate of a socialist system. Mr. Brong is an American hero for championing the cause of free enterprise.