These words, along with others, have their merit and serve a purpose in academic settings. The drawback is that most technocratic jargon has the tendency to complicate a very simple picture that can be explained in rather basic terms.

Politics is nothing more than who gets what, when and how. Because of this, decisions are not based upon what is best for the local community but are decided because a handful of powerful people know how to get what they want. In short, a few people with money and power are able to use their money and power to secure for themselves even more money and power.

This means that as the environment is degraded and the will of the community is overruled through costly lawsuits it is not being done solely by some faceless corporation. It is being done with the help of a few select individuals who can be identified and who are profiting immensely. In the case of the Wal-Mart that Fairmount Properties wants to build in Blacksburg, six people (two of whom are known and four of whom continue to remain anonymous) will make an amazingly large sum of money if they are successful. To their advantage, they have plenty of experience in local politics, the benefit of years of networking in the area and deep pockets to pay for an Astroturf campaign.

Probably the most important political player is Jeanne Stosser from Llamas LLC, who is a very prolific developer in the New River Valley. With experience, one can expect to network to form important connections, learn from past mistakes, and find the strategies, tactics and rhetoric that works. As explained by one reporter in the Roanoke Times, "few in town, even among activists, can match Jeanne Stosser's track record for lobbying in town hall." She has also been very effective as a prominent spokesperson in the local media regarding the issue of a possible Wal-Mart in Blacksburg and has been quoted extensively in the Roanoke Times on just about every issue that will affect her current investment (such as ordinance 1450 or the issue of "vested rights").

Financially, she has a lot at stake, as she is one of six individuals who own the property where the big box plans on being developed. The other individual (who is publicly known) who owns the property is Georgia Anne Snyder-Falkinham, who also has plenty of experience in development projects throughout the area but has been far less vocal in the press. The two came to work together when the 40 acres of land went on sale and both Snyder-Falkinham and Stosser realized how profitable owning that real estate could be. Rather than trying to outbid each other, they chose to purchase the land together. Both Stosser and Snyder-Falkinham, along with their four silent partners who own the land with them, already have an agreement to sell the land to Fairmount Properties once the development project begins.

The third actor, then, in the public arena has been Adam Fishman from Fairmount Properties. This company, which is based in Cleveland, Ohio, specializes in bringing large-scale retailers to college and university towns.

Many know first-hand that there is a substantial amount of income inequality in Blacksburg. A large number of students at this university have to work full-time jobs just to be able to afford rent and have enormous student loans they will one day have to pay off. Much needs to be done to help these students out, but the demographic that Fishman from Fairmount Properties is proud of is the sizeable market of students who have very wealthy families and are more then willing to spend their parents' money.

According to a 2004 Blacksburg Partnership study that Fairmount Properties likes to cite, over 20 percent of Tech students come from households deemed the "Upper Crust" that make around $136,000 a year. For many students, money is not a problem, and it is not uncommon for these privileged individuals to spend up to $3,000 alone on clothing. Overall, this study found that the median income of a Tech student's household was around $93,500, which is far greater then the average income for a Blacksburg family.

The message is simple. If this Wal-Mart is built, it will be at the expense of families who will see their property values drop, more pollution, more traffic and a less prosperous downtown so that students from Northern Virginia can purchase cheap toothpaste and underwear without having to travel the extra couple minutes to Christiansburg. The overwhelming majority of the town is against a Wal-Mart being built near Margaret Beeks Elementary School. The problem is that a handful of people can make a great deal of money if they override the best interest of the town.

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