Boscov's appeal to county governments to back a loan from the Housing and Urban Development Department was appropriately rejected by one of our county commissioners and Commissioner Kennedy deserves commendation for his action, which was, unfortunately, not enough to stop this action from moving forward. What Boscov's is asking for is a way to cheat the market and force taxpayers to support a business model that has proved it cannot succeed without taxpayer subsidization. Much like the financial services firms' requests for taxpayer funding, this effort by Boscov's adds further distortion to the market and violates the rights of taxpayers. Moreover, the entire philosophic approach of the "stimulus" mentality is mistaken and will, like former President Franklin Roosevelt's policies, prolong the economic downturn, expand the size of government, and ultimately make the US a less competitive (and free) nation. I am heartened that House Republicans have not given their assent to this brazen power grab and was dismayed that Senate Republicans did not follow suit, for this overtly Marxist plan can only result in failure. Butler County Commissioners would have done well to follow the example of House Republicans and put forward proposals that will result in a real stimulus such as decreasing government spending, decreasing tax rates, and divesting the county of nursing homes, parks, and the like.