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August 18th, 2010
02:58 PM ET

Dashed Dreams In Unforgiving Economy

Behind every "Going Out of Business" sign there is a story.

Every day except Sunda for the past 5 years, the lunch crowd in Lilburn, Georgia could count on a great piece of New York pizza.

But now the Slice-O-Rama pizza parlor is closed for good.

The bad economy wrecked the American Dream for owners David Maddlone and Terry Odom.

Watch this story CNN photographer David Rust, editor Mike Welter and I put together on one of the Slice-O-Rama's final days serving up pizza.
Filed under: Anchors • Tony Harris
soundoff (3 Responses)
  1. dave

    More harm is being done on housing prices from having high regressive taxes on necessities. There are sales taxes on necessary items such as car repairs and phone service. It causes more people to rely on consumer debt. Having a higher per capita consumer debt causes people to qualify to buy less of a home. This places downward pressures on home prices. Therefore, all necessary items such as these; should be exempt from a sales tax. If you were to research home prices that increased by country, you will find many countries listed. This list includes Australia. Australia, for example, exempts all necessities from a sales tax.
    Second, can lowering other taxes such as the gas tax, actually stimulate the economy in the long run. If this tax were lowered in any state, fewer people would rely on consumer debt. This would raise the amount of house one can buy in the long run as mentioned above. Then this would raise property tax revenues in any state due to rising housing prices in the long run. With a stronger housing market, there would be higher employment as well. Thus causing more dreams to become true once again...

    August 18, 2010 at 3:04 pm |
  2. Southgate Jo

    My wife and I started a restaurant and ran it for five years. We invested our hearts and souls and, in the end, we failed. We failed just like they failed. It is devastating and a horrendous process. One minute your a valued hard working human being, the next you are a total failure, and just about every human being on the planet piles on to the heap of pain your going through. My wife and I lost everything. Our home, our reputations, our dignity, all of our savings and money. The end result is the real American Dream, and it's a real nightmare. We didn't fail because of our work ethics. We were both working around 120 hours a week. We didn't fail because of our product, it was top rate and we did a good job of delivering the best on a daily basis. We died because a primary employer in the area left.

    I understand the feelings these poor people are going through. I shed many tears and and still do when I think of what happened. I just want to warn anyone who would open a business in today's economic market...Beware. You are going to be exploited by insurance companies, the state and federal government, the industry you choose to become associated with, and just about everyone else that can dig a dollar out of your pocket. In the end ...even if your successful...you will regret the hours, and the effort and the equity of blood sweat and tears you invest and never see returned.....May God bless these people ....I understand

    August 18, 2010 at 4:00 pm |
  3. Edith Finnerty

    We were taught in White Plains New York by Human Rights Director Harry Bright, that there is only one race...the human race.

    Negative racism against any segment of our humanity is a strike against each and all of us.

    Edith Finnerty

    August 23, 2010 at 12:00 pm |
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