The government picks winners and losers — big corporations get the breaks while families, small businesses, and our community pay the real price
Hey neighbors,
Bringing back manufacturing jobs sounds like a silver bullet that will solve everything for small towns like ours. I get the appeal, good jobs and a stronger America sound great on paper. But the national push with broad tariffs under the Trump administration shows how these one-sided decisions are often short-sighted. They end up picking winners and losers, with some big corporations and donors coming out ahead while regular families, small businesses, and small towns like Benson end up as the losers.
Here’s the reality we’re seeing: Tariffs raise the cost of imported goods and the parts that American companies rely on. Those higher costs get passed straight on to us, consumers and local businesses. Prices climb on groceries, gas, car repairs, electronics, clothing, and farm supplies. Families tighten their belts and slow down spending.
When demand drops, small businesses suffer: fewer customers means cutting hours, laying people off, or struggling to keep the doors open. We’ve seen reports from 2025-2026 showing small-business importers paying an average of $306,000 more in tariffs, with many forced to raise prices or absorb the hit. Manufacturing employment actually declined slightly nationwide despite the big promises, while uncertainty and higher costs made planning tough for everyone.
This creates a doom loop: higher prices → less buying → slower business → job losses → even less money circulating in our local economy.
And here’s the part that really frustrates me, small businesses in Benson pay their full share of taxes right here in our community. That sales tax, property tax, and other revenue directly funds our roads, schools, police, fire, and city services. It stays local and supports the Benson we know and love.
Meanwhile, big manufacturing operations often get massive tax breaks, special incentives, and government deals to come in or expand. It makes no sense to me. Why squeeze the hardworking local shops, farms, restaurants, and families who are already contributing steadily to our tax base, just to chase one big industry that might bring temporary jobs while raising costs for the rest of us?
That same short-sighted thinking is playing out right here in Benson with the ADI aluminum recycling plant, and the ongoing push for data centers in Cochise County. These projects promise big economic boosts, but they come with real downsides for our small town: heavy demands on water and power in our desert area, potential impacts on air quality and the San Pedro River, risks of overbuilt infrastructure we might have to pay for long-term, and higher costs that get passed on to residents. We’ve already seen the division this has caused, lawsuits, appeals, packed meetings, and tension in our tight-knit community.
This myopic view from our elected leaders should upset everyone reading this. Benson already has everything it needs to stay viable — our agriculture, Kartchner Caverns tourism, retirees with steady income, and commuters who bring money back into our local economy. Yet our voices and our strengths are too often ignored in favor of chasing these flashy, high-risk projects.
Let’s focus on building on what we already have rather than risking higher costs, division, and a changed town just to help a few chosen winners.
Having more money in people’s pockets creates broader, more stable growth. Families spend locally, small businesses thrive and hire, tourism and Agricultural services stay strong, and the city gets reliable tax revenue, all without picking certain big industries as winners while making daily life more expensive and uncertain for the rest of us.
That’s exactly why I’m running for City Council and fighting these big ideas like ADI and data centers. We need real transparency, honest resident input, and smart decisions that protect what makes Benson special, our rural character, open spaces, quality of life, farms, and diversified local economy, instead of short-sighted national or local bets that could hurt us in the long run at our own expense.
Let’s focus on building on the strengths we already have rather than risking higher costs, division, and a changed town just to help a few chosen winners. What are your thoughts on this? Share them below, I’m listening.
May 19 is our chance to reject the mirage and demand real accountability. No more dog whistles. No more boondoggles.
Vote Mark Boyle Special Recall Election May 19, 2026
Protect what’s ours , before it’s gone. Benson First, always!