The following appeared as a letter to the editor from a Central Plaza store owner."Over the past two years, the number of shoppers in Central Plaza has been steadily decreasing while the popularity of skateboarding has increased dramatically. Many Central

The argument given brings out the fact that the business in Central Plaza are decreasing due to increasing of skateboarding in the Plaza. While this argument seems convincing on first glance, there are significant underlying flaws that raise doubt about the author’s conclusion.

The author’s first mistake is to assume that the skateboarding is the outcome of the decrease of the business. There may be many other facts which contribute to decreasing of the business. Other stores may have been arising during the years near the Plaza. The prices of the goods in other stores may be lower than in Central Plaza. People are moving out of the place due to their needs.

Maybe the products are out of fashion. They did not change their goods. Besides, their products are poor. Another store came and it started selling clothes with a much better quality. Plus, clothes are cheaper. There are a variety of them. Maybe, there is a computer and cell phone store near Plaza developing new technologies.

The claim about the increase of litter and vandalism around the Plaza is similarly unsubstantiated. It does not follow that those are why the business in the place are decreasing. It may exist many other factors as mentioned above or any other ones which explain the decreasing of their business.

For all of the above reasons, the writer of the letter about the store owner in Central Plaza has drawn a dubious conclusion. It may be likely that the prohibition of skateboarding in Central Plaza will return the high level of the business in Central Plaza, but to say it “cannot help but do so” is certainly fallacious, unless all of the questions raised above are untrue. Therefore, if the writer were to provide greater evidences, his argument would be more convincing.