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Anti-Wal-Mart warriors fueling class warfare
Concord Monitor ^ | 9/16/06 | George Will

Posted on 09/16/2006 6:51:22 AM PDT by bitt

Liberal campaign hurts people who need bargains

Evergreen Park, Ill., a suburb contiguous with Chicago's western edge, is 88 percent white. A large majority of the customers of the Wal-Mart that sits here, less than a block outside Chicago, are from the city, and more than 90 percent of the store's customers are African-American. One of whom, a woman pushing a shopping cart with a stoical 3-year-old along for the ride, has a chip on her shoulder about the size of this 141,000 square-foot Wal-Mart. She applied for a job when the store opened in January and was turned down because, she said, the person doing the hiring "had an attitude."

So why is the woman shopping here anyway? She looks at the questioner as though he is dimwitted and directs his attention to the low prices of the DVDs on the rack next to her.

Sensibly, she compartmentalizes her moods and her money. Besides, she should not brood. She had lots of company in not being hired: More than 25,000 people applied for the 325 openings.

Which vexes liberals like John Kerry. (He and his helpmeet last shopped at Wal-Mart when?) In 2004 he tested what has become one of the Democrats' 2006 themes: Wal-Mart is, he said, "disgraceful"and symbolic of "what's wrong with America."

By now, Democrats have succeeded, to their embarrassment (if they are susceptible to that), in making the basic numbers familiar: The median household income of Wal-Mart shoppers is under $40,000. Wal-Mart, the most prodigious job-creator in the history of the private sector in this galaxy, has almost as many employees (1.3 million) as the U.S. military has uniformed personnel.

A McKinsey company study concluded that Wal-Mart accounted for 13 percent of the nation's productivity gains in the second half of the 1990s, ...

(Excerpt) Read more at cmonitor.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Philosophy; Political Humor/Cartoons; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: cheapjunk; democrats; iknowbetter; iknowhatsbetter; kerry; liberals; lyingtraitor; racebaiter; stinkinuptheplace; votenader2008; walmart; wheresteresa; yourlossmygain
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To: Popman

Wal-Mart vacated its Cathedral City discount store on Oct. 26, the same day the Supercenter opened in Palm Springs. Cathedral City had provided the retailer with nearly $2 million in tax incentives. But it now has lost about $650,000 in tax revenues, and the former neighboring shops are left without an anchor store.

Additional comments from both sides of the fence-
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051030/BUSINESS06/510300342/1003/business


141 posted on 09/16/2006 12:30:04 PM PDT by Westlander (Unleash the Neutron Bomb)
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To: MarkeyD

Well it depends on quality versus quantity. Target offers higher-quality housewares and clothing at reasonable prices. I don't mind paying ten cents more for dishwashing detergent than I would at Walmart because the shopping experience is a pleasure, not a headache. The aisles are wider and cleaner. The frozen foods are of better quality and cheaper. The employees are nicer and actually smile once in a while. And most importantly, the security guards don't treat every customer as a potential thief.


142 posted on 09/16/2006 12:31:19 PM PDT by two134711 ("To take no notice of a violent attack is to strengthen the heart of the enemy.")
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To: 1rudeboy

According to rudeboy, Wally World is a paragon of corporate morality. I guess that is why the CEO is falling all over himself apologizing for paying low wages and forcing workers to go on Medicaid. Did you see him earlier this week? He was dancing like Buddy Ebsen in that movie "Swingin' the Jinx Away" (1936).


143 posted on 09/16/2006 12:31:26 PM PDT by ex-Texan (Matthew 7: 1 - 6)
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To: Westlander
Wal-Mart vacated a store while opening a larger, newer store nearby? Sacre bleu! What can government do to protect us from this rampant corporate criminality?
144 posted on 09/16/2006 12:32:47 PM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: ex-Texan
According to rudeboy, Wally World is a paragon of corporate morality.

Is that what Rep. Miller thinks? Did I hurt your feelings?

145 posted on 09/16/2006 12:34:33 PM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: ex-Texan
Wal-Mart is getting a lot of bad publicity today because of very low wages.

My buddies wife has worked at Walmart for years. Probably 15 or so. She is a team leader or department head, or whatever, but she isn't a store manager or assistant manager. She makes $20 bucks an hour. They recently informed her that she could no longer receive raises, as they needed to raise base wages. If she wants more money, she has to get into store management, which she isn't interested in, and she'd have to take a cut in pay initially.

146 posted on 09/16/2006 12:35:37 PM PDT by mountn man (The pleasure you get from life, is equal to the attitude you put into it.)
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To: 1rudeboy

Had to call for back-up, eh, rudeboy? Typical response of a DU dummy is cry for help! You are a DU mole, rudeboy! Admit it! I found you out. LOL, LOL, LOL!


147 posted on 09/16/2006 12:36:11 PM PDT by ex-Texan (Matthew 7: 1 - 6)
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To: ex-Texan

Alright, then, let's argue my point. How is WalMart legally or morally obligated to provide health benefits to its employees, any more than Mom and Pop are?

There is no legal requirement. If you disagree, cite the statute. In fact, according to my SEC-licensed husband, SEC rules require publicly-traded companies such as WalMart to maximize profit for its owners, the shareholders.

If you're going to make a moral argument, be careful. You may say that since Walmart is so profitable they owe more to their employees. Of course that argument is the same as "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need." And we know where such ideas get us.


148 posted on 09/16/2006 12:36:39 PM PDT by LadyNavyVet
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To: ex-Texan

Not back-up, my Democrat friend. I thought others would share in your ridicule.


149 posted on 09/16/2006 12:38:51 PM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: ex-Texan

"See my post #64 with link. My primary source is the Congress of the United States. Not leftists."



ex-texan please look at your link in post 64,it takes you to WakeUpWalmart.com, it has nothing to do with Congress, it is the same web site you keep promoting in your other links



This is how they describe themselves.




"WakeUpWalMart.com is a project of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) participated in an event in front of the Linn County Court House in Cedar Rapids; on August 16 Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) participated in a press conference at the Iowa State Historical building in Des Moines; and on August 17 Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) and Gov. Tom Vilsack (D-IA) participated in a town hall meeting at Sullivan Brothers Convention Center in Waterloo."


In turn, Wakeup Wal-Mart is led by, among others, Paul Blank, former political director for the Howard Dean presidential campaign, and Chris Kofinis, who helped create the DraftWesleyClark.com campaign.

Wal-Mart Watch's media team includes Jim Jordan, former director of the Kerry campaign, and Tracy Sefl, a former Democratic National Committee aide responsible for distributing negative press reports about President Bush during the 2004 campaign."


150 posted on 09/16/2006 12:40:37 PM PDT by ansel12 (Life is exquisite... of great beauty, keenly felt.)
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To: ex-Texan

Congressman George Miller is a leading spokesman in Congress on education, labor, the economy, and the environment. He has represented the 7th District of California in San Francisco's East Bay since 1975. His district includes portions of Contra Costa and Solano counties, including Richmond, Concord, Martinez, Pittsburg, Vallejo, Benicia and Vacaville. He is a life-long Democrat.

151 posted on 09/16/2006 12:41:03 PM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: 1rudeboy

Net gain of stores = -20.


152 posted on 09/16/2006 12:41:15 PM PDT by Westlander (Unleash the Neutron Bomb)
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To: ex-Texan

"You are a DU mole, rudeboy! Admit it! I found you out."




Read post 150


153 posted on 09/16/2006 12:42:16 PM PDT by ansel12 (Life is exquisite... of great beauty, keenly felt.)
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To: ansel12; ex-Texan

I posted a photo of ex-Texan's "primary source." Check it out.


154 posted on 09/16/2006 12:42:26 PM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: ansel12

Don't sweat it. He'll wriggle on the hook for a while, then evacuate the thread, hoping it'll go down the memory hole.


155 posted on 09/16/2006 12:43:25 PM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: Westlander

Where? According to whom?


156 posted on 09/16/2006 12:44:03 PM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: Westlander
Cathedral City had provided the retailer with nearly $2 million in tax incentives. But it now has lost about $650,000 in tax revenues,

Wal-Mart at the point of a gun made Cathedral City give Wal-Mart $2 M??? Not.

Assuming the store has been there 10 years. (you tell me) The city made $ 6.5 M in tax revenues.

Sounds like a good deal to me.

Wal-Mart made a business decision. Life sucks.

157 posted on 09/16/2006 12:48:16 PM PDT by Popman ("What I was doing wasn't living, it was dying. I really think God had better plans for me.")
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To: ansel12

"As I look at the three years Snapper has been with you," he told the vice president, "every year the price has come down. Every year the content of the product has gone up. We're at a position where, first, it's still priced where it doesn't meet the needs of your clientele. For Wal-Mart, it's still too high-priced. I think you'd agree with that.

"Now, at the price I'm selling to you today, I'm not making any money on it. And if we do what you want next year, I'll lose money. I could do that and not go out of business. But we have this independent-dealer channel. And 80% of our business is over here with them. And I can't put them at a competitive disadvantage. If I do that, I lose everything. So this just isn't a compatible fit."

The Wal-Mart vice president responded with strategy and argument. Snapper is the sort of high-quality nameplate, like Levi Strauss, that Wal-Mart hopes can ultimately make it more Target-like. He suggested that Snapper find a lower-cost contract manufacturer. He suggested producing a separate, lesser-quality line with the Snapper nameplate just for Wal-Mart. Just like Levi did.

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/102/open_snapper.html

What's sad about this thread, regardless of the position you take, is one could have bought anything online, from an American owned company, manufactured in the U.S, using U.S. citizens, paying U.S. taxes ---- in less time than it took to post a comment.


158 posted on 09/16/2006 12:50:48 PM PDT by Westlander (Unleash the Neutron Bomb)
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To: Popman

Don't you understand? As soon as Wal-Mart built a store in Cathedral City, the government of Cathedral City "owned" it. [collectivist mode=off]


159 posted on 09/16/2006 12:51:32 PM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: Westlander

This cannot stand. How can we prevent Wal-Mart from pursuing beneficial terms from its vendors?


160 posted on 09/16/2006 12:54:09 PM PDT by 1rudeboy
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