Posted on 07/01/2009 9:14:45 AM PDT by Lorianne
Matthew Yglesias proudly announces that his employer the liberal thinktank Center for American Progress has convinced Wal-Mart (WMT) to support a law that would legally obligate employers to pay for their employees' health insurance.
The Center for American Progress, the Service Employees International Union, and Wal-Mart joined forces today to release a letter (PDF) endorsing the dual ideas of an employer mandate to provide health insurance and “triggers” to automatically reduce costs if health care spending gets too high (more on that here).
The highly ideological behavior of the business community, and high degree of class solidarity exhibited by the executive class, has been a hugely important element of the story of American politics over the past thirty years or so. The willingness of much of the business community to break with Chamber ideology on Waxman-Markey and now on health care is an important sign of change in the air.
Sorry Matt! We hate to bust your bubble, but you and your employer are being used for Wal-Mart's agenda, which is as greedy and selfish as ever. Actually, it's worse.
This is all about introducing a bill that will harm its competitors, particularly businesses of a slightly lower size that can't buy health insurance on the same scale. The company already has a major price and sourcing edge over its competitors, and this law would allow it to exploit that even more.
This is similar to when liberals got excited about the fact that Wal-Mart came out in favor of a higher minimum wage, even though Wal-Mart employees almost all make well over the minimum wage, meaning that such a law would only reduce margins at their competitors. You could go on and on.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
(Hat tip Lorilori)
Stop shopping at Wal Mart.
I used to like Wal Mart, but now with their Mutlicultural supermarket, designed for Hispanics only, their forcing their suppliers to move to China, and now this...Wal Mart can go to hell.
Big Business LOVES Big Government.
Ummm..., the Wal-Mart supporters here are going to be caught between a rock and a hard place... :-)
I never started and I won't start now.
No problem here! In principle, I wanted to support them in the past (cause all the libs hated them so much), but... I cannot stand how the stores are set-up, the shoddy merchandise, the crappy employees, and all of the illegals shopping there. I shop at Target instead. They may have their problems, but the shopping experience is much more pleasant.
Or maybe it’s a ploy to get the lefts goat. You know how the left complains about Wal Mart and any other big business? Maybe if Wal Mart endorses it.... Nah.... but it was a thought.
I will not go into wal mart again if this is true.
LLS
... and regulation.
I keep telling my liberal acquantances this but they NEVER understand.
Don’t know why , but everytime I shop at a WalMart I feel like I need to take a bath when I get home.
That’s what I think.
Very savvy of them.
I don’t think Sam Walton would recognize his store were he alive today.
I will.
I think they are teaching the idiots a very important lesson. Be careful what you ask for.
Looks like Wal-Mart is just trying to get along with the “new management” in Washington and Beijing.
Its sad to see, but its all about cutting losses and it looks like Wal-Mart is throwing in the towel rather than fight the leftist critics.
GE is the perfect example. Show them the list of those big companies which supported Cap and Trade.
I’ve been to Wal-Mart twice in my life and both experiences I considered them dirty, unkempt stores.
That is why I don’t shop there and do not plan to do so in the future.
How much more would you like me to pay for my groceries? 10%? 20%? 50%?
And I'm going to do this, why?
It's called Mercantilism. We fought the Revolutionary War against it. Mercantilism preceded Capitalism. The Robber Barons were and are Mercantilists, not Capitalists.
The Dems love Mercantilism, because it's just a short step to Fascism.
Nah. This isn’t a reason to stop shopping WalMart.
All large companies support these things. It removes the cost from their books and puts it on the taxpayer.
Anyone who cares to can go back and check all the large companies that supported HillaryCare back in the day.
What price Liberty?
You figure it was bound to happen....
All those years Wal-Mart supporting Free Trade with Communist China....eventually they were going to support Communism here in the USA.
All those fools who kept supporting Communist China in the guise of Free Trade....hope you are happy now...”comrades”
Maybe someone should propose that legislation and watch Wal Mart squeal like a stuck pig.
Not sure where you live....but if its any sizeable town with more than one grocery store...you are probably not saving anything solely shopping for groceries at Wal Mart
Wal Mart rarely has sales...and their competitors are more likely to run some good sales (buy one get one free....50% off...etc). Also, I find Wal Mart has less variety than other grocers.
But not all large companies are stupid enough to come out and make a public endorsement of legislation designed to take away our Liberty.
When I worked for BellAtlantic (Verizon now) in the early
90s, I was bombarded with memos, almost daily, from the company and the union, begging me to call and express my support for hillarycare.
I just sent Walmart a strong message. Do your part...
http://www.walmart.com/cservice/cu_comments_online.gsp?cu_heading=8
Big business supporting destruction of it’s competitors through government mandates.
This is nothing new.
He would fire all the management and kick his son’s rear-ends!
LLS
LLS
This is a tit for tat with the Baraqqis for not pushing forward with card check, which would have most likely unionized WM. Anybody can see how badly unionized companies like GM and Chrysler have turned out.
It’s easy to sit back and make judgements on how to run a business if you’re just watching on the internet. These folks are trying to stay alive until the Baraqqis are (pray to God) gone someday.
I don’t think it’s political
They’re making a savvy business decision, that’s all.
That’s how they got to where there are.
Exactly
Wrong. They are actively selling out my liberty for their profits.
Screw 'em.
It's significant. Plus, WalMart accepts all competitors coupons, so I always go well-armed with all the coupon pages from the latest Sunday paper.
The issue with WalMart supporting Obama Care is problematical, and a big letter-writing campaign to their corporate HQ would be a good start.
Chicago already tried this on WalMart.
WalMart simply built their stores in the suburbs.
I guess the logical conclusion will be having to drive across the border into either Mexico or Canada to go shopping.
Those who don't live near the border will just be out of luck.
Yesterday I heard that what Walmart supports is not the Obama Plan (because there isn’t one), they are agreeing to employer-funded insurance because somehow it undercuts Target. I didn’t understand how, but apparently it’s a business decision involving their competition. No matter what Rahm Emanuel says, it’s not an Obama victory and isn’t about politics.
This article is BS. Instead of flying off the handle, why not do a little research and find out what Walmart is really doing.
Wal Mart is supporting Federally Mandated Health Coverage. That is unconstitutional.
Show me in the constitution where the Federal Government is authorized to pass laws which require small businesses in the various states to provide "federally approved" health care coverage to their employees? Huh? Can you do that?
Wal Mart is throwing their weight behind Obama's attempt to steal Liberty from Americans.
Obama is trying to tell us what kind of cars we can own, what kind of windows we can put on our houses, what kind of thermostats we can put on our heaters, what kind of hamburgers we can eat, and what kind of health coverage we can have. And Wal Mart is on board with that.
What the Hell happened to the American notion of LIBERTY? It's still on the coins, but like the coins, the phrase is becoming worthless.
Show me where I am wrong.
Yeah, but if it is a federal mandate, then where are they going to go?
I used to support Wal Mart. Not anymore. I'm going to find a "Boycott Wal Mart" sticker and put it on my car next to my NRA sticker.
According to one of their spokesmen yesterday, they are only behind “employer supported” insurance. And no matter what Rahm Emanuel says, it’s a business decision they made because it undercuts Target somehow. The guy screamed, “No!” when asked about “universal coverage”.
That means FEDERALLY MANDATED insurance. Spit!
Now show me the provision in the Constitution that permits congress or the President to MANDATE that employers in the various states MUST provide FEDERALLY APPROVED health care insurance coverage to their employees.
Wal Mart is putting the weight of its corporation behind a a wholesale violation of the constitution and a wholesale destruction of American Liberty!
I won't shop there again.
BTW since when did employers become the guardians of their employee's health insurance?
People pay 3 times as much to go to their hairdresser than they do to go to their oncologist.
My daughter, who is currently uninsured, pays more to have her hair colored than she pays a physician at the Clinic she goes to when she is sick.
Where is the FEDERALLY MANDATED Hair Color Insurance?
Stop spitting.
It is voluntary. [now].
Wal-Mart wants to make it MANDATORY for all employers. Spit!
Stop spitting.
Stop trying to rob me of my Liberty!
Spit!
There is no more logical reason for employers to provide health care insurance than for employers to provide auto insurance.
In the beginning, it was a “benefit” they used to attract and keep excellent employees. Over time it became a custom, even though it was not a universal custom. There is absolutely no logic to it.
The best solution for most employers is simply to stop offering any health care at all. Instead, they’d do better to offer employees pay based purely on performance. That way they’d keep the smartest/best employees, because they’d get paid more than the deadbeats. Also, the responsibility for providing one’s health insurance would be with the individual in the same way as his house insurance and his car insurance is.
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