Wal-Mart Relies On Taxpayers To Subsidize Low Wages

Business Insider ^ | June 1, 2013 | Emily Coyle

[steelhead_trout]

According to The Huffington Post, Congressional Democrats released a study Thursday that demonstrated how Wal-Mart’s wages are so low that many of its workers must rely on food stamps and other government aid programs, costing taxpayers as much as $900,0000 at just one Wal-Mart Supercenter in Wisconsin.

The report, “The Low-Wage Drag on Our Economy,” was produced by Democrats with the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

[tomkat]

apparently even Occupiers gotta do something in the wintertime . . .

[VRWCarea51]

Or to pay its (in the case of WalMart) much abused employees chiken-shi’ite wages with no bennies and fob the costs on to Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer. Are you for real? No, seriously. WTF gives YOU the right to tell a Employer how much to pay someone? Because you are a bleeding heart shill? How about these employees LOOK elsewhere to find better employment or go to College, or take on a 2nd or 3rd job instead of expecting someone to pay them 3 times what they work performed actually is worth? Many of us did to get where we are today. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS LOST TODAY! No one forced any Walmart employee to work for them and ONLY them and NO ONE forces them to run down and whine, bitch and moan to the Nanny State to give them free shit because they are either to freaking dumb to get out of their lot in life or to damned lazy. Must be you flunked the Free People part of the founding of this country while in skewl.

[refreshed]

You weren’t supposed to know about those.

[drunknsage]

Are you sure YOU are on the right site captain thought police? Seriously, who died and appointed you Sheriff?

I get that group think circle jerks make worms like you feel warm and fuzzy but such behavior is pathetic, beneath contempt, and has no place in a REAL Conservative forum.

Go start a blog if you want your own personal thought plantation. Until then, challenge the idea like a big boy. I’m sure you can pull up your boot straps and muster together something that passes as an intelligent response. Until then, stop embarrassing real Conservatives. We welcome different idea’s and we aren’t afraid to challenge them intellectually if we don’t agree.

[AppyPappy]

He’s just parroting the Democrat’s talking point on raising the minimum wage. I doubt any independent thought took place.

[DoodleDawg]

We provide a range of jobs — from people starting out stocking shelves to Ph.D’s in engineering and finance. We provide education assistance and skill training and, most of all, a chance to move up in the ranks.”

Maybe Wal-Mart should reply by showing statistics on how long people are at the minimum wage, how soon they get an increase, how long they are in entry level positions before having a chance to move up the ladder, etc. It would reinforce the fact that the minimum wage is an entry level wage and not something people are expected to be on for any period of time, so long as they show initiative and a desire to succeed.

[1rudeboy]

Are you sure you’re on the right website?

[Tau Food]

It is not the fault of Walmart that our government hands out free goodies. The government has now taken over our entire health care system, but Walmart is just another victim. We are all victims, but we must quit acting like victims.

Boycott the entire health care system. You cannot participate in our health care system without implicitly endorsing government run health care. Tear up your health insurance cards,. Send your Medicare cards back to the government.

Just boycott the whole system! Don't be a victim!!

[Alas Babylon!]

So before you all scream to get me off the forums, at least take this into consideration. Thanks.

It would be helpful if you considered the points the others are trying to tell you.

1. Economics are governed by the laws of supply and demand.

2. There are a lot of stores out there selling stuff (supply).

3. There are potential customers out there looking for bargains (demand).

4. The margin between a store's profit and total cost is very, very slim.

5. Competition is keen and whole lines of advertising are used to directly compete for customers between different stores.

6. Walmart is competing with all those other stores. They have been very successful by having lots of great bargains. The customers are in the drivers seat, not the Waltons.

7. If they paid more in wages to unskilled workers, they would have to raise prices and risk losing customers which leads to going out of business due to keen competition.

These points are simple common sense built on knowledge about economics. I hope they help you.

[John 3_19-21]

This one is a union hack though, the claws automatically come out for this type.

[Wonder Warthog]

"Wally World keeps it's wages dirt cheap--while the Waltons are sitting on untold billions and billions of dollars--and instructs its workers how to go on the dole! McDonalds does the same thing."

The whole premise of the article is ludicrous. Just suppose that Walmart "does" in fact cost the state $900K for this supposed subsidy. How much does this exact same Wal-Mart put into the various town, city, or state government entities treasuries in taxes paid????

The article is just another socialist propaganda piece.

And you might want to take your "socialist-think" jealousy over to Democrat Underground....they might believe it.

[dalereed]

Eliminate food stamps and welfare, problem solved!

No one except government is stupid enough to pay wages any higher than they have to to get the employees they need to do business.

[refreshed]

Conversely and unfortunately, economics has become the litmus test. You can believe in the right to kill babies or legalization of drugs and still be considered a conservative these days. There is more to being a conservative than holding to free market principles in my opinion.

[Balding_Eagle]

I worked at Walmart for awhile. The long term employees always ran in zig-zag paths to their vehicles after their shift.

[PeterPrinciple]

Wal-Mart’s wages are so low that many of its workers must rely on food stamps and other government aid programs,

---

That is a bold statement, but is it true? Because it is in writing does not make is so.

1st, I distrust the statement.

2nd, There MAY be a correlation but that is not causation. That is a big jump.

[Lazamataz]

My conservatism is *SOCIAL*.

Yes, we noticed:

"[Elizabeth Warren] is right (i.e. correct) about economic issues"

Oh really. The liberal icon Elizabeth Warren, who advocated for a $22.00 minimum wage? That Elizabeth Warren?

The Elizabeth Warren who decries oil and gasoline as 'old, dirty energy sources' and wants to push for more failed-and-subsidized Green Energy myths? That Elizabeth Warren?

The Elizabeth Warren who supports Union card check and otherwise aligns herself with the monstrous and competition-killing unions?

Yeah, I am sensing you do not belong here.

[Bob]

And, with the Fugitive Slave Act, any escaping Walmart worker that the snipers miss will be hunted down and returned.

[redgolum]

What is the base core of your goals?

I’ve seen your posts also. I suspect that your core is different than mine.

My point is if you want to win some elections, inroads need to be made.

[C. Edmund Wright]

Conversely and unfortunately, economics has become the litmus test. You can believe in the right to kill babies or legalization of drugs and still be considered a conservative these days. There is more to being a conservative than holding to free market principles in my opinion.

Where's your sign that sez "I'm a self righteous logically impaired pharisee?" For you to assume that I am pro abort because of what I said indicates that you are an emotional wreck with no logical intellectual ability.

[markomalley]

” Maybe they would. If there were no gov’t subsidies, then people obviously couldn’t get by on a Walmart salary. So they’d have to look elsewhere. This is largely a government created problem. The welfare “hammock” incentives business to keep wages low.”

So what you are saying is that Wally World would have to react to market forces in order to recruit and retain qualified staff. Just as they are right now, since the market allows them to retain sufficiently skilled staff for a lower price.

The article is not advocating what either you or I are saying, though. The article its not suggesting that subsidies be cut in order for the market to find a new equilibrium. It is advocating for a higher government imposed salary. From the article:

“The chairman of the committee who produced the report, Rep. George Miller, has been working to sponsor legislation that would increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10, arguing that this boost could pull Wal-Mart workers off these public-assistance programs, as well as others employees who suffer the same problems. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 and applies to the 31 states that do not mandate a higher one.”

So are you suggesting that the minimum wage be increased to $10.10 per hour?