[Mike Bates]

Another example of government "protection."

[EggsAckley]

Public Enemy #1 = Labor Unions

[Agnes Heep]

God save us from low prices.

[BigSkyFreeper]

When the Chicago city government is comprised of crooks and frauds, I'd hate to think crooks are "protecing" me, if I was living in Chicago.

[So Cal Rocket]

One of the reasons that WalMart is a target of Leftist Legislators:

     

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2004 Election Overview   |   Industries   |   Top All-time Donors   |   Donor Lookup   |   PACs   |   Soft Money   |   Lobbyists

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    Incumbent Advantage

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    Totals by Sector

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THE CENTER
FOR RESPONSIVE
POLITICS

2004 ELECTION OVERVIEW
Top Overall Donors

Breakdown to display:

Rank	Contributor	Total Contributions	To Dems	To Repubs	Contributions Tilt
1	Goldman Sachs	$2,656,413	51%	49%	On the fence
2	National Assn of Realtors	$1,464,806	51%	49%	On the fence
3	Wal-Mart Stores	$1,372,840	16%	84%	Strongly Republican
4	Lehman Brothers	$1,272,063	45%	55%	On the fence
5	Citigroup Inc	$1,262,072	46%	54%	On the fence
6	Time Warner	$1,100,781	71%	29%	Strongly Democratic
7	SBC Communications	$1,093,935	32%	68%	Strongly Republican
8	Assn of Trial Lawyers of America	$1,047,499	91%	9%	Solidly Democratic
9	Morgan Stanley	$1,039,883	37%	63%	Leans Republican
10	National Assn of Home Builders	$1,034,500	38%	61%	Leans Republican
11	United Parcel Service	$1,024,271	28%	72%	Strongly Republican
12	Merrill Lynch	$1,016,789	20%	80%	Strongly Republican
13	Laborers Union	$997,880	82%	18%	Strongly Democratic
14	Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers	$979,330	96%	4%	Solidly Democratic
15	Carpenters & Joiners Union	$970,000	63%	37%	Leans Democratic
16	Machinists/Aerospace Workers Union	$942,011	98%	1%	Solidly Democratic
17	National Auto Dealers Assn	$936,300	30%	70%	Strongly Republican
18	PriceWaterhouseCoopers	$925,108	14%	86%	Strongly Republican
19	Microsoft Corp	$914,882	56%	44%	Leans Democratic
20	UBS Americas	$912,738	28%	71%	Strongly Republican
21	National Beer Wholesalers Assn	$888,618	26%	74%	Strongly Republican
22	MBNA Corp	$875,647	23%	77%	Strongly Republican
23	Credit Union National Assn	$873,063	41%	59%	Leans Republican
24	Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu	$841,135	25%	75%	Strongly Republican
25	Ernst & Young	$806,077	29%	71%	Strongly Republican
26	Blue Cross/Blue Shield	$805,032	37%	63%	Leans Republican
27	Teamsters Union	$801,500	85%	14%	Strongly Democratic
28	American Fedn of St/Cnty/Munic Employees	$797,089	97%	2%	Solidly Democratic
29	General Electric	$794,690	40%	60%	Leans Republican
30	Verizon Communications	$794,339	34%	66%	Leans Republican
31	Service Employees International Union	$779,800	83%	17%	Strongly Democratic
32	JP Morgan Chase & Co	$778,281	50%	51%	On the fence
33	American Bankers Assn	$768,918	39%	61%	Leans Republican
34	Lockheed Martin	$768,589	39%	61%	Leans Republican
35	Credit Suisse First Boston	$739,500	36%	64%	Leans Republican
36	Air Line Pilots Assn	$718,250	78%	22%	Strongly Democratic
37	United Auto Workers	$715,930	99%	1%	Solidly Democratic
38	KPMG LLP	$713,585	23%	77%	Strongly Republican
39	Northrop Grumman	$702,522	37%	63%	Leans Republican
40	EMILY's List	$700,324	100%	0%	Solidly Democratic
41	General Dynamics	$667,825	38%	62%	Leans Republican
42	American Hospital Assn	$666,752	41%	59%	Leans Republican
43	American Postal Workers Union	$659,500	77%	22%	Strongly Democratic
44	Bear Stearns	$656,083	39%	61%	Leans Republican
45	BellSouth Corp	$650,560	40%	60%	Leans Republican
46	Operating Engineers Union	$645,619	75%	25%	Strongly Democratic
47	AFLAC Inc	$639,142	37%	63%	Leans Republican
48	Boeing Co	$638,976	40%	60%	Leans Republican
49	Blank Rome LLP	$636,350	23%	77%	Strongly Republican
50	Piper Rudnick LLP	$630,597	68%	31%	Strongly Democratic
51	Greenberg, Traurig et al	$617,754	61%	39%	Leans Democratic
52	Sheet Metal Workers Union	$607,100	96%	4%	Solidly Democratic
53	Union Pacific Corp	$605,548	18%	82%	Strongly Republican
54	American Dental Assn	$597,258	40%	60%	Leans Republican
55	American Maritime Officers	$589,500	43%	57%	Leans Republican
56	Associated Builders & Contractors	$587,800	1%	99%	Solidly Republican
57	Pfizer Inc	$581,729	35%	65%	Leans Republican
58	United Transportation Union	$573,650	82%	18%	Strongly Democratic
59	Southern Co	$568,900	19%	81%	Strongly Republican
60	Wachovia Corp	$565,960	33%	67%	Strongly Republican
61	Bank of America	$559,440	45%	55%	On the fence
62	Viacom Inc	$557,300	72%	28%	Strongly Democratic
63	Akin, Gump et al	$550,278	55%	45%	On the fence
64	Boilermakers Union	$546,200	94%	5%	Solidly Democratic
65	National Air Traffic Controllers Assn	$545,750	61%	39%	Leans Democratic
66	Ironworkers Union	$537,225	85%	14%	Strongly Democratic
67	National Rural Electric Cooperative Assn	$529,673	43%	57%	Leans Republican
68	Skadden, Arps et al	$488,119	74%	25%	Strongly Democratic
69	International Assn of Fire Fighters	$476,600	74%	26%	Strongly Democratic
70	Cassidy & Assoc/Interpublic Group	$474,867	48%	52%	On the fence
71	Federal Express Corp	$457,700	29%	71%	Strongly Republican
72	Baron & Budd	$450,183	96%	4%	Solidly Democratic
73	Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance	$446,300	44%	56%	On the fence
74	American International Group	$438,663	38%	62%	Leans Republican
75	United Food & Commercial Workers Union	$436,550	99%	2%	Solidly Democratic
76	Bank One Corp	$434,336	46%	54%	On the fence
77	Wells Fargo	$429,116	41%	59%	Leans Republican
78	Comcast Corp	$426,373	41%	59%	Leans Republican
79	Patton Boggs LLP	$419,583	70%	29%	Strongly Democratic
80	Natl Assn Insurance & Financial Advisors	$416,700	33%	67%	Strongly Republican
81	Metropolitan Life	$414,711	57%	43%	Leans Democratic
82	GlaxoSmithKline	$409,500	31%	69%	Strongly Republican
83	Americans for a Republican Majority	$409,278	0%	99%	Solidly Republican
84	Altria Group	$405,550	41%	59%	Leans Republican
85	United Technologies	$403,465	37%	63%	Leans Republican
86	National Rifle Assn	$402,123	14%	86%	Strongly Republican
87	WPP Group	$401,648	45%	54%	On the fence
88	Communications Workers of America	$397,708	99%	1%	Solidly Democratic
89	Simmons Firm	$391,750	100%	0%	Solidly Democratic
90	Walt Disney Co	$381,210	62%	38%	Leans Democratic
91	Holland & Knight	$377,537	57%	43%	Leans Democratic
92	International Longshoremens Assn	$377,400	93%	7%	Solidly Democratic
93	American Financial Group	$369,849	4%	96%	Solidly Republican
94	AFL-CIO	$367,400	87%	13%	Strongly Democratic
95	Exelon Corp	$365,418	43%	57%	Leans Republican
96	Cigna Corp	$362,294	17%	83%	Strongly Republican
97	HSBC USA	$360,500	39%	61%	Leans Republican
98	Eli Lilly & Co	$359,927	29%	71%	Strongly Republican
99	Amalgamated Transit Union	$359,750	85%	15%	Strongly Democratic
100	Winston & Strawn	$353,404	30%	69%	Strongly Republican

METHODOLOGY: The numbers on this page are based on contributions from PACs and individuals giving $200 or more to federal candidates and parties as reported to the Federal Election Commission.

All the numbers on this page are for the 2004 election cycle and are based on data released by the FEC on Monday, March 01, 2004. Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the Center for Responsive Politics.

To view data for previous cycles, visit our Big Picture section.

[Iron Matron]

I actually do not like Wal-Mart because they DO run other grocery stores out of business, which lowers the amount of merchandise I have to choose from. In my town Lowes is a gonner, ALbertsons is next, and I hate to count the
wonderful "Mom & Pops" they have destroyed.

Would not be so bad but Wal-Mart has a HORRIBLE selection of food-colored,water filled meats, no real brand-name selection in canned and dry goods . .etc. If Wal-Mart had a better selection, I suppose it would be OK to run old mom and pop stores out of business, but they really stink in the food selection areas.

[adiaireton8]

This article makes some good points, but it does not present a fair portrayal of the opposing position. It reads like it was written by a libertarian, and it makes generous use of sophistry. It would be a much better article if the author actually dealt with (and refuted) the best objections to his position, instead of ridiculous speculation that the reason a number of communities oppose Wal-Marts is that, for example, Wal-Mart sells Bibles.

[Richard Kimball]

bump for later

[PokeyJoe]

Why the war against Wal-Mart?

Cuz Wal-Mart sucks.

Go Target! (pronounced, Tarz-shay)

[newsmeat.com]

Do you think this lengthy list of political contributions by the Walton family has anything to do with it?

[Cooter]

Ironic that the headquarters for Sears and Montgomery Wards are located in Chicago. They were the Wal-Marts of their time.

[Tacis]

Sure, the politicians hate Wal-Mart because their union boss masters tell them to!! But, there are other reasons. It is hard to extort Wal-Marts. The politicians and community leaders can't put friends and relatives on their payroll in phantom jobs and can't demand cash payments for certain public services. No expediting fee for processing permits. And, the bros in the neighborhood can't help themselves to whatever they want knowing that the merchant won't stand up against the politician.

We have a cluster of new Wal-Marts and they are great!! I don't have to wait around 'til the Albertson's deli guy has nothing better to do than wait on me. The Albertson's vendors believe they own the aisles and floor space during the day and don't have to worry about customers. The last ma & pa store in this area (good selection and good customer support on the floor) still has ma handling the cash at the only checkout register. She, no matter how many people are on line, also answers the 'phone. Why shouldn't a well run Wal-Mart with good prices and selection drive a poorly run, high-priced place out of business?

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Maybe the irritation is the senior citizens hired to be greeters.

But they're very clean senior citizen greeters.

[Peter J. Huss]

When Walmart came to our small town, every employee worth their salt got a job there and likely added $3 an hour to their wages.

The fact is, that Mom and Pop didn't pay their employees well and sometimes didn't treat them well.

For smaller towns everywhere, Walmart basically becomes the standard for employment. If you can control what Walmart does, you can indirectly control policy and wages at many more small companies and retail stores across the country.

[walden]

"Again, there seems to be some snobbery at work in all the Wal-Mart loathing. Is it because the stores provide decent goods at affordable prices to the great unwashed, thereby improving their living standards even to the point of having some of the same conveniences as their betters? "

YES, that plus the whole unbridled capitalism thing. And, elites despise it because it's where us proles go to shop. Make no mistake, the so-called "elites" THOROUGHLY despise the middle class.

[WhiteyAppleseed]

I have some old Congressional Records from 1935. Congress was talking about the evils of the chain stores, Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Wards and what could be done to save society. They talked about legislation that would make it easier for businesses to band together and buy in bulk.

This morning, I was reading a section where they were debating the amount of money spent on defense with the usual arguments. Reading that, and knowing what was on the horizon for them, is sobering, more so when one realizes that the same kind of debates that were happening in May-June of 1935 are happening today--defense spending, tarifs, or the lack thereof, unions, chain stores.

[Piranha]

I think this is a pretty good reason to stay away from Wal-Mart (even if this article is from CNN):

http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/02/03/walmart.lawsuit.ap/

[Flyer]

There may even be a union member or two who wouldn’t mind saving a few bucks.

A union local in Houston had a new building constructed - with non-union labor - because otherwise they couldn't afford it.

[bondjamesbond]

John Kerry’s wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, said a few weeks ago that Wal-Marts "drive me crazy" because "they destroy communities."

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

PeoplesLiberationArmyMART is going to have to give me a better reason to like them than the fact that Teresa Heinz Kerry does not.

But if Teresa really wanted to put her money where her mouth was, she could pull her products from WalMART's shelves.

[nightdriver]

"Opening a Wal-Mart means jobs and plenty of them."

No, Mr. Bates, that is a near-sighted view of the issue.

Wal-Mart is in the vortex between the living standard of the U.S. and the living standards of the countries where Wal-Mart's goods are produced.

Any reputable History of Economics will show that a situation like that will elevate the living standard of the producer and lower the living standard of the consumer.