Low prices come at a cost, she and other speakers insisted, arguing, for instance, that Wal-Mart encouraged overconsumption and overdevelopment, which place strains on natural resources and the environment.
"Everything is based on the consumer first," said Edna Bonacich, a sociology professor at the University of California, Riverside. "Is this the way we want to live?" (emphasis mine)
To Ms. Bonacich, a hopeful sign that at least some people would answer no came just days before the conference. On April 6 in Inglewood, Calif., a largely black and Hispanic suburb of Los Angeles, voters rejected a ballot initiative allowing Wal-Mart to build a store there, with many saying they were unhappy with its wage levels, fierce anti-unionism and efforts to circumvent land-use regulations. "
Whatever. I'm sorry but I had mistaken you for someone who might have a counter-argument.