[radicalamericannationalist]

"What do you say about making it possible for people earning $10 per hour to afford 27" LCD televisions?"

First, can they afford it or do they put it on the credit card, contributing to the record high debt level the American consumer is currently piling up?

Secondly, my point is that that TV is not that cheap when you factor the extra taxes that are paid as a result of WAl-Mart employees being subsidized by the state.

The solution? Part of it is our trade policy. So long as we are blase about our manufacturing sector being shipped over seas, there is little that can be done.

I think in the end, the real solution is going to have to be cultural and not political. Henry Ford paid his workers generous wages not because he was acting philanthropically but because he knew that well paid workers were more productive and could buy his own product. Today, I fear that we have an executive culture that puts short term pops in the stock price above long term sustainability and the interest of the community and nation.

[eno_]

Henry Ford paid his workers well because he made fabulous margins and was crushing his competitors - and throwing THEIR employees out of work. That lasted until other manufacturers adopted Ford's methods.

I agree with you about executive culture being rotten at many companies. HP, for example, is a tragedy about to unfold. But that is for their boards and shareholders to handle.

[Mad Dawgg]

"Henry Ford paid his workers generous wages not because he was acting philanthropically but because he knew that well paid workers were more productive and could buy his own product. Today, I fear that we have an executive culture that puts short term pops in the stock price above long term sustainability and the interest of the community and nation."

Maybe you missed the part of Ford's history where they broke a wage strike by busting heads using scabs and thugs.

I admire Henry Ford for his accomplishments but he was no angel when it came to business.

[Max Combined]

"when you factor the extra taxes that are paid as a result of WAl-Mart employees being subsidized by the state."

Is there a special subsidy for Walmart employees or are there benefits available in California for all low wage earners? Why do you pick on only Walmart and not on all the other places that pay low wages? Do you think the minimum wage is too low in California? Do you think an increase in the minimum wage would improve matters in California?

[Chemist_Geek]

Today, I fear that we have an executive culture that puts short term pops in the stock price above long term sustainability and the interest of the community and nation.

Yep.