"You said a lot, without seeming to say much at all."
Your words remind me of what Mark Twain wrote about his father. If you don't know what I'm talking about then you have missed some wonderful wisdom.
"How does the ability to save money on purchases increase a supposed gulf between the rich, the middle and/or the poor?"
The low prices are possible because the wages and standard of living of the workers who are making them is much lower than your own. But don't worry about that, as things are going you'll be at or below their level soon.
"How do you explain the increased living standard enjoyed today that was not as apparent 10, 20, 30 years ago?"
Are you speaking about the opportunity to hold two or three jobs instead of one? And for mothers to place their children in day care and enjoy careers instead of being homemakers?
"If your personal standard of living is worse today, how exactly is Wal-Mart to blame? Do you shoulder any personal responsibility?"
Does Walmart make an effort to obtain and promote American made goods? Goods which are made by workers who earn more than those in China, Vietnam, Cambodia etc...no.
I buy American made goods whenever I can find them, it is my guaranty that the workers who made them have atleast some protection, however minimal, from unscrupulous employers.
So WalMart doesn't sell any American made goods? I don't suppose you have any facts to back you up?
My husband has one job. I'm a homemaker, although I recently did take a part time job at our local Moose Lodge, not because i had to, but because I wanted to do so, and it helps out the Lodge, they didn't have go looking outside the membership to find someone to do it.
Our 8 year old daughter isn't in daycare, in fact she and her friend are currently sitting down for lunch that I helped them fix.....and her friend's mom is also a homemaker. While I ran errands this morning she had the girls at her house, and now I have them while she is running errands.
And yes we shop in WalMart, and we buy American made products whenever possible.......including in WalMart. They sell plenty of American made products.
Name your price and I will take your bet. At what timeframe should I expect to be living at a lower standard of living? Should I petition the government to take care of me to ensure this does not happen? If Wal-Mart shuts down will my standard of living increase, decrease, or not be affected?
"Are you speaking about the opportunity to hold two or three jobs instead of one? And for mothers to place their children in day care and enjoy careers instead of being homemakers?"
By this I guess you really mean this is in accordance to higher taxes imposed over the years (Wal-Marts don't raise your taxes BTW). Or, do you mean that folks maybe (just maybe) CHOOSE to spend more than what they make (gotta have the latest toys, ya know). If someone has 2 or 3 jobs, I'll bet that is someone in some level of avoidable debt---or a nasty divorce. Freedom is a tough thing if one is undisciplined.
Funny you mention the career vs homemaker issue for mothers. My wife is a stay-at-home mother. We homeschool. She is also self-employed. Last time I checked, these things were allowed (although the same folks that typically have issues with Wal-Mart and Conservative ideals take issue on these choices as well). I guess its just by the Grace of God that we have avoided being victimized by some faceless corporation. How have we gotten so lucky?