[July 4th]

What other stores don't carry the same percentage of foreign goods as Wal-Mart?

Wal-Mart carries a particularly high percentage, if I remember correctly. But here's the deal. It's all a trade-off. Today, our living standards are as high as they have every been. Part of this is due to the fact that even the dirt-poor can afford goods that were once considered "luxury." When Wal-Mart offers an air-conditioner for less than $100, DVD players for $30, and 20" TV's for less than $100, a much wider segment of the population can afford these goods than would be able to if all of the goods were US produced.

Then the issue becomes whether there are enough jobs at the "dirt-poor" level to provide income to purchase anything at all. Wal-Mart is the boon of the non-manufacturing based middle class who can purchase pretty much everything they want, while remaining somewhat secure in their own employment. They aren't purchasing away their jobs.

[GatekeeperBookman]

REMOVE the criminal aliens who invade & pay no taxes & 10 million of the dirt poor would disrepear. So too would our high taxes disrepear. So too would our unemployment-all but perhaps 1-2%. So too would our prisons shrink. So too might some very dangerous terror cells disrepear. Wal AMrt could still prosper-& we could enjoy life a great deal more. & W would be a much better man for it-the forced disrepearrance of criminal aliens from our land.

[Luke Skyfreeper]

It's all a trade-off. Today, our living standards are as high as they have every been. Part of this is due to the fact that even the dirt-poor can afford goods that were once considered "luxury." When Wal-Mart offers an air-conditioner for less than $100, DVD players for $30, and 20" TV's for less than $100, a much wider segment of the population can afford these goods than would be able to if all of the goods were US produced.

Which would seem to be the basis for the statement someone made in the article, "they've done thousands of times as much good for America as they have harm."

[mamaduck]

Today, our living standards are as high as they have every been.

You know what is really sad is that our "standard of living" is now determined by how many cheap goods we can buy . . .

[ErnBatavia]

Today, our living standards are as high as they have every been.

Slightly off subject, but the "living standards", hygienically speaking are definitely Third World in any WalMart I've been to....filthy, sticky-floored pigstys.

They're opening one of the Super Wally's here next year, with grocery department - if they don't improve the cleanliness, the health authorities'll shut 'em down.