Posted on 11/09/2004 1:11:34 PM PST by Willie Green
In Circleville, Ohio, population 13,000, the local RCA television manufacturing plant was once a source of good jobs with good pay and benefits. But in late 2003, RCA's owner, Thomson Consumer Electronics, lost a sizeable portion of its production orders and six months later shut the plant down, throwing 1,000 people out of work.
Thomson's jobs have moved to China, where cheap labor manufactures what the American consumer desires--from clothing to electronics--and can buy at "everyday low prices" at the local Wal-Mart.
On Tuesday, November 16, at 9 P.M. on PBS (check local listings), FRONTLINE® explores the relationship between U.S. job losses and the American consumer's insatiable desire for bargains in "Is Wal-Mart Good for America?" Through interviews with retail executives, product manufacturers, economists, and trade experts, correspondent Hedrick Smith examines the growing controversy over the Wal-Mart way of doing business and asks whether a single retail giant has changed the American economy.
(Excerpt) Read more at pbs.org ...
It shows.
Color us surprised.
That is interesting about dropping the EU and going back to the Lira. What is the motivation for that?
We have two Family owned grocerty stores in the community. Tonight, our city council will vote on a rezoning issue that would allow a second Super Walmart to be built in our community. Terre Haute has about 60,000 and we're the biggest city between St. Louis and Indianapolis, or for about 75 miles in any direction for that matter. The two Mom and Pop Groceries here pay almost a dollar more per hour, There are no old men or old women running the register; instead, we have college students.
Terre Haute is also the home of the Hulman family (think Indianapolis 500), which made millions by allowing the mom & pop stores to buy half a case of a product in stead of a whole case.
While I agree that the market should decide, I also feel that Walmart has stacked the deck in its favor.
The vote will probably pass tonight, and several mom & pops will bite the dust.
It makes little difference if you pay $200.00 or $70.00 for a DVD or $2000.00 or $500.00 for a computer, they more than likely will be obsolete before they wear out. Anyone want to buy an expensive Betamax, 8 track, Technics turntable, cassette players and recorder,etc.,etc.
Sure is. I was once an IT contractor at another one of their subsidiaries in the US. We found it very difficult to get the Thomson mothership to do the damnedest little things.
You might want to check out this link if you think slave labor is Chinese nostalgia: http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/1/10/200712.shtml
Also, the Chinese are presently having large-scale religious uprisings and repression among the Muslim populations.
Always have to have an eye on China, because I predict it will explode with repression in the next 10 years.
What is your problem? Serious why are you ridiculing people who shop at Walmart? And no... I don't shop that often there except for certain items (mostly oil filters) but some people have less economic choices and I find it insulting when people put them down.
You sound like those nit wits over at the DU calling the Red States a bunch of hillbillies. And no... I am from the Blue State of NJ, unfortunately... but not born here.
Has anyone gone to one of the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Markets? The one a few miles from my house is clean, fresh produce, and smells wonderful. It's just the grocery section.
You and me both. Houston-area Wal-Marts are like unindustrialixed countries: stuffy, very dirty, crowded.
I'm 6' 5" and weigh 190. I take a 36-inch inseam and a 37-inch sleave on my shirts. I can't buy anything other than shorts and t-shirts from walmart, Kmart, Meijers, and any other over-sized bib box.
We live in a resort town that has a constant population of around 8,000 citizens that swells to 20,000 during the season. The city is also on the Reservation as is the county.
Lowes built a store here last summer and were clobbering the local lumberyards and hardware store for a few months. No more. That said, we built a new barn this summer and the quote on materials was hundreds of dollars less at Lowes than at X's lumberyard.
I won't shop at the local grocery other than the soon to be defunct Farmer's Market (lousy management and surly employees) becuase of their poor service.
Adam Smith was right. I know what you are saying though. Walmart has waged a battle in Lancaster PA for ages to build a superstore. Most people do not like Walmart for myriad reasons, but convenience is a consideration for more and more families.
correspondent Hedrick Smith examines the growing controversy over the Wal-Mart way of doing business and asks whether a single retail giant has changed the American economy.
A hundred to one says that Mr. Smith doesn't acknowledge the government has done several magnitude more harm to the economy than he implies Wal-Mart has.
I appears that PBS will be aggravating the disease/cancer by promoting the treatment of the symptoms with Bad-Aid relief. Allowing the cancer to spread further -- perhaps devouring Wal-Mart.
Wow! Jobs, jobs jobs and more jobs!Rep. Bill Archer, Chairman, House Ways and Means Committee:
"A recent survey was done, in Europe and Japan, of the major corporations and I was astounded at the results. They were asked, 'If the US abolished its income tax and went to a sales tax, would that have any impact on your decisions?' Eighty percent of the corporations said they would build their factories in the United States of America. Twenty percent said they would move their international headquarters to the United States of America."
Abolishing the IRS and implementing the Fair Tax (NRST) with an average 22% reduction in the cost of producing/manufacturing products the RCA plant and virtually al U.S. based companies would have a competitive price advantage against exports and imports..
Recently, I visited several small towns in a rulal southwest Virginia county. Each of the main streets in the four towns I visited reminded me of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Stores and offices were shuttered and abandoned. I wondered what terrible financial crisis had demolished these towns. Then, a mile from the county seat, I came across Walmrt.
I cannot see how that county benefited by allowing their downtown business to die. Whatever Walmart may pay in taxes and salary cannot possibly exceed what this county lost when the local merchants and professionals closed down.
I understand that this upsets you. I can only ask though would the alternative be better for society? Would it be better if we throw a layer of legal protectionism over the mom and pop stores? No it would really not be good.
In the end what matters most is that consumers have choice of where they can shop, not by allowing it to be restricted. And as for being fair... well... in the business world very little is fair is it? Capitalism is never "fair" to the business owners, that is why they must work hard to get customers in.
A Walmart opened up nearby about a year ago and so far, the smaller stores are still in play and one place I go to buy my morning coffee seems to be still doing well (even with really higher prices).
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