Wal Mart definitely “giveth with one hand, while taking away with the other”. The image has LOTS of fine print in their corporation “benevolence”. But the real issue is on consumers part as well, if we didn’t jump like sheep toward only the lowest price, instead of quality, all those jobs might not have gone to china. Now China does produce better quality too, how sad is that!
Good luck, DPR. I’ve tried meeting ANandy’s arguments with reason and facts before as well. He goes along pretty well for awhile before hopping off on tangents, hoping to distract you. Don’t get too sucked in, or it will waste all of your time.
Ya gotta admit that it’s pretty hilarious (as well as a clue to the person’s psychological makeup) when the poster refers to themself by name!
Insane Andy replies: Is that second or third person singular?
At any rate, Wal-Mart by definition cannot be “too big to fail” since that term specifically refers to the government position that large, money center banks that are central to the Federal Reserve system of overnight lending would bring down the entire financial system if the government just stood by while they went insolvent - kind of like Lehman Brothers (which probably shouldn’t have been allowed to fail and arguably made the situation much worse when they did).
Universal, affordable health care taken off the backs of some, if not most, employers, would be a tremendous boost to the employers. Imagine the freedom for the individual if they did not have to depend on a certain job with a certain employer, to gain the benefit of paying for their own, affordable policy.
“There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man’s lawful prey.”
–John Ruskin (at first I thought it was Ben Franklin).
Recommend a documentary called “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price.”
I too remember when Wal-Mart promotions used to stress a “made in America” theme. Now, it’s difficult to find much of anything in the store that is made in USA
Wal-Mart snookers cities into believing they will create jobs (even thought they are low-end jobs) because it usually ends up a zero-sum game. The jobs Wal-mart creates just come from other stores that teeter, totter and finally go under. And then, when all its competitors are gone, it raises prices.
Where I live, since Wal-Mart came to town, these other similar, discount stores have closed: K-Mart, Big Lots, Factory 2 U, Mervyns, and I think I’m forgetting at least one other. Now if I decide I want a new shower curtain or new table cloth, or a slew of other household goods, there is ONLY one store left. Sometimes I shop out of town because I don’t like Wal-Mart and what it does to local economies.
Our city rejected a Wal Mart a few years ago for fear it would kill our downtown businesses and those are what make it unique. Good for them. Anyone here who wants to go to one has to go west 15 miles and shop away to their hearts content.
CF Bastiat famously argued that the only legitimate role of government was to protect the rights of the individual. He also described public education as a redistribution of wealth and declared that wherever socialism takes root, communism must follow.
Yet, we know with certainty that countries that do not provide public education are among the poorest and least productive in the world. (The Chief Economist at the IMF discusses the difficulty of implementing infrastructure projects in a country populated mostly by illiterate farmers…who runs the water plant when nobody can read?)
And somehow, we come to the conclusion that gaining access to health care is best left to the individual. But businesses obviously need a healthy work force to be productive, just like they need an educated workforce. How would supermarkets function if they couldn’t get employees that could read and show up for work reasonably often? Or if their employees had to quit every time they got injured?
Government does not exist without the consent of the governed. Business does not exist without the permission of government. (Except for drug traffickers, right?) So where does the responsibility to provide for social good reside? In government, of course, which regulates business and thus makes the charter of business to be at least not antagonistic to the public good.
Hey, Irish. This really isn’t the place for proselytism. And while you’re at it, perhaps you should turn from your hateful portrayal of Barack Obama (a Christian, whom you seem to urge others not to hate) in your avatar.
lalas almost 15 years ago
Inaney, I am stunned that you just don’t get it. /snark
Dtroutma almost 15 years ago
Wal Mart definitely “giveth with one hand, while taking away with the other”. The image has LOTS of fine print in their corporation “benevolence”. But the real issue is on consumers part as well, if we didn’t jump like sheep toward only the lowest price, instead of quality, all those jobs might not have gone to china. Now China does produce better quality too, how sad is that!
deadheadzan almost 15 years ago
Danziger’s got this one right. I remember Walmart advertising that their products were made in the USA.
tpenna almost 15 years ago
Good luck, DPR. I’ve tried meeting ANandy’s arguments with reason and facts before as well. He goes along pretty well for awhile before hopping off on tangents, hoping to distract you. Don’t get too sucked in, or it will waste all of your time.
lalas almost 15 years ago
Why do think I call him Inaney?
believecommonsense almost 15 years ago
^^^^ agreed … the avatar with the 666 puts me off right away … and the posts just confirm it
longtimecomicsfan almost 15 years ago
Ya gotta admit that it’s pretty hilarious (as well as a clue to the person’s psychological makeup) when the poster refers to themself by name!
Insane Andy replies: Is that second or third person singular?
At any rate, Wal-Mart by definition cannot be “too big to fail” since that term specifically refers to the government position that large, money center banks that are central to the Federal Reserve system of overnight lending would bring down the entire financial system if the government just stood by while they went insolvent - kind of like Lehman Brothers (which probably shouldn’t have been allowed to fail and arguably made the situation much worse when they did).
Simon_Jester almost 15 years ago
longtimescomicsfan…Charles DeGaulle also liked to refer to himself in that manner.
deadheadzan almost 15 years ago
Universal, affordable health care taken off the backs of some, if not most, employers, would be a tremendous boost to the employers. Imagine the freedom for the individual if they did not have to depend on a certain job with a certain employer, to gain the benefit of paying for their own, affordable policy.
pbarnrob almost 15 years ago
“There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man’s lawful prey.” –John Ruskin (at first I thought it was Ben Franklin).
believecommonsense almost 15 years ago
Recommend a documentary called “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price.”
I too remember when Wal-Mart promotions used to stress a “made in America” theme. Now, it’s difficult to find much of anything in the store that is made in USA
Wal-Mart snookers cities into believing they will create jobs (even thought they are low-end jobs) because it usually ends up a zero-sum game. The jobs Wal-mart creates just come from other stores that teeter, totter and finally go under. And then, when all its competitors are gone, it raises prices.
Where I live, since Wal-Mart came to town, these other similar, discount stores have closed: K-Mart, Big Lots, Factory 2 U, Mervyns, and I think I’m forgetting at least one other. Now if I decide I want a new shower curtain or new table cloth, or a slew of other household goods, there is ONLY one store left. Sometimes I shop out of town because I don’t like Wal-Mart and what it does to local economies.
Michigander almost 15 years ago
Our city rejected a Wal Mart a few years ago for fear it would kill our downtown businesses and those are what make it unique. Good for them. Anyone here who wants to go to one has to go west 15 miles and shop away to their hearts content.
longtimecomicsfan almost 15 years ago
CF Bastiat famously argued that the only legitimate role of government was to protect the rights of the individual. He also described public education as a redistribution of wealth and declared that wherever socialism takes root, communism must follow.
Yet, we know with certainty that countries that do not provide public education are among the poorest and least productive in the world. (The Chief Economist at the IMF discusses the difficulty of implementing infrastructure projects in a country populated mostly by illiterate farmers…who runs the water plant when nobody can read?)
And somehow, we come to the conclusion that gaining access to health care is best left to the individual. But businesses obviously need a healthy work force to be productive, just like they need an educated workforce. How would supermarkets function if they couldn’t get employees that could read and show up for work reasonably often? Or if their employees had to quit every time they got injured?
Government does not exist without the consent of the governed. Business does not exist without the permission of government. (Except for drug traffickers, right?) So where does the responsibility to provide for social good reside? In government, of course, which regulates business and thus makes the charter of business to be at least not antagonistic to the public good.
tpenna almost 15 years ago
Hey, Irish. This really isn’t the place for proselytism. And while you’re at it, perhaps you should turn from your hateful portrayal of Barack Obama (a Christian, whom you seem to urge others not to hate) in your avatar.