Terrorists, Wal-Mart, Whatever…
We must defeat the enemy!
Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, a likely Democratic presidential candidate in 2008, delivered a 15-minute, blistering attack to warm applause from Democrats and union organizers here on Wednesday.
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It was [against] Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest private employer.
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“My problem with Wal-Mart is that I don’t see any indication that they care about the fate of middle-class people[.]“
Nope, no indication whatsoever. Except for the rock-bottom prices and staggering variety that Wal-Mart provides, mainly to middle-class Americans (the ultra-poor and ultra-rich generally do not shop at Wal-Mart.)
Or the starter jobs that Wal-Mart provides to young, inexperienced workers, including middle-class teens. Or the supplemental income to middle-class post-retirement seniors. Or the first employment opportunities for newly-arrived immigrant relatives of middle-class citizens. Or the part-time and flextime opportunities for middle-class employees with special circumstances.
Or the property taxes that Wal-Mart pays, primarily in middle-class communities.
Or the $2.8 billion per year in dividends that Wal-Mart pays on its common stock — most of which is held either directly by or for the benefit of middle-class Americans.
Nope, definitely no indication at all.
More thoughts from The Phalanx, Abuse of Discretion, Below the Beltway, Cato@Liberty.
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Filed under: Uncategorized
One wonders whether or not Biden pays his lowest-paid campaign worker a "living wage" with full health benefits.
And even if Wal-Mart did none of that. So What. They are not in the business of caring for the middle class. They are in the business of mass merchandise retailing. And they do it well.
So, we agree that they're in business to make money. Great. Then why CAN'T we argue that they aren't great for the communities they are in? SInce they aren't expected to cater to everyone we can ask that they don't dump their healthcare costs on us, don't dump their low wage employees on our low cost housing stock, basically demand that they don't take advantage of a middle class neighborhood by using it as a way to remove money from the neighborhood.
And WalMart doesn't pay a lot in taxes to middle-class communities, check out their most recent SEC filing: they got tax breaks for almost all their recent expansions: it's basically a condition of their moving into an area. Not illegal, but does change the argument.
And please identify some backing for your statement about their stock being held for the benfit of middle-class americans. While you're at it, please define "middle class", as you are using it in a couple of mutually exclusive ways. (1 as everyone who isn't ultra poor or ultra rich, and later as middle class community, which is a different thing altogether.)