[Oe List ...] Wal-Mart and the weapons of mass destruction

R Williams rcwmbw at yahoo.com
Tue Apr 8 16:25:26 EDT 2008


No question those economic principles still have some relevance in some settings, but the facts are, mom and pop businesses, cherised as they are, are few and far between, and most of the money we spend is going out of town anyway.  The portion that does not is primarily the wages paid to employees.  That's true of all the big boxes, automobile dealerships, insurance companies, home builders, hospitals, you name it.  Also keep in mind, those principles were designed to be applied to 40 square block urban neighborhoods and rural villages.  Economies of scale have, at least for now, won the day.
   
  We also said in our principles of local economic development to turn the money over as rapidly as possible, i.e. spend it.  If you save it, it stagnates, we said.  That principle, if pushed to its logical conclusion, leads to consumerism and materialism which is partially to blame for our economic woes locally, nationally and globally, especially to the degree that family spending is greater than its income.
   
  I'm not quite where Charles is in letting Walmart off the hook.  That Walmart has the lowest prices in town is a big part myth.  Do some product price comparisons in your town.  It ain't necessarily so.  I still want to stay on Walmart's case relative to its compensation packages, investment policies, unsustainable expansion programs (inspite of its new green stores), etc. without putting a lot of people out of work.  What it comes down to for me is an ethical dilemma where the choices are between wrong and wrong.  Where's Bonhoeffer when we need him?
   
  Randy

Marianna Bailey <wmbailey at charter.net> wrote:
    DIV {   MARGIN: 0px  }        Let's not forget the economic principles that we used in human development projects.Money should circulate 5 times before it leaves a community. When Wal-Mart comes into a town small family owned businesses that have been their for several generations go out of business. The family owned business circulated the money 5 times and use to pay living wages. Wal-Mart pays low wages and the money leaves the community everyday. What we gain short term by low prices does not reflect the long term consequences of our local economy.
    ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Charles or Doris Hahn 
  To: Order Ecumenical Community 
  Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 1:44 PM
  Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Wal-Mart and the weapons of mass destruction
  

    I want to second Randy's comments, and add another concern.  We shop a little at Walmart here in Bloomington and earlier in Bastrop.  The people we see in Walmart are primarily people in well-worn clothes, many are unkempt, i.e. they are people one the lower end of economic hierarchy.  If they have a job, they do not make much, and perhaps they have more than one part-time job.  They can't go to Macy's and it's many equivalents.  Also Walmart has no more imports than Macy's, or Talbots, or Penny's, or Sears, or Target.   I do not see aged, or handicapped, or many minorities working at Macy's, etc.  Enough badmouthing  Walmart!!!
  Charles Hahn
  

  ----- Original Message ----
From: R Williams <rcwmbw at yahoo.com>
To: Order Ecumenical Community <oe at wedgeblade.net>
Sent: Tuesday, April 8, 2008 8:53:39 AM
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Wal-Mart and the weapons of mass destruction

  I am in complete agreement with everything George, Jon, Marshall, et al are saying about Walmart.  But there is one little twinge I have.  In our town of 5,600 people there is a Walmart of course, and I have been in there.  Here's my twinge.  The employees there, regardless of deplorable wages, benefits, working conditions and the rest, because of education, age, disabilities or whatever, likely would not have jobs anywhere else.  What are we to think of them?
   
  Randy

George Holcombe <geowanda at earthlink.net> wrote:
  I suppose we're fortunate in Austin, TX, many of our local chains like H.E.B. and Fiesta have better prices on the items that we buy than Wal Mart.  I understand that due to a suit that Wall Mart has withdrawn its claim to have the lowest prices.  Both H.E.B. and Fiesta have far better and fresher produce than Wal Mart.  I wouldn't doubt that because of the fuel increases and the far flung shipping  routes that Wal Mart uses, the locals, who buy local, may have an advantage in their costs and prices for their customers.   
      George Holcombe
  14900 Yellowleaf Tr.
  Austin, TX 78728
  Home: 512/252-2756
  Mobile 512/294-5952
  geowanda at earthlink.net




  On Apr 7, 2008, at 3:08 PM, jonzondo at juno.com wrote:
    I have not shopped at WalMart in years.  And what I find amazing is the number of "aware" persons in my life who have a bundle of excuses for why they continue to shop at Walmart.  The brainwashing machine surely seems to work sometimes, eh?

My new idea is that for the next person I know who speaks of shopping for something at WalMart, I will offer to pay the difference if they go to another store.  I wonder what will happen with that idea...
  In Balance,   Jon
  


-- "W. J." <synergi at yahoo.com> wrote:

    
 
  But wait! Wal-Mart is just a good target for our outrage, After all, it's the world's most powerful delivery system for exploiting a global market economy which wields the economic weapons of mass destruction.
   
  Ah, yes. The tyranny of the economic process. It's coming back to bite even those of the affluent 15% who believed that the U.S. housing market would never deflate, and bought in at the top of the speculative bubble. (For the story in Wiegel's area, see http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/realestate/keymagazine/406ariz-t.html?ei=5087&em=&en=136025ebaea46e85&ex=1207713600&pagewanted=all)
   


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