Wal-Mart Vs.Obama's HealthCare Plan

[arena2004]

I copied this, I wish I had wrote it. Not from a paper, blog etc., as this is just some facts that where on a site with no link involved just random thoughts from a concerned US citizen:

1. Americans spend $36,000,000 at Wal-Mart Every hour of every day.

2.. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute!

3. Wal-Mart will sell more from January 1 to St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) than Target sells all year.

4. Wal-Mart is bigger than Home Depot + Kroger + Target + Sears + Costco + K-Mart combined.

5. Wal-Mart employs 1.6 million people and is the largest private Employer, and most speak English.

6. Wal-Mart is the largest company in the history of the World.

7. Wal-Mart now sells more food than Kroger & Safeway combined, and keep in mind they did this in only 15 years.

8. During this same period, 31 supermarket chains sought bankruptcy.

9. Wal-Mart now sells more food than any other store in the world.

10. Wal-Mart has approx 3,900 stores in the USA of which 1,906 are Super Centers; this is 1,000 more than it had 5 Years ago.

11. This year 7.2 billion different purchasing experiences will occur At a Wal-Mart store. (Earth's population is approximately 6.5 Billion.)

12. 90% of all Americans live within 15 miles of a Wal-Mart.

MAYBE we should hire the guys who run Wal-Mart to Fix the economy.

This should be read and understood by all Americans Democrats, Republicans, EVERYONE!!

To President Obama and all 535 voting members of the Legislature,

It is now official you are ALL corrupt morons:

1. The U.S. Post Service was established in 1775. You have had 234 years to get it right and it is becoming more unsustainable by the day.

2. Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 74 years to get it right and it is bankrupt.

3. Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 71 years to get it right. It is bankrupt and now has an unlimited line of credit from the Fed.

4. The War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor" and they only want more.

5. Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. You have had 44 years to get it right and they are bankrupt.

6. Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 39 years to get it right. It is bankrupt and now has an unlimited credit line from the Fed.

7. The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. You had 32 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure.

You have FAILED in every "government service" you have shoved down our throats while overspending our tax dollars AND YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH A GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM??

Amen

[DevsChamps3x]

I couldn't have said it better myself, even the liberals are seeing this bill as too socialist.

[maxpower]

Wal-Mart is the epitome of the Soviet Store, well, not yet, but it will be because it's virtually impossible to compete against them.... you'd think someone like you would get that.

and who cares how many people they employ when there never seems to be enough of them and most of them are cashiers or clerks and ghastly underpaid. if wal-mart was running your medical service, you'd have really good cause to take off to Costa Rica for your important medical needs.

yeah, my ideal model is a place that has more people checking your reciept on the way out, than actual cashiers, on a Saturday night, as you stand around waiting for 45 minutes to check out 3 things, as poor families roll up 14 carts of groceries.

[Daniel]

Wal-Mart is the epitome of the Soviet Store, well, not yet, but it will be because it's virtually impossible to compete against them.... you'd think someone like you would get that.

and who cares how many people they employ when there never seems to be enough of them and most of them are cashiers or clerks and ghastly underpaid. if wal-mart was running your medical service, you'd have really good cause to take off to Costa Rica for your important medical needs.

yeah, my ideal model is a place that has more people checking your reciept on the way out, than actual cashiers, on a Saturday night, as you stand around waiting for 45 minutes to check out 3 things, as poor families roll up 14 carts of groceries.

The charge that Wal-Mart with its stocked shelves of products that people want at affordable prices is a "Soviet Store" is downright bizarre. A "Soviet Store" is where you have to wait on line starting at 5:30 in the morning to get one of the few overpriced loaves of bread. If it weren't for big box retailers like Wal-Mart, a lot more people would not be able to afford things like DVD players, computers or nice tvs to name a few.

Don't like the wages they pay? Then don't work there. Poor people in Chicago were waiting on line forever to apply for jobs when a Wal-Mart was opened, against the wishes of very powerful city aldermen. I guess they're stupid and don't know what's in their best interests. And despite their romantic image, mom and pop stores do not, and never did, pay much better and often probably less.

Wal-Mart's bad press is in large part put out there by unions. I suppose they want to do the bang up job with Wal-Mart as they did with General Motors.

ADDENDUM: And no Wal-Mart is not run by angels, and I don't doubt that some of the horror stories are true. No business that wants to stay in business ever is. But I despise politicians, many of whom have never done an honest day's work in their lives, that demonize successful businesses and do more harm to the public (i.e. taking away affordable products) to satisfy the needs of their own particular special interest groups.

Edited March 21, 2010 by Daniel

[maxpower]

The charge that Wal-Mart with its stocked shelves of products that people want at affordable prices is a "Soviet Store" is downright bizarre. A "Soviet Store" is where you have to wait on line starting at 5:30 in the morning to get one of the few overpriced loaves of bread. If it weren't for big box retailers like Wal-Mart, a lot more people would not be able to afford things like DVD players, computers or nice tvs to name a few.

Don't like the wages they pay? Then don't work there. Poor people in Chicago were waiting on line forever to apply for jobs when a Wal-Mart was opened, against the wishes of very powerful city aldermen. I guess they're stupid and don't know what's in their best interests. And despite their romantic image, mom and pop stores do not, and never did, pay much better and often probably less.

Wal-Mart's bad press is in large part put out there by unions. I suppose they want to do the bang up job with Wal-Mart as they did with General Motors.

ADDENDUM: And no Wal-Mart is not run by angels, and I don't doubt that some of the horror stories are true. No business that wants to stay in business ever is. But I despise politicians, many of whom have never done an honest day's work in their lives, that demonize successful businesses and do more harm to the public (i.e. taking away affordable products) to satisfy the needs of their own particular special interest groups.

Wal-Mart doesn't need bad press, you can go into a Wal-Mart and see for yourself. For every good Wal-Mart, there's 10 awful ones, you know, the ones where families drag their kids out grocery shopping at 1AM because it's the only time you can get through the checkout without your food spoiling...

I have nothing against them as a business, my family invested in them near ground floor a looonng time ago and profited nicely on it. I just wouldn't want them handling my healthcare, since it's largely a penny pinching operation that is slaughtering its competition, if it came down to Walmart or pulling a Rush Limbaugh and taking off to Central America, San Jose, here I come!

as for the soviet store comparison, wait until they have total market control before you become totally convinced it'll be the same. they're killing off the grocery stores right and left in their markets. the Walmart grocery is packed on say, a Saturday, and the regular grocery store is a ghost town. they kill them, obviously, through price. well, when they're dead, what's the motivation to have the prices at that low level, and to hold on to products that maybe don't move as well as others? some of that stuff has to be loss leaders, there's no reason to carry 400 variety of goldfish snacks.

[Daniel]

Wal-Mart doesn't need bad press, you can go into a Wal-Mart and see for yourself. For every good Wal-Mart, there's 10 awful ones, you know, the ones where families drag their kids out grocery shopping at 1AM because it's the only time you can get through the checkout without your food spoiling...

I have nothing against them as a business, my family invested in them near ground floor a looonng time ago and profited nicely on it. I just wouldn't want them handling my healthcare, since it's largely a penny pinching operation that is slaughtering its competition, if it came down to Walmart or pulling a Rush Limbaugh and taking off to Central America, San Jose, here I come!

as for the soviet store comparison, wait until they have total market control before you become totally convinced it'll be the same. they're killing off the grocery stores right and left in their markets. the Walmart grocery is packed on say, a Saturday, and the regular grocery store is a ghost town. they kill them, obviously, through price. well, when they're dead, what's the motivation to have the prices at that low level, and to hold on to products that maybe don't move as well as others? some of that stuff has to be loss leaders, there's no reason to carry 400 variety of goldfish snacks.

How exactly is Walmart ever going to handle anyone's healthcare? Have they all the sudden become a health insurer, much less the only health insurer in the country? I know it's getting into selling prescription drugs, apparently at pretty competitive prices. Why is that a bad thing?

And your assertion that Walmart is going to have "total market domination" is as vague as it is speculative. It seems to me you're saying they will soon control the nation's food supply, at least in certain geographic areas. A paranoid rant if I've ever heard one. Last time I checked, supermarket chains like Whole Foods, Shoprite, Safeway, Vons, Ralphs, Costco (those are a few off the top of my head) are doing just fine. I've actually never shopped at a Walmart before, but I imagine their produce isn't any worse than the many bodegas you see in a lot of big cities.

But yeah, I suppose if your distopian future where Walmart controls all the necessities of life comes to pass, I'll be all in favor of the FTC forcing divestment.

Edited March 22, 2010 by Daniel

[matcat1116]

I have a Wal-mart in my town and our Waldbaums, King Kullen, Target, Stop and Shop, and costco are doing just fine.

[Eltab213]

MAYBE we should hire the guys who run Wal-Mart to Fix the economy.

This should be read and understood by all Americans Democrats, Republicans, EVERYONE!!

Maybe we should have Standard Oil and U.S. Steel run the economy since they managed incredible profit aswell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GINui9LdIQ

[squishyx]

The Phoenix Coyotes are playing great hockey right now, maybe we should have their management run the country.

[MantaRay]

Wal-Mart is currently facing more than 80 lawsuits at various stages of the legal process. Four class action

lawsuits have either been certified or affirmed since May of last year, and trial in a fifth recently

commenced.

These cases reveal a common thread of a centralized scheduling system that advises store

managers on “preferred” staffing levels to run their stores. Evidence and testimony littered throughout the

cases indicate a “corporate culture” and systematic approach for cutting labor costs by dictating managers

staff below the “preferred” staffing levels and rewarding managers for keeping labor costs down.

Some of the methods cited in the lawsuits used by managers to hold down labor costs include forcing

employees to work off the clock, requiring workers to skip lunch and rest breaks and manipulating time and

wage records. An internal audit performed by Wal-Mart in July 2000 indicated these types of violations were

and had been a massive problem companywide for years.

[maxpower]

How exactly is Walmart ever going to handle anyone's healthcare? Have they all the sudden become a health insurer, much less the only health insurer in the country? I know it's getting into selling prescription drugs, apparently at pretty competitive prices. Why is that a bad thing?

And your assertion that Walmart is going to have "total market domination" is as vague as it is speculative. It seems to me you're saying they will soon control the nation's food supply, at least in certain geographic areas. A paranoid rant if I've ever heard one. Last time I checked, supermarket chains like Whole Foods, Shoprite, Safeway, Vons, Ralphs, Costco (those are a few off the top of my head) are doing just fine. I've actually never shopped at a Walmart before, but I imagine their produce isn't any worse than the many bodegas you see in a lot of big cities.

But yeah, I suppose if your distopian future where Walmart controls all the necessities of life comes to pass, I'll be all in favor of the FTC forcing divestment.

you're taking it too literally. nutzo there was saying that Walmart would make a better purveyor of health care than the federal government. I don't know about you, but if I get to choose between two monoliths, one of which pinches pennies, and the other one spends like the world is coming to an end tomorrow, to take care of me, I know which one I'm picking.

I could see the walmart hospital now. 2 nurses for 1,500 people and 10 people watching the doors so you don't steal any medical equipment.

but on the grocery front, in most places where there's a Supercenter and a regular grocery store near each other (not a niche places like Whole Foods), the Supercenter kicks the crap out of the regular grocery store.... they're literally ghost towns.

if you haven't been to a walmart before, you should visit one, and since it's probably 75/25 you'll go to a crappy one, you'll get what I'm saying. awesome place to go if you have a weird shopping list (like monitor wipes and a weird type of goldfish crackers), and people watch. it's depressing.

[Daniel]

you're taking it too literally. nutzo there was saying that Walmart would make a better purveyor of health care than the federal government. I don't know about you, but if I get to choose between two monoliths, one of which pinches pennies, and the other one spends like the world is coming to an end tomorrow, to take care of me, I know which one I'm picking.

I could see the walmart hospital now. 2 nurses for 1,500 people and 10 people watching the doors so you don't steal any medical equipment.

but on the grocery front, in most places where there's a Supercenter and a regular grocery store near each other (not a niche places like Whole Foods), the Supercenter kicks the crap out of the regular grocery store.... they're literally ghost towns.

if you haven't been to a walmart before, you should visit one, and since it's probably 75/25 you'll go to a crappy one, you'll get what I'm saying. awesome place to go if you have a weird shopping list (like monitor wipes and a weird type of goldfish crackers), and people watch. it's depressing.

Unless you can show me one piece of evidence of the thousands of locations where you cannot get groceries anywhere besides Walmart (which would be the approximate number if your 75/25 number was in any way accurate) than your assertion that a Supercenter "kicks the crap out of the regular grocery store" is meaningless. And even if you can, I'm pretty sure these would be in areas that were pretty remote to begin with, and it wasn't like everyone there was feasting on filet mignon before big old bad Walmart got there.

But more to the point, most of the Walmart bashing is really cover for another agenda to force further government intervention into the economy and to increase the influence of unions. Again, I don't doubt many of the horror stories are true, but at bottom it's a wildly successful enterprise that provides products that people want at competitive prices. You complain about the wages it pays, but again, people would not work there if it were the monstrosity left wing politicians say it is. Think their food is sh*t, go somewhere else. PERIOD.

As Penn and Teller said, Walmart hatred is Bulls**t.

Edited March 22, 2010 by Daniel

[maxpower]

Unless you can show me one piece of evidence of the thousands of locations where you cannot get groceries anywhere besides Walmart (which would be the approximate number if your 75/25 number was in any way accurate) than your assertion that a Supercenter "kicks the crap out of the regular grocery store" is meaningless. And even if you can, I'm pretty sure these would be in areas that were pretty remote to begin with, and it wasn't like everyone there was feasting on filet mignon before big old bad Walmart got there.

But more to the point, most of the Walmart bashing is really cover for another agenda to force further government intervention into the economy and to increase the influence of unions. Again, I don't doubt many of the horror stories are true, but at bottom it's a wildly successful enterprise that provides products that people want at competitive prices. You complain about the wages it pays, but again, people would not work there if it were the monstrosity left wing politicians say it is. Think their food is sh*t, go somewhere else. PERIOD.

As Penn and Teller said, Walmart hatred is Bulls**t.

where did I say they sold bad groceries? if they sold bad groceries, they wouldn't be killing the other grocery stores.

some of their other products (clothes) are sh!t, but the grocery stores are generally good. it's the shopping "experience" that makes the stores awful.

and I'm sure their wages suck, but you don't work at those places if you're worried about wages. what does suck re: employment, is how grossly understaffed the normal walmart is

[Daniel]

where did I say they sold bad groceries? if they sold bad groceries, they wouldn't be killing the other grocery stores.

some of their other products (clothes) are sh!t, but the grocery stores are generally good. it's the shopping "experience" that makes the stores awful.

and I'm sure their wages suck, but you don't work at those places if you're worried about wages. what does suck re: employment, is how grossly understaffed the normal walmart is

Now I'm just confused. You're just saying you don't like Walmart and that they shouldn't run the healthcare system. Well, ok then.

(Also, I think the idea was not literally that Walmart would run a good healthcare system, but that it does what it does a lot better than the government does. That is a truism in every respect, except when it comes to killing people and breaking things, which the government does extremely well).

[devilsadvoc8]

The fannie and freddie disaster is made even worse in that this administration still has no answer for them. Chris Dodds bill proposes no solutions for them other than to make them more powerful. Dodds bill is even more silly when one understands that the government created a commission to figure out how to fix our financial system yet Dodds wants to fix things without their input. Classic.