The labor unions, with help from some of their sillier friends in the legislature, are raising the level of ridiculousness in its smear campaign against Wal*Mart: "Wal-Mart foes fear crime wave"
Neighbors fighting a proposed Wal-Mart store in Mill Creek have received a boost from a union-backed study that suggests the retail chain's locations attract crime ... "It bothers me that in Olympia we work hard to make our communities safer, and then Wal-Mart brings danger to a community," [Rep. Hans Dunshee (D-Costco)] said at a news conference on Tuesday outside Mill Creek City Hall.I would never want to dismiss a "
Becky Erk, a spokeswoman for the Mill Creek Police Department, said ... the department isn't expecting the new Wal-Mart to create any more problems than other big-box stores or supermarkets in the area.Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at May 11, 2006 12:38 PM | Email This
PS...Who in the hell would name their kid Hans???
Posted by: Mr. Cynical on May 11, 2006 12:47 PMAre these unions so afraid of Wallmart they must lie?
Shame-shame.
I don't shop there because I refuse to purchase shoddily made merchandise made by slave labor in China that will fall apart after the fourth time you put it through the washing machine.
In addition, I don't like standing in line for an hour waiting to be checked out by harried, overworked, under-trained clerks.
And quite frankly, I'd rather pay a few more cents in order to get customer service. If I'm buying a camera or TV, I want someone who can tell me the difference between a Nikon or Canon, or Sony versus Magnavox or whatever.
With that said, I make a free market choice to take my dollars elsewhere. I don't need the government or some labor union to force me to this decision.
Posted by: Reporterward on May 11, 2006 01:12 PMAnyone wanting to do a little research on his voting record will prove his heart is not with the people, but unions. Mostly he is so full of air, his own party does not want him in leadership.
I called him a Communist when we debated. He countered he was not a Communist, but a Socialist.
I hope someday people will see through this piece of work and replace him with someone who's nose is not so union brown.
I was a Union man before that election (even served as Shop Stewart), but after that election has turned my views 180.
Posted by: Eagle on May 11, 2006 01:25 PMBuilding our economy around little family retailers is merely another tax (the amount of extra cost to the consumer).
The next thing is they will ban the Internet!
The Unions are a little confused. Who unloads all that cheap Chinese Crap???? UNION GUYS getting paid HUGE BUCKS!!!!!!!!!
This anti-Wal-Mart hot rhetoric will continue on and on and on.
I'm with you. Give ME the choices and I will shop accordingly.
One of the benefits of shopping at Wal-Mart in a small town is that you see the REAL AMERICA that the arrogant downtown Seattle Elitist A$$HOLES pretend do not exist. Folks just fighting to get buy. They cannot afford to buy underwear at Nordstrom's for God's Sake@!
These lefty-union types forget: (As Michael Medved once said) "If unions have the right to TRY to organize, then Wal-Mart has the right to TRY to NOT be organized." It cuts both ways, people.
Posted by: Misty on May 11, 2006 01:57 PMNothing says American patriotisim like "Made in China."
Posted by: Patriot Guy on May 11, 2006 02:45 PMConceeded that Big Business isn't perfect, the difference is I have a choice whether or not to spend my money with a business. Not so with government. That's the difference.
Posted by: jiimg on May 11, 2006 02:49 PMIt's nice going there for these things, saving a few bucks and knowing that it p*sses off the liberals. I also try to go to WinCo for groceries whenever possible, mainly because their prices are better on everything over Safeway and other union stores.
Posted by: Palouse on May 11, 2006 02:58 PMTrue patriotism is supporting China.
USA #1
Posted by: Patriot Guy on May 11, 2006 03:02 PMThere are literally thousands of products at Walmart not from China.
Posted by: Palouse on May 11, 2006 03:09 PMThe problem now is that WalMart will take away Target jobs that took away KMart jobs that took away mom and pop.
Be consistent M&M. I, too, pine for the little guys, but it won't happen again, so let's deal with it. Don't pick on WalMart- pick on all of them if you want to be consistent.
Posted by: swatter on May 11, 2006 03:15 PMUSA #1.
Posted by: Patriot Guy on May 11, 2006 03:19 PMI think Congress should look at Wal-Mart for PRICE GOUGING and EXCESS PROFITS.
Posted by: G Jiggy on May 11, 2006 04:07 PMFor Walmart to be such a huge retailer, to have SO much money coming into its company, but to still REFUSE to pay decent wages or provide healthcare is ABSURD!
I'm a republican; I'm want a smaller government and less government programs. I want businesses to take care of their employees; I don't want to pay for an employee's Healthcare because Walmart won't do it!
I'll never buy the crappy, outsourced, non-USA products that Walmart sells.
But keep in mind ... businesses do not exist to take care of their employees. Businesses do not exist to provide health care. Businesses do not exist to provide a 'living wage'. Businesses do not exist to be good neighbors. Businesses exist for one purpose and one purpose only - to make a profit.
Now, some businesses do provide community benefits and employee perks, and those businesses who wish to remain successful usually find a balance. But again, that's the business's choice, and if it cuts too much into the profit margin, then that business will adjust to remain viable, or it will fail.
This can - and in my opinion, should - be done without government mandates, forced unionization, forced health care coverage and any number of social and economical engineering pipedreams put forward by people who either have no clue about how capitalism works, or are fundamentally opposed to capitalism.
Again. It boils down to choice. I haven't shopped in a Walmart for years, but that's certainly no reason to chastise others from doing their shopping there (not that Josh did). I don't shop at Costco, either, but I don't shout about it from the bumper of my truck.
Posted by: jimg on May 11, 2006 04:52 PMSome of these Wal-Mart haters act like they grab shoppers and steal thier wallets or kidnap employees and chain them into servitude. Whatever happened to free choice and fee will? Particularly you, "I'm a Republican". Before you hate something you sould get some facts from somebody other than Leftist Business/Individual Enterprise Haters (a.k.a: AFL-CIO, etc.).
Posted by: G Jiggy on May 11, 2006 09:04 PMFor whoever might be interested, Wal-Mart related posts on my blog can be found here:
Wal-Mart Series
You don't "save" money when you buy something that's fifty percent cheaper and it falls apart twice as fast. I've had bad experience with items that I've bought at WalMart and I dislike their entire shopping experience altogether. Hence, I choose to go elsewhere with my meager paycheck. All the rest of you can do what you like.
I can add that I dislike WalMart's selection. When they try to sell everything on the planet they wind up mastering none of it. For example, if I want to buy a camera or a television, I'd rather go to a camera or electronics store which has many more items, new and used, available to look through along with accessories and expert advice.
I also dislike buying items made in China. Yes I know that other stores, big and small, do the same thing. But since WalMart is the biggest corporation in the world, maybe they should have the moral obligation to do what's right. They certainly have the clout to do business with countries that do not have over 300 nuclear missiles pointed at us right now as we speak.
Call me old fashioned but I don't want to be buying the rope that the Chi-Coms are planning to hang us with.
Rather than try to save three cents on a length of pipe which is made by slave labor in a communist dictatorship, maybe WalMart should be doing business with friendlier countries like the Phillipines, Taiwan, Malaysia?
So, I hope WalMart enjoys the $12 I spent on batteries last year in Wenatchee because that's the last that they'll get from me for quite some time.
Posted by: Reporterward on May 11, 2006 11:29 PMLook around. It ain't just WalMart.
Reporterward, I hope you are done with your personal shopping experiences. Some of the things that say you hate WalMart applies to other stores, too. You are falling in the Democrat trap; get out.
And yes, it bothers me to be defending WalMart, but in this case, they are indeed being picked on by the anti-capitalists.
Posted by: swatter on May 12, 2006 07:36 AMWard, I agree with you on some of Walmart's electronics, like those cheap DVD players. However, they also sell electronics like IPOD's, HP and Cannon digital cameras, XBOX and Sony game systems, etc which are the same as what you get anywhere else, except cheaper in many instances. But like I previously posted, there are thousands of products there not made in China in the food, gardening, automotive, housewares and other sections, so I don't think it's fair to label them or anyone shopping there as supporters of communist regimes. You really have to go out of your way no matter where you shop to avoid anything made in China.
Posted by: Palouse on May 12, 2006 08:55 AMAll the debate over Wal-Mart's expansion in California during the past several years have been related to replacing older Wal-Marts with Wal-Mart SuperCenters--essentially Wal-Marts with grocery stores. This debate has been fueled by unions who dominate the traditional grocery chains (hardly mom & pop outfits), as well as anti-sprawl activists. Given that a miniscule portion of our groceries come from China, what on earth would "Made in China" have to do with that debate? Of course the answer is "nothing". Like environmentalists who apparently prefer that people drive their cars to several stores instead of doing one-stop shopping. Or activists for the poor and homeless who prefer that the underprivileged pay more for their basic needs so they can support people who are better off than they are. It's a litany of arguments designed to obfuscate.
As for posters complaining about the quality of Wal-Mart goods, MANY items are brand-names that you could buy at other retailers. If you aren't satisfied with a Wal-Mart shirt, go buy one at Nordy's. I, for one, am glad I have an option to shop at Wal-Mart. I don't appreciate others engineering my life.
Posted by: Ex-WA on May 12, 2006 10:24 AMStaring aside. Buying a product off-shore is a market response. Very few will pay will pay $150.00 for a shirt made in U.S.A. when they can buy the same one for $25.00 made off-shore. This has been going on since the industrial revolution and we are better for it. I work for a couple of importers and the quality of products from China can be just as good as here (or better in some instances) or complete crap. It all depends what the buyer wants and what market/price point he seeks. Like I said, I've done Wal-Mart in a pinch and don't like the experience either but I'm not their market.
Your mistake on my post (I think) is that you equate all things Chinese/off-shore as crap and that's not true. All things being equal (and they can be) paying less for a given product means that the purchaser can take the saved funds and invest them elsewhere . . .and that's good for him and us.
As a bonus, can anyone guess the product? It's an item that is mandated by law and can't be produced in the US. I worry that I will be sued to poverty because I sell it.
Posted by: Elaine on May 12, 2006 10:55 PMAnd that is why you pay $4 for $.50 worth of coffee at Starbucks. They pay their employees about the same, but give them great benifits... and pass the cost on to the consumer.