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Politics : Mainstream Politics and Economics -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Broken_Clock who wrote (48422)	7/10/2013 10:59:04 PM
From: i-node	2 Recommendations Recommended By FJB TimF Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 85487

>> how does a PT worker at wallyworld " pay his/her own way? People working at the lowest payrates at Walmart are not generally responsible for the cost of raising a family. As Walmart has pointed out (and I believe I've mentioned here, myself), Walmart promotes from within. According to company records, 75% of their store management teams are comprised of persons who began as hourly workers. It happens that Walmart, as well as many other businesses create a market for people who have no meaningful skills. Many are teens or college students who need part-time work. Many are one earner of a multiple earner family. And some, though not many, also qualify for government benefits of one kind or another. The rational view (and I know you often choose to look past the rational in favor of the conspiracy theory) is that to the extent Walmart provides jobs for low-skill/no-skill workers, it is keeping a very large number of people out of poverty they otherwise would be that much deeper in. The liberal idiot, Henry Blodget, wrote this a couple years ago: Well-paid manufacturing jobs are getting shipped overseas. Unemployment is 10%. Real wages are stagnant. Job security is a relic of the past. The "middle class" is disappearing. Americans who want to work are often forced to take poorly paid "McJobs" in the service industry that no one aspires to, that don't produce anything, and that won't lead anywhere. Meanwhile, one of the world's largest corporations is still on a roll. So, in the same paragraph he bashes Walmart for being "on a roll" (i.e., for making money), he tells us "Well-paid manufacturing jobs are getting shipped overseas." No duh. The unions have driven manufacturing out of the country, while Walmart employs about 1 in 50 working people in this country. So, you're going to bash Walmart? It is beyond ignorant. No one is "entitled" to a nickel more than the market supports. If people quit applying for jobs at Walmart, I'm sure they'll raise their payrates. But at this point, there are still a good number of people who would rather work than rely on government for income -- a lot fewer than five years ago, but nevertheless, there are still enough showing up that Walmart can keep its doors open. The actions in DC were stupid. But they can afford to be -- on taxpayer money. Instead of putting 1800 people to work, they'll just drive a hard bargain and leave them on the government dole. This isn't on WALMART, this on the idiots in DC. The first day Walmart can stock its shelves with cheap little robots that don't draw an hourly rate, and that government doesn't demand health insurance for, and they don't need workers comp or social security or Medicare taxes paid -- I'd wager they'll be using them in the three stores they have operational. If they don't shut them down first. It is just stupid to believe that corporate America has ANY obligation to employees other than to pay them the market rate for the skills they possess. Walmart's primary obligation is to its shareholders. Period, end of story. And I wouldn't own stock in any company I didn't believe that about.