I'm sure I'm not alone among Northeasters in having fond memories of Apache Plaza. That was where my mom took my sister and me to shop for school clothes and other stuff pretty much all through our childhood since my mom didn't drive and we could take the #4 straight up and over without transferring. I remember my favorite place as a kid was the Little Professor bookstore, which I liked even better than Jolly's, the toy store, though that was the place to go if you were into models.
Northeasters have probably known for a while that Apache Plaza is coming down, but a Strib story last week was the first confirmation I've seen that the key part of the development that will replace it will be a Wal-Mart. http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4713186.html Here's an excerpt that really caught my eye: "In an effort to make people on foot or bike feel just as at home as people in cars, paths will connect the homes to a new complex of retail shops. Among the stores: a Wal-Mart, the very thought of which makes many in St. Anthony cringe. "There will be people out there who say, 'that's horrible,' " said Kelly Doran, the developer in charge of the retail portion of the new Silver Lake Village. "But a nonvocal majority made Wal-Mart the No. 1 retailer. And what that does is create energy. They're the engine that pulls the passenger train. Without them it doesn't work." Count me among those who are cringing since I don't see Wal-Mart as the "engine that pulls the train" - I see them as the train wreck waiting to happen. It was only last month that the City Pages featured a nice cover story on just what Wal-Mart is all about: http://citypages.com/databank/25/1215/article11974.asp But for those who aren't impressed by the City Pages piece, try this excerpt from the Hometown Advantage Bulletin published by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance: REPORT FINDS WAL-MART'S LOW WAGES COST TAXPAYERS MILLIONS Taxpayers are picking up the tab for Wal-Mart's low wages and meager benefits, according to a new congressional report. Prepared by the Democratic staff of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and released by Rep. George Miller in February, the report concludes that the federal government is providing an average of $2,100 annually in public assistance per Wal-Mart employee. This includes Section 8 housing assistance, reduced-cost lunches and health care programs for the children of Wal-Mart employees, and tax credits for the working poor. The report concludes that taxpayers are effectively subsidizing Wal-Mart's labor costs, giving the company an advantage over more responsible employers. "There's no question that Wal-Mart imposes a huge, often hidden, cost on its workers, our communities, and U.S. taxpayers," said Miller. "Wal-Mart is in the driver's seat in the global race to the bottom." The report documents the Wal-Mart's labor practices, including its wage and benefit policies, history of discrimination and labor law violations, and role in shifting manufacturing to low-wage countries. The company has responded to growing criticism of its treatment of workers with a multi-million dollar television ad campaign featuring employees talking about how great it is to work at Wal-Mart. The company has also beefed up its campaign contributions. Last year, Wal-Mart's political action committee ranked as the top corporate donor to federal parties and candidates. -- The report, "Everyday Low Wages: The Hidden Price We All Pay for Wal-Mart," can be downloaded at http://home-town-advantage.c.topica.com/maab7RFaa5Rq4b2hHh0e/ I'm still working my way through this 25-page report (including 4 pages of references), but it seems pretty clear that Wal-Mart is not good for communities. It may be too late for St. Anthony or St. Paul to change course, but I surely hope our elected officials in Minneapolis will take heed of this report and keep it in mind when making any decisions that may come up regarding Wal-Mart or other big box retailers, since many of them seem to be joining the race to the bottom that Wal-Mart currently leads. I also hope that my Northeast neighbors will join me in ignoring Wal-Mart if it comes and continuing to support our locally-owned businesses, even if some of the stuff costs a little more... Mark Snyder Windom Park REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
