Hilarious post Dennis! Great satire! Love the logic(sic) jumps you make. Bruce Leier Aurora/St. Anthony
> -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > Behalf Of Dennis Tester > Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2004 19:49 PM > To: Elizabeth Dickinson > Cc: [email protected] > Subject: [StPaul] Re: Wal-Mart script excerpt > > Wal-Mart script excerptDear Ms. Dickinson: > > I saw that Frontline crockumentary on Wal-Mart and I actually thought it > was pretty even-handed for Frontline. I also took the time to watch your > clip. Look, like I said before, I frankly couldn't care less whether Wal- > Mart lives or dies because as a consumer I don't patronize them and as a > business person I don't compete with them. > > But it seems to me that the true test of Wal-Mart's value to "the > community" would be to ask those people ... its customers and employees, > what THEY think about Wal-Mart. Because if they are happy with the > company's dealings with them, then that should be all that matters. Go > ahead. Stand outside and interview their exiting shoppers and their > employees getting off work and ask them what they think. If the customers > complain, encourage them to shop elsewhere. If the employees tell tales > of woe, encourage them to quit. Let the market decide. > > Now if a person would have a political agenda that including removing Wal- > Mart from the landscape, then it seems to me that this person is placing > their philosophical desires ahead of the people, poor people mostly, who > rely on Wal-Mart for a job or for affordable commodities. So ask yourself > this: If we woke up tomorrow and Wal-Mart magically no longer existed, > who would be hurt most? Who would notice most? Rich people or poor > people? Who's side are you on? > > But on the other hand, I suppose I should think it's wonderful that we > have people of such superior wisdom and compassion that they devote their > entire lives endeavoring to protect us from ourselves. Whether we like it > or not. > > > Dennis Tester > Mac-Groveland > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Elizabeth Dickinson > To: Dennis Tester > Cc: [email protected] > Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2004 6:30 PM > Subject: Wal-Mart script excerpt > > > Dear Mr. Tester, > > I read your email post with interest. I'm enclosing an excerpt of my > script. Should you wish to view my background information, I have an > enormous backlog of articles, studies, etc. which I would be more than > happy to share with you. (Just say the word--I have a couple dozen email > articles in my drafts folder already addressed to you! :) Frontline has > also created a documentary on Wal-Mart--many economists who have studied > them feel that they actually prey upon the most economically vulnerable. > > I also recommend "Nickled and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich--she > chronicles what happened to her while she was working at a Wal-Mart. > > Finally, I do shop at many discount shops to stretch my dollars---just > not Wal-Mart. Is that luxury? > > Feeling "testered", > > Elizabeth Dickinson > West Side > > > Wal-Mart is the most sued corporation in America. It has been charged > with racketeering, mail fraud, wire fraud, racial and sexual > discrimination, refusing to pay workers compensation/social security, > refusing employees rest and meal breaks, locking employees in overnight > off the clock, preventing officials from enforcing wage and immigration > laws and cheating immigrant janitors out of wages. > > But the list doesn�t stop there. In Walmart�s own internal audit, it > reveals that there were 1371 child labor law violations in one week at > 25,000 Walmart stores. Some of the worst abuses occurred when a diabetic > cashier unable to break for a meal fainted, and cashiers prevented from > taking a break urinated on themselves. A former federal labor department > head calls the sheer volume of these violations �a source of great > concern.� > > So when a Wal-Mart store announced plans to move into an old K-Mart site > in St. Paul, Minnesota, citizens and labor groups were alarmed. A group > called the Midway Citizen Consumer Community Coalition or MC4 started > organizing > > Bernie Hess-- > > �With Walmart moving in, we felt there was a need to so some basic > organizing in the community to pull together labor unions, people who live > in the community, small business owners, faith based communities, show we > have expectations. We want them to come in on our terms and be > responsible. > > v.o. Some people believe that low wages are inevitable, that a big > employer has to pay lower wages in order to be able to offer lower prices. > > Chris Conry an organizer from the Food and Commercial workers disagrees. > > In fact, taxpayers are often unknowingly subsidizing the low wages. > Walmart has been known to encourage its employees to supplement their > wages by applying for various forms of public assistance. > > There are a lot of myths about Walmart. > > Fact: Only 1% of Walmart goods have the lowest prices. > > According to studies conducted by universities in Iowa, Vermont and > Arkansas, only about 1% of the the 75,000 products Walmart carries have > the lowest prices. > > graphics �Only 1% of Walmart products are at lowest price� > > You might also think Walmart generates tax revenue for the community. > > But many cities have discovered that Walmart uses more tax money than it > generates. The increased cost of roads, water and sewage, often exceeds > the sales and property tax revenues generated by the new Walmarts. > > Fact: Cost to taxpayers for roads, water, sewage is more than > Walmart�s payment of sales and property taxes. > > Even some Business Week magazine economists believe Wal-Mart�s entry > into a community doesn�t result in any net increase in jobs and tax > revenue Often small businesses who can�t compete with the prices leave. > And its not just small businesses who can�t compete. Over the last ten > years, over 25 chains have been forced into bankruptcy by Walmart. > > Walmart also tends to detroy local higher paying jobs paid by similar > employers who feel forced to cut their wages to compete. This is called > � a race to the bottom�. > > Furthermore, when you shop at Walmart, most of the money will leave the > state. If you shop at a local business, that local business will spend > three times as much in the community as Walmart. Money which stays in > state enriches the state. > > Graphics Fact: Local businesses spend three times more in the community > than Walmart does. > > Finally, all those Walmart ads may be having you thinking that Walmart > gives a lot to the community in donations and charities. > > Local businesses donate four times as much to charity as Walmart does > relative to overall sales. > > If a Walmart is coming to your community, what can you do about it? > > If you believe Walmart engages in unfair business practices, you don�t > have to shop there. > > If you want to share your concerns with a customer representative, call > Walmart at 1-800-Walmart. > > If you want to find out what Walmart employees and other communities are > doing to organize against Walmart, check out www.walmartyrs.com > > Anybody working a full-time job deserves to be able to afford the > basics-- food, shelter and health care. Wal-Mart�s wages don�t even begin > to make that possible for most of their associates. When you shop at > Walmart, you may save a little money now, but it�s guaranteed everybody > will pay more later. What kind of bargain is that? > > > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > ---- > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > Version: 7.0.298 / Virus Database: 265.6.6 - Release Date: 12/28/2004 _____________________________________________ To Join: St. Paul Issues Forum Rules Discussion Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [email protected] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
