What does Wal-Mart do with your money?

First.  It is not our money.  It belongs to Walmart and the Walmart owners.

Second.  The article referred to was written by Josh Gerstien.  Josh Gerstien is a union supporter as indicated by a speech he gave to AFL-CIO in Las Vegas.  Google Josh Gerstien and look at the results.

I would like to say that walmart watch has reached a new low, by criticizing Walmart for their Philonthropy, but they have stooped lower than this previously.

I would have more respect for walmart watch if they would just say that their objective is to unionize Walmart.

Although I won’t address David’s comments regarding “Philonthropy,” I would like to say that the Sun’s Josh Gerstein is NOT a labor organizer (there can, in fact, be more than one Josh Gerstein in the world), and that the Sun is not known as a left-wing publication. Far from it.

Also, NCRP has no position on the unionization of Wal-Mart or any other company. Simply asserting something in an anonymous blog entry does not make it true.

The union comments are just a Red Herring to distract from the millions that the Waltons spend lobbying for the repeal of the estate tax.

“The union comments are just a Red Herring to distract from the millions that the Waltons spend lobbying for the repeal of the estate tax.”

Why distract from this? Lobbying have the government get rid of an unfair, punitive, and unnecessary tax is nothing to be ashamed of. A majority of Americans are in favor of getting rid of the death tax.

WMwatch seems (at least to some) to hit a new low just about every day. That statement is a little overworked by now--so I thought I’d point it out. It’s interesting commentary and more relevant to some than to others. Again as with Katrina WM spending a little more attention (and money) on the welfare of their own employees is more important to me.
No doubt they make as much hay out of their charitable contributions as possible for good citizen publicity purposes.
This however is not something they alone are guilty of.

Larry,
you have a problem with people claiming wm watch reaching a new low is being overworked, but you have no issues with all the crap the union is trying to spread being overworked? The hold slamming of walmart for their donations to charities isn’t a new low, its just a continuing of the same old propaganda. Why doesn’t the unions start posting more of their actual numbers on how much they force their members to “donate” to their cause and how much of it they donate to charities and community projects. Also, post how much the leaders of the unions make a year, their total worth, and how much they actually donate to non union causes(ex. communities and charities). How many millions of their members hardworking money do they throw out to their liberal friends in the media and democratic party and to what good does it do. And like I said before, why can’t they give their own members the choice to what party they want their dues thrown at, instead of giving it all to the democratice party no questions asked.

I never said Josh Gerstien was a union organizer.  I said he was a union supporter.  The same Josh Gerstien who works at the New York Sun has given talks at union meetings.  At best it is a conflict of interest for a reporter to be addressing a union meeting.

There must be a lot of Josh Gerstiens and most of them work for the Sun.

Blah Blah BAD UNIONS! Blah Blah EVIL UNIONS! Blah Blah Blah Blah DOWN WITH UNIONS!

It would appear “unseemly” for Congress to push through a permanent repeal of the estate tax while also trying to come up with money for victims of the hurricane disaster in the Gulf, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley of Iowa said today. [Des Moines Register, 9/15/05]

Just thinking out loud....If Wal-Mart gave all of their budgeted public relations money to the Red Cross what kind of opposition would that create? And if they did what kind of return could they expect for that investment?

Brad,

If Wal-Mart does anything good, it must be bad. At least that’s the message this website is trying to spread.

walmartwatch.com ... owned and operated by UFCW, Inc.

Once a customer hands over money to Wal-Mart, in exchange for goods or services, the transaction is complete. You now have no claim to your money and Wal-Mart has no claim to your goods or services. It is a simple transaction where each side gains. Of course, capitalism is something most people don’t understand.

By the way, why won’t the unions comply with the law that says they must open their books to membership and to the government. They are still ignoring the law by not listing political donations and union organizing activities as individual expenses. They are not giving membership the option to opt out of paying dues for political causes because the union accounting lumps everything in under “misc. expenses”. They have a $6 million “misc. expenses” account! Spend $6 million, put it under “misc. expenses” and try to explain it when you get audited. You will probably go to jail. Yet the union can do it with impunity.

blahblahblahUNIONSblahblahUNIONSblahblah

The federal estate tax has come under attack as a result of an exceptionally effective campaign by wealthy families in our country. A major factor in that campaign is their success in denominating the tax as a “death tax.” To me the better nickname would be “the grateful heirs tax.”

...I think of the taxation of the wealth of our most financially successful citizens as society collecting on a chit. It is a modest repayment for the government providing the conditions and the stimulation to economic life that has made wealth possible.

And I ask this: What is the basis for a social policy that would insist that every cent of the wealth of our richest families goes to their heirs? I cannot think of a good reason for such a policy and clearly can see value to society in minimizing inherited wealth.

-Bill Gates Sr., Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 4/2/05

Ah, Ben? How about private property rights? As the Constitution says “No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process”. Where is the due process with regard to the death tax? You mention society making it possible for people to earn wealth. How would society (and our government) function without the wealth created by private capital. Private enterprise is ALWAYS more efficient than government. Why? Because private enterprise has a stake in the outcome.

Let me give you an example of why the death tax is a bad idea.

Assume a person worth just over $1 billion dies, with no estate planning. The government will take up to $550 million of that money, leaving about 45% to the estate. Now then, government with $550 million will do what? If you answered WASTE IT, pass go and collect $200. What would private enterprise do? Assuming a minimum market return of 6% per year, that $550 million will generate $33 million in new wealth next year, of which 15%, or $4.95 million, will be paid in capital gains taxes. This $550 million will GROW and will create jobs and even more wealth. To the government, $550 million can be spent in two seconds. To the private sector, such wealth is called investment capital, which makes wealth and job creation possible and which pays every dime spent by the government. Where does government get its’ money? THE PRIVATE SECTOR!!!! Government produces nothing but red tape.

Ben, it’s just a matter of time before the Democrats and some Republicans come looking for more personal wealth to steal. Most politcians lack a basic understanding of ecnonomics and so they see no reason why they should not take more of your wealth for their pork projects. The day is coming, Ben, when you will reap what you sow. One day, the feds will show up at your door and demand payment because they have decided that you have too much wealth. They will take your 2nd home, your 3rd car, your portifolio and your furniture. That sounds paranoid? Witness the assault on liberties such as free speech and the right to bear arms. The bad guys can’t do it outright so they do it in baby steps. After all, who is going to have sympathy for rich people or even small business owners and farmers whose families have to sell their assets just to pay the taxman?

Hey Nick, don’t blame Ben the words he quoted relative to the inheritance tax. The thoughts you are at odds with come from the father of the richest man in the world. Bill Gates Sr. has continuously been advocating the retention of the inheritance tax. His arguments are sound and his viewpoint is from a vantage that most folks cannot attain.

Nick,

Do you want to return the Gilded Age? Do you want a permanent aristocracy in this country? With the gap between the rich and poor growing by the minute, repealing the estate tax will not help this country. With the deficit growing at an alarming rate, it is irresponsible to destroy this stream of revenue. In addition, it is really sad that the richest man in the country supports the estate tax but you don’t.

Here’s the major theme of the report: other super-rich families like Gates, Casey, and Kaiser are doing things to make the world a safer and healthier place, but the Walton family is using its money to increase their bottom line and advance their own personal right-wing agenda. Other foundations are trying to eradicate hunger and disease while the the Waltons are pushing private school vouchers and Harriet Miers.

The Wal-Mart fortune wasn’t enough to buy Alice Walton a .08 on the Breathalyzer:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/walmart1.html

Alice Walton, the Wal-Mart heir worth $6 billion, might want to shell out some of that dough for a chauffeur. The 48-year-old Arkansas woman was arrested in late-January on drunken driving charges after her Toyota ran off a road and hit a gas meter. Walton suffered a broken nose when her face greeted the steering wheel. An unruly Walton, the daughter of late Wal-Mart boss Sam Walton, refused to take a blood-alcohol test and, according to these police reports, asked officers, “You know who I am, don’t you? You know my last name?”

“With the gap between the rich and poor growing by the minute”

This gap DOES NOT MATTER.

“repealing the estate tax will not help this country”

Yet it will

“With the deficit growing at an alarming rate, it is irresponsible to destroy this stream of revenue.”

After the previous Bush tax cuts, the federal government is taking in more money than at any time in history. Cuting taxes has proven to be quite financially responsible. It is the spending that is causing the defecits.

“In addition, it is really sad that the richest man in the country supports the estate tax but you don’t. “

I think it should be a personal choice. If Gates wants to give his money to the government, let him.

Ben’s quote from Gates: “What is the basis for a social policy that would insist that every cent of the wealth of our richest families goes to their heirs?”

Gates appears to have as much understanding of civics as he does of making secure operating systems. Repealing the estate tax lets people choose to do with the money the earned. They can even give it to the government if they want. Removing the death tax is not a “policy” that would insist on any one option.

Ben, the Waltons are indeed using their money “to make the world a safer and healthier place”. It is not “right-wing” unless you happen to be left-wing extremist who thinks that everything is right-wing.

I would have thought that giving poor children a chance at a better education was a left-wing valus, but you are savaging it.

Mike: Gates’ arguments are not sound at all. He would force his personal lifestyle choices on others. He also gets the facts wrong (he claims that repealing the estate tax would FORCE people to give the money to their heirs).

Arguing about what the elite and the financially privileged have and do with their time will get us no where because its probable that none of us on this board can classify ourselves as either of the two, at least in comparison to the Gates family and the Walton family...so again, this dribble will never get any where. This is like reading the politically charged, economically focused version of US Weekly.

I must admit that I began to laugh while reading Nick’s steady fear-inflected dialogue about the government stealing personal wealth. Honestly, how much of your wealth do you fear the hateful government will “steal” from you? Perhaps you are worrying that your coffin lined with dead presidents won’t come into fruition? Taxes are a fact of life. Where our government spends them, and who pays them, is the heart of that issue.

The reality is that poverty, lack of living wages, and basic human needs aren’t being met by many companies in America. It appears that every crisis in American boils down to dollars - the fight between public and private interests - and most of the American population is shut out and therefore tunes out - too busy working jobs that don’t afford time to get wrangled up in political activism which, in some ways, only continues to contribute to the dumbing down of America. To continue to say that this gap between the rich and the poor doesn’t matter, forces me to suggest you read up on the facts that tie violence and lack of education to poverty.

Cherie, Here is a story does NOT tie lack of education to poverty! Enjoy

Whimpering About Poverty

Maybe You Should Try The Real Thing

Septmber 25, 2005

Repeatedly I hear that the misbehavior in New Orleans sprang from the exigencies of poverty. I would offer a countering view. Permit me to start with the family of Violeta, mi pareja in Mexico. I know them well. Listen, and judge.

Her father was born poor 78 years ago. Poor in Mexico in the twenties meant poor--dirt-floor poor, village well with typhoid and no sewerage poor, no safety net, no medical care, and government by caciques who had unlimited power and didn’t care whether you lived or died. It was hookworm, roundworm, pinworm, tapeworm poor. It was louse poor. Obesity from eating at McDonald’s was not a concern. Just eating was a concern.

Her Dad learned to read from an aunt who had learned in a Catholic school. In Mexico then, as in the United States now, the Catholic schools were better than the public, when the latter existed. He then apprenticed himself to a primitive machine shop, the only kind available, and became a valve-maker.

Eventually he hired on with a company, saved hard over the years, and bought a house, now paid off, in which he still lives. Buying a house for a Mexican worker then required grim determination. After thirty-six years he retired with a pension adequate to support life. In all this time, he did not sack a single city.

Poor doesn’t mean ignorant. He read whatever he could find, to include newspapers daily. He knows a lot of history and geography. If you mention, say, Ceylon, he knows where it is, and the capital. Do American college graduates?

He wasn’t shiftless, you see. Poverty is a condition characterized by a lack of money. Shiftlessness involves a lack of backbone, morals, independence, self-respect, and drive. They are not the same thing. Of course, if you are shiftless, you are likely to be poor.

I note in passing that anyone who wishes can learn to read, short of the genuinely retarded. Illiteracy is a choice. So is ignorance.

Along the way he married, whence Violeta. He was an imperfect dad—strict, yelled a lot, and wasn’t too tolerant, though he didn’t hit her. He taught her that there are things you have to do, things you ought to do, and things you ought not to do. She learned. A thoroughgoing Catholicism reinforced these ideas.

Adolescence came, and high school. Violeta decided that she wanted to go to the University of Guadalajara. There was the little problem of no money. Mexicans do not get preferential treatment in Mexico. To her, poverty was an obstacle to be overcome, not an excuse for failure. For five years in the Facultad de Letras y Filosofia, she worked three jobs. And graduated.

Poor, you see, is not the same as, nor does it imply, nor justify, passive, thieving, dependent, and benighted.

At this point I am going to sacrifice literary consistency to explication. When I was nineteen a buddy of mine and I hopped the freights to New York where, listening to a Copland concert in Prospect Park, I met a little Italian girl of seventeen on the grass. We began writing, and then dating. Her father having died unexpectedly, she and her mother were living essentially on Social Security in Brooklyn. They ate, but not much more.

They were not shiftless, however.

Her mother got her into a Catholic school. Eva understood perfectly which way was up. Good grades were not optional. They were going to happen. And did. Four years of high school and a 4.0 later, she blew away the Regents and got a scholarship to NYU Washington Square. She repeated the roughly 4.0 performance. After grad school at Rochester, she is a tenured professor of mathematics in the New York system. Poor Italian kid. Never burned a city.

Anyway, Violeta. While in university, she became pregnant. Contraception is an imperfect art. On moral grounds she decided not to kill it. (Actually it wasn’t a decision. There are things one doesn’t do and, in her view, that was one of them. Today The Unkilled is fourteen and prospering mightily.) Violeta was now a single mother as well as working three jobs and going to school.

She did it. It wasn’t easy, but she had no expectation that it would be. There are things one does.

On graduating she got some wretched office job, discovered that it was a snake pit (un nido de serpientes) and that she couldn’t give enough attention to her child, who turned out to be a girl named Natalia. So she said to hell with offices and moved to Ajijic, the American enclave on Lake Chapala, to teach Spanish to gringos.

(Continued on next post)

Stories are nice but facts are what governs. You’re from texas? Surprise surprise.

Thanks for the story, I expect I’ll hear it on This American Life soon enough.

Cherie, Heres the rest of the story, (power outage so couldnt post it) the author claims it is factual.

It was a gutsy call. She had no safety net and very little money: North Americans living in half-million dollar houses object to paying an extra dollar an hour for a service that would cost ten times as much in the US. When I met Violeta, Natalia was twelve. They were living in, by American standards, a desperately tiny one-bedroom house, with one small bed and a mattress on the floor, and a total of $300 between them and destitution. Don’t tell her about the high price of running shoes.

Now in the US, social class, which we pretend doesn’t exist, depends chiefly on consumer goods owned, money coming in, and credentials on paper. Two BMWs and Yale beats three Volvos and the University of Maryland. Violeta, ever wrong-headed, believed that what you are worth depends on how you behave. Again, Caholicism.

She conveyed this to Natalia, who was (and is) the best student in her school, reading constantly with the fluency of an educated adult. Principled motherhood has its virtues. If the child had been a latchkey, she would doubtless now be pushing either drugs or a stroller. Today Nata is fourteen, smart as a whip, largely over the tyrannosaur stage of hideous disagreeability that briefly afflicts teenage girls, and pretty as a flower. She very much likes boys, but has none of that unhappy—what? Lack of self-respect? Desperation for love?—that makes so many US girls easy prey to libidinous striplings.

If I may digress again, long ago on the police beat I rode in DC with a black cop from a bad section of New York. How did he get out, I asked? From my column of the time, I quote: “My father told me, ‘Son, you’re going to learn your lessons, or I will whup your ass.’ He did, too. So I learned. Best thing that ever happened to me.” (Boys are a little different.)

You don’t have to be helpless, nor useless, nor immoral because you were born poor. If this were not true, the Irish, Italians, Jews, the Chinese of railroad coolie days, the Poles and the Czechs would still be in slums. They aren’t. They made it, as Violeta made it, as Eva and lots of black cops made it, without Section Eight housing, welfare, scholarships, minority preferences with no expectations attached, medical charity, or monotonous self-pity. She has a contempt for those who could, but don’t, that would peel chrome from an engine block

Alice Walton.  Please get in contact with me asap. I am the niece of Sam Walton.  The enemy is trying and has ripped up the inheritance check I never knew about in 1990. I’m running out of computer time.