Wal-Mart asks paper to leave for editoralist's column

[cssmall]

"I like Wal-Mart prices the same as the next shopper, but there's a downside, too. Many Wal-Mart employees lack the fringe benefits and insurance that makes the difference between existence and a good quality of life. Yet, we customers pay a surcharge from a different pocket — subsidizing health care for Wal-Mart employees who can't afford it."

Mark then described how Friedman's book pointed out that more than 10,000 children of Wal-Mart employees are in a Georgia health-care program, which costs the state's taxpayers nearly $10 million a year. Mark also pointed out that a New York Times report found that 31 percent of the patients at a North Carolina hospital were Wal-Mart employees on Medicaid.

Mark's column really wasn't about Mr. Walton's store, but about Pensacola and how we're becoming a Wal-Mart kind of town, "cheap and comfy on the surface, lots of unhappiness and hidden costs underneath."

For the rest of the article, take a look at this link:
http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050724/OPINION/507240314/1020

[marmar]

1. Fascinating...

Wal-Mart is such the posterchild for Bush's America.

[JDPriestly]

3. I nominated this.

People need to realize what they are buying when they buy at Walmart.

[prodigal_green]

10. My mom

finally stopped shopping Wal-Mart after seeing that Frontline program. It's tough for her because she makes almost no money but she doesn't want to contribute to the cheapening of America.

[meganmonkey]

15. Good for her!

It's tough to rearrange priorities but it really can make a difference.

:thumbsup:

[marmar]

18. That's very cool...

Every time a family member of mine - and I come from a totally blue unionized family - starts threatening to go to Walmart, I guilt and shame them, and they end up not going. Target doesn't have a high BuyBlue rating, but at least they're employees are paid a living wage.

[Sequoia]

9. Indeed.

Nominated.

[dogday]

2. The Freaking Truth Hurts Walmart

the store that uses it's employees to death.....

[hobbit709]

5. Not only uses them to death but after death too.

Remember when they had taken out life insurance policies on their employees naming themselves, not the employees families, as beneficiaries?

[LizW]

6. Yes, WalMart is a parasite

It doesn't use only its employees to death. We all pay the price for it being around. And it's not enough just to keep WM out of our particular community. If there is one WalMart in a state, then every citizen is paying the costs of WalMart's refusal to insure its own employees.

[cssmall]

8. Oh, not only does the truth hurt them . . .

the sad thing about this article is the truth and to know that those statistics from the article about the medicaid patients, but for every person on medicaid or medicare within Wal-Mart, there are three or four WITHOUT shit for health care.

Also, Sam Walton was an ardent supporter of a lower minimium wage, no governmental health care plan (Carter era), and of labor under the age of 14.

I worked there and had I not been an anthropologist-in-training or not gulible, I would have been "brought in" to the Wal Mart culture. It's a fucking cult guys. They have the Five Commandments of Wal-Mart, with Sam's face painted over them. One says: "Take their money, they'll be back."

Then, they had the gall to call me when I was graduating and ask if I wanted to sell my soul to the devil just to make a buck so I could "enculture" their Wal-Mart interns and shit. How does that sound?

Wal-Mart is evil, plain and simple, didn't take long for them to become bourgoise bitches.

[hobbit709]

4. I sent an email

to Randy Hammer, the editor thanking him for not bowing down to Walmart.

[ihaveaquestion]

12. So did I

Randy Hammer is a true American!

:applause:

[GreenPartyVoter]

7. Thanks for sharing

[Mikimouse]

11. Ya done good kid!...n/t

[noamnety]

13. I saw this yesterday

and sent the story to Olbermann, hoping he would see a problem with the Walmart manager pressuring the paper to fire the journalist. Other reporters ought to be outraged.

[KarenInMA]

14. My letter to the editor:

Dear Mr. Hammer,

I want to thank you for taking the correct stand recently when WalMart attempted to subvert your newspaper. This story reached me although I live no where near Pensecola- or even Florida. A free and independent press is essential to the security of this country, and a major corporation does NOT have the right to intimidate the press- regardless of how deep and dark their ties are to the federal government. Perhaps if WalMart addressed the issue of health care, instead of attempting to cover up the problem, they would have better results.

In closing, thank you Sir, for standing up for your convictions.

Sincerely,


me.

[hvn_nbr_2]

16. Here's mine.

Dear Mr. Hammer:

I just read your article "Here's why you can't buy the News Journal at
Wal-Mart" on your website. Congratulations and thank you for standing
up for real red, white, and blue principles.

I thought it was a nice touch pointing out that you're Mark O'Brien's
boss and don't like some of what he writes but still keep him, in
contrast to Wal-Mart's attitude. I also liked that you repeated the
same facts that seemed to disturb Wal-Mart so much. Well, the facts
don't disturb them actually; what disturbs them is letting people know
about the facts.

[converted_democrat]

17. I wrote him a nice thank you note........n/t