The heart of the problem is that most People like Walmart

[BeyondGeography]

23. Reading "To Serve God and Wal-Mart" right now

Can't help but think the Republican Party is Wal-Mart, Democrats are Target, and that Wal-Mart's best days are behind it.

Wal-Mart is not just fundy-soaked with red state roots, it has benefited mightily from Big Gov't from the get-go. The Ozarks as a retirement destination happened because of dams and man-made lakes built by the Army Corps of Engineers; the first real Wal-Mart was built near a military base because Sam realized the shopping alternatives were so bad people bought everything at the exchange (henceforth Sam kept a close eye on defense spending, which really took off under Reagan, when choosing
locations); retirees cruising around in RV's in guaranteed economic security were another key constituency, etc.

Against that backdrop, it's cruelly ironic that a company that owes so much to Big Gov't essentially uses the safety net to underpay its employees and pad its
profits.

I find this company to be a big lie, and I hope it eventually drowns in its own contradictions, like the double-dealing conservatives who love them so. If there ever was a retailer that was tailor-made for the keep your Gov't hands off my Medicare crowd, it's Wal-Mart.