Your Business Blogger once partnered with a former McKinsey Consultant, a brilliant mind with a Ph.D. in Math from Columbia. I once wondered aloud why McKinsey, indeed all big business seemed to be confused conservatives.

If you are in business, doing business, creating wealth -- you must be a Calvin Coolidge conservative GOP'er. Right?

"Silly knave," says my elder, better business partner. "Businesses always start out conservative -- but turn liberal as they get bigger." Then he launches into correlations and matrixes and standard deviations, proof theorems for the evolution from small government business conservative to big government business liberal elite.

Someone should write a book, I thought. And warn us.

Someone has.

Tim Carey has written the Big Ripoff.

Tim Carney

Tim's thesis is that Big Business actually embraces and welcomes Big Government regulation to install barriers to entry to hinder smaller competitors.

Big Government has become the enabler of, and provided of a competitive advantage for Big Business.

Liberal elites in business are more interested in protecting a current position than in encouraging innovation, especially if the new ideas come from outside the company. (Goodness, Big Business doesn't care for innovation inside their companies.)

And like true progressives these days, the author, the topic, the debate is blasting at the Conservative Political Action Conference. CPAC 2007 in Your Nation's Capital.

CPAC 2007

Big Ripoff
by Tim Carney
Published by Wiley

Tim was a panelist at CPAC debating America's Business Elites -- Do They Really Believe in Free Enterprise.

After Tim's compelling presentation, it is clear that Big Business Elites are not good for business.

Posted at 4:47 PM | Permalink
Comments (2)

Marshall Manson
from the Edelman
public relations firmWal*Mart gets smart; adapts to the market.

In a recent statement, just in time for the Thanksgiving, W*M backed away from supporting the homosexual, bi-sexual, transsexual agenda. Wal*Mart stopped its cross dressing where Wal-Mart will not make corporate contributions to support or oppose highly controversial issues unless they directly relate to our ability to serve our customers.

Wal*Mart FactsWal-Mart does not have a position on same sex marriage and we do not give preference to gay or lesbian suppliers. Wal-Mart does have a strong commitment to diversity among our associates and against discrimination everywhere.

This homosexualist activism was a concern for traditional families because of the report, Wal-Mart Contributes $60,000 to Pro-Homosexual Employee Advocacy Group. The $60K supported a fringe homosexual -bi sexual- transsexual-transvestite-other gender denomination, Out & Equal summit in Chicago.

Marshall Manson, the blogosphere's Wal*Mart source, has been silent on this news release. Which means that the PR pro from Edelman is probably responsible.

And the Yoest family wants to publicly thank him. Alert Readers will recall that Your Business Blogger was an enthusiastic cheerleader for the Bentonville World Dominator. The Penta-Posse et. al. consumed $4,328.37 in consumable goods in the 12 trailing months at Sam's Club. And we miss shopping at the retail giant. And we missed the Everyday Low Prices.

Well Done Marshall. Breeders everywhere thank you.

But it would have been helpful if Wal*Mart released this statement before the Out and Equal homosexual summit, instead of after.

Queercents reports on an interview with Selisse Berry, who,

...[H]as been the queer voice of corporate America. Selisse is the founding Executive Director of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, a nonprofit organization focused on creating safe and equitable workplaces for LGBT employees. [Selisse says] There are so many great ideas generated at the Summit... the big topics centered around the rapidly expanding number of companies who are embracing LGBT equality, how to embrace LGBT equality on an international level, and the specific challenges of policy and training needed for transgender equality.

Out and Equal also demands that homosexuals serve openly in the armed services. Give the Gays Guns. Next, they will be eating meat and shopping at Wal*Mart.

Thank you (foot)notes:

But skepticism is still in order. Wal*Mart's Board of Directors is populated with leftist such as Aida M. Alvarez. Who was a member of the diversity advisory board for Deloitte & Touche LLP. (Emphasis mine) Also a former Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration and a member of President Clinton’s Cabinet from 1997 to 2001. Alvarez was hip deep in the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mess as a financial regulator from 1993 to 1997.

Wal*Mart can still screw up yet. Pray that capitalism prevails.

Alaska Pride has rationale on the boycott.

More at the jump

Continue Reading »

Posted at 9:31 AM | Permalink
Comments (0)

Your Business Blogger
in a central China
university amphitheater When Your Business Blogger was consulting in China, I visited a large university (redundant: there are no small Chinese universities) and had a conversation with a post-grad working on international contract law. His English was better than my Chinese.

In every Chinese town there is an "English Corner," just as every major American city has a "Chinatown." These corners in China are where the locals gather to practice speaking English.

The inverse parallel is, of course, that the Chinese speak English in both China and America, and the Americans speak English in both China and America.

Anyway, I asked the student what he wanted to do with his advanced degree. Without prompting, he says, "I want to work for Wal*Mart. It is big and powerful."

"Powerful?" I ask.

"Yes, more powerful than some countries."

And Wal*Mart is getting powerful in China. To make the move to world-wide acceptance, Wal*Mart is assuming the triple-threat position: Unions, Communism, Homosexuality.

Alert Readers will recall that Your Business Blogger is was an enthusiastic cheerleader for the Bentonville World Dominator. The Penta-Posse et. al. consumed $4,328.37 in consumable goods in the 12 trailing months at Sam's Club.

The embrace of Unions and Communism are in China, of course. As a compromise to get sales. The embrace of Homosexuality is here in the U S of A as a compromise... to get more sales?

A source close to Wal*Mart who preferred to be off-the-record, emailed Your Business Blogger:

...the [homosexual] chamber that Wal-Mart has joined is simply that -- a chamber of commerce -- and organization of businesses. And, as I said, Wal-Mart is a member of dozens of them. Wal-Mart isn't trying to make a political statement by joining. And it's certainly not ascribing to any particular agenda.

But Wal*Mart/Sam's does fit a particular agenda because of the particular demographic. Wal*Mart shoppers have lots of kids, and those parents of lots of kids are conservatives: Liberals don't breed. Which gives us the Roe Effect. Allan Carlson, President of the Howard Center wrote in The Weekly Standard that,

IN THE INTERNAL POLITICS OF the Republican coalition, some members are consistently more equal than others. In particular, where the interests of the proverbial "Sam's Club Republicans" collide with the interests of the great banks, the Sam's Club set might as well pile into the family car and go home.

Go home, stay home. Indeed. Dr. Carlson reminds us that,

...when push comes to shove, social conservatives remain second class citizens under the Republican tent. During the 2004 Republican convention, they were virtually confined to the party's attic, kept off the main stage, treated like slightly lunatic children. Republican lobbyist Michael Scanlon's infamous candid comment--"The wackos get their information [from] the Christian right [and] Christian radio"--suggests a common opinion among the dominant "K Street" Republicans toward their coalition allies.

Conservatives are maligned from the right and the left.

Tony Perkins, the President of Family Research Council, says:

In an apparent concession to the heat from the radical left, Wal-Mart has entered into a new partnership with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC).

... Recently, they described efforts to defend traditional marriage as an attempt to "write discrimination into the Constitution..."

The NGLCC also advocated attaching a pro-homosexual "hate crimes" amendment to legislation intended to protect children from violent sex offenders. Their advocacy delayed the legislation for several months.

What demographic is Wal*Mart pursuing? What new market segment? Do the boys in Bentonville really think boy-toys from the Tenderloin will truck to Sam's for the two-gallon jar of pickles?

"Dee Breazeale, vice president of divisional merchandise for SAM'S CLUB Jewelry will serve on the organization's [National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce] Corporate Advisory Council," reports 247gay.com.

As if. As if any homosexual would buy jewelry from Sam's.

Goodness, even I wouldn't buy the jewelry from SAM'S.

Oh no, I do have something in common with gay men!

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Thank you (foot)notes:

Full Disclosure: Charmaine Yoest, Ph.D., is the Vice President of Communications at The Family Research Council and is the wife of Your Business Blogger. And I have a mail box on "K Street" in Washington, DC.

A Lady's Ruminations has more: Sickening news.

The Bleechers has the Christmas story.

Starling Hunter, Ph.D. has all the news on Wal*Mart.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 3:09 PM | Permalink
Comments (1)

It is good to have health
and strength
...number one...
a strong country
It is good to support
your country... Your Business Blogger was touring a large Chinese university. (Goodness, every Chinese university is large.)

Anyway, I was interested to see China's interest in American marketing. American ideals. American riches. The American source of riches:

Wal*Mart
Narnia
Corvettes
The United States of America Internal Revenue Service.

...Strength through taxes
IRS Form 1040 signs
at a university
in the Middle KingdomThe IRS. China uses the IRS Form 1040 as ...inspiration.

For Heaven's sake.

China's leadership looks to the American model of tax collection as the enlightened path to good government funding.

China looks in amazement at the American population compliance to the tax code. Population control. Clean compliance.

Without revolution.

But this is depressing. I wish Americans were more revolting.

On taxes.

Happy Tax Day.

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Thank you (foot)notes:

China doesn't need to look half around the world for a taxing template. Hong Kong would be a terrific start: a 15% flat tax. And no capital gains tax. Steve Forbes would be pleased if the USofA were more like this part of China. Compliance is easy when the cost of tax payment is less than the opportunity costs of tax evasion.

See AllFinancialMatters.

Visit Simon World for reasons to move to China.

Few have traveled to China as much as Director Mitch at The Window Manager.

Blogroll Virtual Handshake for references.

More at the jump.

Jeff Cornwall has a great graphic. Go visit.

Visit the Tax Carnival at Don't Mess Wtih Taxes.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 8:53 AM | Permalink
Comments (1)

Milton Friedman
Trusting TransactionsThe biggest challenge my American female clients have is learning effective negotiations.

They should spend a month in East Asia.

Most retail shoppes in that part of the world are modest mom and pop store fronts. Where evey price is negotiated.

Designed to extract the last yuan in consumer surplus.

Shopping in this environment is exhausting for Your (western) Business Blogger. Different cultures. But when in Rome...

So I ask one of my local clients his opinion on the custom of haggling over everything. Everything.

I thought he would wax nostalgic on the old style interaction of true competition: buyer vs seller. The best pricing equalibrium of quantity demanded with quantity supplied. A romantic Asian metaphysical transcendence of commerce.

Did he like the East Asian pure sales process...?

He hated it.

(Your Business Blogger can be such a dope.)

He said:

Everytime you buy something it takes so long to reach an agreement...it takes too much research for little items

Another local said the non-stop haggling was "draining."

So why does this system continue?

Lack of trust. It is all buyer beware in Mandarin.

There is no trust in a fair offer. And,
There is every expectation to be cheated.

Nobel laureate Milton Friedman spoke to this. He said that a cultural prerequisite of making money is the holding of truthfulness as a common virtue.

When you can trust a merchant's word, says Friedman, "it cut[s] down transaction costs."

Without adherence to common moral principles we must substitute external controls to govern business behavior; efficiency demands a framework of standards and accountability.

But there are modifications a-coming. Large retail shops in new malls have established set price policies.

Large international retailers coming to East Asia, such as Wal*Mart, have set prices. And they are reintroducing old traditions from the world over.

There is an ancient Jewish tradition of the prohibiting of "differing weights" for commodities. Established known weights would be used with a fair scale to measure items, grain to gold. A dishonest merchant would use a lighter or heavier weight to tip the scales for unjust enrichment.

Different prices for different people. Which is frightfully inefficient.

East Asia loves speed. Loves making money. Loves making money fast.

To get rich is glorious.

East Asia will tolerant no wasted motion.

So.

Honesty is not only the best policy. East Asia is a bit more pragmatic. And a bit more demanding:
Honesty and trust make for good business.

Posted at 6:34 PM | Permalink
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Ideologic, LLCAward winning Ideologic, LLC is expertly hosting The Carnival this week.

And while you are there, be sure to visit Eidelblog and read a terrific summary of the mess Maryland is making with Wal*Mart. This Blue State will continue to loose jobs, population and, I pray, congressional seats.

Perry Eidelbus, Der Eidelblogger, from Westchester, New York reminds us that the purpose of business is not charity. And, indeed the purpose of government is not charity.

Charity is the test of the human heart.

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Thank you (foot)notes:

Read more on Ideologic at the jump.

More on Wal*Mart.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 9:19 AM | Permalink
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John LennonOn March 4, 1966, John Lennon said the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus."

The Passion of
Kanye West In January 2006, Kanye West thinks he is Jesus.

What has changed?

And what does this mean for marketing today? Will the mocking of religious faith sell more albums DVD's or magazines? More goods or services?

Democrat Party offeringOr persuade more voters?

Darwin as JesusIs Maker Mocking good Marketing?

Yes. Unfortunately. For some market segments.

In any risk analysis or marketing campaign Pascal's Wager comes into play: What do I gain? What do I lose?

The marketer appealing to this particular God-less world-view would have little fear of alienating the God-fearing folk.

The religious won't buy. Or the conservative channel of distribution won't carry. Reports Business Week:

Wal*Mart cites customer preferences as the reason it does not stock CDs or DVDs with parental warning stickers and why it occasionally yanks items from its shelves..it removed the racy "lad" magazines Maxim, Stuff...

However. The Jesus mockers' world view is a large, liberal market segment:

Democrat Pary, pro-abortion, no church attendance, Wal*Mart hater, Bush hater, anti-Iraq war, feminists, homosexual rights, high taxes, pornography, few children.

The "few children" identifier equals high discretionary income.

So there is money to be made.

For a while.

Although the Beatles would remain together for 4 more years, the American tour that followed the Jesus incident would be their last.

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Thank you (foot)notes:

Reasoned Audacity has more.

Don Surber has best Friday posts.

Jo's Cafe has TGIF.

And visit Basil's Blog for an excellent round-up.

Posted at 10:12 PM | Permalink
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Maryland has dictated that 8% of Wal*Mart's revenue be directed by the Maryland legislature. Continuing a taxing tradition.

In the mid 90's Your Business Blogger was President of a (very) modest software company in Maryland. Looking hard for good people and profits.

Back then I asked Rudy Lamone, a Professor of Management Science about Maryland's confiscatory taxes and thin talent pool. Would he say there was a causation? Or mere correlation?

I was a mite critical of the state. Almost impolite to the University of Maryland employee.

Dr. Lamone's patient answer surprised me. He didn't disagree: high taxes drove some talent and business south to Virginia. That was 10 years ago.

Mari Will, Charmaine,
George Will
courtesy Jack YoestMaryland's anti-business practices continue today. George Will, Ph.D., writes, Shoplifting as Governance: Maryland's Lawmakers' Unethical Grab at Wal*Mart's Revenue:

Organized labor, having mightily tried and miserably failed to unionize even one of Wal*Mart's 3,250 stores, has turned to organizing state legislators. Maryland was a natural place to begin because it has lopsided Democratic majorities in both houses of its legislature.

Even the Washington Post, no friend of capitalism reports on the Wal*Mart tax as:

a legislative mugging masquerading as an act of benevolent social engineering.

Maryland: Hight Taxes; Scarce Talent.

And the employables are fleeing faster. Tom McMahon cites an unimpeachable source as proof people are deserting Maryland: United Van Lines. The nation's largest household goods mover.

The moving company published a nifty chart showing where people are moving from. And where they are moving to:

United Van Lines Releases 2005 Migration Study

The statistics are among the findings of United's 29th annual "migration" study that tracks where its customers ... moved from and the most popular destinations.

And most important:

Maryland ... continued its 13-year outbound tradition [of people moving out].

An outbound tradition? These guys at United Van Lines are funny.

Anyway, it looks like the tradition will continue. Rumors are that Wal*Mart's proposed new Maryand distribution center with its 800 jobs will move to a business friendly state.

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Thank you (foot)notes:

Dr. Rudolph Lamone won National Entrepreneur-of-the-Year Award (Baltimore) in 1996. He currently serves as Professor Emeritus of Management Science at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.

George Will studied at Trinity College in Hartford, and Oxford and Princeton universities. He taught political philosophy at Michigan State University and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1976.

He is the only reason to watch This Week on ABC.

The Will citation appeared in the Washington Post on 19 Jan 2006.

BusinessPundit has thoughts and links.

Below the Beltway has analysis.

The J-Walk Blog pointed the way for Tom McMahon. Tom's post tells the tax story even better. Go visit Americans Are Leaving The Blue States. Maryland being a blue state, of course.

Unpaid Endorsement: If your are moving, contact Ellen Christian, Manager of Business Development & Marketing with Suddath Relocation Systems, an agent for United Van Lines. Call her at 1.800.766.6116

Maneuver Marketing tells us that Wal*Mart has bigger problems. Visit ASYMMETRICAL CONFLICTS:

It used to be enough to take the high road and hope the problem would eventually go away. But with the advent of ... the willingness of special interest groups to engage in increasingly hostile tactics, a new set of rules are called for. Traditional PR doctrine is woefully unprepared to fight these battles.

Jeff Cornwall has tax friendly states.

Posted at 2:16 PM | Permalink
Comments (5) | TrackBacks (1)

Jack has the story of a group of WakeUpWalMart protestors who dressed up like Santa and his elves and handed out wrapped "presents" to children inside Wal*Mart.

Inside the wrappings? Empty boxes.

Unbelievable.

Some of the children cried.

Nice. Very nice.

Posted at 9:04 AM | Permalink
Comments (2)

Paul Johnson
Forbes MagazinePaul Johnson describes an intellectual as someone who loves all humanity; it's people they don't like. The latest Anti-Wal*Mart protest reveals intellectual indifference to kids.

At Christmas.

The Washington Times reports on protesters who invaded Wal*Mart, dressed as Santa Claus and his elves:

[U]nion-sponsored protesters handed out empty, gift-wrapped boxes to children and made them cry...[T]he arrests of...the protesters may have been ...a ...strategy designed by Big Labor-backed WakeUpWalMart.com.

WakeUpWalMart is a new class of union thugs. Intellectual elite thugs.

If your product, or service -- or protest -- makes kids cry, you have a questionable corporate strategy.

Merry Christmas.

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Thank you (foot)notes:

Joel Mowbray occasionally writes for The Washington Times.

See Wal Mart Insider's Top 100 Blog Posts

Over 10,000 claimed by Wake-Up Wal*Mart.

Capitalism = Poverty for the Majority. Fight for a Socialist Future -- Join the campaign for a new mass workers party says Wal*Mart is to blame for the world's ills..

Be sure to visit JollyBlogger who has more on Paul Johnson.

Posted at 8:05 AM | Permalink
Comments (6) | TrackBacks (2)

Wal*Mart

Starling David Hunter III, Ph.D., has a series of posts on Wal*Mart. See Political Dimensions and the Zogby Polling bias. And the T-Shirt Edition.

There's hope for the academy. You'll find it at The Business of America is Business. Not at Crooked Timber.

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Thank you (foot)notes:

Professor Hunter would be a small reason for the run-up in Exxon stock where he worked in the early 90's. My family thanks him. We have an interest in Exxon's success.

Posted at 8:04 AM | Permalink
Comments (0)

Wal*MartRecent polls on Wal*Mart report that the public likes the retailer less and less. Their "favorability" rating is going down; negatives up.

But is this true? Is Wal*Mart an unsavory corporate citizen? Is the public perception perceptive?

Or, are the masses merely (jack)asses?

Your Business Blogger thinks neither.

Two reasons:

1)The companies conducting the polls, and

2) The group that paid for the polls.

One poll cited was run by Zogby. Normally right of center, I would submit that his numbers are biased.

The second poll by Lake, Snell & Perry reports the same Wal*Mart negatives. Lake, Snell & Perry is left of center.

Both polls are possibly wrong; certainly suspect.

The lefties at Lake et. al. can be dismissed as liberal Democrats biased toward unions.

But, the Zogby results should also be discounted. Joel Mowbray reports in The Washington Times that Zogby was a paid expert witness against Wal*Mart:

In recent years, Mr. Zogby has pocketed roughly $90,000 to serve as an expert witness for individuals suing Wal-Mart, according to testimony he gave in a deposition last year in an Arizona case.

Nowhere is Mr. Zogby's prior work on behalf of plaintiffs mentioned in the press release announcing the poll results.

Finally, the polls were commissioned by Wake Up Wal*Mart, the pro-union anti-Wal*Mart group.

The polling numbers cannot be trusted. Consumer confidence in Wal*Mart should not be measured by Wal*Mart opponents.

Polling companies are sometimes like consultants. They will give you what you ask for.

As long as you pay them.

* * *
Previous Wal*Mart posts.



WalMart Protesters

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Thank you (foot)notes:

Business Pundit has a strategy for the anti-Wal*Mart groups.

Writing on the wal says Wal*Mart is over.

Narcissic Views has outstanding analysis of (extorted) Wal*Mart ad buys.

Update: 29 Dec 2005 Going to the Mat continues reporting the Zogby poll without mentioning bias.

Posted at 7:03 PM | Permalink
Comments (2)

The UnHappy Face of the
'Dark Side of
"everyday low prices"'
The November issue of Fast Company tells us that Wal-Mart incarcerates the night shift in some of its stores -- byline Charles Fishman:

We've read that in 10% of its stores, Wal-Mart locks its employees inside overnight, making it difficult even for people who are sick or injured to get out.

We've read? Mr. Fishman, read? You, ace journalist from Fast Company must use a secondary source? You can't pick up the phone, make a long distance call to Bentonville, Arkansas and ask for a comment, a reaction?

Even a supermarket tabloid would call Wal-Mart.

Or a blogger.

So I called Marty Heires, a company spokesman. He picked up the phone -- that's his job, answering calls from journalists bloggers -- and explained the lockdown:

For stores that are not open 24 hours, it is a normal thing to lock entrances for the protection of the associates. We don't want people to walk in [attracted by unattended] by the cash registers. The stores are locked from the inside and the managers have the keys.

Safety? Every Wal-Mart building is subject to, and in compliance with local fire regulations. Employees can get out; rescue can get in.

Please pardon the exasperation of Your Business Blogger. I am disappointed that Fast Company has now become, and is now behaving, like main stream media. Note the childlike scare quotes of "everyday low prices" that would not even be seen in a low-volume blog.

The Fast Company hit piece continued, insulting the Wal-Mart patron:

Shoppers, whether enthusiastic...or just uninformed, continue to buy what Wal-Mart is selling.

And just who would be the "uninformed" [stupid] shopper?

That would be me, Your Business Blogger. Kids, conservative, SUV and a belief in the right-to-work and wealth-creation capitalism.

Not Fast Company. The recent issue of Fast Company looks back to a decade-old cover about a Wal-Mart rant, "The Wal-Mart You Don't Know." The lefty-edgey mag cares little for the big retailer.

In an earlier post, "Why Elites Hate WalMart," I detailed 5 reasons for the discontent, but I left out technology elites in the Fast Company masthead and market segment in New York City.

Fast Company seems to be disappointed that Wal-Mart profits are up. Way up -- 30% in the past two years. Sales increased by a jaw-dropping $56 billion.

I asked Marty, the Wal-Mart spokesman, "Do people buy what Wal-Mart is selling?"

"They certainly do."

Selling at "everyday low prices" -- so low they are scary.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Full Disclosure: I am a Sam's Club Business Member. And you should be one too.

Don Suber has Wal-Mart wanting protection.

Pekin has Econ 101.

Penn doesn't shop at Wal-Mart.

Republic of Heaven wants Wal-Mart to do abortions.

The Merchant Account Blog has law suits.

Mudville Gazette has Open Post.

Outside the Beltway has Traffic Jam.

Basil's Blog has covered dish trackbacks.

Insults Unpunished explains why Wal-Mart wants increase in minimum wage.

Posted at 8:43 AM | Permalink
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Ten reasons economic anarchists have not taken kindly to your Business Blogger:


Elephane Eggs

referred by Loaded Mouth
1) I spent $96.95 to fill my gas tank and didn't blame President George Bush.

2) I put the gas in an SUV, a Suburban, giant monster truck.

3) To haul my overpopulating five children.

4) While stopped at Sam's and WalMart.

5) On our way to a Bible study.

6) In land-grabbing suburbia.

7) After supersizing at MacDonald's.

8) Following a little league baseball game where they, gasp!, kept score.

5 May 1990

9) While hanging with the mother of my said children.

10) Whom I met when she worked in the Reagan Administration.

10)(a) After I got out of United States Armed Forces.

Thank You (foot)notes

No Cleveland WalMart has more at "Poor Jack Yoest"

TAS at LoadedMouth corrects Yoest.org -- Truth or Consequences is their tag line, not their title. Ad hominems included. Debate not.

See the best of faith-based capitalism Compensation Contest at Reasoned Audacity.

Visit Mudville Gazette at Open Post. And while you're there drive by Below the Beltway on Economics in One Lesson on gas pricing.

Starling Hunter at The Business of America has the Wal Mart Carnival.

Posted at 5:27 AM | Permalink
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"Law-breaker, union-buster, tax-escapee..." says Ralph Nader about WalMart. The generosity of $17 million by the retailing giant during the Katrina Aftermath has muted criticism, but changed few minds.


WalMart Protesters
Why do left of center political activists picket and pick on this American success story?

There are five basic reasons this market segment of Blue State politically liberal consumers do not care much for WalMart:

First, WalMart is a 'Right to Work' company, an open shop. WalMart sees little need for unions, but neither do employees. Low-cost WalMart doesn't care for high-cost unions. The only people interested in unionizing WalMart are unions themselves and the Democrat Party.


Child-like Mocking
Second, WalMart's political donations favor the Grand Old Party. Readers will remember the Fast Company chart depicting political donations of various companies: Starbucks gives to Democrats; Dunkin' Donuts to Republicans. WalMart supports the red in Republican; Costco loves blue Democrats.

Third, Corporate WalMart is Pro-life. For example, the crisis pregnancy center in Baltimore recently received a grant from the retailer. The Left and our feminist friends at the National Organization of Women do not like this brand of private sector activism.

Fourth, WalMart makes money, lots of money. WalMart sales are the largest in the world at $220 billion, with $7 billion in profits. Which is too much money for critics like activist Jim Hightower. And liberals and governments want a say in how all this loot is distributed.

Fifth, WalMart is heartless to competitors. It is the All-American retail marketing-machine: big, patriotic, delivering goods to families faster, better, cheaper. And . . .crushing little mom and pop boutiques. Survival of the cheapest, so to say, isn't pretty. (This is the only Darwinism the Left doesn't like.)

WalMart has whipped up the perfect storm for the Liberal worldview: generous, pro-life, pro-Bush, pro-war, pro-American.

For more conversation --

WalMart sues blogger Duane Gran.

As one could guess Daily Kos doesn't care for WalMart. Warning: adult language in D-Kos comments.

More opinions at AllWaysSlowPrices

The leftist American Street is not happy about the lack of progress on WalMart boycotts.

WalMart Watch doesn't care for the Arkansas company. A well done blog except, perhaps, for the snarky content.

These Leftist do have style: Wake-Up Wal-Mart. See what union money from the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union will buy for a blog.

Feministing would give WalMart the finger.

Anti-WalMart at No Cleveland WalMart hat tip credit to NRO

Goodness, the WalMart hating Marxists have clever logos.

Labor Blog has WalMart Nazi story.

Business Blog Consulting says WalMart needs a business blog.

Boston Activists Blast Wal-Mart reports The American Constitution Society.

Movie Marketing Update has info on new anti-Walmart DVD,

Based on an early look at blog trend tracking sites like Blogpulse, Icerocket and Technorati, the chatter in the blogosphere is just starting to pick up. But once the amplifying effect of thousands of linking blogs takes hold, expect this film to generate massive grassroots level buzz as the November 13th [2005]release date approaches.

The BoxTank says "...f*ck George Bush" in the boxtank to take a break until after the favorable WalMart publicity dies down, I think.

Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind reports WalMart is actually in the publishing business.

Think Progress say WalMart's generosity isn't enough.

Truth or Consequences has more on WalMart looters.

UPDATE: Read Brand Autopsy on WalMart feel-good.

UPDATE: Wizbang on WalMart outsourcing. Not what you think.

Update: Protesting Report at Volokh

Update: Venture Chronicles reports on pickets.

Update 9.16.05: Truck and Barter has an outstanding analysis of efficiency at Spend Time in the Lunchroom.

Update 9.16.05: VoluntaryXchange asks questions about union activity.

Update 26 Sept: Sepia Mutiny say WalMart is as evil as Starbucks.

Memory Keeper says there is no free lunch.

Update: 11 Oct 2005 Chip Mathis has why do lefties hate WalMart?

Update 13 Oct 2005 Individual and Community has more on multi-level marketing.

Update 25 Oct Business Pundit askes if WalMart is a Good Corporate Citizen?

Credo Advisors has comments.

Update 23 Nov 2005 The Business of America is Business has an outstanding analysis on The Political Dimensions.

Update 10 July 2006 This post was included in the Carnival of Wal-Mart I hosted by The Business of America is Business.

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