Bad Wal-Mart? A Liberal Myth

Y’know, Wal-Mart is under attack from the left because of their politics; but unions and the liberal media attack Wal-Mart in the context of being bad for poor and working class Americans. Senator Edward M. Kennedy and other politicians from the Senate all the way down to municipalities attack Wal-Mart on completely unfounded charges:

From a South Bay Daily Breeze editorial:

As the world’s largest retailer and America’s largest private employer, Wal-Mart inevitably will be the target of criticism. Given the company’s disdain for unions, it’s no wonder unions loathe it so. But what doesn’t make sense is how the unions’ assertion that Wal-Mart is the enemy of poor people has become close to conventional wisdom among Democrats and many journalists. The case for this claim is flimsy.

This is made plain by a new study, “Wal-Mart: A Progressive Success Story,” by New York University professor Jason Furman.

Furman shows that Wal-Mart’s prices for consumer goods are almost uniformly the cheapest around. Not only that, in areas with Wal-Marts, other retailers also lower their prices.

Read the complete editorial Wal-Mart hardly enemy of poor.

As it is, Wal-Mart offers opportunities for motivated individuals and lower prices to the consumer – something that unions, democrats and many journalists hate.

Now, if Sam Walton, or one of his clan, had drowned a woman while being stupid, reckless and negligent, then perhaps Wal-Mart should be criticized for their policies and business practices today.

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