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Funny how that happened…

Funny how none of the progressive “achievements”happened before capitalism made them possible.


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video

Video: Peter Schiff “for” Higher WalMart Worker Pay

This is a little demonstration/experiment pertaining to a currently celebrated cause.

Not everybody is amused by Schiff’s stunt. But not everybody sees it as pointless, either.

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free trade & free markets

Pot, Kettle; Walmart, The Nation

Writing about Walmart is like reading The Nation: neither is as much fun as shopping at Walmart.

At Walmart I get good deals. In The Nation I get skewed analysis. Just look at the old progressive rag’s online “petition” to Walmart:

While Walmart rakes in annual profits of more than one billion dollars, the average hourly wage of a Walmart sales associate . . . is just $8.81. That translates to an annual salary . . . far below the federal poverty level for a family of four.

On top of being unjust, Walmart’s low wages come at a high price for American taxpayers: a recent report revealed that, because the retail giant’s employees are forced to utilize government benefits to supplement their meager income, a single Walmart Supercenter could cost taxpayers from $900,000 to $1.7 million per year.

Typical: there’s so much left out.

What would Walmart workers’ wages be if Walmart hadn’t employed them? More? Not plausible. Walmart’s mom-and-pop competition typically pay lower wages.

Net effect: Walmart lifts workers out of poverty.

Whose responsibility is it to feed “a family of four”? The employer of one family member? No. The parents in the family, who might be morally compelled to develop more lucrative skills or a plan for abstinence. (Of course, many Walmart workers are single, or have spouses or parents who work as well.)

Recently, a Walmart bigwig got a bit testy and sent out an email noting that The Nation has been paying its interns a monthly stipend of $150 per week, far below the minimum wage.

Normally I’d defend The Nation’s (and the nation’s) internship policies. But for now let’s just chuckle.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.