Uncategorized
Walmartization?
December 17, 2011 | 
Author I recently read an article that was very negative about the effects Wal-mart has had on the economy. I would link the article, however it was full of so many mis-statements and downright twisting of statistics I think it a disservice to the reader to subject them to the class warfare nonsense.
Rather, it seems better to just pose the question is Wal-Mart good for the US?
I have personal experience with the destruction Wal-Mart can have on a community, having said that destruction is not always a bad thing. My father owned a rather large sporting goods store in a small community, it was roughly the size of a Big 5 store with a mix of goods tended toward hunting and fishing. The store was very prosperous, I won’t go into the numbers because it is irrelevant but it was prosperous. That little store provided a good living for my father and three “nowhere dead-end” jobs suitable for retirees or highschool kids which I was at the time. Having said that, the only person at that store who could have been considered a “career” person would have been the owner. The rest of us were just biding our time or working for pocket cash as in the case of the “part-timers” my father employed.
That little store was put out of business by Wal-Mart, our store simply could not compete with Wal-marts buying power, and we bought “wholesale” at the same prices Wal-Mart sold retail. No matter what we did we couldn’t figure out how to go toe to toe with them, as for many items we sold price was the determining factor. So in the case of this illustration Wal-Mart was “Bad” for my father but was it bad for the community in general?
At the time I was getting paid $5 bucks an hour some of the other employees were paid more. Walmart’s entry-level pay was $9, they employed about 100 people in all skill levels along the pay curve. Many people began work there after quitting other lower paying jobs. So the net effect in our community was; several boutique style stores went out of business, hurting their owners but benefiting their employees as they were now employed by the Wal-Mart, at high wages with the option of career advancement, something that is not available in any small business.
The lower prices and higher service walmart provided raised the standard of living in the community by lowering the cost of everyday goods. Allowing their customers more disposable income. Within a year of Wal-Mart a bunch of “new” businesses opened, mainly restaurants. No doubt a result of the extra disposable income created by the savings on necessities that Wal-Mart brought.
So the net result of Wal-Mart was actually positive! Far from destroying small business Wal-Mart created opportunities for business that would not have existed without them. If you ask my dad today I think he would agree even though he is still chagrined by the loss of his store.
Thomas Jefferson’s “Wolf By The Ears”
Thomas Jefferson once commented on slavery as being like holding a wolf by the ears, You can’t do it forever, but you really don’t want to let go.
We have a similar “Wolf” today, currently 40% of the Federal Budget is allocated to Medicare and other social programs. The bulk of which is actually Medicare. The fastest growing un-funded liability in the Federal Budget is Medicare, according to the Congressional Budget Office, if unchecked Medicare spending will be 60% of the Federal Budget in a few short years. Think about that for a moment and let it sink in.
60% of the Federal Budget will be going to Medicare, with such a big bull running around the china shop, I wonder why we are talking about ridiculous things like bridges to no-where or John Murtha’s airport. 60% of the budget is going to be spent on extra-constitutional welfare. This is enough to break the country.
So what do we do about it?
Why is this not a national story?
It seems like no-one will touch it, I understand why politicians wont touch it, since the elderly are the single largest segment of likely voters. However I don’t know why, this story is ignored by others. In a time of national fiscal crisis it seems that the single biggest budget buster ought to be on the table for discussion.
In my opinion it out to be eliminated, or at least severely curtailed so only destitute persons could partake. At the very least we should eliminate the loopholes that allow companies to direct market scooters to greedy old timers.
Posted in Tea Party, Uncategorized | 
Tags: AARP, budget deficit, Congressional Budget Office, deficit, deflation, Democrat, Government, Health, Health Care, Health Insurance, HealthCare, Healthcare in Australia, Healthcare in the United States, Healthcare reform in the United States, John Murtha, Liberals, Lyndon B. Johnson, Medicaid, Medicare, obama, Obama Care, ObamaCare, Social Issues, Socialised Medicine, Thomas Jefferson, United States federal budget, Welfare, Welfare state | 
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BBC NEWS | Americas | Obama vows to rebuild New Orleans
Greensburg, Kan, destroyed by a tornado – leveled by a tornado, I drove through this town shortly after the event and the town was, well Basically it was gone.
I also drove through New Orleans shortly after Katrina, and New Orleans was NOT gone. In fact it looked just as dumpy as it did before Katrina. With the exception that things looked a little wetter.
Now again its important to know that Greensburg, Kans. was totally gone, the tornado left it erased, as if a giant bulldozer pushed the town into a ruble pit. Nothing of this magnitude happened to New Orleans. The Big Easy, was under water in some neighborhoods for a few weeks. It was smelly, sure, moldy of course, but NOT erased.
Have you ever heard of Greensburg, Kans., it has been rebuilt from the ground up. Why – the residents didn’t sit around bitching at the government for help. They went to work. There, were no Rebuild Greensburg rallies or petitions to congress, it was just resident with shovels.
I cant imagine the mentality of people who refuse to clean up there own yards and then blame the rest of the country for the toilet of a city they live in.
Why isn’t Mobile, Al still in ruin – it was hit as hard?
I’m not sure, but I guess that New Orleans is still a wreck because the People of New Orleans wont get off their dead rear-ends and clean it up themselves.
They shouldn’t be given any Federal money, not one cent. The problem with New Orleans is not Katrina, but rather a culture of corruption in its politics and laziness by its citizens. New Orleans acts like it is the only city that has ever had a natural disaster.
Shame on YOU – New Orleans residents, clean up your own back yards.
BBC NEWS | Americas | Obama vows to rebuild New Orleans
Posted in General Idiocy, Uncategorized | Tags: cent, Disaster/Accident, Greensburg, Hurricane Katrina, Kansas, Katrina, Liberals, Natural Disaster, New Orleans, obama, Planet Green, The Big Easy | No Comments »
British Doctors Leave Preemie to Die – ParentDish
British Doctors Leave Preemie to Die – ParentDish
WOW – It is true care for Prematurely born infants can be expensive. However, is that a justifiable reason to let the baby just die?
This is unbelievable – not so much that this would happen in England – but that YOU want this type of system in the United States. Talk about death panels. In the English and Canadian wonderful socialized health systems, treatable illnesses routinely result in DEATH because of the LACK of treatment. In every category I read about, the United States has higher survival rates when comparing disease to disease.
Even if we didn’t – at least in the US you get treated. Can you imagine the fallout had this happened in any US hospital. Health care in the US is expensive – but would you rather be DEAD.
Would you rather declare bankruptcy, and have a living child – or not declare bankruptcy and have your baby die in your arms, IN a hospital that refuses care because in your FREE health care system care is not allowed.
What the hell kind of doctors do they have in the UK anyway?
I don’t have any children, but I know if this had happened to me and I was in the hospital and a doctor refused care to my child – the doctor himself would need to be admitted to the ER for care.
This is just another example of why, you should not want Government provided healthcare.
Remember – EXPENSIVE – healthcare that allows you to be treated is WAY cheaper than FREE healthcare that forces you to DIE.
Posted in HealthCare, Uncategorized | Tags: Abortion, Democrat, disease, Health, Health Care, Health care in the United States, Health care system, Health economics, Health Insurance, Health policy, Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals, HealthCare, Medicine, obama, Obama Care, Philosophy of healthcare, Republican, Social Issues, Socialised Medicine, Socialized medicine, United Kingdom, United States, US hospital, wonderful socialized health systems | No Comments »
Reaction: Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize | 44 | washingtonpost.com
Congratulations, a less deserving person could not have been picked. President Obama has entered the ranks of such notables as Yasser Arafat.
This award goes to show that if a person gets up every day, becomes a communist, gets elected to the office of President of The United States through massive alleged voter fraud by groups such as ACORN, that his accomplishments will be recognized by a group of leftwing wackos in Europe.
Reaction: Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize | 44 | washingtonpost.com
Posted in General Idiocy, Uncategorized | Tags: anti-christ, Arafat, are you kidding me, Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, Barack Obama, Electoral fraud, Europe, nobel prize, obama, Palestine Liberation Organization, Palestinian nationalism, Palestinian people, Politics, President, Rebels, Yasser, yasser arafat | No Comments »
The Arab Conspiracy to DUMP the US Dollar
At least thats what its being called. News reports have surfaced recently that the oil producing nations have been having secret meetings with the intent if dropping the US Dollar as a meduim for exchange and instead creating a NEW currency or a baskett currency. This has widely reported as some sort of ANTI-American conspiracy.
Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, the US Congress is to blame for all the woes facing the Dollar. If the Dollar was holding its value these other governments would not want to dump it. However, as Congress continues on with its plan of massive government spending not supported by by the tax base or economic growth there can be only one outcome and that is a devalued dollar.
As the Government deficit spends (Spends Money Not Supported by Tax Revenue) they have to print money in order to do it. When you print money faster than an economy grows you devalue the money currently in circulation. Any time you have more of something the price goes down. Now if you had an investment in your neighbors house and you discovered your neighbor was going to tear the house down, would you not want to rid yourself of this investment before your neighbor makes it worthless?
Of course you would, and thats what is going on with the push to rid the world of the deflating US Dollar. Its not ANTI-American – in fact for americans who want a small Government which obeys its Constitution restrictions this is the best thing that can happen. If were lucky the rest of the world will drop the dollar and this will force Congress back in check.
Health Care a New Angle
Today while musing on the looming government take over of health care. I was caught wondering not whether it was a good idea for the Federal government to take it over, or ever if it is necessary.
The thought the popped in my head is whether it is APPROPRIATE for the Federal government to take it over. The genius of the United States is that we have by design a separation of powers, not only at the Federal level but also in each of the states. The separation was devised by our founders as a way to keep government from becoming too oppressive. What is called GRIDLOCK today, and demonized by those in power who seek to take away our freedoms is actually there by the intention of our founders.
As I read the constitution I see that the role of the Federal government is strictly limited by the document which serves to set it up. The federal government is to Provide for a common defense, regulate trade between the states and strike treaties with foreign governments.
I don’t see where the Federal government is given the power to interfere with my relationship with a doctor. In fact what I see in the Constitution is that the Federal government is STRICTLY prohibited from interfering with such relationships. All powers not given to the federal government are to be left to the people and the states.
So, it seems to me that it is irrelevant whether HEALHCARE, needs an overhaul or not, this simply begs the question. If healthcare did need an overhaul, said overhaul should be going on at the State level. Several States have already introduced socialized health-care reforms, perhaps those desiring socialized medicine should move to those States. Tennessee, and Massachusetts, come to mind immediately.
The saddest part of this recent power grab, is that the argument is not whether it is appropriate. When beginning any reform the first question to be asked is whether or not the governing body actually has the authority to institute the reform. In the case of health care it clear that the federal government DOES NOT have this authority.
Posted in HealthCare, Tea Party, Uncategorized | Tags: Constitutional law, Federal Government, Health, Health Care, Health economics, Health Insurance, Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals, HealthCare, Medicine, obama, ObamaCare, Political positions of Ron Paul, Politics, Publicly-funded health care, Separation of powers, Socialised Medicine, Socialized medicine, United States Constitution | No Comments »