Ok, so if Wal-Mart's stated goal is to have one of their supercenters within 5 miles of every person in the United States, how can that be good for the free enterprise and entrepreneurship (sp)? When you have one location dominating the sales of so many different types of goods, how does that advance the "free market" and our right to start a business to fill a need? one place filling all the needs sure doesnt seem very capitalist, in fact, the more i read about Wal-Mart, the more it sounds like that if the US Government dissapeared tomorrow, and Wal-Mart reached its stated goals for expansion and market control, we would essentially be living in the Soviet Union or China when it comes to the market, with Wal-Mart as the acting autocracy controlling the bulk of goods exchange.

and no, this couldnt go in the other thread, because all people in the other one would address is the wage issue.

Oh, yeah, I also liked this stat: Bill Gates gives 58% of earnings to his charities. The Walton family? Around 1%.

[Edited on November 18, 2005 at 11:28 PM. Reason : .]

11/18/2005 11:22:10 PM

Walmart has an excellent way fo doing business. If anyone can find a better way to do it they are certainly welcome to try. If Walmart fails to deliver, then it encourages competition to reemerge. Thing is, with all the regulations in place in makes it hard for competition to reemerge. I wonder what Walmart thinks of such regulations?

11/19/2005 2:24:20 AM

taking advantage of our tax dollars for their employees' heathcare and strongarming local governments into giving them special favor over all over competition (ethics? huh?) is a great way to do business!

11/19/2005 2:37:45 AM

Quote :

"taking advantage of our tax dollars for their employees' heathcare and strongarming local governments into giving them special favor over all over competition (ethics? huh?) is a great way to do business!"

Get rid of government funded healthcare and the first problem would be solved. As for strongarming local governments, I would like some examples of this.

11/19/2005 2:51:41 AM

I have to say, as far as marts go.. it's a good 'un

11/19/2005 2:53:52 AM

get rid of govt. funded healthcare, and alot of their employees wouldnt HAVE healthcare.

but then again, its unskilled labor, not like any other unskilled jobs do healthcare, right?

costco can do it, supermarkets can do it (i know Ingles in NC does, as does Publix here in Florida)why not walmart? why is there such as disparity between health benefits it provides and the benefits other companies who rely on unskilled labor provide. or maybe you'd just rather people go without. everyone can be like you, right? get real.

Strongarming gov? well, they do get 1 billion in taxpayer subsidies every year from local governments, while other businesses (chain or not) arent given nearly as much. can't give you a link, i read this in Business Week awhile ago when I was bored at the doctors.

listen, youre a libertarian or something, we get it. i think youll find that not everyone here agrees with you, and its best to not play up this whole "i have all the answers, look at me" thing. most people dont fucking care.

plus youre salisburyboy v.2. plus, you think everything is socialism. plus, you keep saying the same damn stuff over and over about this and its going nowhere. plus, youre a freshman and you have alot to learn.

besides, your posed question for discussion is: is wal-mart good for free enterprise in the united states?

[Edited on November 19, 2005 at 3:44 AM. Reason : .]

11/19/2005 3:38:44 AM

Quote :

"costco can do it, supermarkets can do it (i know Ingles in NC does, as does Publix here in Florida)why not walmart? why is there such as disparity between health benefits it provides and the benefits other companies who rely on unskilled labor provide. or maybe you'd just rather people go without. everyone can be like you, right? get real."

Why can't they do it? Because they don't want to. If the employees don't like it, they can quit and go work for Costco since it's so great. If enough employees leave and Walmart is unable to feel it's ranks with the employees it needs then they will be forced to change. Personally I don't understand why so many people hate Walmart. If you don't like them, don't patronize their business and shut the hell up. But don't try and ruin the good bargins for everyone else just because YOU don't agree with the way they do business.

Quote :

"get rid of govt. funded healthcare, and alot of their employees wouldnt HAVE healthcare."

So what? Why should I be forced to pay for someone elses living expenses? If you don't have enough money to afford healthcare then you do without.

Quote :

"but then again, its unskilled labor, not like any other unskilled jobs do healthcare, right?"

Not understanding you question. Are you asking if the are unskilled laborers in the healthcare field? Or are you talking about other unskilled workers at companies other than Walmart?

Quote :

"Strongarming gov? well, they do get 1 billion in taxpayer subsidies every year from local governments, while other businesses (chain or not) arent given nearly as much. can't give you a link, i read this in Business Week awhile ago when I was bored at the doctors."

I believe you. I believe the subsidies (in any industry) should be abolished. They are anti-capitalist and reek of socialism. I think this is one point we will agree on (one of the few).

Quote :

"listen, youre a libertarian or something, we get it. i think youll find that not everyone here agrees with you, and its best to not play up this whole "i have all the answers, look at me" thing. most people dont fucking care."

Sorry if I came off as arrogant. I realize that most people don't agree with me and I certainly don't have all the answers.

Quote :

"plus youre salisburyboy v.2. plus, you think everything is socialism. plus, you keep saying the same damn stuff over and over about this and its going nowhere. plus, youre a freshman and you have alot to learn."

I don't think everything is socialism. The only thing I think the government should provide are the essentials which are the military (to protect us from foreign threats), law enforcement (to protect us from domestic threats), and the judicial system (to interpret the laws). All this extra stuff like public education, welfare, public transportation I feel should be done away with because most of it is unconstitutional and is very inefficient and wasteful.

11/19/2005 3:57:06 AM

I think a lot of people mis-understand. We are not libertarian because we think we have all the answers, if we figured that we did then we would be in favor of economic systems that take advantage of our knowledge by placing our political representatives in charge of everything so they can apply that perfect knowledge.

Being libertarian implies that we have no answers, none at all and we realize that. Therefore, we are in favor of a political/economic system which allows everyone to find their own answers to living. Some may not anything that works and live in misery. Some, like wal-mart, will be remarkably successful at having answers, so they will be successful and get even more economic power.

But as "smart" as the people at Wal-Mart are, in keeping with libertarian philosophy they cannot always have the right answers and therefore they will never be able to maintain an all-powerful position. Like we say, we have no idea what is going to happen in the future, but as much as we admire economic success we fervently believe that as long as Wal-Mart does not start violating the rules of the game, (no force no fraud) then everyone will be able to find the answers that work for them. .

11/19/2005 9:20:35 AM

Are there any corporations that liberals don't hate?

11/19/2005 9:37:22 AM

OF COURSE NOT

DURPITTY DURRRRRRRR

11/19/2005 9:58:58 AM

^ Name one corportation (other than Heinz Ketchup) if you don't mind.

11/19/2005 10:02:03 AM

i agreed with you

11/19/2005 10:26:40 AM

Quote :

" 'The Only Lifeline Was the Wal-Mart' The world's biggest company flexed its massive distribution muscle to deliver vital supplies to victims of Katrina. Inside an operation that could teach FEMA a thing or two. "

http://www.fortune.com/fortune/articles/0,15114,1106179,00.html

11/19/2005 12:33:38 PM

^
"That wasn't philanthropy, that was just PR!" [/teh L3ft]

11/19/2005 12:47:03 PM

Quote :

"The only thing I think the government should provide are the essentials which are the military (to protect us from foreign threats), law enforcement (to protect us from domestic threats), and the judicial system (to interpret the laws). All this extra stuff like public education, welfare, public transportation I feel should be done away with because most of it is unconstitutional and is very inefficient and wasteful."

dude, just vote libertarian, and save your energy for something other than arguing on internet message boards. save it for when democrats and republicans in the state house vote to remove the libertarian party from the ballot.

11/19/2005 12:59:10 PM

Quote :

"Are there any corporations that liberals don't hate?"

Of course there are, you jackass.

11/19/2005 3:49:27 PM

they dont hate hollywood

11/19/2005 4:06:49 PM

Or public radio, the NPR or Corporation of Public Broadcasting or whatever it's called.

But, first and foremost liberals love government. That's the biggest monopoly in the US, at least at Walmart I can return stuff that doesn't work. Maybe I'll try that next year, hey government give me back my money, you don't represent my views and as such I demand a refund. Hmmm, that'll work.

[Edited on November 19, 2005 at 5:15 PM. Reason : t]

11/19/2005 5:14:12 PM

Quote :

"Are there any corporations that liberals don't hate? "

youre still a fucking moron. i make a thread in favor of free enterprise and you drag this out, as usual. read for one, plz. youre no better than BIG GIRL in that respect.

the point of this thread was to discuss whether big box retailers like Wal-Mart are good for free enterprise and entrepreneuship, and noone has even bothered to discuss that b/c all anyone here wants to do is bitch about "LIBERAL BLAH BLAH BLAH, CONSERVATIVES BLAH BLAH BLAH, YOU HATE FREEDOM, YOU HATE CAPITALISM B/C YOU VOTED FOR KERRY, BUSH SUPPORTERS ARE ALL MORONS". This place has gone to hell. You see something not praising them, and automatically assume "OMG COMMIE CAPTITALIST HATERS", when i was NEVER trying to say that. I like free enterprise, i like having the freedom to start my own business if i like, but noone here cares b/c im not agreeing w/ all the righties on here, and thus i hate all that stuff.



[Edited on November 19, 2005 at 5:37 PM. Reason : .]

11/19/2005 5:30:37 PM

Quote :

"one place filling all the needs sure doesnt seem very capitalist,"

it sounds very capitalist to me. They found the store under the well proved idea that a store that offers a wide variety of products will do better than a specialized one, clearly to make more money. If you have a idealist picture of capalism, then of course it doesn't seem capitalist. In ideal capatalism nothing will ever take that large of the market and it will be kept in very check very well by all the other chains.

But the reality of capatalism is that we wait for something to get bigger, get more market, and get more efficent because they have more of the market and then snuff out everyone else. Then the govt or something else does something that is not particularly capitalist to keep it from destroying the entire industry.

If you didn't get more power to surpass the competition by getting bigger this would be innaplicable. Think about lakes, they very rarley have more than one river flowing out of them, and if it does, then there is a good chance it won't a few decades later.

11/19/2005 5:47:33 PM

i think most americans would agree that they like free enterprise, but they dont like monopolies. i think most people would prefer to keep anti-trust acts in place. i dont think theyre going anywhere anytime soon and i like that, whether you want to make a sweeping generalization and call me a socialist or not, its your own dumb judgement.

[Edited on November 19, 2005 at 6:23 PM. Reason : .]

11/19/2005 6:20:08 PM

I believe you are right in that respect. The only debate is whether or not they are necessary or even beneficial, but as far as "socialist policies" go, anti-trust laws are the most tollerable. Especially when they are never used

11/20/2005 9:13:08 AM

i dont think "most americans" know shit about economics and thus probably have no decent opinion either way.

it is the same reason that "if they have such bad business ethics dont shop there" doesnt work. cuz american ppl are uninformed.

on a seperate note, "go work for costco" doesnt exactly work when you have 5 walmarts in your area and 1 (or no) costcos. gotta make a living somehow, cant wait or move constantly. it isnt like costco has an endless supply of jobs. it is quite possible if there were 1 of each, the jobs in costco would fill first, but there are so many unskilled laborers that they work at walmart cuz thats the best place left.

i beleive you when you are all informed on your own decisions, but your solutions (both ways) are well beyond reason considering our market is saturated with dumbasses.

[Edited on November 20, 2005 at 11:09 AM. Reason : .]

11/20/2005 11:07:42 AM

Wal-Mart has created a place for patrons to buy cheap and affordable goods. I think that communists like Luigi (happy now?) would like that the poor in this country are given such a wonderful option at their purchasing disposal.

11/20/2005 3:45:30 PM

omg, more competition and paying 10 cents more will drive us all to bankruptcy

i swear, are there any businesses youre at all skeptical of? or do you just think that since theyre not the gov, they can be trusted entirely?

i dont trust anyone. not the gov., not business, and not most people.

11/20/2005 3:48:21 PM

Sure. Heinz ketchup.

There are corrupt businesses out there who have been found guilty of various offenses but they are the exception and not the norm.

11/20/2005 3:54:31 PM

LOLOLolol JOHN KERRY

but seriously, its not like business leaders take genius pills that political leaders dont take, and we're responsible, as citizens affected by them, to remain skeptical.

[Edited on November 20, 2005 at 3:57 PM. Reason : .]

11/20/2005 3:55:26 PM