Retail Politics

Corporations have long been a distressing thought on presidents on the minds of American Presidents
Abraham Lincoln wrote about corporations during the civil war because he had concerns about the restrictions that he had lifted on them in order to mobilize the war effort.
"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. ... corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."------- U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 21, 1864
Ironically the very amendments that allowed Corporations to collect so much power are the very amendments that provided freedom from the horrors of slavery. Corporate lawyers were able take these amendments and apply them to Corporations for purposes that they were not intended to be used. Wall-mart is an example of Corporate greed and depression of wages. They are a malicious company that drives out all other competition and is a drain on the economy over the long term there is no benefit to having a Corporation like this in the US and they should be dealt with by the Federal Government in very harsh terms.

I was beginning to wonder if there could be an entity on the planet as bad as the ChiComs (chinese communists)....now I see there is. Wal-Mart is nothing mroe than a terrorist-like dictatorship. I know it would never happen because there are way too many low-income people across the nation. Yet, what an absolute joy it would be to see everyone in the nation boycott Wal-Mart. I find the way the treat their employees disgusting and reprehensible. I find their business tactics and the way they ruin a community to be disgusting and reprehensible. It's been well over a year since I darkened the doors of a Wal-Mart store....and I will not go back to one unless it's just absolutely necessary.

I see the pendulum at work here. It does its best work with very large systems. Large systems get large because they work well for many people. Wal Mart worked well for many people, being those who needed cheaper goods and a lot of people who needed jobs. But, large systems gain power and the power does its usual job of corrupting those who wield the power. One of the symptoms of that corruption is the abuse of the power. It could be said that trying to control the political thought and conduct of one's employees is an abuse of power by an employer who does this. One of the principles of our early beginnings was to allow religious and political freedom to our citizens. Admittedly, at first most of the political freedom was given to property owners, both land and slaves. More for land, less for slaves, each one counting for only 2/3 of a person. But, since then, these freedoms have been granted to all of us, even those who own no real estate, and certainly for a long time now, own no slaves. Ironically, what we see here is almost a master's control over a slave by Wal Mart over its employees. Think about it. You need to work. You have a job. Your employer begins to control more than his right by trying to make you think in a way that is exclusively for his benefit and none of yours by requiring you to follow his politics over your own. Voila, a new master emerges looking for a new slave. The humble beginnings. The pendulum swings up then, a little too high for gravity not to start pulling it back down toward a protective union of employees to counteract the master-servant relationship. Wal Mart is asking for it. Why not just give it to them now, before they go too far?

this journalist didn't do a complete job of researching the topic. In a Chicago area campaign influenced by Walmart, instead of backing the pro-labor candidate, Obama backed a "Walmart tool."

There was little surprising about Obama's endorsement given his self-interested allegiances to the politically powerful City Hall regime of Chicago's Mayor Daley, with whom Obama shares the same big money campaign super-consultant (David Axlerod) and numerous big money sponsors.

For the first time Mayor Daley had vetoed an ordinance by his normally obedient City Council, a measure widely supported by citizens, community organizations, and labor unions in Chicago's black, Latino, and working-class wards, and he did not want the council to bring the measure up again. It was originally passed by the council under pressure from a remarkable grassroots campaign, and would have required giant retail corporations like Wal-Mart, Target, Lowes, and Home Depot to pay workers a modest minimum wage of ten dollars an hour by 2010.

Wal-Mart and Target announced that they were putting a number of "big box" retail developments on hold in Chicago, and launched a preemptive public relations strike, threatening to disinvest in the city unless a "favorable business climate" was restored. Daley made a special point of wrapping his veto in the flag of racial justice, claiming it was required to permit the flowering of economic development in the city's abandoned ghetto neighborhoods.

Pat Dowell, the recipient of significant support from the Service Employees' International Union (SEIU), was running against Tillman, and Dowell had strongly criticized Tillman for siding with Daley and Wal-Mart.

Obama needed the support of the powerful campaign finance magnet Daley, and endorsed Tillman, over labor-backed Dowell.

Obama's wife Michelle then received $51,200 in 2006 for attending a few board meetings of TreeHouse Foods, a giant firm that relied heavily on its close business relationship with Wal-Mart. The granting of high-pay/do-little board posts to the spouses of politicians is a longstanding tool of the "old," corporate-dominated politics that Senator Obama claims to reject.

Of course Mrs. Obama resigned from her position with TreeHouse in the summer of 2007, citing "increased demands on her time" in connection with her husband's presidential campaign.

It's certainly not unusual that any Business would do anything they can to keep unions out. Unions, with all of their baggage and corruption do bring benefits like retirement , medical care, higher pay and the right to defend themselves from unfair discipline.

For Walmart to try to influence (BRIBE) Elected officials to bend the law should be met with legal action from the Attorney General and the department of labor. Only thing wrong with that picture is that both of those White house appointed positions are filled with Republicans who are in the pockets of big business.

Mandatory political indoctrination, Democrat-bashing, voter intimidation. Yes, it's business as usual at Wal-Mart.

This summer, Wal-Mart has organized mandatory meetings across the country, all with one purpose: to intimidate rank-and-file employees into voting Republican. The company's workers have been forced to attend ideologically-charged, Wal-Mart-sponsored rants against Democrats, Barack Obama, and landmark legislation that would allow workers to vote for or against representation.

We have received several calls from workers, their stories are very similar and similarly unsettling. As one worker put it, ???they were telling me how to vote.??? Another Wal-Mart worker, Beth from Alabama, was told by Wal-Mart management that if she ???voted for John McCain, then everything would be okay.???

We believe that ideological indoctrination and political scare tactics are completely inappropriate for the workplace. Yet again, Wal-Mart???s management has crossed the line, possibly breaking the law in the process. In light of these developments, we are calling for an immediate FEC investigation into Wal-Mart's political bullying at work, but we need your help to make a real impact.

Please tell the FEC to investigate Wal-Mart???s mandatory political meetings today.

Outright political intimidation may seem too risqué for a global corporation. Not for Wal-Mart. Stories like the above are actually an emerging part of Bentonville's corporate culture.

Take 2006, when Wal-Mart organized a ???voter education program??? for employees. The company placed Terry Nelson at the helm: formerly George W. Bush's political director, and later fired for making racist ads about a Democratic politician. Unsurprisingly, Wal-Mart's ???education??? program amounted to a thin veneer over strident attacks against Democratic candidates nation wide.

Why has Wal-Mart made such an effort to control its workers' voting habits? For one, The company is terrified that Democratic gains will ensure passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. For Wal-Mart, an organized workforce could spell higher wages and better benefits???two things the company has fought tirelessly to avoid.

In the end, Wal-Mart's motives are a moot point. The company has crossed the line, again, and it's time to hold them accountable. You can help us end Wal-Mart's sleazy political schemes by taking a moment to write the FEC today.

Please write the FEC and demand an investigation into Wal-Mart's mandatory employee meetings

Thanks for joining us in support of justice in the workplace, for Wal-Mart workers everywhere,

The Team
WakeUpWalMart.com

Mandatory political indoctrination, Democrat-bashing, voter intimidation. Yes, it's business as usual at Wal-Mart.

This summer, Wal-Mart has organized mandatory meetings across the country, all with one purpose: to intimidate rank-and-file employees into voting Republican. The company's workers have been forced to attend ideologically-charged, Wal-Mart-sponsored rants against Democrats, Barack Obama, and landmark legislation that would allow workers to vote for or against representation.

We have received several calls from workers, their stories are very similar and similarly unsettling. As one worker put it, ???they were telling me how to vote.??? Another Wal-Mart worker, Beth from Alabama, was told by Wal-Mart management that if she ???voted for John McCain, then everything would be okay.???

We believe that ideological indoctrination and political scare tactics are completely inappropriate for the workplace. Yet again, Wal-Mart???s management has crossed the line, possibly breaking the law in the process. In light of these developments, we are calling for an immediate FEC investigation into Wal-Mart's political bullying at work, but we need your help to make a real impact.

Please tell the FEC to investigate Wal-Mart???s mandatory political meetings today.

Outright political intimidation may seem too risqué for a global corporation. Not for Wal-Mart. Stories like the above are actually an emerging part of Bentonville's corporate culture.

Take 2006, when Wal-Mart organized a ???voter education program??? for employees. The company placed Terry Nelson at the helm: formerly George W. Bush's political director, and later fired for making racist ads about a Democratic politician. Unsurprisingly, Wal-Mart's ???education??? program amounted to a thin veneer over strident attacks against Democratic candidates nation wide.

Why has Wal-Mart made such an effort to control its workers' voting habits? For one, The company is terrified that Democratic gains will ensure passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. For Wal-Mart, an organized workforce could spell higher wages and better benefits???two things the company has fought tirelessly to avoid.

In the end, Wal-Mart's motives are a moot point. The company has crossed the line, again, and it's time to hold them accountable. You can help us end Wal-Mart's sleazy political schemes by taking a moment to write the FEC today.

Please write the FEC and demand an investigation into Wal-Mart's mandatory employee meetings

Thanks for joining us in support of justice in the workplace, for Wal-Mart workers everywhere,

The Team
WakeUpWalMart.com

It doesn't make sense to me why ppl will support the local WalMart when the money goes outside the community, and the emplpyees are stuck in almost poverty. Support the local stores, where the money stays in the community, workers are paid decent wages that are spent in the community. Keep our money local. WalMart usually demands and receives local tax incentives to put a store in a community. Hence, COSTING the local citizens Tax Dollars. It is a vicious circle that the worker is the BIG loser. Ppl need to work but they have the right to a liveable wage. Besides, I hate the traffic these big stores create. Seems many shoppers are 'for the day', and not the long out look.

I drive a truck for Wal-Mart and the only thing the are trying to get me to do is save fuel.........nothing on politics

Oh STOP the union busting! It is not the union that caused the problems with the Auto Industry. It was POOR management and decision making. The US Auto Industry is STUCIK in the 90's. Making gas gusslers. Had the Auto Industry listened in 2000 to Al Gore and taken him seriously instead of branding him the Professor and Boring, they would have had a better chance to survive. It is obvious that Japan listened to Senator Gore. Greed, incompetence, in the management is the reason for the failure of the Auto Industry in the USofA.

It has been the fight against unions and illegal immigration that has suppressed unions. If you look at the areas with the most job losses, you will see little or no union influence. I hear people complain about the dues unions charge. My husband paid only $35 month Teamster dues. Our benefits were worth well over $35 month. After we moved across country for better schools for our kids he had to take a non-union job. He gets paid 1/3 what he used to make and has to pay for his own beneftis for the first time. Those so called benefits are about half of what we used to have and cost $350 a month. That is one weeks pay!! If we were to pay for them we would qualify for food stamps. Also I had major neck surgery while we still had union benefits, thank goodness. It was over $75,000 for only 2 days in the hospital. We paid nothing. If I were to need the same surgery under this current company's plan, only $20,000 would be covered and we would be bankrupt or loose our house as $20,000 is the max amount per year paid. So before you blame unions, I think u need to look more at corporate greed and CEO outrageous pay, benefits and bonuses.

Other than the pharmacy at the local WalMart, I don't pratronize the store. I go to local establisments who offer incentives to compete with WalMart prices. If one takes the time to research other shops, it would amaze them that they can sometimes get LOWER prices elsewhere, AND get better service. It takes time, but time will save hard earned money.