Save Money...Live Better...Vote Republican?

Well, it would appear, if one believes the Wall Street Journal, that Walmart management has gone from merely trying to influence the economic landscape of the United States to influencing the political one. In an article published on Aug. 1, writers Ann Zimmerman and Kris Maher report that during mandatory meetings, executives have been telling Walmart managers and department managers that if the Democrats win the White House in the fall, it will be easier to unionize businesses, such as Walmart; at the same time, the managers are stressing to employees that the effects of unionizing would be negative to the employees and could lead to fewer jobs as labor costs rise and decreased take home pay as workers are required to pay union dues.

Gee, it brings a tear to my eye that Walmart execs are truly looking out for their employees.

I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and assume that during these meetings, the execs don't discuss why Walmart employees lose jobs after unionization. They don't discuss the fact that after the Walmart in Jonquiere, Quebec, Canada was unionized, the company shut the entire store down rather than work with a union. They don't discuss the fact that after the meat-cutting department of a Walmart in Jacksonville, Texas unionized, it, too, was shut down, causing all 10 employees to lose their jobs. Nope, I'm sure that the Walmart execs are too busy painting the unions as the bad guys to even bother to take a look in the mirror and notice that history has a way of showing the truth, even if those involved are loathe to admit it. Walmart is anti-union because a unionized Walmart might actually have to pay its employees a decent wage, give employees decent benefits, let employees classified as "full-time" actually work full-time hours, instead of the paltry 34 hours that Walmart considers "full-time." A unionized Walmart might have a harder time competing with other stores, thereby rendering Walmart's competitive advantage moot.

Without everday low prices, why exactly would people choose to shop at Walmart? For the fashionable clothing? The high-quality goods? The well-staffed and friendly stores?

Yeah, not-so-much.