Several years ago I was at a Walmart Supercenter that was being “informationally picketed.” The funny thing was, as the picketers were trying to teach shoppers that this was not a union store, their own wives, sisters, and mothers were inside shopping.
And why not?
Walmart has one-stop shopping and prices are very competitive; its products are fresh, the sales are great, and the service is as good as one can get anywhere. You are very lucky if you reside near a Walmart.
It is unfortunate that we in Brooklyn do not.
Every time there is the possibility of one coming to town, it is shot down by those who claim there are three jobs lost for every two created by the company. Where were they when Home Depot, Lowe’s, Staples, BJ’s and Costco came to town? Why are they so concerned about stopping progress now?
Then they tell us that Walmart sells goods that are manufactured in countries where the workers making them are earning very low wages. I spent a lot of time in the men’s department of Kohl’s searching for items that are made in the U.S.A. There aren’t any. Even American icons that we grew up with, such as Levi’s, Jockey and Arrow shirts are made elsewhere.
Why is there no outcry about that?
I think there’s a bigger story here. They say that Walmart’s employees are not union and therefore they are mistreated and blah blah blah. I find it odd that my congressman seems to have more concern for 40 employees than he has for 5,000 constituents in the area. I have a sneaking suspicion that Mr. and Ms. Politician are bothered by a non-union company affecting their own interests. If there is anything we have learned this past year, it is that those who are running for election are dependent on the big-buck campaign contributions from organized labor. More than our council member’s concern for the employee, much more than our Assembly person’s worries about his constituents, the folks who represent us in government worry more about their own tushes. Don’t you believe they are not.
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In this never-ending discussion about government waste, I am focusing my attention this week towards the United States Navy and two ships that were never completed. Our heavyweights in the Pentagon have decided, after investing more than $300 million dollars for their construction, the Henry Eckford and the Benjamin Isherwood are not needed.
As of this moment both vessels are heading for the scrap heap. Furthermore, Mr. Raisman, to add insult to injury, our Naval Department has awarded a $10 million contract to a British firm to do the dismantling. Were they not able to find enough unemployed Americans to do the job?
In the current climate of government overspending when we’re talking billions and trillions, $310 million doesn’t seem like much, but take $310 million here and $310 million there, and before you know it we’re talking about real money.
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If I was one of the 50 percent of this nation that paid no income tax and I received two years of unemployment insurance along with food stamps and other benefits from the government, I would probably vote for President Obama next year. I am StanGershbein@BellSouth.net telling you that even with his poll numbers at an all-time low, don’t count him out.
