Forum Thread
(Lake Martin Specific)
111,185 messages
Updated 6/16/2024 11:10:07 PM
Lakes Online Forum
83,677 messages
Updated 6/15/2024 9:40:12 AM
Lakes Online Forum
5,197 messages
Updated 6/10/2024 5:39:11 AM
(Lake Martin Specific)
4,171 messages
Updated 5/29/2024 10:51:34 PM
Lakes Online Forum
4,170 messages
Updated 6/10/2024 6:29:37 PM
Lakes Online Forum
4,261 messages
Updated 5/28/2024 6:31:10 AM
Lakes Online Forum
2,977 messages
Updated 6/10/2024 6:30:23 PM
(Lake Martin Specific)
169 messages
Updated 5/31/2023 1:39:35 PM
Lakes Online Forum
98 messages
Updated 4/15/2024 1:00:58 AM
Lake Martin Photo Gallery





    
Name:   Jim Dandy - Email Member
Subject:   Wal Mart vs US Govt
Date:   8/18/2010 11:02:14 AM

Speaks directly to the results of accountability. Wal-Mart Facts: 1. Americans spend $36,000,000 at Wal-Mart every hour of every day. 2. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute! 3. Wal-Mart will sell more from January 1 to St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) than Target sells all year. 4. Wal-Mart is bigger than Home Depot + Kroger + Target +Sears + Costco + K-Mart combined. 5. Wal-Mart employs 1.6 million people, is the world's largest private employer, and most speak English. 6. Wal-Mart is the largest company in the history of the world. 7. Wal-Mart now sells more food than Kroger and Safeway combined, and keep in mind they did this in only fifteen years. 8. During this same period, 31 big supermarket chains sought bankruptcy. 9. Wal-Mart now sells more food than any other store in the world. 10. Wal-Mart has approx 3,900 stores in the USA of which 1,906 are Super Centers; this is 1,000 more than it had five years ago. 11. This year 7.2 billion different purchasing experiences will occur at Wal-Mart stores. (Earth's population is approximately 6.5 Billion.) 12. 90% of all Americans live within fifteen miles of a Wal-Mart. You may think that I am complaining, but I am really laying the ground work for suggesting that MAYBE we should hire the guys who run Wal-Mart to fix the economy. This should be read and understood by all Americans Democrats, Republicans, EVERYONE!! To President Obama and all 535 voting members of the Legislature, it is now official you are ALL corrupt morons: A.. The U.S. Postal Service was established in 1775. You have had 234 years to get it right and it is broke. B.. Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 74 years to get it right and it is broke. c.. Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 71 years to get it right and it is broke. D.. War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor" and they only want more. E.. Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. You have had 44 years to get it right and they are broke. F.. Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 39 years to get it right and it is broke. G.. The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. You had 32 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure. You have FAILED in every "government service" you have shoved down our throats while overspending our tax dollars. AND YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH A GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM?



Name:   MartiniMan - Email Member
Subject:   Bastiat said it best
Date:   8/18/2010 12:01:11 PM

Government creates nothing and government is that fiction by which everyone lives at the expense of everyone else.  Those pertinent examples are why I believe in limited Federal government.  They do a few things well (military, etc.) and everything should be left to the people.



Name:   Summer Lover - Email Member
Subject:   Biggest difference..
Date:   8/18/2010 1:33:59 PM

If you can stomach going into WalMart, you choose what you want then pay for it - with the Government, they herd you in like sheep, take your money, then will either decide what they are going to put in your cart or just kick your butt back out the door.



Name:   Talullahhound - Email Member
Subject:   Wal Mart vs US Govt
Date:   8/18/2010 8:20:28 PM

Walmart has one of the most horrible employment records of just about any company. They are routinely sued by their employees for everything from racism to ignoring US labor laws. They move into towns and put small businesses out of business, but reducing their prices to the point that it is actually a loss, but they can absorb it because they are so huge. I think I'll take my chances with the government over Walmart any day.



Name:   lotowner - Email Member
Subject:   Wal Mart vs US Govt
Date:   8/18/2010 8:58:23 PM

Go for it! You might want to ask some of the stockholders for some of the corporations below if they would prefer Wal Mart business practices.

Barnes & Noble

GM

Chrysler

Washington Mutual

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.

Delta Airlines Inc.

UAL Corp.

WorldCom Inc.

Global Crossing Ltd.

Enron Corp.Blockbuster

Clear Channel Communications

Six Flags

Rite Aid

Univision Communications

Beazer Homes USA

Harrah's Entertainment

MGM Mirage





Name:   MrHodja - Email Member
Subject:   Wal Mart vs US Govt
Date:   8/18/2010 9:44:24 PM

Must say I am not surprised.



Name:   Barneget - Email Member
Subject:   Wal Mart vs US Govt
Date:   8/18/2010 10:17:19 PM

Geez Hound, spoken like a genuine gummint hack. WMT has ALWAYS paid better than minimum wage, unlike our treatment of our Military. WMT is the second largest employer in the US, first being the central gummint. WMTs diversity in leadership initiatives were more aggressive than the central gummints starting in the early 90's.WMT is in many communities the primary source of charitible contributions, through the WMT Foundation and corporate support of employee fund raising initiatives. WMT reportedly has made more taxpaying millionaires in the last 40 years than all other US companies combined since 1900. WMT is routinely sued by people who struggle with the principle of "work or get fired".  Businesses go out of business because customers vote with their pocketbooks. Downtowns were dying LONG before WMT enetered these markets. Hound, you are about the same age as I. We were raised in the same area, at about the same time. The Mom and Pop stores you refer to were bound to close with most any competition.  I said it on this forum a year ago, I'll say it again -- I believe we should outsource, with the exception of our Military, ALL federal agencies to WMT. Perhaps then we will begin to see a responsive and accountable government, staffed by responsible and accountable employees. Perhaps then we will see a reasonable return on taxpayer investment. My opinion is WMT has contributed more good for more people over a long period of time. Share with us some of the successes of the Feds domestic programs. I'll start -- expanding Social Security payments to include disability for "mood and personality disorders". Ok, your turn.





Name:   comrade - Email Member
Subject:   Wal Mart vs US Govt
Date:   8/18/2010 10:58:37 PM

Do you think the percentage of "suing" Walmart employees is higher than Kmart? Target? Safeway? Honda? Government Motors? Mercedes? any corporation that pays an hourly wage? The government of the United States would probably take the prize if it weren't illegal to sue the government....



Name:   MartiniMan - Email Member
Subject:   Wal Mart vs US Govt
Date:   8/19/2010 8:25:19 AM

That is what you get for watching too much pMSNBC and taking the lies of the government media to heart. 

So lets see what Wal Mart does for a community.  They offer decent products at lower prices because of their immense buying power.  Thereby members of a community actually are able to buy more goods for less money.  How awful!!!  Why folks like you want to force those in the lower and middle class income brackets to pay more is beyond me.  Whatever happened to helping the little people?

How about their poor employees?  If it was such a horrid place to work then why do thousands of people routinely apply for the 200-300 jobs created when a new Wal Mart store opens?  And why is it every time I go to Wal Mart the employees seem pleasant.  I have never entered a business that treats their employees badly and had a good experience.  There is no doubt that Wal Mart employees wish they paid more and had better benefits.  Get in line with the rest of us.  I don't know about you but the only employer that doesn't have that experience these days is the federal government that has the best pay and benefits in the country. 

How about their mind numbed customers?  If Wal Mart is so bad why do people shop there?  If it is so bad for the community then you would imagine that they would boycott such an awful place.  But the fact is they are making a rational and logical decision to get the best value for their hard earned dollars and that means shopping at Wal Mart.



Name:   Jim Dandy - Email Member
Subject:   I agree with Hound
Date:   8/19/2010 11:31:42 AM

Wal Mart is a horrible place. We should shut the entire operation down and put another 1.6M folks out of work. Don't forget the thousands of trial lawyers who would also lose their livelihood. Might be a few retirees who lose out too, since their dividend income and/or investment portfolio would take a hit. Wonder if the fed and states would notice the reduced tax revenues? Then, we could have Gov Mart. High paying jobs with great benefits to boot. In a couple of years, the whole operation would be bankrupt, like all other gov run operations, and we all would be better off. Superb idea!



Name:   MartiniMan - Email Member
Subject:   Of course you are right....
Date:   8/19/2010 1:25:14 PM

I am properly chastised.  What was I thinking in defending Wal Mart?  It is obvious we must shut them down.  Finally America will be on the right track if we get rid of businesses like Wal Mart and turn it over to the government.  I mean, what have they screwed up except Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, USPS, Amtrak and on and on and on.

And just to put a fine point on it, you would immediately lose 1.6 million jobs but that is just the start.  There are millions of other jobs that will be lost by Wal Mart suppliers because they would have no ability to transition their sales to other distribution outlets.  It would take years for new businesses to spring up to take the place of Wal Mart and even longer for the manufacturers to find them.





Name:   Talullahhound - Email Member
Subject:   Wonderful Accountable Walmart
Date:   8/19/2010 4:43:12 PM

Today, I waited 5 minutes at the pharmacy register in Walmart while the clerk continued her text message. She did not even acknowlege me, until she had finished her text message. Where was the manager? Is this efficient operation? I still think I'll stick with the government, but y'all, you just go ahead with Walmart -- and don't forget, you get what you pay for. Turn government operations over to Walmart, I'm sure they'll outsource them to workers in China.



Name:   Jim Dandy - Email Member
Subject:   Wonderful Accountable Walmart
Date:   8/19/2010 4:57:41 PM

So why do you shop there? They arn't the only pharm in town.



Name:   comrade - Email Member
Subject:   Wonderful Accountable Walmart
Date:   8/19/2010 5:32:36 PM

I have waited for hours in the court house waiting to renew all manner of state and federally mandated licenses, while watching the "employees" prattle on to one another about last night's reality show, in full view of and with total lack of concern for the line snaking out the door in front of them; similar experiences in Post offices, court houses, police stations, banks, repair shops, etc. The government (of any description) is the best at instilling a "bullet-proof" attitude in their employees because it generally takes some bombastic transgression to be fired. At least in the private sector there is the chance of termination for cause........
You probably shouldn't go to Walmart anymore. Maybe they'll start selling toilet paper at the court house if you ask them?



Name:   Talullahhound - Email Member
Subject:   Wonderful Accountable Walmart
Date:   8/19/2010 6:24:00 PM

I too have waited on line in the Post Office and at the DMV. Like Walmart, I have seen evidence of poor or lack the of management, but that seems to be the case everywhere these days. I'm really sorry you have never had a good experience with the government. I wish I could take you to DC, and introduce you to most of my past colleagues, and I think you might change your mind. Most of the people I've worked with for the past 15 years were committed and very concerned about the mission. Most of them work a large number of unpaid "overtime". While it is a bit harder to fire government employees (but that has changed significantly in the last few years), it can be done, and I can assure you that I was personally responsible for ending the careers of at least 6 people in the last 2 years I worked. I didn't fire any of them, because there are other ways to force them out, as any professional manager will tell you. I can't speak for the larger government. I do know that the State Department is notoriously bad for lack of response. My limited experiences with the VA have not been good. Not trying to change anyone's mind, and I doubt I could. I'm retired now and have stake in your feelings about the govnerment either way.



Name:   Barneget - Email Member
Subject:   Wonderful Accountable Walmart
Date:   8/19/2010 6:59:07 PM

I know, and understand where you are coming from. After reading old 93's multiple posts about numerous less than satisfactory life experiences, I too find myself wanting to complain about something, anything, everything. But I don't.



Name:   lotowner - Email Member
Subject:   Wonderful Accountable Walmart
Date:   8/19/2010 8:52:34 PM


I'll bet that TH was shopping at WM's pharmacy because she likes the 90 day, $10 prescription. She can't get this at the smaller pharmacy. Am I correct? I'm suprised that she thinks that this low priced item is OK!



Name:   MartiniMan - Email Member
Subject:   Therin lies the difference
Date:   8/20/2010 8:39:50 AM

You see Hound, if that really bothers you with Walmart then you have the freedom to go elsewhere with your business.  When its the Federal Government there is nowhere else to go.  And they make you do what they want at the point of a gun.  You really don't get the difference but those of us that cherish freedom and free enterprise and that make the country work and that provide the hard earned dollars to run government most surely do.

Take your money elsewhere.  Sure, you'll pay more but you will have your pyrrhic victory and show Wal Mart who's boss. 



Name:   MartiniMan - Email Member
Subject:   Wonderful Accountable Walmart
Date:   8/20/2010 8:46:04 AM

Very interesting point.  How uncaring of her to take her business there and deprive some local pharmacy of her business.  Especially after chastising Wal Mart for their evil ways.  She probably doesn't even recognize the hypocrisy (or at least the irony) of making the statements she made and then right after admitting she shops there for items she could obtain from another pharmacy.  Kind of reminds me when Babs Streisand was on a kick to force us all to dry our clothes on a line but when asked if she did so she replied, oh no, we would never allow that in Malibu.  Its all too funny......







Quick Links
Lake Martin News
Lake Martin Photos
Lake Martin Videos




About Us
Contact Us
Site Map
Search Site
Advertise With Us
   
www.LakeMartin.com
THE LAKE MARTIN WEBSITE

Copyright 2024, Lakes Online
Privacy    |    Legal