Nation’s Largest Employer Plantation Pressures Employees To Vote Against Barack Obama

Courtesy of The Wall Street Journal’s Ann Zimmerman and Kris Maher, we learn “The Smiley One”, who just happens to be one of the largest corporate donors to the G.O.P. (Source: Wal-Mart Watch), we learn China’s number one customer is bullying their employees into voting for John McCain. Well, Zimmerman and Maher don’t quite put it that way; they’re more “professional” and “objective” than I; but in essence, that is exactly what Wally-World seems to be up to these days…

From The WSJ article:

Wal-Mart Warns of Democratic Win

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is mobilizing its store managers and department supervisors around the country to warn that if Democrats win power in November, they’ll likely change federal law to make it easier for workers to unionize companies — including Wal-Mart.

In recent weeks, thousands of Wal-Mart store managers and department heads have been summoned to mandatory meetings at which the retailer stresses the downside for workers if stores were to be unionized. …”

Did you catch that? “MANDATORY meetings”. Now you know why I used the term “bullying”. Is this legal? Let’s find out, shall we?

“… Wal-Mart may be walking a fine legal line by holding meetings with its store department heads that link politics with a strong antiunion message. Federal election rules permit companies to advocate for specific political candidates to its executives, stockholders and salaried managers, but not to hourly employees. While store managers are on salary, department supervisors are hourly workers. …”

Okay then, so we don’t know for certain if this is technically “legal” behavior by “The Smiley One”. On the other hand, we DO know we do not have to choose to do “bidness” with John McCain and his Grand Old Party’s (“GOP” for acronym fans) biggest corporate “fan” if we have a personal preference to take our “bidness” to companies who, at the very least, treat their employees fairly, pay them a living wage, offer decent benefits to the majority of the people who work hard for them, and oh — this one: stay out of the personal business of their workers. Heck, even if they were to remain “neutral” on the election publicly, I’d cut ‘em a break. Okay, no, I wouldn’t — ya’ caught me…

The point is, now you what happens with all of that money we save SPEND at Wally-World:

It finances the G.O.P.

It is equivalent to a vote for everybody’s favorite guy, Senator John McCain of Arizona Panama

It finances Chinese military equipment solely designed to kill Americans

It finances not only the anti-union machine; it also finances Wally-World’s supposed “right” to spy on their workers during their off-time — hey, after all — privacy is a “privilege, not a right”, correct?

A vote for Communism in China; unregulated, wide-open, pure Capitalism at home

Now that we’ve learned all of this about Wal-Mart, why do we choose to continue doing “bidness” with them? Oh, that’s right — to “save money”. But — are we REALLY “saving money” in the long run when that money hits us in the pocket book on the back-end? I mean, in the form of a sudden military buildup due to a Chinese advance on Tibet? Or, in the form of higher health insurance costs due to the fact the majority of their workers must stiff the hospitals for their emergency room visits for bad colds and other minor ailments? Or, in the form of dead American children due to their deadly, cheap, slave-labor-made products?

Obviously, I could go on and on here, but what’s the point anyway if you, knowing all of the above, choose to “save” SPEND your hard-earned dollars in this Darwinian (in the end) fashion? THINK.

***

Other blogger commentary on the topic — all much more “thoughtful” and “civil” than my own: The Moderate Voice’s Joe Gandelman; Donklephant; Wake up America

You Might Enjoy These Related Posts Also:

• Surprise, Surprise – Republican Senator Ted “Bridge To Nowhere” Stevens Of Alaska Indicted On Multiple Criminal Charges
• “44″ — President Barack Hussein Obama Swears In And Administration Already Takes First Step Toward Keeping Campaign Promises As Inaugural Ceremonies Continue
• “Funnyman” Al Franken’s Apparent Senate Victory Over G.O.P. Incumbent Norm Coleman Causes Quite A Ruckus In Minnesota And On Capitol Hill
• The Politico: John McCain’s Veep Pick, Sarah Palin, Tells Us He’s A Desperate, Worried Old Gambler