• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Walmart says it will kill plans to build 3 new stores if DC wage bill passes

You're assuming we need to maintain these jobs. If you can outsource certain fields to focus your attention on other ventures it can only lead to growth of your economy. There is no reason to protect manufacturing when other parts of the world can handle those tasks for us. It's just a way to hold back the economy from growth and development.
Name the replacement, show me these industries that are hiring those let go. Show me the retraining that is absorbing these excess workers.



Why should we? If they can not compete with the world market why then should they survive?
Um....a lot of unemployed hunger people can become a problem.....Oh snap...I'm talking to a libertarian/randian....to hell with the jobs, to hell with the workers, if they can't fend for themselves, f'em.



You're assuming that manufacturing jobs is in their interest.
Gee...you don't think that domestic strategic industries (steel, weaponry, electronics) are in the interest of citizens? Jobs and profits remaining in a country are not in a citizens interest? Of course not, you are wed to a internationalist corporate/libertarian/randian belief system.
 
I wouldn't, but hey, to each his own. Good afternoon 2m...

Good afternoon, AP.:2wave:

Traveling home tomorrow after a fabulous week on Hilton Head with grandchildren. Grandpa's reputation is intact as toughest chess opponent and swimming pool water gun warrior.:peace
 
My view is that Wal-Mart has acted with business acumen and rationality to optimize their business success, and in so doing have provided a unique service to the poor. I do not claim they had altruistic intent, only that their outcome has benefited downscale consumers. "Private vice is often public virtue.":peace

Nah; we just got lucky since it's a Seattle (greater area) company, from up here in Libbie Land, and the Costco CEO spoke at the 2012 Dem Convention, since like other giants, Buffet, Gates, Bezos, in libbie 3% unemployment hell (King County), we pay folks well and businesses have a field day selling them stuff, and apparently require some workers to handle the customer flow.

My what a novel concept: grow the market, and businesses thrive. Whoda thunk?
 
Good afternoon, AP.:2wave:

Traveling home tomorrow after a fabulous week on Hilton Head with grandchildren. Grandpa's reputation is intact as toughest chess opponent and swimming pool water gun warrior.:peace

One of our partners is headed there today. A two day trip with the kids, but he'll have a good time...
 
Okay. Wages suck because kids in Malaysia make our wife-beater Ts. Why they didn't cover that when I was at Foster (UW) is a mystery to me.

Now then, back to market dynamics and economics not taught on Limbaugh's radio program: value-chain. You spend a buck. Where's it distributed? Mostly us, paying folks here, to get it from port into the nifty little bag, which you should recycle, cuz we Libbies get all lovey dovey about. Plus, units rule, since it takes folks to move more products, unit wise. And a refer made here, which at end user level, might be $3000 at the lower end, sell about 1/3 as many units as one selling for $1100, made in South Korea, and being pretty amazing good. So great. A manufacturing worker gets a job, but fewer truckers, warehouse, stockers, retailers are needed, further down the value chain. It's a net loss in jobs.

Plus, the notion that somehow manufacturing jobs are the ultimate, is pure nonsense. They made squat too, until unions forced more pay for the same work, and now they have paychecks local businesses and markets had come to rely on. Pay service workers the same, and bingo, problem solved, and we have tons of them -- and they cannot be outsourced!!!!

Glory Days 2.0, only more glorious.

In short, you're value is not what you do; its' what you make (and spend, into our economy).

Simple truth.
i'm sorry, how does domestic manufacturing cause fewer distribution jobs?
 
I never claimed the Walton's set out to create a solution. The Waltons set out to create a successful business. The fact that that successful business meets a need and solves a problem is the definition of a market solution. Like the old saying goes: private vice is often public virtue.

Well there so called successful business is causing societal problems.
 
Walmart should pay it's employees decent wages, it is ridiculous that some workers partially qualify for state welfare programs because of the poor pay at Walmart.

From what I have so far read, it would be a blessing for towns if Walmart does not open it's doors there. Let one of their competitors open their stores, much healthier for the employees and it would teach Walmart that blackmailing your government will not work.
 
The wage stagnation (if not decline) over the last 30 years is a disincentive to the people to work . I shouldn't have to verbalize that to the adults here..........................
 
Nothing I said is absurd. They pay more, but they hire fewer workers. It's a function of their business model.

Actually, everything was. Even stuff you're thinking, or may think in the future: patently absurd.

Tip: Costco sales per employee is about on par. They have over 180,000 employees, and are growing, despite Sam's Club shrinking employment now down to around100,000. What Costco gets in return, is lower turnover, which saves them in training cost, and increases worker efficiency.
 
i'm sorry, how does domestic manufacturing cause fewer distribution jobs?

With higher unit manufacturing cost, which translates to far higher end-user prices, reducing unit sales volume. That help?
 
With higher unit manufacturing cost, which translates to far higher end-user prices, reducing unit sales volume. That help?
Jesus dude, not in a protected market, you removed the context of our conversation.

I know how contanerized shipping has totally changed the economics of imported products.

Either stay within the context of our conversation or ignore me.
 
Nah; we just got lucky since it's a Seattle (greater area) company, from up here in Libbie Land, and the Costco CEO spoke at the 2012 Dem Convention, since like other giants, Buffet, Gates, Bezos, in libbie 3% unemployment hell (King County), we pay folks well and businesses have a field day selling them stuff, and apparently require some workers to handle the customer flow.

My what a novel concept: grow the market, and businesses thrive. Whoda thunk?

Unemployment actually 4.3-4.4% according to latest data I can find. Not quite as good as North Dakota, but obviously better than average. If everyone had King County's business base then we'd be having a different (and happier) conversation.:peace
 
I'd say the opposite is true. Their business is answering needs society has created.

The need for more public state subsidies so the public can buy cheap goods imported from China. Nice business model but hardly ethical.
 
I'd say the opposite is true. Their business is answering needs society has created.
Um, society did not create the US (declining) manufacturing and consumer market, corporations are in near total control of all aspects, from creation to sales.
 
Walmart should pay it's employees decent wages, it is ridiculous that some workers partially qualify for state welfare programs because of the poor pay at Walmart.

From what I have so far read, it would be a blessing for towns if Walmart does not open it's doors there. Let one of their competitors open their stores, much healthier for the employees and it would teach Walmart that blackmailing your government will not work.

The elderly, recovering drug addicts, and part-time college students are not going to be paid 12 dollars an hour period. The fact that Walmart even pays people to stand at the door and greet customers is pretty impressive of them. If Walmart is forced to pay 12 dollars an hour, it will likely end up moving towards automated check-out systems therefore minimizing the staff. That means firing all the people who can't get jobs anywhere else.

The notion that one putting food in bags is an adequate contribution to society to be capable of living comfortably is ridiculous.
 
Um, consumers benefit from buying domestic product by having the profits remain with the country.

Allowing below cost products to gain market share destroys domestic manufacturing, wipes out domestic jobs. It is a race to the bottom that only benefits the international corporation.

But being a libertarian, you are in favor of international corporations doing this.

First of all, how do consumers benefit by having the profits remain within the country? Why do consumers care about that? If they are investors, they can purchase shares in whatever companies they think are making profits and, as you well know, profitable American companies can sometimes increase those profits by building foreign production facilities. [Other times not.] And, second, what makes you think that foreign goods are sold below cost? That's a recipe for bankruptcy.
 
The need for more public state subsidies so the public can buy cheap goods imported from China. Nice business model but hardly ethical.

Wal-Mart created neither the predominance of Chinese manufacturing nor the public subsidies for the poor. Wal-Mart does, however, serve the poor in ways that other businesses do not. Wal-Mart's ethical position is not only sound, it is vastly preferable to that of its critics.:peace
 
Unemployment actually 4.3-4.4% according to latest data I can find. Not quite as good as North Dakota, but obviously better than average. If everyone had King County's business base then we'd be having a different (and happier) conversation.:peace
And if everyone had a harbor handling imports and everyone had an oil field in their back yard, we could maintain that sort of existence for a long time...
 
Jesus dude, not in a protected market, you removed the context of our conversation.

I know how contanerized shipping has totally changed the economics of imported products.

Either stay within the context of our conversation or ignore me.

I was talking about ours. The US market. Jobs here, on terra firma Americana. That sort of thing.
 
Not really. For starters, we're already about 90% of the value chain, even if the t-shirt is made in China. They produce for Pennies on the Dollar, compared to retail price. Check to see if companies like Walmart, Home Depot, etc, are turning a profit or merely transferring wealth to China.

Moreover, consumers win with lower end-user prices. Plus employment is higher, since more units are sold driving higher employment in services, which cannot be outsourced. Pay a checkout person in Malaysia 25 cents a day, and it still doesn't ring up a purchase at Walmart in Gainesville Texas. So we're kicking but and taking names in service jobs, doing better all the time. Problem is, like manufacturing workers before unions demanded more pay for the same work, they're paid too little.

Bingo!
 
I was talking about ours. The US market. Jobs here, on terra firma Americana. That sort of thing.
Uh, you just can't keep up with the context of my comments....I AM TALKING ABOUT THE US.

Please, just put me on ignore....you are anyway.
 
Back
Top Bottom