Am I the only person who likes Bernie?

[marshallnoise]

Also, the town I live in, Winchester VA, has a WalMart.

We also have an abundance of small, privatly owned business all around. There's a walking mall specifically for these businesses, and it's always packed.

I also can think of 3 places off the top of my head that I can get a fresh cup of coffee, and have a convsation with the owner/operator, even with 2 evil Starbucks right in town. How the fuck can they operate?

They can't in the Ivory Towers Kershaw lives in.

[marshallnoise]

You know Kershaw, I just figured it out. Government doesn't like Walmart because it lowers their sales tax revenue. That's the only legitimate reason.

If you and Bill de Blasio dislike Walmart because they bring competition (both on prices and on labor costs), you are a leftist. And that's fine. Just own it.

[Exodus_2pt0]

Also, the town I live in, Winchester VA, has a WalMart.

We also have an abundance of small, privatly owned business all around. There's a walking mall specifically for these businesses, and it's always packed.

I also can think of 3 places off the top of my head that I can get a fresh cup of coffee, and have a convsation with the owner/operator, even with 2 evil Starbucks right in town. How the fuck can they operate?

[Kershaw]

Well do you want a corporate welfare state?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoco.../#270302157cd8

To get what you want, raise the bar for education which I completely agree with, we're going to have to raise taxes to pay for that. Where can that money come from? The lower and middle class? And this isn't the middle ages, people absolutely do not need to get left behind.

[Exodus_2pt0]

Apparently we do. I boycott the hell out of out, but they're still all over the place. Obviously the people are not making the best choices for themselves. If we had some effective regulation in place to even the playing field between walmart and local shops, I'd have no problem with it existing. Although I still wouldn't shop there.

One issue is that the people who shop there, ie, poor/poorer/poorest of the community, lack long term planning skills. Even if you told the majority of them that shopping at walmart was hurting them directly, they wouldn't listen to you and would continue to shop there, "because of the savings." It hurts their community directly and they don't care.

Or we could raise the bar for education, understand that some kids DO get left behind, and teach people to think for themselves.

I don't want a Nanny government.

[Kershaw]

That exists and continues to because people vote for it with their dollars. As always, the people have the power to make the change. We don't need the government to do it for us.

Apparently we do. I boycott the hell out of out, but they're still all over the place. Obviously the people are not making the best choices for themselves. If we had some effective regulation in place to even the playing field between walmart and local shops, I'd have no problem with it existing. Although I still wouldn't shop there.

One issue is that the people who shop there, ie, poor/poorer/poorest of the community, lack long term planning skills. Even if you told the majority of them that shopping at walmart was hurting them directly, they wouldn't listen to you and would continue to shop there, "because of the savings." It hurts their community directly and they don't care.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/11/your-brain-on-poverty-why-poor-people-seem-to-make-bad-decisions/281780/

Can you explain how Walmart is sucking wealth out of local communities? That's a massive claim. And I will enjoy your attempts at proving that.

That's not a massive claim at all. It's a very well understood and researched concept. They are a horrible company and if you googled "walmart effect on local economies" you'd see more than enough to read for a few days. In fact, I'd recommend you do so.

1. they kill all the mom and pop or local chains in the area
2. most of their employees are paid so little they are on welfare

http://archive.advocate.nyc.gov/news/2011-01-11/new-study-wal-mart-means-fewer-jobs-less-small-businesses-more-burden-taxpayers

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2405-real-cost-walmart.html

[marshallnoise]

Ah, ladies and gentlemen, here we see the ultimate product of a two party system. This harsh, black/white, us/them, has grown to such a large over arching mentality that it truly encompasses all trains of thought. It's either capitalism or communism. No other forms of government exist.

I'm glad you brought up Walmart though. The fucking poster child of government hand outs. It profits on the welfare subsidies the rest of us pay for it's underpaid employees. Walmart is a hoover vacuum, sucking wealth out of local communities.

There aren't other forms of government, unless you say no government is a form, then there are three. Yes, there are mashups of each system and there are many iterations of it, but they are all defined by being capitalist or socialist in theory. You cannot escape that.

Can you explain how Walmart is sucking wealth out of local communities? That's a massive claim. And I will enjoy your attempts at proving that.

[Exodus_2pt0]

Walmart is a hoover vacuum, sucking wealth out of local communities.

That exists and continues to because people vote for it with their dollars. As always, the people have the power to make the change. We don't need the government to do it for us.

[Kershaw]

Well, isn't that true? Things either go one way or the other.

Ah, ladies and gentlemen, here we see the ultimate product of a two party system. This harsh, black/white, us/them, has grown to such a large over arching mentality that it truly encompasses all trains of thought. It's either capitalism or communism. No other forms of government exist.

I'm glad you brought up Walmart though. The fucking poster child of government hand outs. It profits on the welfare subsidies the rest of us pay for it's underpaid employees. Walmart is a hoover vacuum, sucking wealth out of local communities.

[marshallnoise]

'Everything that isnt Capitalism is Communism' - Marshall (basically)

Well, isn't that true? Things either go one way or the other.

I don't hate investors, I hate when someone makes millions of dollars, then complains about government regulation hurting their business, causing them to lay off employees they already barely pay.

The reason why there is demand to make a profit is because there is demand to self-sustain and to make profit for investors, otherwise the company dies. It doesn't exist to give people jobs. It never has and it never will.

Its no different then how the government already is now, why am I paying taxes to senators like Rubio who never fucking show up to do their job, and when they do show up its to argue for a raise or threaten a government shutdown. Id rather my tax money go to people who actually need it, or to myself in the form of healthcare and benefits, not overpaid congressmen and senators.

I could argue that I would rather pay for someone to NOT pass laws because more laws = less freedom. That's a different discussion.

Your argument is a red herring when talking about Rubio. A better argument would be for eliminating the DOD so you can make sure everyone has a cell phone, free health care and free shelter.

But to you it appears as a bigger heresy to give healthcare to poor and vets, and the current status quo is just fine.

Vets should be taken care of, under Obama, they haven't. Before that, they were fine. The poor (not artificially poor) have always been able to get health care, it just wasn't dignified.

Either way, this current system is totally fucked. And if it was bad before Obamacare, it is way worse now. Everyone is paying twice as much for healthcare, period. Don't believe me? Look at your deductibles before Obamacare and then look at them after. You just got your ass handed to you.

I want a country without fuckin homeless everywhere in every city. Less regulation and lower wages wont do that FYI, especially in cities where cost of living is so retarded that teachers, firemen, and other basic jobs end up never being filled because its not possible to live in the city on that wage for that job.

Most homelessness is due to mental health issues so giving them money and government benefits won't help them either. Sometimes, people can't be helped.

And I am unaware of many places where teachers, firemen and "other basic jobs (ironically, you started with government jobs)" are not being filled.

I don't think you have lived enough and embraced reality quite long enough to draw the conclusions you have come to.

[Wschnitz]

'Everything that isnt Capitalism is Communism' - Marshall (basically)

I don't hate investors, I hate when someone makes millions of dollars, then complains about government regulation hurting their business, causing them to lay off employees they already barely pay.

Its no different then how the government already is now, why am I paying taxes to senators like Rubio who never fucking show up to do their job, and when they do show up its to argue for a raise or threaten a government shutdown. Id rather my tax money go to people who actually need it, or to myself in the form of healthcare and benefits, not overpaid congressmen and senators.

But to you it appears as a bigger heresy to give healthcare to poor and vets, and the current status quo is just fine.

I want a country without fuckin homeless everywhere in every city. Less regulation and lower wages wont do that FYI, especially in cities where cost of living is so retarded that teachers, firemen, and other basic jobs end up never being filled because its not possible to live in the city on that wage for that job.

[marshallnoise]

Lol still living in the red scare I see.

I'm sure Reagan will rise out of his grave and pat you on the back.

Scared? Haha!

I am just calling a red a red in this instance.

EDIT: Come to think about it, you hate investors too because when Walmart makes a profit, it's for the benefit of its investors, which are your parents, grandparents, friends, everyone. So you hate everyone, but you don't know it.

[Wschnitz]

Lol still living in the red scare I see.

I'm sure Reagan will rise out of his grave and pat you on the back.

[marshallnoise]

You guys are commies. Everything being said is textbook Marxist theory. I really wonder what the world would look like if you were in charge.

[Wschnitz]

The whole argument isnt about your neighbor earning an extra few grand over you in my opinion.

Its when large companies like banks and retailers make ridiculous amounts of money at a steady increase each year, and dont pass that down to their employees, rather taking all the extra profit for upper management. Then when the market crashes, even if by their fault, says otherwise and takes bailout money to pad their pockets some more, then lay off their employees.

Companies like Walmart, Time Warner, etc, shouldn't be so far in the black and still have employees on welfare/food stamps so they can feed their family...