Examining the Wal-Mart/Walton's Family donations

[housewolf]

Today Wal-Mart and the Walton family pledged donatiaons to the Bush-Clinton Katrina fund


From ThinkProgress blog:


$7.74

At a press conference this afternoon, President George H. W. Bush singled out the Walton Family for their generosity to Katrina relief efforts:

"I don’t think anyone would mind if I singled out the chairman and CEO of Wal-Mart, Lee Scott, who is right here. He told us that they gave the Bush-Clinton fund a total of $23 million…$15 million from the company and then $8 million more from the Walton family, the marvelous philanthropists that they are."



Let’s put that in perspective. The Walton family’s net worth is $90 billion. So $8 million dollars represents .009 percent of their total.

The average family’s net worth is $86,100. If an average family contributed at the same rate as the Waltons, they’d donate $7.74.

There are thousands of families all around country that are being far more generous to Katrina victims than the Waltons. Few of them will be personally thanked by a former President.

http://thinkprogress.org/2005/09/05/walmart-katrina/

[Kerrytravelers]

1. Mr. kt and I gave a lot less than $23 million, and I know we gave more

than .009% of our total worth.

Ok, maybe not. But still, isn't it sad that a fmaily that has so much because of their right to abuse American workers now gives so little to the same people they've exploited.

[napi21]

2. I think you're wrong somplaining about WM & the Waltons.

I understand your point, but they also could have ignored the whole thing and given nothing. I think the thanks was very apropriate.

[Spinzonner]

3. Sure they could have

and lets ignore whatever morality that would represent and what kind of a loyalty to a part of the country that was rather instrumental in their founding and growth that would represent.

The issue here is that contributing a relative pittance doesn't deserve special recognition.

[BlueJazz]

4. Let's face it...the only reason they gave in the first place is to ...

..ward off any criticism that they "don't care".

This way ..they can act like they have truly done something, get good publicity and not really do much of anything!

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

7. I started a thread about this in GDP

I can't speak for housewolf, but my bitch is that they are singled out for their contributions. No mention of their crap wages, crap benefits, crap working conditions. All of a sudden, since the walton's give peanuts compared to their net worth, they're worthy of special mention. Forget the hundreds of companies that pay good wages, etc. & have donated, too. Let's just mention mallwart!

best

[skygazer]

5. Oh, they're groovy philanthropists

I'd be happier if they compensated their workers fairly and provided decent health care as well as fair treatment of women and minority employees.

Face it, in addition to being a mere pittance in terms of their net worth, charitable donations are also a tax writeoff. Paying your help is not.

[SofaKingLiberal]

6. They are also kind enough to provide

plenty of work for slave labor in China.


Wal-Mart also buys heavily from slave labor manufacturing zones, where women workers are typically paid 3 cents an hour or less for 70 to 90-hour work weeks. See smuggled photos here. And please don’t buy any products “Made In China”.
http://www.willthomas.net/Convergence/Weekly/China.htm

[babylonsister]

8. Here's some more perspective:

John Grisham, one man who's made a lot of money writing novels, donated $5 million.