Bankruptcy: Picture = Thousand Words

[rateyes]

[presspeal]

1. Unforturely....

America needs millions of those signs, then maybe people would start thinking.

[sam sarrha]

3. in Juarez they are putting up white crosses where they find dead girls.800 estimated dead the police

deny it is happening.. I saw in TV the Police Chief say, 'They were just prostitutes anyway"

so the people put up crosses everywhere they find a brutally mutilated corpse of a young woman..

they should close the boarder...

[Donnachaidh]

5. and you don't think that attitude doesn't happen in the US?

"They were just prostitutes anyway" - the same thing happens in the US every single day. It's just not reported. At least in Juarez someone is putting up crosses.

[sam sarrha]

13. there is a book on Amazon titled.. the Psychopath nect door, we got one in the white house too

[Katherine Brengle]

16. Right?

Maybe someone should start. Or hell, every few seconds a woman is beaten/raped/murdered in this country - what if someone started putting up a symbol for each on every day - hundreds of them every day.

"Just a prostitute anyway" = "Not really a human being anyway"

That's not acceptable.

[Ian_rd]

19. "They're just terrorists, anyway."

As so many in the U.S. say of those that our government imprisoned, tortured, raped, and killed without trial. Seen the "I <heart> Gitmo" t-shirts? Yep, those are Americans.

[zabet]

2. In our small town...

Walmart took out at least 6 businesses that had been small 'Mom and Pop'
style family owned businesses. More are failing and with the economy
forcing people to spend less, I do not expect most of these to survive
much longer.

[presspeal]

4. I hear you...

Their trying to force their way into our town now and most people are greeting them with open arms(and open wallets). It's nuts-you can drive twenty minutes in any direction and run into a Walmart.:argh:

[zabet]

10. After the town saw the effects of

having a Walmart, they did stop them from upgrading
and putting in a 'super walmart'.

[madmom]

39. Can I ask why people rally around Costco and demonize Wal-mart..

they're both big box stores they both take out "mom & pop" stores.:shrug:

[mopinko]

6. try standing up to them, see what you get.

my alderman, joe moore, proposed that dig box store pay a living wage. (and stop the war, and impeach bush,...0 for his trouble he got the election contest from hell. including a hatchet job on penn & teller (are full of) bullshit. living wage, of course, was not a part of the discussion. it was surreal.

[LWolf]

7. I need a bunch of those signs.

One of the largest Walmart supercenters ever is about to open in my little town. I just had a lunchtime conversation with coworkers last week about the death of choices and family business in our community.

http://walmartwatch.com/blog/archives/big_box_mart/

[CrispyQ]

15. Our local Walmart opened their new super Walmart store about

three blocks from my home. Traffic is terrible on an already dangerous & busy intersection.

The old Walmart location, about a mile away, is for lease. However, Walmart has put so many limitations on who the old space can be leased to, that it is certain to remain empty & that section of town will turn into a super-eyesore. Already, many small business in the old center's area have closed.

Good luck to your community. It was a close vote in our community for big-box vs no-big-box. Sadly, we lost again on the Lowe's vote.

BTW, my husband & I just watched "Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price." Highly recommended! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[LWolf]

43. Thanks for the good wishes. n/t

[zippy890]

8. k & r

:dem:

[Nutmegger]

9. R&K

:thumbsup::kick:

[lonestarnot]

11. K & R... I have a feeling if people knew how to get one of these, there would be a run on these.

[Toucano]

12. That's actually a picture of ... words.

Just an observation. :-)

[Ian_rd]

20. Hehe. Smartass.

:P

[rateyes]

22. I KNEW someone would point that out...

:hi:

[Toucano]

27. I think I have some change coming...there are less than 1000 of them

{tapping foot}

:rofl:

[rateyes]

38. You really want me to pay up?

:rofl:

[wicket]

14. K & R

:kick:

[progressoid]

17. Damned "artists"...

http://www.aldrichart.org/exhibitions/magnusson.php

[Joe Chi Minh]

25. Interesting signature line you have. You sound like a secular "fundie".

Hardly, a doubter!

Even neonates don't believe they're looking at a random aggregation of atoms, when they see a human being. You literally don't have the sense you were born with.

[progressoid]

34. Yep, that's me!

You summarized me in just one post. I'm dumbstruck by your insight.


p.s. I had a Neonate for lunch today.

[Desertrose]

18. Cool!

Here's a new business idea for the US...could probably do pretty well.

DR

[ConservativeDemocrat]

21. Monopolistic?

Wal-Mart is the only store in America?

Wow. You learn something from D.U. every day.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[rateyes]

23. "monopolistic"

not "monopoly." Understand the adjective, and what Walmart does to the "mom and pop shops." Perhaps you will understand that "reality" is different than what you perceive it to be.

[endarkenment]

24. Yikers. You've got all the phrases down pat. Nice. nt.

[Greyhound]

30. "There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy" n/t

[Forkboy]

54. Hey,I know that phrase!

It's from the beginning of King Kong vs Godzilla! :P

I think it originated in some pamphlet or something. ;)

[Canuckistanian]

31. Monopoly. Cartel. Trust. Call it what you will.

In lot of small and medium sized towns, it's the ONLY way to get certain goods. Local shops can't begin to compete.

And where competition is dead, you have a monopoly.

[mudesi]

32. Name a competitor to Walmart

I notice you chose Walmart as your example, even though the picture in the OP does not name it at all, opting instead to use "big box".

Why did you think of Walmart first?

[madmom]

40. competitor to walmart....kmart, meijer,costco?

[mudesi]

41. Yes

Except for when Walmart moves opens up in a small town. In that case they are essentially a monopoly on the local economy. What's interesting, though, is that the above poster immediately thought of Walmart even though the OP made no mention of it, while ironically claiming that it does not engage in monopolistic practices!

[madmom]

42. when walmart opened in my town it created about 300 new jobs,

it also pays better than kmart or meijer.

[Forkboy]

55. When one opened here 4 other big stores closed within three months.

Not to mention the loss of business to smaller places near those closed stores.But hey,thank God for those extra 20 cents an hour that Wal-Mart pays their workers that work overtime,have shit benefits,and can't form unions!

God Bless 'Merica!

[madmom]

59. actually I make $2 more an hour than when I worked at meijer (a

union shop), have just as good benefits, don't work over time, no we don't have a union, but the union I paid dues to at meijer was a joke, they took our money and we never saw them again except at election time.I asked before but got no answer why do people demonize walmart, but rally behind costco?it's a big box store does the same thing as walmart why the double standard?

[ConservativeDemocrat]

68. Actually, they pay a lot better

...and they've never gotten in trouble for abusing employees.
So if you have a choice, buy/work-at CostCo.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[madmom]

69. but the point is they are both big box stores and they both take out

mom & pop stores. Besides how do you know how much I make, to say they pay better? and I've not been abused and to my knowledge neither have my co-workers. Still a double standard!

[ConservativeDemocrat]

70. Well, yes. Exactly.

Let's just say I don't agree with the anti-"big box" sentiment. That's stupid, in my opinion.
But there are legitimate reasons why people might want to choose CostCo over WalMart. For
example, here's an article about CostCo's love of labor.
After four years of working with the company, a cashier can earn $44,000 a year, and they offer
health benefits to most of their employees.

Not bad at all. It's nearly double WalMart. And they save so much money on reduced employee
turnover, and increased productivity, it nearly pays for itself, so prices aren't affected.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[madmom]

74. Have you ever worked at wal-mart? I'm curious because you say

"After four years of working with the company, a cashier can earn $44,000 a year, and they offer
health benefits to most of their employees.

Not bad at all. It's nearly double WalMart."

The article said Wal-Mart would not release those figures...also everyone says Costco is a union shop the article says about 13% of their employees are union, not all that much.After reading the article I find a lot of similarities between what they say about Costco policies and what I know about Wal-Mart policies.

As far as taking out mom & pop stores I know the town I live in the mom & pop stores conspired to fix prices and carried only certain things, so you paid their price and bought what they wanted you to buy and they hired 1 or 2 high school harrys, paid minimum wage, no benefits, and if you didn't have the "right family" you were shit out of luck as far as a job went.

I just know that an awful lot of people left their other retail jobs to go to WalMart for some reason, and I see no difference between Costco and Walmart. :shrug:

[ConservativeDemocrat]

75. Even though WalMart didn't release the stats for that article...

...you can find it in other places. United Food and Commercial Workers union has a pretty good fact sheet with independent
references, so even though you know they're anti-WalMart, the facts they cite (including the Wall Street Journal) are all real.

Yes of course. Mom & Pops are lionized by the urban professionals and bohemian college students that populate D.U., just like they love unploughed rural countryside dotted with old ramshackle barns - not recognizing the crushing rural poverty it represents. They don't want to recognize that, in the reality based world, WalMart is often a step up. They'd rather create stupid signs.

But CostCo is even better than WalMart. Seriously. There is a different. They take really good care of their people. So use them if you have a choice.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[madmom]

76. I have no complaints about the way Walmart is treating me, and I

really see absolutely no difference in the way Costco and Walmart do business and unless you've worked for both and can compare you are only citing other people, and some one who professes to be anti whatever would IMO be considered more than a little biased don't ya think?

[ConservativeDemocrat]

78. If you're happy where you're at, don't change.

For instance, sometimes just having a good boss or not having a drive is more important than salary.

But I'm just saying that I do know people who've worked at one or the other, and one that worked at both (briefly), and there is a difference. I like to post references though, so people know I'm not just making things up.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[madmom]

79. ahh so this is a so'n'so told so'n so who told so'n so, actually I still

can'nt see a bit of difference and as far as a cashier making $44,000 a year, I did the math that's over $21 an hour, I find that hard to believe unless it's in some place like California or where the cost of living is much higher than in the mid west, a new costco just opened about 50 miles from me and they advertised about $10 an hour which is comparable to Walmart.So I say I really don't think you know what you're talking about.

[Pastiche423]

36. Please tell me you live in the eastern part of the state

[ConservativeDemocrat]

48. Why? Because Western Oregon is better than Eastern?

[Pastiche423]

49. No

Because I would hope that you do not live in the same part of Oregon that I do.

[ConservativeDemocrat]

51. Poor baby

You're forced to share an entire state with somebody you don't agree with.
I'm all choked up at your terrible, piteous, mewling, suffering...
No wait. I'm not.

How about this, instead? Grow up.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[Pastiche423]

52. I'm all grown up. Thank you very much

Btw, I share nothing w/you.

[ConservativeDemocrat]

53. I meant mentally and emotionally.

There, you really have a long way to go.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[Forkboy]

56. The reality based community should evict you.

[ReadTomPaine]

62. Just another conservative sleeping on the Democratic couch for now...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1857274

We get plenty of these disenchanted former-GOP conservative types here since they lost control of their own party and have been unwilling to do the leg work and labor involved in getting it back. Old habits are a comfort during difficult times and times are indeed hard for these left-behind conservative refugees. Nothing makes them feel better than bashing liberals or democrats however, it's a pleasure they enjoy so much that few are able to break the cycle of abuse even under ideal circumstances. That's why you see such boorish nonsense here - it's not to be helped as it doesn't arise from a rational place. It's like a binge eater in the midst of a fit of depression - the problem is that it's you and me they are trying to eat, so it gets a bit old - esp. when they are sleeping on our couch.

As always, projection is a primary aspect of anything related to conservative politics and it's on clear display here. With that in mind, phrases such as 'reality based', the condescending remarks and the rhetorical presumption to speak for the status quo provide an ideal window into the mentality behind these comments. A search of the archives will bear this out in almost every instance - it's uncanny in its consistency.

So in short, depressing as this is to say - don't expect more from that quarter. If you're looking for rationality or even common courtesy, you won't find any there, my friend.

[ConservativeDemocrat]

65. Sorry pal, I've been in the D.U. longer than you

And, most likely, a Democrat when you were just a twinkle in your daddy's eye.

Guess what? The D.U. isn't the Democratic Party. Unlike many socialist
posters here - Greens, Nader voters, Sheehan/Chávez loons who spend all their
time attacking the Democratic Party - most Democrats don't hate capitalism. If
a store offers customers better services at a better price, it has no
responsibility to provide worse services to make their customers to go to
their crappy competitors.

Really, I think about a quarter of the D.U. should go off and form the
CommunistUnderground; it would be a perfect shield from any sort of opinion
that counters yours. And you could laud all the no-bid Halliburton contracts
there as well, since that's exactly the remedy you're asking for with all
this governmental economic intervention.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[ReadTomPaine]

66. That's the problem - You're the SNL/Belushi houseguest from hell that Edwards recently discussed

You arrive early, insult the guests, eat all the food and then sack out on the couch, belching out what passes for wisdom in your world. Virtually everything you've said above was wrong. Again - this is nothing new.

Just be thankful you're tolerated here and no one has gotten upset enough with you to ride you out on a rail. Back home you'd just be another conservative gimp.

[sandnsea]

47. Who controls price and production

Monopoly doesn't necessarily mean there's no competition, it means that the monopoly controls price and production to the point that competition no longer drives the market place.

[ConservativeDemocrat]

50. And do you have even the slightest bit of evidence for this?

That big-box stores are immune from competition? Even from other big box stores?
No? Thought not. Because, of course, they aren't.

Face facts - "big box stores" are simply more efficient at delivering goods to people.
That lets them charge lower prices, which consumers like. This complaint that a
retail tactic (big box) is "monopolistic", is akin to buggy manufacturers whining that
autos were monopolistic because they were cheaper than horses.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[sandnsea]

60. Yeah Vlasic Pickles

In order to have their pickles in Walmart, they had to produce a gallon container for Walmart, basically as a loss leader. Trouble was, people didn't eat the number of pickles in the jar. With normal supply and demand, people would buy a smaller, cheaper, jar. But the big jar was so cheap that people kept buying it, and throwing the extras away. Well Vlasic started needing more pickles for the bigger jars, and they actually did have to pay for the pickles, unlike the consumer. It was bankrupting the company. They couldn't pull out of Walmart, too big a market share loss. They couldn't raise prices in other stores to make up the cost. Walmart's power effectively sets prices. So, Vlasic went bankrupt. They recently sold to Heinz.

Completely Walmart monopoly driven.

[ConservativeDemocrat]

67. First of all, you're talking about a MonopSONy

Not a MonoPOLy. A Monopoly is when there is effectively only one seller.
A Monopsony is when there is effectively only one buyer.

But even that doesn't hold water. Vlasic wasn't forced to sell pickles to
WalMart. Originally, they'd had plenty of other buyers. What happened was
that they decided to go the cheap, bulk, route in selling pickles, and it
ruined their brand. With pickles everywhere, people thought of them not as
a quality product, but a bulk one.

But even then, they could have chosen to pull out of WalMart. It would have
meant eliminating all the growth they'd done, laying off most of the people
they'd hired since they got the fat WalMart contract, but the company would
have survived. Instead, they chose to be bought out, which is probably better
for their workers, if not their investors.

The bottom line, however, is that there is absolutely no law in the U.S. against
having a monopsony, or "abusing" monopsony power. The laws against illegal
maintenance of a monopoly isn't there to protect the competition, it's there to
protect the public from abusively high prices due to an artificial restriction
of supply. In a Monopsony, the public gets extremely low prices. And if
you don't want to sell to a monopsonist, just go into another business or line
of work.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[sandnsea]

71. Monopoopy

The problem is there is no free competition anymore, so we don't know what the prices in a true free market would bring to the consumer. And, with food stamps and WIC, we really don't know whether the current market would leave people starving or not.

Walmart controls price through the tactics I previously described. They did it to suppliers until all suppliers are working Chinese people to death in order to meet Walmart's demands. Now they're doing it to our retail workers and checkers. As soon as they've sucked every last nickle out of the worker that they can, they'll start raising prices to make more for their shareholders. That's when you'll understand they control price and production and are a monopoly.

[ConservativeDemocrat]

73. Monopoopy?

That is your answer? Along with more unsubstantiated assertions?
You're proud of your economic ignorance?

Please read again, once more, very slowly: there are no barriers to entry
for anyone who wants to compete with WalMart. That company has, in fact, plenty
of competition. So any statement that "there is no free competition anymore"
is false on its face. Period.

The problem the U.S. has is not that we don't have a free market in retail. The
problem the U.S. has is that we don't have a free market in U.S. contracting -
especially military contracting. It's all privilege and patronidge, and costs
Americans literally hundreds of billions of dollars each year in overpayment
and waste. Over the last 7 years, this has added over $20,000 debt per American
taxpayer. Money that could have been used in much better ways - fixing public
infrastructure comes to mind - or just not racking up that debt at all.

C.D. - Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[Book Lover]

61. And yet the sign does not use the word "Wal-Mart," yet you do...

What, you got an uncle in Housewares?

on edit: punctuation

[robinlynne]

26. wow!

someone gets it.

[redqueen]

28. Nice.

:kick:

[tomreedtoon]

29. Cute Photoshopping. Anyone dare to do a REAL sign?

Isn't it wonderful to do cute jokes like this - that only communicate to the choir?

If someone made a REAL sign like this, and posted it in front of a REAL store in a REAL town whose economy was ravaged by Undead Sam Walton, it might be more impressive. But nobody would dare, especially not the character who did this Photoshopped sign.

Nice job creating the fake shadows, though. Provides a nice place for the creator to hide.

[eridani]

37. Now that the idea has been spread around a little more by this thread--

--maybe somebody will.

[progressoid]

44. Umm. It is a REAL sign.

Read: http://www.aldrichart.org/exhibitions/magnusson.php

[rateyes]

45. It would be a nice job of photoshopping....

had it NOT BEEN REAL.

http://www.aldrichart.org/exhibitions/magnusson.php

Maybe next time you'll think and do some research before you speak.

[tomreedtoon]

64. It is NOT a real sign. It is a MUSEUM piece of art.

It is not out in the public. The public doesn't go to art museums. (As Tom Wolfe said in The Painted Word, the public is not invited, and never has been.

Now if this objection d'art had been placed in a place where REAL people go - like in front of an abandoned store in, say, Keokuk, Iowa - THEN it would be a real sign. Then its message might have meant something. But it's safe in a museum where the choir (people who already have liberal attitudes) are the only ones who will see it. And therefore it means nothing.

Art is not real. Get over it.

[sandnsea]

72. Uncle Tom's Cabin was/is art

Maybe you need to rethink that statement just a tad.

[tomreedtoon]

77. No, "Cabin" was literature, open to all.

And written to be read by people. Art is only intended to be seen by the people who go into museums. Generally the rich and cultured, who either already agree with it or Bushies who ignore it. Not by ordinary people.

I repeat: if this sign was put out in the real world (NOT in a museum) in front of a real mom-and-pop killed by Wal-Mart, it would mean something. But it's Art. It means nothing.

[Forkboy]

57. Cute wrong post.

[Miss Chybil]

33. Once upon a time K-Mart was the bad guy on the street... nt

[ironflange]

35. Hey! Here's a sign I just saw!

[rateyes]

46. Nice try. I've used that website, too.

The sign in the OP is a real one made by these folk:

http://www.aldrichart.org/exhibitions/magnusson.php

[Forkboy]

58. Gir disapproves.

:)

[Blue_Tires]

63. great sign...

i at least hope THAT was made in the u.s.!