Government Dirt

Hillary Clinton is on the board of directors for Wal-Mart. Has been been for years. Her campaign is build on several issues that are contrary to what Walmart does. Contrary to the point that I'm absolutely amazed no one else has cottoned onto this.

She could at least publicly speak out against the policies (she is, from what I've heard, Sam Walton's niece somehow [this explains that five million she donated to herself], and it's not likely she'd be kicked off the board), even if she can't convince them to change policies. She's got a lot of power when it comes to this. She could speak out, and as the former First Lady of the US and Arkansas, and a current US Senator, she's got an incredible reach.

Wal Mart is accused of the following:

* Treating women like dirt--they almost never promote women to manager.

* Crushing local business--small towns tend to loose about half their retail trade within the decade of a local WalMart opening (Those of you who say that they create more jobs--they only do so in the short term).

* Poor working conditions and inadequate health care-- Instances where people were working around the clock without breaks or overtime. As a whole, employees are paid so little that they can't afford the premiums, according to a number of studies.
"On October 26, 2005, a Wal-Mart internal memo sent to the firm's Board of Directors advised trimming over $1 billion in health care expenses by 2011 through measures such as attracting a younger, implicitly healthier work force by offering education benefits. The memo also suggested giving sedentary Wal-Mart staffers, such as cashiers, more physically demanding tasks, such as, "cart-gathering," and eliminating full-time positions in favor of hiring part-time employees who would be ineligible for the more expensive health insurance and several policy proposals which may violate the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
The memo also accused Wal-Mart's lower paid employees of abusing emergency room visits, "possibly due to their prior experience with programs such as Medicaid," whereas such visits may actually be due to the reduced ability of uninsured or under-insured people to make timely appointments to see a regular physician. Critics point to this story as evidence that Wal-Mart purports to be generous with its employee benefits, while in reality the company is working to cut such benefits by reducing the number of full-time and long-term employees and discouraging supposedly unhealthy people from working at Wal-Mart."

* Hiring illegals-- they claim the illegals work for contractors, others say they were hired personally by Walmart.

* Forcing Outsourcing--Walmart started the whole thing, and others had to do so to keep up. Moreover, they tell companies what they want produced and how much Walmart will pay for it. No negotiation, no discussion. Do what we say, or loose us.

* Forcing teenaged Mexican baggers to work only tips. Using Chinese sweatshop/prison labor.

* Violating environmental standards across the country: "Enforcement agencies agree: when it comes to following rules, Wal-Mart can do better:
* Slapped with Fines Across the Country. In 2004, Wal-Mart faced fines for violations of environmental laws in nine states: California, Colorado, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. [Associated Press, 5/12/04; New York Times, 4/13/05]
* Forced to Settle Air Pollution Claims. In 2004, Wal-Mart agreed to pay $400,000 to the government to settle claims that Sam's Club had flouted federal air pollution regulations in eleven states. [The Business Journal, 1/30/04]
* Widespread Water Pollution. In 2001, the EPA and Justice Department for the first time fined a company -- Wal-Mart -- for violating newly adopted standards for stormwater runoff. Wal-Mart paid $5.5 million in fines for violations at construction sites in four states: Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Four years later, however, Wal-Mart signed an agreement with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection over storm water violations occurring over seven years at 20 stores, and agreed to pay $1,550,000 in penalties. [Underground Construction, 8/1/01; Forbes, 8/15/05]
* Contaminating Water in Georgia. Georgia's Environmental Protection Division (EPD) fined Wal-Mart for letting polluted storm water run free into state waters -- resulting in $170,000 in penalties for pollution at two sites. Wal-Mart failed to take basic steps to help clean storm runoff, such as maintaining silt fencing around construction zones, installing ponds to catch storm water, and failure to keep records. The fines ranked among the highest paid in Georgia for violations of the Clean Water Act. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2/10/05]
* In Florida, Oil Storage Problems. Florida forced Wal-Mart to pay $765,000 in fines for operating outside safety restrictions on petroleum storage at its auto service centers. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection flagged the company for failing to register its fuel tanks with the state or install devices that prevent gasoline overflows. According to the state, Wal-Mart also failed to perform monthly safety checks, lacked current technologies to prevent overflows, blocked state inspectors from reviewing records and failed to show proper insurance documentation. [Associated Press, 11/18/04] "

Hillary sells herself as (using quotes from her annoying hell to navigate website):

* A women's champion (like I want her to be my Knight In Shining Pink Armor).
"Today, despite the progress women have made, they earn only 77 cents for every dollar men earn -- and women of color earn even less. Hillary is leading the charge in the Senate to strengthen equal pay laws and end pay disparities between men and women. She introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act to strengthen the penalties associated with wage discrimination, to ensure that the federal government sets a higher standard, and to increase oversight of employers. Hillary has also worked to increase access to capital and other support for women-owned businesses."
Mhm, sweetie, letting your uncle's company not move women up in the ranks is a great way to show this.
According to WalmartWatch.com:
* female hourly workers earn up to 37 cents less per hour than their male counterparts;
* female full-time employees working at least 45 weeks earn on average nearly $5,000 less than male employees in yearly salary;
* women make up 72 percent of Wal-Mart's total workforce, but only 33 percent of its managers;
* and women make up 92 percent of Wal-Mart's cashiers, but only 14 percent of Wal-Mart store managers.

* Increase Rural opportunity--"Hillary also believes that there are many other opportunities to create good jobs..."
When uncle Sammy's company screws over the rural area regularly. Repeatedly. Unendingly.

* Nationalized Health Care-- "It puts the consumer in the driver's seat by offering more choices and lowering costs. If you're one of the tens of million Americans without coverage or if you don't like the coverage you have, you will have a choice of plans to pick from and that coverage will be affordable. Of course, if you like the plan you have, you can keep it."
I suppose this is her way of apologizing.

* Wants to secure the border and prevent illegal hiring. "Hillary strongly believes we need to do more to know who is in our country by securing our borders and ensuring that employers comply with the law against hiring and exploiting undocumented workers. She supports deploying new technology that can help stop the flow of undocumented immigrants into the country and an employer verification system that is universal, accurate, timely, and does not lead to discrimination and abuse by employers."
I cannot help but laugh at this. I really can't.

* Someone who will increase the standing of America world wide--"As president, Hillary will lead by the words of the Declaration of Independence, which pledged "a decent respect to the opinions of mankind."
More BS courtesy of She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Wordlessly letting women and minors be exploited is a greaaaaat way to start.

* Save the children: "America is ready for a president who fights for our children. Hillary has spent her lifetime as an effective advocate for parents and children.
From her first job out of law school at the Children's Defense Fund to her time as First Lady of Arkansas and of the United States to her service in the Senate, helping children has been at the center of Hillary's public life.
In the White House, Hillary will continue her lifelong work to create a world where every child is cherished, loved, and able to fulfill his or her potential."
Yes. Having them work too many hours (on school nights, too!) and miss meal breaks or not be paid is a great effing way to do that.

* Clean up the environment,
"Hillary has a bold and comprehensive plan to address America's energy and environmental challenges that will establish a green, efficient economy and create as many as five million new jobs.
Centered on a cap and trade system for carbon emissions, stronger energy and auto efficiency standards and a significant increase in green research funding, Hillary's plan will reduce America's reliance on foreign oil and address the looming climate crisis.
Setting ambitious targets, the plan would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050 to avoid the worst effects of global warming, and cut foreign oil imports by two-thirds from 2030 projected levels, more than 10 million barrels per day."
Yup. That's the way to go. Mhm.

Do I expect the campaign to match up entirely with Mal-Mart policies? No. But I do expect her to speak out on the most flagrant and harmful to the very things she's trying to fix.

Links:
http://www.hillaryclinton.com
http://walmartwatch.com/issues
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Wal-Mart (I can and will provide more links on this for anyone who asks)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/secrets/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/interviews/lehman....