The letters defending Walmart in the Dec. 14 Leader — “Crime isn’t any worse at Walmart” and “Can’t wait for Walmart to arrive” — are laughable because they reflect a total ignorance of the destructive effects that the retailer has had on American workers.
The authors' main concern appears to be that they have easy access to cheap, Chinese-made goods.
There are very good reasons why many cities have fought hard to keep Walmart out. Walmart has destroyed the livelihoods of thousands of small business owners throughout the U.S. by offering non-competitive volume purchasing and discounting that small businesses can't match.
They have allegedly discriminated against countless female employees and have reportedly encouraged workers to use emergency rooms as their primary source of healthcare and to sign up for food stamps. And Walmart's pay scale has greatly contributed to the “race to the bottom” employment crisis that imperils our middle class.
