Showing posts with label Walmart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Walmart. Show all posts

Monday, April 9, 2012

Corporate stampede to dump ALEC – Do your part today

Unfortunately it took the death of Trayvon Martin in Florida at the hands of George Zimmerman to convince at least some of the corporate world just how despicable the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is.  When the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) brought the “stand your ground” law to the them, it was originally passed in 2005 in Florida, later being passed by 20-something other states.  The law’s efficacy is being questioned nationwide.

This is all the result of the dedicated reporting of the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) on ALEC’s activities in an expose that finally put this reprehensible organization in the spotlight, drawing attention to its lobbying efforts on the state level that favor big business at the expense of the consumer.  The very consumer that supports these large corporations that also support ALEC.  Well the tide has turned and they are dropping like flies.

It was announced late last Thursday that Coca Cola and Pepsico had dumped ALEC, then on Friday Kraft and Intuit decided to bail.  No doubt more are on the way and this list will need to be updated regularly today.  But there were holdouts, some you deal with every day, and you should know who they are (below), and I will show you later how you can add your voice to the referendum.

Wal-Mart refused to withdraw its support of ALEC claiming, "Our membership in any organization does not affirm our agreement with each policy created by the broader group."  Not good enough and you should let the retailer know by your future shopping habits.

According to Reuters, due to “political risk,” Pfizer, Reynolds American, Altria/Philip Morris and non-board ALEC member Procter & Gamble refuse to leave ALEC.  Customers of these companies should decide whether they want to leave them.

Exxon Mobil and British alcohol firm Diageo (makers of Smirnoff products and Johnnie Walker whisky) declined to comment.


Pfizer drugs

Pfizer, the world largest drug manufacturer, said, "We don't agree with every ALEC position, but we participate in ALEC's healthcare forums because state legislators that are the members in ALEC, they make decisions that impact our business and the country's business every day."  Not added is the fact that state lawmakers pass the laws dictated by ALEC, unfavorable to drug users.

Reynolds (Camel cigarettes) said ALEC provides "a valuable forum for sharing of ideas and fostering better understanding of a broad range of both legislative and business issues."  In other words, we let them do our dirty work.

Others who weren’t talking when this was posted are Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, AT&T, State Farm, plus others.

Now this may all change during the day, adding more dropouts, and you can check the progress of this issue by going to CMD’s site, ALEC Exposed.  And in case you aren’t mad enough yet to participate, here are a few priority items on ALEC’s agenda:

  • Suppress voting by students, the poor and ethnic minorities through restrictive Voter ID laws.

  • Push climate change denial and restrict protections for our environment.

  • Undermine public schools by using tax dollars to subsidize for-profit schools.

  • Limit consumers' rights and the basic right of workers to organize.

  • And privatize and ration Medicare and Social Security, as well as other government services.

Get the scoop on ALEC below from a U.S. Representative:



So now that you are mad enough, here are some sites to visit where you can learn more about the antics of ALEC.  First check out the ALEC Corporations that are involved in this conspiracy and you will see a wide array of the U.S. corporate world.  It’s alphabetized for easy reference.  Next, find your state lawmakers that do just what ALEC mandates and tell them to stop this practice and start representing the people or you will vote them out of office.

Now that you are fully armed with information, you are ready to take action on your own.  Go to CMD’s Dump ALEC site and you can send your own letter to corporate America that says you are sick and tired of these underhanded methods to undermine your rights as a consumer and a customer.  You’ll feel better and it will help CMD in its fight to oust ALEC.  Do it today!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Black Friday violence and human nature

Human nature is defined as those characteristics in the way we think, feel and act that come naturally.  Exactly what these characteristics are and what causes them and how they work in our every day life has been the study of Western philosophers for years.  They should have been around for the recent Black Friday sales, particularly at Walmart.  Police say a California woman used pepper spray in the process of making her purchase of a video game console.

Los Angeles firefighters treated the 15 that were hit by the spray but no one was sent to the hospital.  In the mêlée, the woman was able to pay for her purchases and leave the store.  Now what does that say about human nature?  This person obviously brought the pepper spray with her to shop, meaning it was a premeditated act of hostility toward her fellow human beings.  Screw the rest, I want my video game and am willing to go to whatever extent it takes to get it.

The reasoning is similar to the person that sees someone lying on the street in need of help and charts a wide path around them and just keeps going.  Other incidents occurred in South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, New York, Alabama and Connecticut with most happening at or near a Walmart store.  In 2008 a Walmart employee was trampled in New York as he and associates tried to unlock the doors at 5 AM.  Other occurrences nationwide included fights, even shootings.

Since the problem seems to be confined mostly to Walmart stores, you have to wonder if it is just outstanding discounts, or is it the shopper profile.  Walmart says its core shopper is lower-income minorities.  A Business Week study found that they are socially conservative, pro-gun and live in rural areas.  Jeff Gardere, a psychologist, blames it on retailers orchestrating sales that just ask for hard competitive behavior by desperate people in a bad economy.  “I think people are whipped into a frenzy, physically, psychologically," he said.



But then came the gun violence; remember the Walmart shopper is pro-gun.  One shooting in San Leandro, CA left someone hospitalized in a Walmart shopping lot.  In Myrtle Beach, SC 2 people had injuries from an apparent armed robbery.  In Kinston, NC a security officer had to use pepper spray to stop a disturbance at a Walmart store.  A man in a Florida Walmart was arrested for resisting arrest, and yet another Walmart in Rome, NY had a brawl break out sending 2 people to the hospital.

There are more, similar to the above occurring in or around Walmart stores.  So, in all fairness, add to the questions of whether this is all about hyped up sales or the Walmart customer profile the possibility that some or all of these effected stores were in bad locations.  Any way you look at it, though, Walmart seems to attract an undesirable element in its shoppers’ actions, at least on days featuring top discounts like Black Friday.

In closing, human nature is dedicated to the investigation of the person’s inner self considering biological, social and environmental factors that effect human behavior.  All of these factors are mutually interactive including our evolution, biology and sociological processes, according to editor, J. Lancaster from the book Human Nature.  But with all due respect, I cannot envision myself, or my family, or many of my friends doing anything like the violent events of this past Black Friday.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

More gun sense and nonsense

This is the first in a series of articles on topics in the news that point out the utterly senseless and irresponsible way that guns are viewed and handled in this country, along with those that show a balanced approach to gun control.  In January of 2011, The Daily Beast made the following statement: “You're five times more likely to die from a gun in Arizona than Hawaii.”  They went on to list the “20 Deadliest Gun States,” which ranked Mississippi number one, Arizona 2nd.  Number 50 was Hawaii.

On the plus side, California Gov. Jerry Brown just signed a ban on open handgun carrying in public in the most populous state.  The law “makes it a misdemeanor to carry an exposed and unloaded gun in public or in vehicles, with violators facing up to a year in prison or a potential fine of $1,000 when the law takes effect on Jan 1.”  The bills sponsor, state Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, said, "It's not if somebody is going be shot, it's when somebody is going to be shot.”  One delusional Arizona sheriff said the law would not reduce gun violence.

On the minus side in Arizona (as usual), U.S. Rep. Trent Franks, still infested with foot-in-mouth disease, said, “In Arizona sometimes to gain office you have to have shot someone. I'm joking, of course.”  This, after Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) was shot in a mass shooting that took six lives.  This is also the same numb-nuts that in 2010 said Blacks were better off under slavery.  Pathetic.

In another plus, Walmart decided to tighten their control over the selling of firearms.  The chain has ordered its stores to hold approval on firearms sales until a Brady Law criminal background check is complete, no matter how long it takes.  The big-box retailer’s strengthening of its management of gun purchases has pissed off the National Rifle Assoc. (NRA).  Wayne LaPierre, Exec. VP of the NRA has a way of dealing with these kinds of situations, and I wouldn’t doubt that Walmart could be seeing less NRA members in the future.  Just my opinion.    Kudos for Walmart.

But in returning to the minus category, we go to Tennessee where the state rep. that recently sponsored a bill that passed which would allow guns in bars was arrested in his car, with a gun, drunk.  This red neck hypocrite by the name of Curry Todd stood before the Tenn. Legislature and all but guaranteed “that permit holders and law-abiding citizens would not drink while carrying a gun.”  Todd was driving 60 mph in a 40 mph zone where police reported he "was very unsteady on his feet, almost falling down at times."  Pathetic.

The last entry is a combination plus/minus and is perhaps the most serious of all.  A plus to NY Rep. Carolyn Maloney, for making us aware of a bill going through the house that is both dangerous and misguided: H.R.822, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011.   A minus for the fact the Act would authorize a person who has a permit to carry a concealed firearm in one state, like Arizona, to carry a concealed handgun in another state where the laws may be very different, like {the} state of New York.”  If this kind of reciprocity from Arizona makes its way through other forms of federal firearms laws, the whole country could end up with anyone walking around city streets with concealed weapons, without a permit or license of any kind, and with absolutely no training.

The following video by the Brady Gun control campaign is a must watch.


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