I live across the street from a small apartment building full of illegal immigrants, and when I say “full” I mean there are 10 or more living in apartments designed to house a maximum of four. They are all young men who came here from Mexico to work, not collect welfare. But they are breaking the law just by being here, and no law enforcement agency seems to care. A common rationale given for government’s big wink at their lawbreaking is that our economy depends on low-cost immigrant labor to do the jobs “even blacks won’t do.” Illegal drugs are also an important segment of our local economy, as are lap dances in titty bars, but the laws against these crimes are enforced, at least some of the time. Does anyone in government or law enforcement realize that enforcing some laws while failing to enforce others makes them look stupid and hypocritical? Not that I expect a rational answer to this question from anyone who has the power to change the current situation… (more…)
Will ‘Dead Men Walking’ Replace Communism?
In 1998 I wrote an essay about how we needed a new “ism” to replace Communism as a boogeyman to frighten the rich people who control our government and major corporations into treating the rest of us decently. You can read that essay here. Sadly, I think I now know what is going to replace Communism as the threat that keeps our country’s wealthiest 5% from becoming even richer by making life harder for everyone else. It will not be an “ism” with a charismatic leader. It will be series of individual acts of violence against wealthy corporate leaders and their political cronies, carried out by people who feel they have nothing to lose. (more…)
Wal-Mart Doesn’t Want Me as a Customer
I’m fat, I have diabetes, and I prefer a long-term, permanent job to part-time, short-term work. According to an internal Wal-Mart personnel memo recently obtained and published by the New York Times (free registration required), this makes me exactly the kind of employee Wal-Mart doesn’t want. Instead, they want to have workers who are healthy, skinny, and don’t stay long.
“Robin,” you say, “they’re talking about what they want in employees, not customers.
My response: “Don’t patronize a business that won’t hire you or people like you. If they don’t want to give you their money, why should you want to give them yours?”
I don’t mind if Wal-Mart wants to treat workers badly. It’s a private business, not a government agency. And I’m sure Wal-Mart spokespeople who say they are no worse than many other discount retailers are telling the truth. Nowadays, “We’re only being assholes because our competitors are assholes, too,” is used as an excuse for all kinds of nasty behavior.
But I don’t need to patronize — that is, support — this kind of behavior. Just as Wal-Mart is free to make nasty personnel decisions, I am free to shop elsewhere.
So good-bye, Wal-Mart. I never spent much in your stores anyway, so I’m sure the little bit of income you got from me won’t be missed.