An economic study commissioned by Wal-Mart found that the world’s largest retailer keeps inflation down and has a positive impact on U.S. employment, among other favorable effects. Of course, that failed to influence its steadfast (and mostly union-driven) critics.
Wal-Mart’s chief detractors…argue that the company benefits from a variety of public subsidies while depressing wages.
Tracy Sefl, spokeswoman for Wal-Mart Watch, a leading critic of the company, said her group’s research, based on data from congressional reports, concludes that Wal-Mart benefits from at least 1.5 billion dollars in public subsidies each year.
Additionally, Sefl noted other reports showing retail workers lost 4.7 billion dollars as a result of depressed wages and that nearly half of the children of Wal-Mart employees qualify for the government’s Medicaid health program for the needy.
So, government gives subsidies away to big business, and pays companies’ employees in health benefits and who knows what else, to supplement their income. And they blame Wal-Mart for that?
