Power to the Hasidim

Not that you might have expected otherwise, but I support the anti-Walmart campaign being conducted by the Hasidim of Monsey (yesterday's Times) I hope they win -- not because I necessarily agree with each and every one of the Hasidic complaints, but because Walmart is pure evil.

I say this not because I object to low prices and one-stop shopping, but because those conveniences are built on the backs of poorly-paid workers. And before you start rambling on about the magical market and its otherworldly powers, please pause to remember that after Walmart devastates the local downtown its often the only game in town for people who low-skilled workers. And before you shrug your shoulders and say "their problem, not mine" pause again to remember that these poorly-paid Walmart employees often rely on goverment programs to get by. Paying a few cents less at Walmart may be sweet, but at what cost? More working poor? More people with no health insurance? More people relying on the taxpayer to get by? Sorry, but no thanks. Money quote:

In short, Wal-Mart disables and replaces small businesses that may have provided health care coverage and higher wages to employees, forcing people to ask the government for assistance or go without health care -- ultimately the costliest solution. Meanwhile, those businesses able to survive around a Wal-Mart are joining the race to the bottom.

Related: Something Walmart this way comes.