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Opinion

One stop shop not good for U.S.

Nick Somarakis
Opinion Columnist 

Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in the United States and in the world. With more than 3,800 stores in the U.S. and 1.3 million employees, Wal-Mart is now the largest employer in the United States. The expansion of this corporation has hurt the U.S. economy and had made it harder for American workers to feed their families.

Wal-Mart treats employees badly. Less than half of their employees have healthcare. They make such low wages that they rely on government programs for their medical problems, which costs taxpayers money for coverage.

Wal-Mart pays an average of $8.23 per hour for associates, a wage that falls below the poverty line, and has been sued for forcing employees to work through breaks and overtime without pay. 

Wal-Mart has had a negative impact on the economy as well. It imports most of its goods from China because the Chinese work at far lower wages and in much worse working conditions than American workers do. 

Manufacturers that would normally employ American workers and pay U.S. wages are being forced to move to China for the lower costs -- in order to maintain business with Wal-Mart. 

Wal-Mart also puts small businesses out of business. Small retail shops are almost non-existent now that Wal-Mart has expanded all across the country. Mom and pop shops that would normally run their own businesses are now working for Wal-Mart -- at much lower wages and with much less job satisfaction.

Wal-Mart stores now offer vehicle maintenance, optometry, pharmacy, groceries, gasoline, film developing and other services. This expanding of services will lead to other small businesses running out of business because Wal-Mart offers the services at lower costs and, usually, lower quality.

Wal-Mart must not be allowed to hurt the American economy as it has been doing. Wal-Mart workers should be allowed to join unions so they can increase their wages and better their working conditions. 

Wal-Mart should go back to selling goods made in the United States rather than importing from China. 

In the past, the government has taken action to prevent companies that have grown like Wal-Mart has -- from monopolizing business sectors.

Former President "Teddy" Roosevelt was known as the trust-busting president because he took action to break up trusts and monopolies to protect competition and the U.S. economy.

The government should break up Wal-Mart stores, as Roosevelt did, to ensure that competition is still a factor in retail sales. This would protect the U.S. economy and ensure that manufacturing in the United States has a chance. It would also protect small businesses and encourage their growth and expansion.

Forbes magazine lists that five of the top 10 richest Americans are Waltons and relatives of the founder of Wal-Mart. It seems that although Wal-Mart's tactics for cutting costs has hurt its employees, it has been very beneficial to them personally.

Somarakis, an opinion columnist for The Daily Cougar, 
can be reached at nick_som1@hotmail.com.