Anybody who's watched the follies as Wal-Mart negotiates tax breaks for its incoming stores knows that it's raised the practice of privatizing profit while socializing costs and risks to an exquisite art form.

So It's astonishing that they haven't already followed GM in realizing that their best way out of this mess is to simply handle it in the exact same way -- push the *entire* problem onto government by coming out strongly in favor of universal health care.

The day Wal-Mart realizes that this is in their own best interest, we'll have coast-to-coast, cradle-to-grave coverage for everyone within a year. Count on it.

(BTW, those of you who are tuning up to sing the traditional songs of woe regarding the Canadian system, save your breath. I was the one with a child in a Canadian ER at 1:00 this morning. You were not. If you haven't experienced both systems first-hand, as I have, you're not in any position to engage me on this, so spare us all the recital.)

As for the Ayn Rand grognards: The government (that is, the taxpayers) have no right to object when they're forced to pay the bills of rapacious ubermenchen? These people really need their own planet to run -- and the sooner, the better, I say. Because they're a menace to this one.

According to you, when a red state like Idaho takes steps against WalMart's predatory practices, it must be a good thing. But when the Democrat-controlled Maryland legislature does the same, it is not. Why?

When you started this blog, I had hoped for some intellectually honest coverage of globalisation and how it affects people here at home in the U.S.. You have UTTERLY disappointed me - I would go so far as to say you don't belong on Salon.

I already see the epitaph for the U.S. - here lies a once-great country; it was brought down by its own people's misguided adherence to unbridled capitalism on one hand and political correctness on the other.

Only when journalists countenance the outsourcing of their jobs and the erosion of their benefits/job security will we see a much-needed correction in the slant of the coverage. I, for one, don't think that even tomorrow will be too soon for that day to be here.

Let's be clear about one thing. While it is true that the only company affected by the new law in Maryland is Walmart, the media seems to constantly portray that Walmart is the only company that COULD be affected. This is not true. There are at least two and possibly three (sorry I forget the details exactly) other companies in MD that could be deffected by the law, but they aren't. The difference. The other comapnies spend the mandated amount on employee healthcare, Walmart does not.

...the Walton family was just wealthy. But the fact that five of the ten (or is it now four since one was killed in a plane crash?) wealthiest Americans are heirs to the Wal*Mart fortune, that lends a lot of creedance to states' desires to slap them around. If you've acheived huge levels of wealth, in scarcely more than a generation, it's a mystery to me as to how you can, in good concience, ignore the basic needs of your employees. The right thing to do is give a little nod to the little people who make it all possible. Unfortunately, the only entities in a position to now make the case are local and state governments. It's just too bad those requirements weren't written in as part of the agreements when giving Wal*Mart all those sweetheart deals. Besides, you can't tell me that a company as huge as Wal*Mart can't make similar demands on health insurers that it makes on local governemtns and get massive discounts.

The super center is a village where people push carts. We love walking the Aisles the twice a month we go there.

And who else,except Haband,has my pants size of 40W 29L

and a great price.

The other three companies are Giant Food LLC, Johns Hopkins University, Northrop Grumman Corp and the bill requires that companies with over 10,000 employees spend at least 8% of their total payroll on healthcare. Wal-Mart is the only company in the state that does not meet this requirement.

As far as I'm concerned, it was only a matter of time before Republicans started to turn on Wal-Mart.

On the one hand, Republicans are the party of big business and free enterprise, therefore, Wal-Mart and corporations that operate like it are the natural progeny of their policies.

On the other hand, however, corporations that operate in such a way, with little regulatory oversight or government intervention, eventually post huge profits and massive growth numbers at the expense of the taxpayers. The executives in Bentonville aren't stupid--they know what federal and state safety nets exist for their low-wage employees. Why not use them to their advantage? Such dependence on taxpayer-funded social services butts heads directly with Republican ideology.

Furthermore, the GOP actively and aggressively recruits small business owners to reinforce its base, characterizing itself as, again, the party of business, assuring small businesses that they are fighting the good fight on their behalf to ensure the future of free enterprise in America. Sounds nice enough until Wal-Mart comes to town, and all those small businesses who donated a few hundred dollars to the local Republican party and voted for the Republican Congressman or Senator finds her/himself out of business because s/he can't compete with the likes of Wal-Mart.

Puts Republicans in a bit of pickle, doesn't it?

I'm a Marylander, and quite proud of my state right now. It's been driving me crazy everytime I hear someone suggest that this bill is singling out Walmart and Walmart only. This is simply not the case. The bill targets companies that have 10,000+ employees. And no, Walmart is not the only company in Maryland with 10,000+ employees. Walmart just happens to be the only company who doesn't already spend 8% of it's payroll on health benefits for it's employees. Johns Hopkins, Giant Food and Northrop Grumman also employee 10,000+ employees in the state of Maryland.