Md. Senate overrides Veto on Wal-Mart bill

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

How many stores does Wal-Mart have in Md?

[Moooooo]

How many stores does Wal-Mart have in Md?

A lot.  There are 5 or so within 20-30 mins of my house.

[DanielX]

How is this the states business?

They are paying to subsidize thousands of Wal-Mart employees with Medicaid dollars and other welfare payments.

Easy solution: eliminate Medicaid .

[??????????]

I guess Scoonie couldn't defend his position.

[A18]

Businesses should not spend any money on medical care

What if a company wants to provide insurance for its company. Surely that is their right?

It's their right, but third party payment for health care is completely illogical. The only reason it's done this way is because our tax code encourages it.

[??????????]

Businesses should not spend any money on medical care

What if a company wants to provide insurance for its company. Surely that is their right?

It's their right, but they shouldn't do it, because it makes no sense. Just give employees the money as wages.

The only reason they do is because our tax code favors it.

I pay for my own healthcare through my company but they take it out on the gross pay before taxes which helps me a bit.

[John Dibble]

Hooray for Maryland!  A real freeloader gets called to account!

So opebo, when are you going to get called to account? Last time I checked, Wal-Mart provides a service to people, and since you don't you are an even greater freeloader, so I repeat - when are you going to get called to account?

You are criticizing the system you love so well, Dibble!  Your capitalism is built to provide a free ride for me.  Now get back to work.

First, a definition:

free·load
intr.v. Slang free·load·ed, free·load·ing, free·loads
To take advantage of the charity, generosity, or hospitality of others.

You call Wal-Mart a free loader and you are glad that they, as freeloaders, have been called to account when they don't even freeload.

They freeload upon the public teat, Dibble - Medicaid.  Their workers must have welfare in order to survive and drag themselves back to work.  This is a subsidy!

And it's people like you who advocate such systems that make it possible. Hell, you call for a welfare state that lets people freeload, so why bash Wal-Mart when they 'freeload' off the welfare system? You are very supportive of freeloading, so why can't Wal-Mart do it? Oh, that's right, you're a hypocrite.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Never, nor have I ever claimed otherwise - hence, not a hypocrite, hypocrite.
[/quote]

Why then do you applaud Wal-Mart being called to account for freeloading and not yourself? Why not cheer that all freeloaders, yourself included, be called to account? Oh, that's right, you're a hypocrite.

[TheresNoMoney]

I guess Scoonie couldn't defend his position.

It's impossible to reason with a right-wing ideologue like yourself.

Wal-Mart is costing the state of Maryland many millions in Medicaid dollars  because of their failure to pay adequate healthcare to their employees. In my opinion (which is likely the majority opinion), the state has the right to demand that Wal-Mart pay their workers adequate healthcare (defined as a similar percentage of payroll costs to the average American business) so that the state doesn't have to continue to subsidize their workers. The state's continued support of Wal-Mart workers is a prime example of corporate welfare and there is no reason for it.

Wal-Mart made a record 10.3 billion profit in fiscal year 2005 and can easily afford to give their workers' better healthcare benefits. They choose not to do so and are not held accountable because they are able to drive out the similar competition and leave their workers with few other options.

I applaud the state of Maryland legislature for a courageous bill that will help both the workers of Wal-Mart and the taxpayers of Maryland. The taxpayers of Maryland are sick of handing out corporate welfare to the corporate offices of Wal-Mart while the company makes record profits.

It didn't have to come to this, but Wal-Mart's continued greed made it neccessary.

[TheresNoMoney]

Easy solution: eliminate Medicaid .

Damn, you right-wingers are predictable.

[opebo]

Businesses should not spend any money on medical care

What if a company wants to provide insurance for its company. Surely that is their right?

It's their right, but third party payment for health care is completely illogical. The only reason it's done this way is because our tax code encourages it.

Well, there is always going to be a third party, Philip - the insurer.  But I would be fine with Walmart paying a wage with which workers could live well and buy health insurance - say $15/hour at the least.

[??????????]

Scoonie,

If Walmart wants to provide healthcare to their employees its up to them. Thats a private/incompany decision. Individual citizens are applying for state resources. Walmart has no hand in what goes on between the private individual and the state. If the state wants to provide medical services they should be up to the task of paying for the costs.

[TheresNoMoney]

If Walmart wants to provide healthcare to their employees its up to them. Thats a private/incompany decision. Individual citizens are applying for state resources. Walmart has no hand in what goes on between the private individual and the state. If the state wants to provide medical services they should be up to the task of paying for the costs.

Wal-Mart is a special case. They are one of the largest corporations in the world, and have many monopolistic qualities. Since they are able to drive out all/most competition, they are able to abuse their employees since most of their employees have few other choices. This flies in the face of capitalism and leads to the abuse of the state Medicaid system.

I am generally against regulating business to this extent, but I feel that Wal-Mart is a special case that is certainly justified.

[nini2287]

Agreed.  I didn't really like Duncan, Ehrlich or O'Malley before, but Ehrlich certainly looks most tolerable now!

Ugh.

Obviously you are OK with Wal-Mart costing the states many millions of dollars in Medicaid costs because they underpay their workers and refuse to provide adequate health coverage (all the while they made over $10.3 billion in net income in 2004, a record).

All the bill does is make them provide a compareable level of health coverage to other businesses.

Then, Wal-Mart's employees have the right to leave the company and work for a 'better' company.

While it is unfortunate that Wal-Mart pays low wages with low benefits, the precedent established by this bill is even worse.

[TheresNoMoney]

[Then, Wal-Mart's employees have the right to leave the company and work for a 'better' company.

Wal-Mart drives out the competition and leaves its workers with few other choices.  It is very monopolistic in nature.

[Moooooo]

Just an FYI.

55% of the state supports this bill.

[Moooooo]

Let me throw my two cents in here...

I'm actually torn on this bill.  Its always great when more Americans have access to affordable health care, but I'm still not convinced that Wal Mart will be footing the bill.  It will probably be you, and I, and every other 'Wal Mart shopper' who foots the bill in the way of higher prices.

[TheresNoMoney]

It will probably be you, and I, and every other 'Wal Mart shopper' who foots the bill in the way of higher prices.

Any price increases will be extremely minimal.

And hell, I avoid Wal-Mart if possible.

[nini2287]

[Then, Wal-Mart's employees have the right to leave the company and work for a 'better' company.

Wal-Mart drives out the competition and leaves its workers with few other choices.  It is very monopolistic in nature.

There have to plenty of McDonalds, Targets, malls and other places that provide lower-wage, unskilled jobs.

[Speed of Sound]

It will probably be you, and I, and every other 'Wal Mart shopper' who foots the bill in the way of higher prices.

I avoid Wal-Mart if possible.

Me too. When my parents go I sit in the car. Just being in there gives me a headache.

[TheresNoMoney]

Corporate lapdogs are fuming over their master losing some corporate welfare. When corporations like Walmart that don't take care of the healthcare cost of its labor force, which is a very substantial labor cost, and push it unto the government and have the general taxpayer population to foot that bill, it is called Corporate Welfare.

Walmart gets to keep profits that it should not have otherwise earned if it had paid actual cost of labor. This legislation is nothing more than asking Walmart to pay for a fraction of that actual labor cost.

Imagine that, the corporations want healthy workers, but don't want to pay for it! And the lapdogs are whining and screaming that their masters are being treated unfairly. 

[nini2287]

The free market is a bitch, Scoonie, but if Wal-Mart's situation were really that undesirable, people 1) would quit that job and 2) not even apply to work there.

[Speed of Sound]

The free market is a bitch, Scoonie, but if Wal-Mart's situation were really that undesirable, people 1) would quit that job and 2) not even apply to work there.

ah, but when Walmart comes to town, jobs leave-fast. We experienced it right here where I live. One just moved in and Ive seen 3 or 4 businesses leave already in just a few months. Its asad thing to watch.

[nini2287]

The free market is a bitch, Scoonie, but if Wal-Mart's situation were really that undesirable, people 1) would quit that job and 2) not even apply to work there.

ah, but when Walmart comes to town, jobs leave-fast. We experienced it right here where I live. One just moved in and Ive seen 3 or 4 businesses leave already in just a few months. Its asad thing to watch.

It is sad especially in a great area of a great state, but Wal-Mart would have to offer better salary/benefits than the competing retailers in order to entice potential employees to work for them.

[Speed of Sound]

The free market is a bitch, Scoonie, but if Wal-Mart's situation were really that undesirable, people 1) would quit that job and 2) not even apply to work there.

ah, but when Walmart comes to town, jobs leave-fast. We experienced it right here where I live. One just moved in and Ive seen 3 or 4 businesses leave already in just a few months. Its asad thing to watch.

It is sad especially in a great area of a great state, but Wal-Mart would have to offer better salary/benefits than the competing retailers in order to entice potential employees to work for them.

but once the comp is gone, they can do whatever they want. Plus Walmart could have higher prices, but they carry a name rec. that makes people shop there anyway. Corporate bullying at its finest.

[YRABNNRM]

The free market is a bitch, Scoonie, but if Wal-Mart's situation were really that undesirable, people 1) would quit that job and 2) not even apply to work there.

ah, but when Walmart comes to town, jobs leave-fast. We experienced it right here where I live. One just moved in and Ive seen 3 or 4 businesses leave already in just a few months. Its asad thing to watch.

It is sad especially in a great area of a great state, but Wal-Mart would have to offer better salary/benefits than the competing retailers in order to entice potential employees to work for them.

but once the comp is gone, they can do whatever they want. Plus Walmart could have higher prices, but they carry a name rec. that makes people shop there anyway. Corporate bullying at its finest.

That is in no way "corporate bullying".

Thats a free market.