Comments

Episode-937- Listener Feedback for 7-9-12 — 57 Comments

  1. Jack,

    RT definately ripped you off. If I remember your event horizon show correctly, which I do. You talked about the personal debt counters going down. Mainly because of defaulting on them as well as student loans. Which was also mentioned in the RT article. Same topic name, same information in the topic. You posted and talked about days earlier. If I was a copywrite lawyer, I would award you the copywrite. Great show today.

  2. Tenth Amendment

    I asked one of my law professors why courts don’t address tenth amendment issues and his reply was that no one ever thought that provision meant anything. I asked, if it didn’t mean anything why was it there? He said that it is simply ignored and that’s all there is to it. Thinking like a lawyer huh?!

  3. Hey just so you know I had vine borers here in Ohio last year,but have not observed them yet this year.

  4. I never said “boycott” Wal-Mart in our back and forth e-mails Jack, you did. And I said we should help other big companies to help them to compete leveling the playing field. Think you completely misunderstood my e-mail. Let your listeners decide. The following is the transcript that led to the mention of Wal-Mart in this episode.

    Me:
    I am a long-time listener and a fan of your thought process. You have giving me great insight and have been very helpful in my journey to self-reliance. I will never be able to repay you, but I would like to thank you either way.
    My comment is the fact that you mention to your listeners that it is ok to shop at Walmart for certain items, and that you do it often. Now I understand that Walmart is the cheapest solution in this current economic condition, but it is doing a large amount of long-term damage to this country. I mention this because we all need to be the change, you included. You touch many people on a daily basis, and the mere fact that you mention that you shop there justifies it to your listeners. You are in a very influential position you have to remember, I find myself following your advice often because you are so logical. I’m sure a few of your listeners have mentioned this before, and I’m not the first. I find that my thinking process is very similar to yours and I know you will justify your belief in shopping there. All I can ask is that you rethink your reasoning and see it from a different point of view. Here is an article to add credence to why it is important for America as a whole to stop supporting Walmart: http://www.activistpost.com/2012/07/is-wal-mart-destroying-america-20-facts.html#more
    Whatever you decide I will still support you and listen, but try and remember that the revolution is actually all of us, unfortunately for you it is even more so.
    Thank you so much!!
    Jeff Vervier

    Spirko:
    Jeff let me ask you if you know who the single largest employer in America is?

    Me:
    Long time listener and big fan! Yes, I know who the biggest employer is as the article that I linked points out, though I have a feeling you did not read the article I linked. If you did you would read that it mentions Walmart being the biggest employer, and that it is not necessarily a good thing. I will try and make the point short and sweet because I know you go through a ton of info on a daily basis: If you believe The Constitution applies to all men equally around the world, why is it ok for other countries to apply the same labor practices we in America fought so hard to abolish 100 years ago? So it’s “ok” if China uses child labor to make the products we buy, but not American children? We support this practice every time we buy a Chinese made item. Not to mention we kill small business and American production. You yourself are a big proponent of small business and are a testament to it.
    All I can really say is I have listened to most of your podcasts and have gotten a very good insight into who you are and what you think. I know it is not the greatest thing in the world to be so open to people but it is what happens when you put yourself out there every day. I respect you greatly for it and appreciate all you do. I truthfully hope I can help you in some way in the future and I look forward to the day I can meet and shake your hand!
    This point is one of the only things I disagree with you on which I know you appreciate as we should not agree on all topics. I feel, and can honestly say I know that you already have a bit of trepidation shopping there. If you just take a moment to ask yourself if Walmart is really a company you want to support, you will see your answer is plain as day. I would also appreciate if you read over the article briefly, it should only take a minute or two to see the points it makes. Thanks so much for all you do Jack!

    Spirko:
    I read the article basically it says walmart is the most successful store of its kind and returns profits to shareholders and that is a problem. How many grandmothers are shareholders? How many would be unemployed if we trashed them tomorrow?

    Me:
    Many would be unemployed, but there would obviously be a huge gap waiting to be (re)-filled in by small business’s. You honestly can’t tell me a mega-corporation who feeds us Chinese made products is good for anyone besides the Waltons and China? The only reason I bought it up is because I read that article and you mention you shop there or suggest to listeners to pick up an item at Walmart for a few bucks which has always been a bit of a pet-peeve of mine. All I can really say Jack is it is a bit hypocritical.
    Not a big topic, and nothing for us to get in a big debate over. There are much bigger things to talk about going on in the world. Looking forward to watching you permiculture YouTube vids. I just got Backyard Food Production and found it very interesting. I’m happy you made the permiculture vids because listening to the podcasts on the topic gets me a bit lost. As I said, looking forward to the day I get to shake your hand, and not to sound “internet crazy” but I feel I will meet you someday. Think we may even become friends, who knows.
    Be well, and keep being inspirational,
    Jeff

    Spirko:
    Jeff my point is Walmart isn’t a unicorn that farts out wish giving angels but they do a lot less harm then many other mega corps. They are such an easy target but the reality is all they do is sell stuff people want to buy. If you want to target someone actually doing harm for a boycott or whatever companies like JP Morgan, Chase, Monsanto, Conagra, etc. are doing a lot more harm than Walmart ever has or will.
    Jack

    Me:
    Agree to disagree on this one bud, though I have a feeling you might rethink this one eventually. Not that you would tell me because you can be a bit stubborn sometimes. Either way, thanks for getting back to me, hope you make your way to the east coast again soon.
    Jeff

    Spirko:
    Jeff you don’t get it my point is why Wal-Mart. Not that big business in general is great but if people don’t go to Wal-Mart right not where are they going to go instead, be honest with your answer.

    Now if you want to say do business with small companies as often as you can well that makes sense but to specifically target Wal-Mart is just pointless. At best you will up Costco’s share price a point or two, send Kroger some grocery business and maybe even revive some of the KMarts that are still hanging on and give Sears some of their tool business. BTW we do use Costco in Texas and are pretty pissed that there isn’t one in Arkansas.

    Me:
    Hey Jack- I get your points just fine, and still don’t agree with them. Why single out Wal-Mart? Because they are the largest and by far most damaging of all the mega-corporations. You asked why not companies like Monsanto, Conagra, or any of the other big boys. Because Wal-Mart is the best selling drug-dealer if you don’t mind my befitting pun. Big companies are the drug producers, and Wal-Mart is by far and away their best dealer.
    Your next point being; so what? They are a big business being successful, isn’t that the point of having a business? Sure it is, but my question is at what cost? The answer to that question is simple actually, and should hit home with you: principles. They have no principles and cut costs at minute levels getting the best deal possible for everything from labor costs to products. You may argue; well that is smart business practices. Which would be true from a robot (or accountants) perspective but as we both know, they will destroy the planet, lives, COUNTRIES, and anything else they could to effect their bottom dollar. So by supporting them, we are throwing our own principles out the window.
    Well if not them, then we’ll shop at another big business similar to Wal-Mart. Sure that would happen, which would be much healthier for an economy and better for everyone involved because they would have to compete. I single out Wal-Mart because they are the biggest, and by far most damaging. Eventually the markets would fill in the consumers need as you know, so if the consumer only wants American made goods, the market would have to fill that niche. My point is, we have to make our stand somewhere and I sure-as-shitting won’t feel bad for poor lil ol’ Wal-Mart.
    These are all your words to tell the truth, used back at you. You and I have very similar personalities and this conversation would probably go a bit different if we were sitting on a porch debating this over a few beers. Email is a tough medium to debate because things get lost in translation. From my perspective, you are being very defensive about this subject. Not sure if it is because many of your listeners call out this disconnect or if you have another vested interest I’m not aware of. A wise man once told me “If you have nothing to defend, you would not be defensive.”

    Spirko:
    You really don’t get the problem if you think me telling people to not shop at walmart will do anything to help this country.

    • Jeff…we just must face the fact that Jack is right only 99% of the time. Wal Mart is part of the problem, not part of the solution. The subject on Wal Mart is Jack’s 1% of being incorrect. Can’t be right all the time but he’s damn close.

      • Thanks Ronnie, yeah you’re right. I tried to say that with “agree to diagree” but Jack kept pushing. Just figured this is my one thing I don’t agree with. My only point was he is possibly responsible for 40 to 50k people shopping there so his view affects things.

        I still believe strongly with The Survival Podcast and support it fully.I also appriecieate Jack taking the time to get back to one of his long-time listeners, he is very interactive with his supporters.

        • @Jeff you stated, “My only point was he is possibly responsible for 40 to 50k people shopping there so his view affects things.” thanks I needed a laugh! Jeeze but your assessment of my influence is over estimated. I am no more responsible for people going to Walmart then I would be able to get even 10% to not go. You inspired today’s entire show though, may be it will help you see the real issue. But really I am responsible for 40K people going to Walmart, wow, I wish I had that much influence, I would use it to create 45,000 debt free families and not give a damn where they shopped. Listen to today’s show in a few minutes and may be it will make sense.

      • Looking forward to today’s show (Tues).
        Jack’s logic really seems to have run off the rails with this Walmart piece.
        Realizing there is a lot going on (travel, property aquisition, etc.) but Jack’s thinking and verbalizing his Walmart article was so contrary to the two plus years of very regular listening to him, in large part do to his keen logic and assesments. Evidence this Walmart piece to the 75% tax piece and states rights arguements that immedialty follow. It’s short sighted and small. Even the illustration of finding “good” food at Walmart as opposed to the mom & pop grocer and the “love people, love flowers? No, I’m a ‘greedy capitalist’!” The logic just doesn’t follow here.
        We are hostages to the times and places we live in. Walmart is a reality of late 20th early 21st century U.S.A. and needs to be dealt with. Same can be said of Monsanto, Bayer, JP Morgan, BoA, Target, GM, etc. etc.
        Jack has stated the FACT on numerous occasions of the current presidential administration being the defintion of Facism. I think the ordinariness of Walmart has dulled the senses here. Please Jack, rethink this one a bit?
        But really, I wish you the best on the land aquistion today! Hoping all your thoughts and energies are on that and the possibilites it presents to you and your community.

      • Hmmmm, I see come inconsistencies here in your behavior Jack.

        On one hand you hate credit cards and no one should ever ever ever use them even if they pay off the balance before the end of the month yet on the other hand you believe it is OK to shop at Wal Mart or any other store I guess as long as you get a good deal.

        What if Monsanto came out with a actual organic seed that was just as good and much cheaper than e.g. seed savers or one of those catalogs. Would you buy from Monsanto knowing that you would be supporting Monsanto?

        Full disclosure here, I have not shopped at Wal Mart more than 3-4 times in my life. Not because I hate them, I just shop elsewhere.
        Also I am not for or against boycotting Wal Mart.

        • @Danny no there is nothing inconsistent.

          First and this is tough for you to get I know as it is for many. Walmart is a RESELLER, they don’t make anything, they are nothing but a distributor. So if you buy a Wilson Basketball or a bunch of celery from Target instead of Walmart and think you have accomplished anything you simply haven’t, period.

          I oppose credit cards not because I hate the banks that issue them but because they HARM YOU THE USER. Just like I tell you not to buy shit with corn syrup from Walmart or anywhere I tell you not to buy anything except a house and perhaps a car on credit. It is about you, not the provider.

          Monsanto is putting patents on LIFEFORMS, they are not the reseller, they are the source. They are actively developing chemicals, they are actively using trans-mutational viruses to alter the fabric of life and they are actively persecuting people who save seeds in all parts of the world. A more accurate comparison would be would I buy heirloom seeds from a company that also sold Monsanto product. The answer is YES, absolutely and I would call them and tell them I am buying it specifically because it isn’t a Monsanto product and I want more options like that in their catalog.

          As an example Scotts distributes some Monsanto product but they have a good line of Organic Fertilizer, so I buy it.

          If you see anything inconsistent there it is only because you want to. Frankly if I didn’t shop at any stores that had any products I felt were harmful I would have no choices left and try as you might if you are honest with yourself the same is true for you. If I go to Franks Hardware instead of Home Depot Frank likely still sells round up.

          By not buying Monsanto product at Walmart I do a lot more then buying Monsanto product from joe blow. You can insert any product or brand into that statement and it still holds true.

        • @Danny or to put it even more simple, we don’t just make a statement by what we don’t buy, we make in fact a larger statement by what we do buy.

  5. Jack, your Walmart stand is exceptionally short sighted and contradictory against other stands you take; i.e. Monsanto, ConAgra. Using your very argument, if Walmart is the pusher, Monsanto’s the dealer, consumers are the fiends; then people like you are addicted to cheap over-seas child labor. NIMOBY, right? Time to get back to supporting local business, farmers and our own lands. Lets get back to caring about each other and our output quality rather than monopolies. When there are more negatives than positives, the answer is simple.
    Sorry Jack, your completely wrong on this one.

      • I’ve never even occupied a parking space, but that’s just my choice. We all vote with our dollars, right?

    • There is no such thing as a WRONG opinion. Jack has his opinion and LA has theirs…

      Jack was just saying target big business as a whole, not just Wal-Mart. I’m sure if you look into the business practices of the next 5 biggest retailers in the U.S. they would ALL have very similar business practices. If Wal-Mart were to disappear tomorrow and those retailers moved in to fill it’s spot then the same argument would continue.

      Jack also said to not punish the entire company for selling one or two items that you disagree with, just boycott the specific items. Wouldn’t it be better if we could change the way Wal-Mart does business and still have it around to offer it’s huge selection rather than just to get rid of the whole company?

      And lets face it, sometimes you need to buy something specific that the Mom and Pop businesses aren’t going to carry but places like Wal-Mart and Target do.

      Again, this is MY OPINION

    • I think i understand what Jack is saying – there is a diffrenece between walmart & monsanto. Walmart isn’t evil because of any specific thing they do differently than any other large retailer [or small one]- they try to buy low, keep employee costs down, etc. But because they have been so successful, we see the negative repercussions. Monsanto on the other hand has a business model specifically evil… Walmart’s issues are modern global capitalism’s issues. Monsanto is trying to control life, nothing to do with general capitalism. To hate walmart would not actually change anything- another walmart would replace it.

      On the other hand, i agree one must try to support small mom&pop stores, not because ‘its morally superior’ but because we believe it is better in the long run to have less centralization of our systems. Walmart is more a symptom of the issues in our current capitalist system.

  6. I don’t know about using mothballs in the garden for vine borers, but as far as honey supers go:

    paradichlorbenzene moth balls have the same ingredient found in a commercial product Para-moth crystals which is approved for storage of honey supers.

    NAPTHELNE moth balls are NOT TO BE USED for this function. See below

    Neither of these products are necessary for a small-scale bee-keeper if you have a deep freeze with some room in it. To protect supers from wax moths allow the bees to clean the supers after extraction for a couple of days so the combs are dry. They must be dry or you may get mold. Then place the entire super (frames and all) in a CONTRACTOR-GRADE trash bag and use a zip-tie to close it in. Place it in a freezer for 48 hours. When you remove it you can store it without worrying about wax moths. It kills all stages in the moths life-cycle. Just be careful to NOT puncture or tear the bags. I store my supers in the garage.

    Don’t use normal trash bags you will have bad results.

    Moth balls are discussed in the July 2012 issue of American Bee Journal. http://www.americanbeejournal.com/site/epage/79431_828.htm Go to that page and Find (Crtl+F) “moth balls”.

  7. I would say that if the people of California or their representatives vote on a measure to not use state resources for immigration control, then that is their choice. Much like I believe if Arizona wants to use its resources to assist with immigration control then the federal agency that is charged with enforcing immigration laws should work with them. However, the States need to be responsible with the choices they make and the costs that they incur.

  8. Jack,

    Clearly you have never worked for Wal Mart. I did 8 years in one. I thank God daily (literally) that I am out of there.

    WMT is a totalitarian employer.

    They do NOT want long term employees (called “associates”). There are frequent periods of ‘culling of the herd’. These are not people with families and homes. They are viewed as a drain on profits if they are there more than a few years and have managed to get a couple of raises along the way. Moving up is nearly impossible unless you go into the management program which is BRUTAL. Few Asst.s survive their first year. I will never forget a pregnant asst.mgr we had and there was a terrible snow storm coming in. She asked the mgr if she could please head for home (which was over an hour drive for her). He told her NO. She was in her 3rd trimester and did not want to be caught away from home for perhaps a few days plus she would have had to pay motel fees on her own, had no personal items or change of clothes, etc. But it was a firm NO. Asst mgrs MUST fill a quota of “coachings” in their first year. So they set associates up for the fall so they can get their quota filled. Associates who are coached get marks on their records which negatively affect their raise.
    Wages are capped. I was in maintenance and my cap was $15,000. I would never be able to make a penny over that amount. No inflationary raises. The cap is the cap…period. If you don’t like it….leave. There is another victim waiting to be hired. It is a revolving door of people. You’re an expendable work animal.

    Few are able to take advantage of any 401K savings. WMT offers no match system. Incomes are so low that there is barely enough to survive on, let alone put anything into a 401K. WMT will help you get your food stamps and medicaid however. When I signed off 4 years ago, at that point there was a 6 month waiting period to get insurance through them IF you could afford it. They have a 3 point system for illness. Just like baseball, 3 strikes and you’re OUT. So people come to work terribly ill. As for me, I have orthopedic problems and was having a lot of problems with my foot. The pain was becoming unbearable but I did not dare miss work. I was at work when the ankle rolled out of the socket, breaking all of the bones in my arch and tearing my Achilles tendon. Because it would have been my 3rd point I suffered like this all day, doing even more damage. My doctor told me I was never going back there again. I am now on SSDI. I will be having yet another surgery in order to save the foot. It is a mess.

    WMT is involved with Homeland Security’s …if you see something, say something. That goes for associates narc’ing on other associates. You do not DARE say one negative thing about the company while in their employ. In or out of the store. The back stabbing is vicious as associates grovel for kudos from management in hopes of keeping their job a little longer. The majority of people working there are on some kind of antidepressant. We called it Wal Mart Disease.

    Don’t get me started on their Black Friday crap. Not a good subject.

    As for other local businesses, here is ONE example. A hot movie was due to hit the shelves that everyone wanted. The store mgr sent multiple associates out to buy up every single copy available at other stores and bring them back to WMT. Gosh, WMT was the ‘only show in town’ that seemed to have that movie available.

    WMT is to be considered your primary job. You will never have the same schedule twice in a row which makes it impossible to get a second job. A fellow associate put in six months in advance to have a weekend off for her daughter’s wedding. Very excited mother of the bride. But when the schedule went up, she was on it. She went to her asst mgr and asked why she was on there when she had put in so far in advance and it has been approved. She was told that she was needed to work and if she did not show up, she would be considered a no-show and fired. She was fired.

    So please don’t defend these monsters. I have no problem with anyone becoming successful and what is tragic is they COULD BE A VERY GOOD EMPLOYER. But they are NOT. I could go on and on but I think I’ve said enough. By the way…whatever you do buy from there, make sure you wash it really well (before opening cans, cutting into melons, etc) ….just a little tip.

    BTW..it has to be a very desperate dire emergency for me to shop there. I will only go there if I have NO other choice and that happens maybe once or possibly twice a year.

  9. When Jack was talking about people buying a $200 Generator I remembered Steve Harris had a much better solution- You already have a car, use that as your generator and an inexpensive inverter from Wal-mart to run all the lights and communication you need in a power outage. It’ll cost you $40 and you won’t have to store gallons of gas- just top off your tank when it get’s to 1/2.

  10. Jack I saw that capital account episode! I almost emailed you myself.

    My main complaint with Walmart is poor, lousy customer service.

  11. My daughter worked at wally world for a year and it was awful. They are lously to work for.They do treat people as disposable.BUT Its theirs;they can run it as they please.They cant make you work for them, My daughter went to a CNA pgm . It only took 9 weeks and she became a certified nursing aid at a nursing home with health ins,full time work with overtime and vacation etc.They even reinbursed her when she went to collage. She was there for 3 years and is even vested in their retirement system.

  12. I loved the eye opening Article by “Tyler Durden” (LOL, Fight Club) about 75% Middle Class tax. Being military, I fall into the middle class but pay less taxes than that since my healthcare is covered. I also am a FL resident so I don’t pay state income tax and my home owner’s insurance is well below 15%. So while I do believe it is possible to be paying as high as 75% I am very happy I don’t. I shared that article on FB and had someone sternly disagree with the article…I guess he can continue to turn a blind eye if he wants.

    • @Devon I agree that most are not paying 75 but you are paying more then you think. Your health care isn’t “provided” it is earned. If you employer didn’t provide it they would be paying you more money. TINFL.

    • *CORRECTION* I meant Property Tax not HO Insurance

      Yea Jack, I AM paying more than I realized. I thought my standard 25% was all I was responsible for. This article made it clear to me that I was paying more than I realized. That is why I love your show, before it I was an Ostrich with my head in the sand (to use one of your metaphors). My eyes have now been opened and I can’t tell yet whether I am happy or mad about it…only because I was blissfully unaware that my personal freedoms are constantly under attack and my country’s future financial outlook is bleak at best. Your show gets me fired up with wanting to make a change in my life and to help those around me to also open their eyes…I wish I could do more. I could talk all day about how your show is changing my perceptions about myself and the country but I won’t. Thanks again for what you do and I vow to call in soon for the Episode 1000 and share how your show has helped change my life for the better.

  13. wow I had know idea how bent out of shape some can get over wallmart. My son has gone off a few times it just blows me away. I listen and I guess I just don’t get it. Other than since they are so big they are an easy target to sling mud at.

    I don’t see what is wrong with growing and making giant bucks I was under the impression that growth and profit was the goal of all businesses. Without businesses people would not have jobs and customers would not have products or services.

    So working for them sucks? Duh don’t work for them. That’s the only job you could find? Then be grateful for the pay check. I bucked bails as a young adult $1.00 an hour. You work 2 hours chucking then got 10-15 min driving truck (break time) then you switched to stacking. Had 1 hr for lunch then went to the barn to unload. Didn’t matter if you had allergies or blisters scratches dirty sweaty. Nobody ever complained. If you got hurt blister spit band aid and press on couldn’t work injury? That’s it you are done on the spot. At 4’11’ and 95 pounds it was physical work but I loved it! Each day was one day closer to getting that leather jacket I wanted. Did I mention I’m a girl? It was a very cool jacket! Had it for 25 yrs.

    After that I got a job I was so excited about! $2.00 an hour cleaning toilets! Move on up from there. Got a job at a grocery store got pregnant was let go. I guess I could have fought it. I didn’t. Because I knew I could not do the job I was hired to do. So why should that store have to pay me and keep me there just because? They hired me for this job not some other job that’s it. I didn’t see a problem with that. I just went out & did something different. Change grow get educated I don’t know I guess that was just the olden days where work means work. You were happy and had enough pride to do the best job possible.

    I don’t see what I want at WM well then I find a manager or ordering person and talk to them. I get “well that comes from corp.” then I contact them. I don’t buy from them very often but I do shop them. I want the best I can find for the lowest price. Call me crazy but I thought that’s what every one else wanted. I mean isn’t that how they got so big in the first place?

    So they get stuff from over seas who doesn’t well at least they are giving someone a job. If those people don’t like the working conditions it’s up to them and their government to make the changes. Stopping shopping at WM is not going to make those peoples lives better. It may make it worse by taking away the only opportunity they may have to make any money.

    I believe that in many countries overseas their standards and situations are so different than ours we can’t even begin to comprehend. I don’t think it’s my place to sit in judgement of what is best for them. Especially since I have never been there and have no idea of the entire story or situation. So if some 12 yr old get .25 cents a month to work hard Oh that is horrid!!! The other side is that .25 cents putting food on the table and where would they be without it?

    I find a product I don’t like I won’t buy it period! At any store. I don’t fault the store for carrying it. I let the manager or ordering agent know I won’t make that purchase and why. Tell them the product I would rather see. Then if true tell them that I would buy it from them if they carried it other than going to ABC store. If they want my business and they can, they make the change. If not then I shop else where for that product. But I don’t ban an entire store because of a few products I don’t like.

    Like I said I just don’t get all the mud slinging . Other than they are a big easy target to place blame and make them the fall guy for all things gone wrong.

    • @Roundabouts

      Well put! As today’s show will show I am no fanboy for them but jeeze, specifically the “they suck to work for argument” your hay work is a great point.

      I’ll add I worked for a small turkey farm (by small I am talking about privately owned, sells under their own brand but does about 10,000 birds a month and a LOT more during the holidays). That is small in the food world.

      I was a temp helper during the holiday season. We made 3.35 an hour and anyone bitching about running a cash register for 9 bucks an hour at Walmart likely hasn’t ever cleaned the killing floor of a Turkey farm at 15 years of age for just over 3 dollars an hour. Yes working for Walmart for many likely sucks but as you and I both know it can be a lot worse.

      My first after the Army job was 6 bucks an hour packing boxes in a warehouse. The temps averaged 110 in the summer and a fan was a luxury. People were constantly badgered, lied to, pressured, etc. People would have their jobs threatened for minor things that were not even infractions based on the companies own rules. The company had 6 warehouses, one warehouse simply started to discuss forming a union, they closed it and consolidated. The company was not a mega corp they were “Home Interiors and Gifts”.

    • Well duh…don’t work there? When you hire in they are full of promises. You think things will get better. You invest your time and energy becoming part of the “Wal Mart Family”. Pretty soon a couple of years has gone by. They’re like the Federal Gov’t…..things just keep getting WORSE. Pretty soon it’s like a gambling addiction…you’ve been at the same machine and you keep hoping it’s going to pay off. It’s a scam. As for “picking on WMT”, that’s Jack’s fault. Target is no better. And WE THE PEOPLE are to blame for the out sourcing of our jobs to China. We’re the ones who fill our carts with the cheap plastic crap and when it breaks we throw it away and go buy more. It’s call the consumerism trap and we all fell for it.

  14. I own and operate a small independent pharmacy. Walmart and a large Medicare Part D (private company I give you, but subsidized greatly by the federal govt, i.e. yours and mine taxpayers along with Uncle Ben’s magical printing press) this year came to a “deal” where members would not have to pay copays at walmart while they would at independent pharmacies. How is this free market capitalism that Walmart stands for? I beat Walmart at every turn, service, professionalism, caring, and yes even price! However Walmart turns to corporate fascism to gain market share.

    This is not Walmart’s first attempt at this. As far as Jack’s argument that if they went away someone else would fill the void, how is it any different than us filling the void after an economic collapse? Sure if Walmart self destructed, others would step in. But how is it sound logic to assume those who would step in would be just as abusive in regards to labor practices and the like as Walmart? Using that logic Jack’s argument that we need to hold our communities together as a light is utterly futile because another equally repressive govt. will surely take the place of this one. Flawed logic IMO. I agree with above posters that the reason I listen to Jack is because his reasoning is correct so often. However in Walmart’s case, he’s simply on the wrong side of the issue. It doesn’t matter anyway, there are plenty of sheeple who will keep spending a great deal of their disposable income at Walmart, whether or not Jack comes around on this issue. As for me and mine, we choose to do business with our local friends, neighbors, and businessses.

    Final thought, if a collapse did happen, where do you think the best chance to get your insulin at? Any big box store where the pharmacist punches a clock or a indy pharmacy where the pharmacist ownes the place and has an actual and genuine interest in your wellbeing?

    • So Dustin it seems that the system is the issue? It would seem the Fed and the Government and the Banks have more to do with this then Wally World, I am just saying, check out today’s show.

      • Of course they do Jack. However it’s like you said, it take a strong person to not make a deal with the devil (the govt in this instance) when it’s all in. Walmart being the largest business and employer is in the very best position to take a stand. However in the pharmacy world (and in other instances like assisting it’s employees to sign up for govt assistance like Medicaid and Foodstamps) they are the FIRST to make that deal. Corporatism in my mind is just as dangerous as socialism and communism, and Walmart is one of the leaders waving that free market banner while making deals with the govt. at the same time!

        • @Dustin you are back to the system, the reason they do it is called a “fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders”, which is the law by the way.

    • You made an excellent point: kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall.
      Wal Mart will eventually fall. And someone else will be there to step in.

  15. I’ve never worked at Wal-Mart but I do have a close friend who’s been there for several years. She’s worked at 3 different stores and her current one is her least favorite. There does seem to be quite a bit of difference in how the management treats their employees and I’d expect that some of this comes down from the district manager. She works as an overnight stocker and hasn’t hit any wage caps (yet). She’s had significant family and health issues and is still there.

    Guess what, that’s the same anywhere you work. I’ve worked places that you couldn’t leave early due to weather (I”m in Minnesota) regardless of how bad it was. That choice could only be made by the plant manager who wasn’t there at night and didn’t care (he lived in town, had a 4wd & was most likely up at a bar at night). This was a small company that had maybe 100 workers.

    Overall, bad management can and does happen anywhere. It doesn’t take a mega-corp to have them.

    Steelheart

  16. Sorry Jack, the site won’t let me respond directly to your reply. We are in agreement that the system (govt in this instance) is the root cause of the problem. To allow a problem to exist takes 2 willing participants (insert Walmart, Monsanto, BofA, etc). However reason would dictate that if it’s a systmeic problem (Big Govt being in bed with Big Business), the only solution for an average person is not only to not support Big Govt, but ALSO AND EQUALLY not support those Big Business’s who don’t just play the Govt. game, but who try to rig that game so they and their shareholders win. Walmart is just as guilty as the corrupt system because of its willingness to rig it’s game. Sure to your argument that our govt say it’s ‘legal’, but as it’s core, it’s immoral.

  17. The real problem with Wal-Mart is people’s attitudes toward them. Somehow they are to give customers the lowest price, have the best selection, stock only premium USA made goods, yet pay well, have the best benefits, etc. All this is based on the premise that something can be had for nothing and that all large companies are made of money. It doesn’t work that way.
    It’s like those big oil company profit numbers that the media likes to throw out there. They (the media) never tell you the percent profit they made. The media loves throwing out those large gross profit numbers. In recent years those evil oil companies have made a good return on their money but would be a small % return for many other industries. Who are these evil oil barons? It’s you if you have money in a mutual fund 401K! If you don’t believe me look up who your mutual funds are invested in.
    People love to bash GMO’s. Maybe they are bad, maybe they’re not. It’s hard to figure it out if half the anecdotal evidence is made up to fit an anti-GMO agenda. We had one just the other day with folks spreading that cows were being killed by GMO grass.
    I few years ago when spinach had e. coli a solution of irradiating it with infrared light would make it safe to eat. The same type folks that scream about GMO’s were screaming it’s not safe. Well they never stopped to think that it had already been exposed to varying levels of infrared light from the sun while in the field.
    Until our people are educated better in the area of business, economics, and science, “baseless information, disguised as fact” will continue to be propagated and corporate villains will be created.

  18. Sad to say it, but I’ve heard the expressions “economic blackhole” and “monetary event horizon” before. I can’t remember who (probably Peter Schiff or Gerald Celente, both of who are fans of analogies) but if you Google the phrases you’ll see them used before.

  19. Ya know I just have to add because it has been mentioned a few times that WM “assisting it’s employees to sign up for govt assistance like Medicaid and Foodstamps”

    Just a FYI for what it’s worth. When hubby joined the USAF back in 1982 his “boss” if you will sent us to family services on base. There they set us up with household goods that we could not afford. Table chairs bedding pots pans and such. Then they helped us get on WIC and food stamps. We would have qualified for welfare also except our car was worth to much money. I was embarrassed to have to have that help. Then I was just plain pissed off. They can’t pay the troops any better than that?

    I could loose my husband in a war we give up our freedoms I was treated like property. I even had to have my husband give his written permission for me to spend money at the commissary or take his kids to the DRs. (It was looked upon like if we wanted you to have a wife or kids we would have gave them to you in basic training) We even had to pay a fine and visit hubby in jail. Why because he got a sun burn so bad he couldn’t work. His face and eyes neck ears and arms. He was hospitalized for a day . Then had to do a few days time. Their reasoning he had damaged government property! Yeah they had base wide training and he was out on the flight line for hours. AZ in Aug. 120 degrees easy. Just saying sometimes jobs suck. Sometimes the rules of the game suck and sometime the pay just sucks. Military you just can’t quit like WM.

    On the bright side hubby never got a bad sunburn like that again! LOL That became the joke around the house. Honey careful if you scratch me you are damaging government property and can go to jail. Cracks me up.

  20. I still need a bit of clarification on the Tenth Amendment…the part that trips me up is “nor prohibited by it to the States” … would some please explain what that bit means? Thanks,

    “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

    • So powers that are not specifically addressed by the constitution still go to the states or the people. And then any powers that are not specifically prohibited or forbidden by the states in the Constitution also go to the states or to the people.
      Basically the Sates have the given power unless it is specifically listed that they don’t.
      As I understand it. 🙂

      • @lisa, much easier to understand then my response so I deleted mine. Typing is a bitch for me right now I cut the tip of my right ring finger and have a big old bandage on it. Thanks for the assist.

  21. As a completely off-Wal-Mart-topic FYI, there are multiple google hits for “Monetary Event Horizon” going clear back to 2009.. I don’t think you were ripped off

  22. in regards to the Chinese Free Zone in Boise comments/link, that link is from June off 2011. Here’s from a month later http://irp.idaho.gov/Roundtable_Discussions/July_28__2011_Board_of_Directors_Meeting/
    Will China construct a 50-square mile self-sustaining city south of Boise? What is happening at the Boise airport?
    No. National, State, and local laws do not allow a foreign government to carve out and acquire a section of American soil to create an autonomous self-sustaining city. …If Sinomach or any other international company were to win a bid for engineering and/or construction for one of the potential projects being explored in Idaho, it would be required to use local labor to complete the job. U.S. immigration laws do not permit local jobs to be filled by foreign companies unless there are no local workers available to fill the positions.

    • @Brian, really you think it is that simple, keep in mind I am not that smart and people behind it are smarter then I am.

      Step One – Set up a US Corporation and have it own the compound. Problem one solved.

      Step Two – Set up the city to need lots of “specialized” personal. To be self contained it will need such people anyway. This allows you to easily procure H1Bs. Problem two solved.

      Step Three – Pick some po dunk out of the way place for your Corporate Town and Factories where there is next to no “local” labor available and no specialized labor at all. Problem three already solved in the location they picked.

      Step Four – Just to be safe run the place like a Chinese factory the few Americans that do apply will either quit or simply be absorbed into the matrix.

      See? We put too much faith in how laws are supposed to protect us at times do we not?

      • @ Jack, all I’m doing to providing some additional info for people to consider that was presented after the date on the link you provided. I’m not speaking for the State/IRP.
        I will add this from further down the page though – “The proposed development of a technology center has made little or no progress since its introduction in 2010”.
        Is that saying nothing can change? No, of course not, especially in the event of a collapse when desperate pols could do desperate things.
        But, from my searching, it’s also not the current work-in-progress portrayed in the ‘cast, that “Idaho is thinking about making the deal”. If you find a more recent info source on status, please share it. I’m not planning on learning Mandarin – yet 🙂

  23. Hey Jack — I don’t think that Steve Keen and RT ripped you off. And I’m surprised that you’re not at all familiar with Steve Keen. He’s a professor of economics at the University of Western Sydney in Australia. He’s a follower of Hyman Minsky’s system instability hypothesis, and has developed dynamic, full-system models to demonstrate how the economy REALLY works (more on that in a bit). He also predicted the housing crash and economic downturn back in the early 2000s — one of the few economists who publicly and repeatedly went on the record with that contrarian (and ultimately correct) outlook.

    He’s also the author of the book “Debunking Economics,” where he uses the very theories of the “leading lights” of classical economics to demonstrate how completely out-of-touch neoclassical economists are. His dynamic modeling actually takes the role of banks and debt into consideration as playing a prime role in the boom-and-bust cycles of capitalism, where neoclassical economists typically look at the economy through the “money is a veil over barter” lens that completely ignores the role of banks and debt.

    I highly suggest checking him out sometime. You probably won’t agree with everything he says, but he’s a pretty sharp guy as far as economists go. Plus, he recently had a pretty public dust-up with Paul Krugman where he mostly left Krugman looking the fool.

    • @Chris that’s cool. It is why I said, “I’m not sure”, the timing just seemed interesting is all. I try not to be like the mainstream shock jocks who always seem to feel everyone is lifting their material with out credit.

      • Jack, if you’re thinking along the lines of Prof. Steve Keen in economic matters, I’d liken it to coming to the same separate conclusions as Bill Mollison or Geoff Lawton in permaculture.

  24. Jack said: “let’s stop calling each other names.”
    I hope we can at least do this.

    Capital Account is a great show, highly recommended. Sorry Jack, the Event Horizon analogy is kind of inevitable when describing something with a “runaway, point of no return” like national debt accrual.

    Wal-Mart creates American jobs while exploiting cheap Chinese labor/goods. China benefits more than US, and it’s a decent argument for protectionism (along with suicide mitigation nets at the Apple factory). Without that big Wal-mart, another small store (or two) would exist with the organic options you desire.

    • @NorCal Mike, the problem with the argument of “Without that big Wal-mart, another small store (or two) would exist with the organic options you desire.” is that when you stop being addicted to the lie most of these business were going or went belly up long before the Waltons got to their community. In my PA town of Minersiville only a one hardware store not a chain called “Center Supply” was still in business when I joined the Army in 89, adjoining Pottsville had a True Value. All the rest died off before I left.

      Walmart got to Pottsville in 2002 and Center Supply an True Value are both still there even today. The Giant Grocery, Radzadvich Grocery, A&P and several other chain and family groceries are still there. Most of the sub shops and ice cream stores etc that were there in 93 are still there. Quite a few new stores have opened since 2002. The truth is I can’t think of ONE again NOT ONE business I can see that went under when Walmart came to town in 2002.

      I think the idea that Walmart puts small guys under is more hype then reality. Yes Minersville and Pottsville lost a lot of small businesses but most sank in the 80s and 90s, Walmart shows up in 2002 but most people who live there would agree with your view, what does that tell us? Flatly there are more small stores and business in these towns after then before. So exactly how can we blame them for the lack of choice of for putting moms and pops under.

  25. Jack, rather than displacing businesses, my view is that Wal-mart absorbed much of our nations growth in consumer spending over the past 20 years.
    Whether they earned it through market savvy or took advantage of our “convenience culture,” I still think everyone should vote with their wallet as they please.

    And granted, there are at least 10 above Wal-mart on the Most Detrimental Corporations list.

  26. I know this is an old show, but I just wanted to verify that Jack is right. Even the Big Boys like Walmart respond to public pressure, if for no other reason than it affects their bottom line.
    Recently I saw an ad for Walmart stating that they were now committed to carrying only mild that does not contain bovine growth hormone. So I went to my local Walmart to verify this and sure enough, the manager said it was true. Their milk containers now all have the statement, albeit in small print, that their milk producers are pledged to produce milk without the use of hormones. This is the same statement that Alta Dena Dairies uses on their milk. So Walmart is now my source for milk instead of Costco. We use a lot of milk and even though it is about 20 cents a gallon more at Walmart, I let the manager know that I will be buying my milk there from now on so he would know that this change was important to at least one of their customers.
    I also picked up some of the chicken Jack was talking about there. Great thing too. There were a number of packages that were marked down which made them about the same price as regular chicken. The whole free range chickens were about half the price of cage free chickens at Sprouts which didn’t have the name of the farmer on them.
    Just wanted to let you all know that voting with you dollars does work.
    Candy

  27. A few notes and lessons learned from 13 days w/o power in WV after the storms of 29JUN thru 8JUL. Things were at least as bad as Jack mentioned, if not worse. W/in 48 hours there were fights in grocery stores over the last of the ice and water, and fights in gas lines. This is confirmed by human intel from my sister, who just happened to be traveling thru WV almost the entire length of the state on I-77, Route 19 and I-79 the 2nd day after the first storm. I was hunkered down in a camper in a campground in WV the entire 13 days. Ten of those days were 98 to 101 degrees. There were 4 bad storms in a 10 day span, knocking power out to over a million people for multiple days.
    I have been piecing my life together, staying in a campground temporarily, after my wife behaved badly and filed for divorce, during my last deployment to OIF. Since I’ve been forced to downsize my life and travel light, I’m not able to be as prepared as I would like, but the few simple preparations I’d made saved my ass.
    The camper had a propane fridge, ignited by the RV battery. I had been waiting to buy a generator until I find some property, so I had to get through the crisis with methods described by Steve Harris on future episodes of the podcast. I hooked solar panels to the RV battery, but it wasn’t quite enough to maintain enough charge. So every late afternoon I’d hook my 800watt inverter to the truck battery, plug in a battery charger, connect it to the integral RV battery and run the truck with air conditioning, for about 3 hours. I took my cat to the truck with her food, water and litter so she could cool off too. I used a small 180watt inverter inside the truck to charge my laptop and 12V charger for the cell phone. I was able to use an air card to connect to the internet while we sat in the cool truck and check email, pay bills online, etc. I always keep at least a half tank of fuel in my truck, and a 14 gallon plastic gasoline storage tank, w/hand pump, in the bed. This kept me from having to venture out and look for fuel.
    While thousands of people in WV lost the food in their refrigerator, I managed to live for 5 days on the perishables ALONE in my little camper fridge. Many people got their power back, refilled their refrigerators and got hit with a follow on storm losing power again for several more days. They lost all their food TWICE during this crisis. Talk about not learning from the experience!!
    With the battery charged, I was also able to run the exhaust fan in the bathroom, which helped suck the heat up and circulate air through the camper.
    Day 6 I finally started eating the food I’d had stored in my small pantry. Cans of tuna mixed with mayo and relish for a cool tuna salad. Cans of sardines and plenty of peanut butter and crackers. I also keep a 20 pound bag of dry cat food, stored in 2 food grade buckets, with screw on lids, for my best battle buddy, my cat Dumpling!! She actually has a longer food supply than I do LOL. Enough for about 4 months.
    When the power came back on day 13, I still had enough food in my small camper to get by probably another 2 weeks w/o going to the store. Fortunately the campground water supply was not an issue during this crisis. I filled my fresh water tank every few days and ran the 12v water pump sparingly. I showered most of the time from my 5 gallon, solar heated shower hanging outside, which was enough for 2 quick showers and a shave per day. In that heat it always felt good to take that 2nd cool shower at night before bed.
    Some lessons learned through this crisis:
    1. Buy a generator!! I was waiting to buy one, thinking it would be difficult to secure in my situation. I decided I was wrong, and bought a 3000 watt propane generator. It’ll be worth the trouble to lift it inside the camper, locking the door of course whenever I have to go out. I’m going to look for some sturdy cable locks which might allow me to keep it on the drop down tailgate of the camper as another option for security.
    2. I have added a little variety to my canned food storage. I like tuna, but since have added cans of chili, fruit, re-fried beans and stuffed bay leaves. Every trip to the store I look for something different and/or exotic in cans to buy, store, eat and rotate periodically.
    3. I learned a lot from Steve Harris’ guest episodes of the podcast recently. I hadn’t realized that rechargeable battery technology had improved so much over the years. I took his word at all the research he’d done and bought his recommended batteries and charger from Amazon.
    4. Intel! Information about the “operating environment” is helpful. So I ordered emergency channel scanners and CB radios. One each base station and mobile for the truck.
    5. Larger storage capacity deep cell batteries. The camper battery had 100 amp hours of storage. I bought 2 new batteries with 122 amp hours of storage. I can hook the 2 in parallel if necessary in a future crisis.
    6. A 1600 watt inverter. The camper is wired to run lights, radio and exhaust fans from the RV battery, but nothing else. I’m going to figure out a way to hook this inverter through the camper wall to the battery box so that I can plug in a few extras like the TV, laptop, security cameras when the generator is off.
    To conclude, I had a done a relatively small amount of preparing and I’m not an expert in ANYTHING. But a few simple preparations, a little foresight and constantly trying to learn and improve got me through a difficult crisis when thousands of people around me lost their composure, their food and their minds.

    • Wow Redleg155mm, I’m glad that you and Dumpling made it through that craziness alright. You might consider posting this harrowing tale on the forum – it’ll reach more people and perhaps help them plan. Thanks for sharing.