Lou Lachter
St. Paul
Israel and International Affairs Commission of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC).
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Muck Wal-Fart!

Dear Editor:

I will never shop at Wal-Mart again. Not that me taking my business elsewhere will shut down the doors of this multi-billion dollar conglomerate, but making a statement like this makes me feel good. I know others have boycotted these giants and I want to tell my story.

A few days ago I bought a White Stag peacoat made of synthetic leather for $10.88 at the Pittston, Pennsylvania Wal-mart. I do not regularly purchase clothing at Wal-Mart, but the onset of winter weather made me peek at the coat racks while shopping for household items. Saturday, I wore it to a wedding, and en route, we smelled something pungent. It was the same smell found in our mudroom earlier in the week, which we thought was gas or septic fumes. We realized what was making us nauseated was the coat. The smell actually bled through to my dress and even my hair. I left it out on the porch to air out overnight, but the stench was still unbearable. I called a fabric guru friend who informed me “pleather” is manufactured of petroleum. This is why I reeked of gas. I had to get rid of this!

I headed off to my nearest Wal-Mart, 40 minutes from my rural home. After waiting patiently in the customer service line, I joked, “Bet you can guess why I am here from the stench!” The woman responded, “My dear, eew, what is that?” and made another woman smell it too. She asked for my ID, proceeded with the return procedure and then gazed up at me. “I’m sorry, ma’am, we cannot take this back. You have a bad check with Wal-Mart, you have to call this customer service number.”

This was a huge embarrassment. In a day of debit cards, I have not written checks in years for in-store purchases. I did not remember having a bounced check at Wal-Mart. At this point, getting the $10.88 back was not important. I felt like they were making me out to be some scumbag looking to get money. It’s not like I was doing something illegal, like stealing a DVD player and then trying to get store credit. For cripes sake, they had a stinky coat in their hands they smelled with their own snouts. I paid money for a product I was not going to use, and had a right to get it back. I told them to keep it, or donate it to someone. Can you believe they would not even let me GIVE it back? She said I owed Wal-Mart money, I couldn’t return an item, and handed me back the coat. I threw it in the trashcan in the customer service department to prove a point- I did not care about the money; I just wanted rid of coat, and figured there was something else I could buy with the measly $10.88. They shook their heads, probably thought I was being difficult. But, I wasn’t going to keep the ‘stinkin’ thing.

On the way home, I called the customer service line to inquire- closed for the weekend. I did call this morning, Monday, and found that I had a bounced check in 1997- when I was a sophomore in college, my first year in my own apartment, and with my own checkbook. Ooops. I was eighteen and made a mistake. The amount? About $20.00. I am sure I was charged a fee from my bank at the time, and almost a decade later, I am sure that $20.00 was written off as a loss for the Waltons. The past came back to haunt me- one bounced check at a discount chain eight years ago. I am not a teenager anymore, but a young professional with a career, a house, and the means to buy a real leather coat.

There are people who steal from Wal-Mart everyday, and now I know why they feel no guilt. Wal-Mart stole from me too: ten minutes of my dignity, and $10.88 worth of gas that somehow was made into a coat. Wal-Mart, if you ask me, is stealing from every American. Example- headlines and quotes from a quick web search for “negative press Wal-Mart”:

· New report details Wal-Mart’s labor abuses and hidden costs- 2/16/2004- Press release from California congressman George Miller’s office

· Wal-Mart agrees to pay $2,000 to each tenant at the mobile home park it is planning to buy out- 07/29/2004, Indianapolis Star

· “…after (Wal-Mart) saturating (Iowa) with box stores, there was a net loss between 1982-1993 of 535 grocery stores, 298 hardware stores, 293 building supply stores, 161 variety stores, 269 men’s or women’s apparel stores, 153 shoe stores and 116 dry goods stores..” -07/28/04, The Herald, Randolph, Vermont

· Analyzing the "Sins" of Wal-Mart- At a California conference, a diverse crowd, from academics to union workers, explored the growing backlash against the giant - Business Week Online, 04/14/04

· “Taxpayers have directly and indirectly footed the bill for more than $1 billion in publicly funded subsidies and incentives to build its stores and distribution centers.” – The Quad City Times, 06/19/04

· WalMart-Blows.com and AgainstTheWal.com - entire Websites dedicated to links to negative press about the company. You be the judge.

When I flip through magazines like Forbes in their special editions of the richest people in America, it sickens me to see a half-dozen Walton’s. They are billionaires, and I can’t even return a $10.88 jacket. This is one other reason why the big man will keep getting bigger and the little man will get littler, until he completely disappears.

Sincerley,

Donna Talarico
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Bush's Record (W is for Worst)

I've finally figured out what the W in "George W. Bush" really stands for. It's not "Walker" as we were led to believe. It's "worst," as in this guy is one of the worst Presidents ever.

He's reacted to problems rather than prevent them. He ignored warning from several credible sources about serious and specific threats from Al Qaeda.

Richard Clarke, former advisor on counter-terrorism for all Presidents from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush, laid out the threat (in writing) from nearly day one. On January 25th, 2001, just a few days after Bush was inaugurated, Clarke laid out the threat. Bush didn't act on it until September 2001. Clarke's memo has since been classified.

Other sources, including a British intelligence briefing in August 2001, warned Bush prior to 9/11 (see the SundayHerald.com). Bush’s daily briefing on August 6, 2001 contained warnings that Al Qaeda was planning to attack on US soil and that they were interested in hijackings.

In the seven and a half months from his inauguration to 9/11, he spent more time on vacation or asleep than almost any President that I can think of it. He used to be proud of it. No longer.

What about health care? During his administration, health care costs have soared, posting double digit cost increases while the average family's income is stagnant.

He's given carte blanche to lobbyists for big business, including pharmaceutical companies, leading Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) to refer to one piece of Bush legislation as "No Lobbyist Left Behind."

Meanwhile, seniors have struggled to keep up with drug costs. Some have resorted to taking bus or train trips to Canada to save money. Others are trying to import the drugs from Canada, but the Bush administration has blocked this.

Warnings about the potential problem with the flu vaccine went unheeded from 2001 until now. One of Bush's proposed solutions was to contact the Canadian government and request help. During the final Presidential debate, Bush mentioned this. I nearly fell off my chair.

While Canada does have a surplus of the vaccine, and they are willing to help, Canada is a nation of 32 million people. They couldn't possibly bail out the USA, with 9 times the population!

This is too little too late. I think even Bush realized what a crock it was when he said it. I remember the look on his face that said "I know this sounds really lame, but..."

(Why the Canadian government is willing to help is beyond me. The Bush Administration has abused Canada and other allies on trade and on priorities in the war on terrorism. To their credit, Canada bit its collective lip and did the right thing.)

I could go on for days...The Bush administration's record on a number of issues is abysmal. He's the first President to lose jobs since Herbert Hoover. Like his father, he has focused heavily on Iraq, but casualty rates are higher than many expected.

Terrorism continues around the world and many of the weak spots at home (cargo containers, etc.) have not been addressed.

Policing has not been as well funded as it should be and Bush has not worked to renew the Assault Weapons Ban, putting the lives of police in danger.

Nuclear sites in Iraq have gone unguarded, radioactive material has gone missing, but the Oil Ministry has been secured.

Multi-billion dollar contracts with Halliburton and other GOP contributors have been awarded with insufficient scrutiny.

Republican backers Diebold have expanded the use of their flawed voting machines into 11 states. (Hackers from Rice University and Johns Hopkins have exposed weaknesses).

Meanwhile, many of the problems in the electoral process have not been addressed, potentially making the USA a laughing stock again.

Based on his record, Bush doesn't deserve this second term. America deserves a President, not a cheerleader.

John Tracey
Toronto, ON