An appropriate name would be "Remora".
Posted on 02/26/2014 7:45:11 AM PST by Idaho_Cowboy
I’m a big fan of Mike Rowe, ever since his “Dirty Jobs” days. That was my default TV show, before my present inexplicable fascination with home-remodeling programs began. Every episode you’d see Mike throw himself into some unbelievably nasty line of work, cracking jokes as he was bathed in everything from raw sewage to bird droppings. There will never be a show with more feces per minute of running time.
We might say that “Dirty Jobs” was cut from the same cloth as home-remodeling shows, and all the other reality programming that covers blue-collar America. I like to think their popularity stems from the satisfaction of watching hard work earn its just rewards, rather than the mild curiosity of Eloi wondering what the Morlocks are up to these days.
These days, Rowe is a crusader for the skilled trades. Among his priorities is jump-starting the American manufacturing sector. To that end, he was supportive of Wal-Mart’s announcement that it would pump $250 billion into U.S. manufacturers. Why, that’s almost big enough to be government money!
Wal-Mart wanted to announce their $250 billion initiative in an advertisement – you know, kind of like how the Administration makes ads touting ObamaCare, except Wal-Mart spent its own money. As luck would have it, Mike Rowe makes a living by providing his face and voice for commercials.
(Excerpt) Read more at redstate.com ...
If they had cared as much back then as they claim to now it might be a different story. I suspect this is just a convenient ad to run now that wages are rising in China and Wal-Mart is looking for new suppliers?
Another, less cynical way of looking at it is - Walmart is making an effort to invest in companies here in the US; this is to be celebrated, is it not? Going forward, it will bring new jobs to our citizens, boost the economy, put money in people’s pockets that they desperately need.
Why not just celebrate a step in the right direction?
Plenty of Mom & Pops surrounding my local Wal-Mart, trying to get a slice of the traffic it generates.
I don’t love Walmart but Rowe is pushing something good.
An appropriate name would be "Remora".
If you object to Walkmart buying imported goods why would you object to them making a commitment to buying more stuff made in USA?
Time to drop this “cheap imported goods” mantra that was developed by leftists to try and break the non-union Walmart chain.
When I go to Walmart I see the same name brands that are in every other store. Same medicines and toothpaste, same food products, same toys, same CDs, same electronics.
Do they have some cheap stuff in there too? Sure, and to a lot of low income people that represents a bargain that they appreciate.
From the article: “There will never be a show with more feces per minute of running time.”
Beg to differ... MSNBC and CNN are still on the air. At best it’s a toss up.
I almost get the feeling that now that they are big enough they can ‘afford’ to sell more products from the USA. Either way I don't see it as a bad move, but I won't be surprised if it doesn't last either.
Wal-Mart has a history of putting their suppliers over a barrel and giving them the brush off, if they can't produce at incredibly low costs. Naturally, that's part of the drive for efficiency that makes capitalism the economic engine it is.
Walton’s 5&10 cent store started off as a Mom and Pop store. Then back in the early 1960s he got a chance to buy some bankrupt Ben Franklin stores and reorganized as Walmart.
Walton broke the economic stranglehold the Chicken Men had on this area. Back then you worked for them at their starvation wages or you didn’t work.
As for Chinese goods, go into almost any store and you will find Chinese goods.
ACE Hardware
True Value Hardware
Sears
K Mart
Dollar Tree
Dollar Store
Dollar General
Atwoods Farm supply
Tractor Supply
Kohl’s
Barnes and Nobel
Lowes hardware
Home Depot
and many, many others not listed here.
As for putting other Mom and Pop stores out of business, maybe you don’t know how small town shops survive.
Each small town had two stores of each type so they could claim there was no monopoly in the town, but these stores had under the table handshakes not to undercut each other. That way they could keep prices high. Even the Town Councils were in on this, and got their cut, by keeping other business out to prevent a real free market.
Walmart spilled their applecart and now these high dollar stores are claiming they were forced out by Walmart. Bunk. they were forced out by their own high dollar prices.
The left is malevolent.
It wants high unemployment and worship of laziness so it can raise taxes for its own projects.
I love Mike Rowe and I love the new WalMart ad. People want to create through their work. The left wants to destroy.
Thank you for explaining that truth.
Just another cheap shot at capitalism by the all government left.
I agree that Walmart has a history of putting their suppliers over the barrel. Several years ago I would have had some sympathy for them. But as you said, they have a history of it now and any supplier has no excuse for being surprised by this. It’s a risk the supplier is taking and they should make their capital improvement decisions while factoring in that risk.
The left hates Wal Mart because Wal Mart has done far more for poor people than government.
Being wary of huge monopolies is a natural thing, and I am wary of Walmart. But, the really horrible thing about large corporations is that they can bear the burden of government taxes and regulation more efficiently than the little guy. Without the horrendous government juggernaut’s pounding, small businesses would actually be able to out perform these lumbering corporate monsters. The real enemy is not the corporation, it is the government.
People don’t seem to understand how manufacturing works in this country.
A factory that produces primarily products for Walmart will produce products for many of their competitors. Outside of the auto industry and a couple of others, there is no such thing as a factory that just produces 1 thing every day.
A factory really can’t survive without one big main customer but that factory will then be free to grow and produce products for other customers. I worked in a Plastics shop where our main customer was Cadillac followed closely by Ford, Toyota and a half dozen other makers and we occasionally made toys. When I worked for Astro Cap we also made LEER caps and Tonneau covers.
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