Posted on 06/16/2002 11:29:08 AM PDT by John Jorsett
Edited on 05/11/2004 5:33:47 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Home Depot Inc., the nation's largest hardware and home-improvement chain, has told its 1,400 stores not to do business with the U.S. government or its representatives.
The Post-Dispatch checked with managers at 38 stores in 11 states. All but two said they had received instructions from Home Depot's corporate headquarters this month not to take government credit cards, purchase orders or even cash if the items are being used by the federal government.
(Excerpt) Read more at stltoday.com ...
We have been notified that this proposal will be presented for consideration at the meeting:
WHEREAS: Home Depot claims to bar employment discrimination but its written policies do not explicitly bar discrimination based on sexual orientation; Our company has an interest in preventing discrimination and resolving complaints internally so as to avoid costly litigation and damage to its reputation as an equal opportunity employer; San Francisco, Atlanta, Seattle and Los Angeles have adopted legislation restricting business with companies that do not guarantee equal treatment for lesbian and gay employees and similar legislation is pending in other jurisdictions;
Our company has operations in and makes sales to institutions in states and cities which prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation; A recent National Gay and Lesbian Task Force study has found that 16% - 44% of gay men and lesbians in twenty cities nationwide experienced workplace sexual orientation harassment or discrimination;
Other leading retailers, including Albertson’s, BJ’s Wholesale, CompUSA, Costco, Office Depot, Safeway, Sears, Staples, SuperValu, Target, TJX, Toys R Us, and Walgreen’s, all explicitly bar discrimination based on sexual orientation, as do more than half of Fortune 500 companies;
National public opinion polls consistently find more than three-quarters of Americans support equal rights in the workplace for gay men, lesbians and bisexuals;
RESOLVED: The Shareholders request the Board of Directors amend Home Depot’s written equal employment opportunity policy to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and to substantially implement this policy.
STATEMENT: By implementing a written policy prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, our Company will ensure a respectful and supportive atmosphere for all employees and enhance its competitive edge by joining the growing ranks of companies guaranteeing equal opportunity for all employees.
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSAL B (ITEM 4 ON THE PROXY CARD)
Well, HD has lost my Business! They are now looking out for No 1 in keeping sales going in "gay" areas! Others do it so we should too!( Another Klintoon legacy!)
And their decision is based on "polls"!! Morality need NOT apply to making money! (X42 again!)
Granted doing business with the Feds is difficult, but then, the Feds ARE the biggest RAINBOW Coalition backers! Go Figure! Anyway LOWES KNOWS!!!! (I hope)
I have a small consulting business and one of my clients is a major Fortune 500 company that does a minimal amount of business with the federal government, primarily through commissaries. Every year I would get a four or five page questionnaire that I had to fill out indicating I was in compliance with a variety of laws and telling me that the feds had jurisdiction over who I give preference to in hiring because I provided services to a company that did business with the feds. Hell I didnt contract with the government, I contracted with the company. The feds can kiss my ---.
Refusing to accept govt issued credit cards isn't discrimination against personnel. I'm absolutely sure it that uniformed member of our military establishment used a "civilian" credit card, it would be honored no problemos.
Burt being pressured by sexual exhibitionists and perverts to conduct business in strict compliance with the liberal democrat political agenda is okay?
You go ahead and do business with Home Depot. Liberal democrats will be thrilled.
When I go into our local HD, my experience has been that most of the employees are on their phones complaining to one another about the latest outrageous management demand on them while hotfooting it around the corner to avoid interaction with the despised customer.
Plus their lumber stinks.
Your Home Depot is definately different from the one around here. Ours has better lumber than the Lowe's next door, has friendly helpful staff, and will come running to assist you if you appear to need it. I buy most of my building supplies there.
That's not to say that I never spend money in Lowe's. I just bought an unfinished solid wood corner kitchen curio there since nobody else seemed to have one, finished or otherwise. That store, too, is friendly.
Maybe its just a southern thang. :^)
HERE >>>>>>> . <<<<<<< anal retent
Another advertisement?
By the way, it's "rententive".
PS: In a battle of wits, don't show up unarmed. Moron.
Not half the power liberal democrats exercise through PFLAG, Rainbow Coalition, and other "private" organizations.
Oh yeah, add the libertarian bean-brains to the pro-liberal democrat alliance. Go spend your money at Home Depot--you and zon. Make Papa Marx proud.
Oak Ridge is a small city, built in 1942, by the Federal Government in order to build the first nuclear weapons, a business they're still in, along with weapons and energy research, and research of other kinds.
Nearly every business here is related to supporting the Federal Government's facilities here in Oak Ridge. The local Home Depot does a lot of business with those folks. Granted, they are private contractors with the Federal Government, however, they usually get their purchase orders for supplies, product and consumables from the facility they're working at - i.e., one of the local Federal Government facilities.
Home Depot here in Oak Ridge made the majority of its bulk sales to the local facilities, i.e., the Federal Government. Since Home Depot is now refusing to do business with them, that business will be taken back to the folks they used to do business with. The primary reason Home Depot built it's facility here was to do exactly the kind of business that they are now refusing to do.
OK, I'm going to read back over this and see if it was clear enough. I realize there's a few words of more than two syllables....
Nah, that sucks. But what you gonna do? It's like wanting to buy American and finding out almost everything you buy is made in China. This moves the ball down the field a few inches in the right direction towards less regulation. I'll take it.
Last time I checked, Home Depot's founding partners have completely opposite political views, and both put their wallets where their mouths are. On the Left, Bernie Marcus supports every liberal cause you can imagine, though his benevolence to medical and humanitarian charities is quite admirable. Other than Home Depot, his monument to fame will be a $200,000,000 Aquarium in Midtown Atlanta.
On the Right, Arthur Blank supports a myriad of Conservative candidates and causes throughout the United States. Other than Home Depot, he will be known as the (new) owner of the Atlanta Falcons.
That is all public knowledge, available on the internet. That said, however, I don't shop at Home Depot because of anybody's politics. I shop at Home Depot because it is a great business which sells what I want at prices I am willing to pay. That's why I bought its stock, and that's why I'll go back...
Sorry for yelling.
The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission moved to intervene in a 1995 lawsuit covering 310 Home Depot stores east of the Mississippi. A third lawsuit is pending in New Jersey. This is the largest sex discrimination case the EEOC has ever taken on. The HD response? Home Depot said it was "puzzled and outraged" that the federal government has intervened in a class-action sex discrimination lawsuit against the nation's largest building supply retailer.
On discrimination and EEOC laws:
Sheesh, we can't even trust our "employees" -- government officials -- to let them into our homes and businesses without a search warrant if we don't want to let them in. But somehow a business is forced to trust a total stranger with an open door policy. A person/business owner can refuse to allow a government agent access to his property but not a total stranger! And get this, it is the government that can't be trusted without a search warrant that is telling property owners that they must trust total strangers.
Discrimination laws are unjust.
Sometimes I have to wait a few minutes but that is because they are helping another customer with his questions. On the whole, I find them trying to be very helpful.
But it sounds like you're saying that those small contractors are making their purchases with federal purchase orders instead of their own capital. That would be a problem -- but would make me wonder why they do that. Might they rely on federal POs because it would take too long for the feds to reimburse them? If so, that would prove the wisdom of Home Depot's decision not to do business with a slow-paying, strings-attached customer like the federal government...
That's a definite possibility.
I think Yankees tend to be a little more crotchety.
Like me :-)
The government tried to close down many VA hospitals and subsidize the treatment at regular hospital while upgrading those still remaining. There was a swell of opposition as the "fear-mongers" declared the republicans were trying to shutdown the VA hospitals (implying LESS service) to the veterans. So, in the midst of it all, the program was dropped.
Please re-read the paragraph below.
One Home Depot associate at a store in San Diego said, "It feels weird telling some kid in uniform that I can't sell him 10 gallons of paint because we don't do business with the government."
Sure sound like they are going to not sell to military personel.
Didn't Home Depot align itself with PFLAG about a year or so ago?
a.cricket
Great, so the feds can hassle and/or prosecute you if you don't enact a formal affirmitive action program in your small business. What a load of crap! Government meddling in business hiring sucks and they shouldn't have anything to do with it, especially with the screwey ways that the feds do their hiring. They'll not hire the guy with the best qualifications and hire a total lunkhead because he fits the racial profile that they want for some diversity program. But they're competent to micro-manage your hiring practices (NOT!).
What I did twenty years ago and for the same reasons.
Mega-bump!!
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HEY ANAL if you dont have something more constructive to say shut your yap and sit down
Hope you have a nice life in your correctly spelled perfect world .... i hope if you are married that you and your get all the best out of life all the love you need and want and that your children are many and a blessing to you but leave your correction to just that you and yours im 42 and if i need corrected ill do it myself my father lives a couple miles away with my mom he hasnt corrected me since i was 18 and joined the navy if you feel you need to correct someone go somewhere else and do it If you feel you just cant help yourself and hafta get in that last word go for it because i wont respond Its a shame is'nt it this all started over a freeking >>>>>.<<<<< |
an indoor/outdoor submersible pump that would come on if it got wet
wall anchors for 1-inch #8 screws (for plaster)
and 25 watt reflective lamps for some mini-spots.
I don't go there for the window shades and stencils. though I confess to a couple of stencil purchases at Lowes.
and we welcome all government employees to continue to 'support your own'.
But please explain then why you need half of my income to pay for your income so you can 'support your own'. Please feel as free as you need to be to support your own, but do it on your own dime.
The requirements in the back of all allow them access at demand to see your books, for any reason. In otherwords if you're going to agree to business with the government, they assign themselves the right to anything they want.
Don't get me started on OSHA and EPA. Did you know that you can not dispose of an empty spray paint can without puncturing it first and draing any possible fluild. That fluid must be disposed of at an EPA approved company. You must have reciept. Note $2500 fine for each occurance,,,,,
I'll send the rest of my paychecks to Home Depot. They are right.
Okay, it's time I fess up--I work for HD. The cash thing is fairly easy to understand--HD doesn't accept tax exempt status on government, business, or church transactions in cash--they have to be either check (in the agency, business or church name) or credit. So the cash angle is simple--cash can't get tax exempt status, so the feds won't use cash anyway.
I understand everyone's comments on here--it's hard to find help in my store, too (and Tennessee Bob, FYI, I am familiar with the Oak Ridge store, and I don't believe it's doing very much with its Pro Sales anyway, which would encompass (or would have) the government accounts).
It was rolled out to us as too many bureaucratic hoops to jump through (and the fact that just one employee not following the Fed rules would result in penalties throughout the company).
Insofar as the equal rights for gays in the workplace, I, personally, don't have a problem with equal rights--I don't think anyone should be held back because of their sexual orientation--I just don't think they should be given preferential treatment.
And yes, everyone at my store was incredibly upset with the PFlag thing last year.
I sent it back after a pass through our shredder, with a note saying, in effect, "You want to buy our stuff, you send a check like everybody else. If not, go pound sand and stuff your forms."
Always, everywhere, at every opportunity - tell Big Stupid Government to jam it.
I can think of a few reasons :
1)The federal government was putting in orders for 3,000 light bulbs or whatever, and perhaps Home Depot was not equipped to handle something like that logistics wise
2)The government business was impacting their other business in some way
3)The government was purchasing things in bulk that perhaps HD was selling at a loss to attract customers, or that impacted many private customers.
4)Too many restrictions on HD from the government.
I don't know why people are bashing HD without knowing the story. If the story is there are too many restrictions on HD to sell to the government (which is what it sounds like), FReepers would be cheering HD on. If the story is that the government business was impacting other areas, FReepers would understand. They should think about how many times they buy stuff on sale and are restricted to 1 or 2 of the items, perhaps the same thing is happening here, and HD doesn't like the government cleaning them out when they really are oriented towards people like you and I.
If its unconstitutional, these fedgov workers are not friends of the Country--they are enemies of the Constitutional Republic just as sure as all socialists are.
I'll certainly be looking forward to hearing more about Home Depot's decision. So far, I say bravo. Why don't we have a lot of principled businesses who finally say, we're tired of all the fedgov rules and regs that add so much to the costs of business that its choking our nation, and that they refuse to sell to fedgov until such time as the fedgov honors the Constitution.
You have got to be kidding me. Our "war" (which I can't really say is a war now since we seem to be in that stage of nation-building that comes after a war.)does not have anything to do with HD or you or I for that matter.
If HD doesn't want to sell to the government, it's their right. This is a free country. I saw nowhere in there that they were targeting any one particular facet of the government, so don't make it out to be against the military.
If you had a business, I'm sure you would prefer to have the right to refuse service to certain customers. Perhaps the paperwork that revolves around the goverment was costing too much time/resources for HD.
Who owns Home Depot? Do you have a 401K with a tracking fund? Probably > 50% of the people on this thread own some HD one way or another.
It is funny to see conservatives bash HD for attempting to avoid some hogwash leftist feel good legal traps.
The simple reason is risk vs return. HD has figured out that the potential cost (risk) of some government lawsuits is greater than the gain from selling to the Feds. It is that simple.
I see another note on this thread how HD doesn't hire women for the floor jobs. Typcial knee jerk discrimination - of course they hire fewer women - their goal is to hire experienced contractors. What percentage of contractors are women that you know - personally? If you don't have an answer, pick up a phone book and call ten at random.
This is not un-patriotic on their part. They have a fiduciary duty to do the best they can for their shareholders. My opinion is that they are doing this.
The real question is why should a nice american company have to avoid the US feds to do the best it can for its owners?
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, HOME DEPOT!
I hope they do as well. Maybe this would jumpstart something that would start getting rid of some of the idiotic paperwork and regulations concerning government purchases, and maybe save some money for the country. Of course it would turn around and be spent on something else :-/
September 14, 2001
This is the text of the joint resolution authorizing the use of force against terrorists, adopted by the Senate and the House of Representatives:
To authorize the use of United States armed forces against those responsible for the recent attacks launched against the United States.
Whereas, on Sept. 11, 2001, acts of despicable violence were committed against the United States and its citizens; and
Whereas, such acts render it both necessary and appropriate that the United States exercise its rights to self-defense and to protect United States citizens both at home and abroad, and
Whereas, in light of the threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by these grave acts of violence, and
Whereas, such acts continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States,
Whereas the president has authority under the Constitution to take action to deter and prevent acts of international terrorism against the United States.
Resolved by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Section 1. Short Title
This joint resolution may be cited as the "Authorization for Use of Military Force"
Section 2. Authorization for Use of United States Armed Forces
(a) That the president is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.
(b) War Powers Resolution Requirements
Specific Statutory Authorization -- Consistent with section 8(a)(1) of the War Powers Resolution, the Congress declares that this section is intended to constitute specific statutory authorization within the meaning of section 5(b) of the War Powers Resolution.
Applicability of Other Requirements -- Nothing in this resolution supersedes any requirement of the War Powers Resolution.
From "The War Powers Act of 1973"
http://www.cs.indiana.edu/statecraft/warpow.html
All the "man in uniform" has to do is say it is for his own use, and not being sold to the government.
For proof, see reply #44. This don't sound like "contempt for the military" to me.
Supplying the units needs is what we pay the GSS and other FedGov purchasing departments BIG BUCKS to take care of. As to patriotic, when the Congress actually passes a declaration of war, then I'll buy it.
Don't many federal bureaucracies have the ability to make "rules" which have the force of law?Yup. Let's say I make a GMO version of cilantro that'll give you a Jamiacan Grade-A head rush. The DEA can make cilantro a controlled substance. No congressional action required. Now the layman might think spotting the separation of powers problem here is easier than finding Waldo, but the FedGov reality distortion field filters that out.
I know of one other large business who refused all gooberment contracts,and even told the feds to get the hell out of his place of business. This is a large sporting goods wholesaler that was offered a gooberment contract to supply small specialized orders to special operations units. Since he was a vet himself,he was more than happy to talk to them about this,so he invited them down. Things started to go down hill rapidly when they started asking questions like "how many blacks do you have in supervisory positinos? Women? Homosexuals?",and went ALL to hell when they told him he would have to have the requisite number before they could do business with him. He told them he didn't believe in ANY of that crap,and they needed to get the hell out of his store before he had them arrested for tresspassing.
It's odd that Home Depot would take a similiar stance,though. The owner is a dedicated Dim who donates a percentage of his profits each year to gun control.
The owner of Home Depot is a dedicated Dim,and donates a percentage of his profits to gun control each year. Lowes refused to put up "no gun" signs in their stores when HCI lobbied them to do so.
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