A Socio-Economics Quiz

Not a day goes by when I don't learn something new. Today is no exception, and I've decided to share the wealth. First, a quiz:

If you introduce 400+ new jobs into an impoverished urban blight zone with high crime rates and high unemployment, what would the result be?

A. Increased poverty, increased crime, increased urban blight.
B. Decreased poverty, lower crime, and a chance for community prosperity.

Now if you answered "B", you'd be wrong. At least according to the union uber-economists at WakeUpWalMart.com (a wholly owned subsidiary of United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, CLC). In response to this announcement from Wal Mart about plans to build 50 stores in "neighborhoods with high crime or unemployment rates, on sites that are environmentally contaminated, or in vacant buildings or malls in need of revitalization", this is what the famously anti-business union had to say:

"Of course, new Wal-Mart stores would violently exacerbate existing problems of crime, poverty, environmental contamination, and urban blight in these areas."

So by their reasoning, we can help these areas by closing businesses and creating even more unemployment. Then these urban blight zones would become leftist utopias, right? Isn't socialism wonderful?

BTW, the average hourly wage at Wal-Mart is $10.67. For you utopian Democrat supporters, that would mean $11481.60 a year more than minimum wage. In contrast to Teddy and Howie's plan, that adds up to not just one year of groceries, but a car to drive them home in. Not just over 9 months of rent, but enough income to qualify for a small mortgage. Not just a year and a half of heat and electricity, but new appliances to run with that electricity. Not just full tuition for a community college degree, but a couple of years at a decent land grant college.

With Teddy and Howie's plan, you get enough to put a new skirt and steps on the double-wide and maybe a new bowling ball. It's no wonder that "a voice for working America" has to brag on 7 out 300 employees at a Canadian store as a victory. Folks here in the States can't take the pay cut that UFCW supports.

It's not just backing the wrong horse. UFCW wants to be in back of the wrong horse as well.

Full disclosure: I received an email from Wal-Mart's PR firm about an hour after I had read the AP story linked above. Email or no, I still would have posted. I don't work for Wal-Mart, don't shop there, and don't have any family or friends that work there. I get paid nothing for pointing out the anti-business nature of UFCW's (and the left's) ridiculous war against Wal-Mart.