A lighthearted post to end the chopped up week:
Part I
Let me give the description:
"his vision and leadership are vital to providing for our national interests as well as economic stability and growth in a shrinking world market."
"his Reaganesque appeal"
"the strongest candidate"
Who is he? Just about any Republican candidate says the same thing. Everybody invokes Reagan, but this is the description the New Smyrna Beach Observer used in its endorsement of Mitt Romney. Sure, it's a small hometown paper but it's already decided Mitt's the one for the job.
If you want to see why this is creepy - at your own peril, click here.
Part II
I've never been much of a Wal-Mart fan. I rarely shop there - only to pick up the new Harry Potter release at midnight. But, I've never jumped on the bandwagon of Wal-Mart bashing.
Yes, I know they put the little guys out of business. I know they treat their employees like the bottom of a shoe, but this is going a little too far:
"When Karen Armatrout died in 1997, her employer, Wal-Mart, collected thousands of dollars on a life insurance policy the retail giant had taken out without telling her..."
Apparently, this was a common practice in the mid-90's:
Myers said the policy payouts ranged from $50,000 to $80,000, depending on the person's age and gender. They were taken out on all full-time Wal-Mart employees who, in December 1993, were between ages 18 and 70 and participated in the medical benefits plan.
This is part of an attempt to file a class action lawsuit on behalf of the 75-100 Floridians on whom Wal-Mart has collected between $50,000 and $80,000 each! It seems that quite a few companies do this. The lawyer, Michael D. Myers, has litigated against Winn-Dixie and Fina Oil and Chemical as well as Wal-Mart.
So , first, Wal-Mart treats their employees like dirt. They don't provide even minimal access to proper healthcare. Then, when they die, they collect tax-free money.
Gives new meaning to sucking the life out of your employees. Creepy!
