Arkansas Blog

Wal-Mart is the poster-monster for this era's successor to facism, communism, and terrorism: CORPORATISM. Just think about it. Corporations are chartered by governments, presumably to meet some needs of the citizens from whom those governments derive their just powers. But read any newspaper one day, or at most two days, and you will find reports of governments bowing and scraping and pleading and offering up the citizenry's rights and pursuit of their happiness to win the favor of creatures of the government!

I strongly suspsect that when the titular head of the present Administration says of Islamic terrorists "they hate our freedom," what he means by "freedom" is free trade, low marginal tax rates for corporations, unregulated corporate enterprise, and unrestrained international flow of caplital. Paying property taxes -- or any other taxes, for that matter, is for peasants!

Since most Americans are happy living in a corporate state (remember how popular Mussolini was) then Wal Mart is operated by some very smart dudes.

Did you find this in the Onion or is it a real a story?? I do all I can do to lower my taxes, should I feel guilty?? This may well me the most goofy anti Wal-Mart story in recent memory. This story makes me rethink my subscription to the NYT.

>Paying property taxes -- or any other taxes, for that matter, is for peasants!<

Back in the early 80s I read an article in Time about the Rockefeller family insisting on paying at least 10% in taxes. I had a neighbor then who was an IRS investigator and ask him how do the very rich get by with such evasions? I will never forget his response "We need those people as seeds" meaning others would attempt to emulate their behavior and thus keep the IRS investigators in bidness.

If you find Johnson County-Clarksville Walmart case difficult then just imagine how much Wally is skimping on in Benton County where they exert an influence on the election of local officials. This is where they have SQUARE MILES of warehouses and office space with furnishings. This is where the homes of million dollar a year executives are located.

Benton County Taxes:

BENTONVILLE -- Benton County justices of the peace said Tuesday they want to know why the county tax collector and assessor offices did not meet state standards in 2005. The state recently released its findings.

"I really don't understand why the state is not up here right now," said Justice of the Peace Bob Stephenson, R-southwestern Benton County, during the Committee of 13 meeting. "We're not even doing basic bookkeeping. We're naive to think something bad won't eventually happen."
.....
Problems the state found included the assessor's office awarding duplicate homestead tax credits. The office then did not penalize for the duplicate credit, as required by law. The county lost about $59,800, the audit found.

Shirley Sandlin was head of the assessor's office in 2005 and is named in the audit.

The county judge's office was also listed in the audit for not having segregated duties that would prevent theft. The problem has since been remedied, said County Comptroller Richard McComas.

The county's information system in the tax collector's and assessor's offices had inadequate password protection, according to the audit. Unauthorized people could gain access to critical information.
...
The tax collector's office had the worst problems, justices of the peace said.

The current tax account was not reconciled on a monthly bases in 2006, according to the audit. More than $2.5 million in the credit card account was not reconciled as of December 2005.
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This is what happens when Republicans are put in charge of Republicans. Toss in a few Bella Vista
moments and the madness gets worse.

It's bad enough Wal-Mart would try to lower already low taxation after they have systematically run most small competitors out of business years ago including being a force removing many manufacturing jobs out of the country etc.. Then they make employees absolutely struggle for a living wage and decent benefits. Prices are no longer low for the most part and basic customer service has been mortally wounded with their business model.. Cashiers are instructed not to speak with customers for example and lines grow longer every time I shop there (just a few times a year or less if at all possible).

Wal-Mart does not care about a community maintaining decent education unless it's their own pet projects like forcing charter schools on communities etc. Their way or the highway seems to be SOP. A part of me doesn't blame a company for asking but I do know our government officials and the people who elect them over and over are a fault for not demanding government unite as the ruling force against corporate fascism. When Wal-Mart or other companies lose in situations like what happened in Johnson County they should be forced to pay all costs incurred by taxpayers who have no choice but spend enormous amounts of time and money fighting mafioso/RICO tactics such as this.

Until serious lobby reform and public finance of elections are embraced by the people and put into law... Until local press who receives much of their revenue from Wal-Mart are able to cover these stories in honest open detail.. people will not understand much of what is going on. Until corporations are not given more rights than individuals... I expect little change.

Virtually every company and individual in America tries to lower its taxes. There is absolutley nothing wrong with it. This kind of BS dilutes legitimate criticism of wal-Mart.

So, mpan, I suppose you decide what is legitimate criticism? I suppose sending organized bands of thugs.. I mean lawyers and accountants, in fleets of Lincolns, into small county offices with more funding behind them than many small counties have is not just asking for lower taxes without intimidation?

There is no greater critic of Wal-Mart than my next door neighbor. He seems almost obsessed with picking at every little thing about what he calls "the Bentonville Mafia." Yet, I rarely walk into our closest Wal-Mart without seeing him there with a cart full of merchandise. And this in a town where there's Target, K-Mart, Sears, J.C. Penny, Family Dollar, you name it. How about you other Wal-Mart critics? Do you ever darken their doors? (Oh, come now!)

Only when I have to, Durangokid, even though it is 4 or 5 miles closer than Target and other stores.

It's impossible for me to shop at China Mart for a multitude of good reasons.
And I think I sleep better at night because I avoid the Big Box Stores and do business with local businesses who struggle to survive.
But that's just me.

Do you ever darken their doors? (Oh, come now!)<<

Yes, I do. They happen to have the only good selection of dark chocolates in this area. Additionally, I'm what's called a "chemical sensitive" and Wally is the only one offering a fragrance free laundry detergent but I have to have a clerk go get it for me, those laundry detergent aisles are a killer for me. I've asked the independent, employee owned stores to stock something other than Hersheys but they don't seem to understand. Perhaps that's why they are so damn small.

For produce I shop locally at Harps (employeee owned) and Ozark Natural Foods and two farmers' markets. For meats I shop the local messicun grocery because it's 3x fresher and higher quality and I get to specify how thick I want my lamb chops cut. However for salmon and cod I must go to Sams Wholesale for a decent supply.

For fishing stuff I order online and save 10% up front on taxes and usu the shipping is free and fast.

The last set of tars and battree came from the messicun place about 6 blocks from home. They were courteous. Dropped by picked up the car, did the work then delivered it at no extra charge. The prices were about $15 higher than the Wally Mafia. They take credit cards too.

On Wally's generic drugs for $4. Locally Price Cutters beat Wally by offering 2x more generic drugs for $3 a pop.

No one, I mean no one should ever buy clothing or shoes from WalMart.They use captive slave labor
at every opportunity. Walmart hardware, esp tools, are a bad joke. I used to take interested gardners by WM lawn n garden shops to show them what all the various diseases look like.
.