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Big-box stores abet hate groups?

April 12, 2012

Walmart, the biggest of the big-box stores, creates some big problems for communities, including a surge in the formation of hate groups, a major university study suggests. [San Francisco Chronicle]

The study’s lead author, Dr. Stephan Goetz of Penn State, noted that “Walmart clearly has done good things in the communities studied, especially in terms of lowering prices.” But a downside to such commerce is becoming apparent, he added, because “there may be indirect costs that are not as obvious as other effects.”

Goetz said the researchers discovered an undeniable correlation between the number of Walmart stores in any given county, and local hate group activity. By driving away small businesses in the community, Goetz said, community values are eroded, civil engagement limited, and social bonds broken — all of which provides fertile ground for an uptick in hate group activity. The researchers said they selected Walmart for the study partly because the store’s presence usually indicates other big-box stores, such as Target and Home Depot, are nearby.


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Bottom Line: WAL-JUNK CHINA MART KILLS people.

They are CORPORATE VAMPIRES that drain the BLOOD and lifesource from vulnerable workers AND local MOM&POP’S AND Manufacturers that are extorted to move production to slave labor overseas.


You wanna be an AMERICAN ?


We gotta KILL WALMART ! The most UN-AMERICAN corporation on the planet !


OH…It’s OK to KILL a corporation; because , despite the corrupted Spreme Court ruling, a corporation is NOT a person. We can KILL it with impunity !


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Please be advised that, almost without exception, whenever the media reports on the “conclusion(s)”

of ANY research studies in ANY field you can bet the farm on distortions, misquotes and, of course, the reporters friend, paraphrasing. So, kind people, before you continue further with this daily exercise in undy-knot tying, be aware that :

1. Dr. Goetz’s doctorate is in Agriculture (relevance?)

2. His research design, if I even dare to use the term, is a totally “undergraduate” caliber survey, and thereare no controls .

3. Most importantly, please note that the article indicates the good Doctor used a correlation stat, Please pay attention students: CORRELATION IS NOT CAUSATION!!!! (My guess is that Dr. Goetz is pushing for tenure and this “study” is part of the process.)


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The most idiotic, absurd notion ever published. Penn State again, good grief and I thought Michael Mann was the bottom of the barrel. Other liberal news of the day: oil drilling causes earthquakes. You see folks there is no end, because without a manufactured crisis they’re out of business. Alas, the perils of not having a cogent argument.


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Max, are you on drugs? Just because you don’t like the report doesn’t make it absurd. Just what alternative study have YOU done? None. You think your assessment is superior to a major University study, what a childish assumptions on your part.


Your misguided dogma (hate the liberals-see, you HATE the liberals and maybe you live near a walmart) is showing big time. This is a non partisan non biased study you attempt to twist into your very own twisted universe-no go for you.


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SCIENCE!

Rocky Mountain Arsenal:”Technical Program Overview: Underground Injection Control Regulations EPA 816-r-02-025,” which reported, “In 1967, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) determined that a deep, hazardous waste disposal well at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal was causing significant seismic events in the vicinity of Denver, Colorado.” bird brain decided injecting chemical weapons waste into the aquifer underneath three large western states


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Science-you commie liberal!


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Coming soon to Atascadero:


http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/category/location/ca/page/2/


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Most people may not realize just how long WalJunk has been around…45 years !

The fact that they began and first spread throughout the Old Confederacy shows clearly a deep correlation with the type of hate group mentality and a modern slaveholder paradigm.


Not only do they erode community values and spirit by wiping out family businesses, businnesses that were built on customer service;

They also have been integral in destroying much of the manufacturing base of the USA, instructing suppliers how to move their factories to low wage / slave worker countries such as China and Taiwan among others.

All in pursuit of ‘race to the bottom’ low prices.


Not only are these states taking America’s wealth ( In this period, the USA has gone from the world’s largest exporter to it’s biggest importer. ), they are also decidedly NON-CHRISTIAN !


WalJunk facilitated this, so that a corrupt family of a few hundred racist hillbillies could live like kings.


We haven’t been sold up the river…we’ve been sold overseas !


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” goodnight Johnboy”


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Check out Barbara Ehrenreich’s quintessential “Nickel and Dimed:: on (Not) Getting By In America” ; and Robert Greenwald’s movie: “WALMART…The High Cost of Low Prices”.


The WalJunk mindthink is enemy to America, and so many low info slaves buy into the propaganda.

The Walton family collectively has amassed more wealth than any other, and most of them have done NOTHINGto help anyone else in their putrid lives. The one playboy son, John, at least had the decency to kill himself, and himself alone, crashing an experimental aircraft in Wyoming.


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Good article, pretty interesting. The break down of mom and pop business helps contribute to a sterile and cold community. As an example, family member of mine had a local business in SM that closed down because they couldn’t compete with Walmart. This business had been around for many years and people went there to not only buy a particular product but also as an excuse to socialize and even hang out a bit. They were also a member of the Chamber and they also held community workshops at their business. But Walmart came in started selling the same products for less then what my relative could buy their products for so they were forced to close down. So this article does make good sense.


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I was under the impression that the demise of Western Civilization was Bush;s fault, not the evil corp called Walmart


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Hate to tell you this there sky pilot, but those aren’t chopper blades over your head. It’s just tinfoil. Though I suppose it might help keep the aliens out, so long as they aren’t Mexican aliens GASP!!!


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BCP- both are important factors in the declining social fabric of our society.


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I went ahead and clicked on the link above and found another link where this study was apparently first published; interesting read. The main assertion is that when a large box store opens up and if it is successful in driving away the independently owned stores in the area, the larger social construct of service clubs and organizations such as Rotary and Elks and so on are severely reduced since so many of those small store owners belong to those organizations, which can lead to less social interaction overall. The researchers also mentioned that it is not Wal-Mart specifically that leads to this situation, but it is the reduction of locally owned businesses being replaced by box stores in general, be it Target, Home Depot or whatever; the researchers happened to use statistics from areas with a large Wal-Mart presence since there was so much data available.


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OMG!!! REALLY? REALLY? Social values and civility have been eroding for the last forty years!! Not saying that they may not have a VERY SMALL part of the pie BUT there are many factors at work here. To just blame Walmart is the LAMEST thing I have heard. I would love to know who sponsered the good Dr.


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How about the breakdown down of the family in this country? How about a lot of homes without a dad in it? How about the high divorce rate? How about education going in the toilet? Again anyone who believes this is all Walmarts fault is a fool.


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Cant wait for Typo’s response to this one. Yeahbutt Walmart brings thousands of jobs and buku tax revenues for local economies like ours. Just think of all the friendly tourist folks who visit Walmart AG while visiting the dunes…it must be a good thing. Where else can you get your teeth replaced,new glasses,some fishing bait, Fish sticks and a box of tampons under the same roof?


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.

BeenThereDoneThat,


What is the cause of the family breakdown? Since 78 percent of Americans are Christians, and since they’re the large majority, is it their fault in that the family is breaking down, no dads in the home, and the divorce rate being so high?


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Not sure on what you are quite getting at Ted but my point is that the breakdown with the family or people getting in with hate groups all start at the same place. The individual. I’m not as versed as you are (from reading your past posts) but isn’t it said that God gave people freedome of choice?


So that is why I don’t blame others (I.e. Walmart or certain groups) I place it all on the individual. The individual that gave up on their marraige because they couldn’t work with their mate. The individual that didn’t take extra time to help their kid with homework (education) The individual who let their morals and values go down the drain. I think you get my point.


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I feel it goes much deeper then that. Yes, everyone should take personal responsibility for their actions but I also believe in the ‘it takes a village’ line of thought. We are also products of our environment. You can’t expect people to take personal responsibility when they don’t understand what that entails.


I don’t feel that Walmart, Target etc. have all created this issue of topic but it has contributed to it. This is has been an evolving thing that stems from our overall society. Americans have been bred over the years to be shallow uncaring people. If a child grows up in an environment where they go to Walmart buy cheap made in China cr@p then they grow up missing out on customer service and they don’t even know what quality is. They become dependent on products made by slave child labor so it becomes part of their make up so they don’t feel bad buying that iPad made by kids working 70 hours a week, they become hardened to it, desensitized to humane conditions. The kid goes to a movie, plays video games or watches TV and sees heads getting chopped off so they become hardened (desensitised) to violence. Then the kid joins a soccer team and the team sucks because the kids don’t try. Why should they strive to do good, they’re going to get a trophy even if they come in last and mom and dad are going to say ‘great job’ (even though the kid sucked because he didn’t try). Then they go to a school that is over crowded and the teachers are forced to teach by simply teaching a kid to pass tests, no real deep learning. Parents fall into letting their kids eat what every they want because after both parents working they don’t’ have the energy to fight their kids and say no and that goes for helping them with that homework. Women grow up getting boob jobs and face lifts so they all look like Twilight Zone clones with fish lips. There is a part of the brain that is missing now, it’s that deep caring part of the brain that gives people depth. I could go on but I’ll stop there.


My point is that Dad leaves because people are desensitized and they are programed from childhood not to care deeply about themselves, other people or the environment. It’s all about that shallow me me me. Walmart IMO is just sign of the times. Do box stores contribute to this decline of our society, probably. It’s just a cycle that goes around and around and it gets worse and worse. Now they are saying that Walmart is starting to lose money to dollar stores so now it’s time to buy stocks in dollar stores. What could be worse then cheap cr@p from Walmart,,,cheap cr@p from a dollar, store. It’s not getting better.


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Brother Ted…Just look at all of the sordid lives, the multiple marriages and divorces of the inbred hillbillie clan named Walton ! Drug addicts, alcoholics, serial cheaters in colleges where your Bassett Hound could get a degree !


Look how so many of the ‘leaders’ of this corruput outfit have met their end !

Fitting ends for people that put their faith in MAMMON instead of GOD !


PRAISE !


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“Again anyone who believes this is all Walmarts fault is a fool.” That would be anyone who doesn’t read the entire article, follow the links and read those articles as well, like perhaps you?


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Alright Bobby I had went to SF and read the article. I went to the Social link and read the conclusion. I didn’t go to main body of article yet as I don’t have time posting between jobs at work today.


My comment was directed (as usual) to what was presented here at CCN. It still falls in line to what was printed at SF GATE. So WHAT do you not see? I stand by my comment.


Watch out bob the sky is falling. Sorry that unlike you I don’t digest and believe everything that someone tells me without knowing what their political objectives are. Especially when so MANY people who don’t like big box stores to start with, are latching on to this to blame all the ills of society and their miserable existance on.


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From the article at the SF Gate: “We’re not trying to pick on Wal-Mart,” said Goetz. “In this study, Wal-Mart is really serving as a proxy for any type of large retailer.”

You may have missed that single, stand alone sentence since it was the very last sentence of the article.


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You must have missed my sentence of not liking big box stores. Yes I saw article sentence, hence my point of people just not liking big box stores. So let me ask you a question. Do you like or dislike big box stores?


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Oh one more thought on their reply of “Oh we aren’t picking on Walmart” then throws the whole article into ambiguity and makes you question if there is really any relevance to what they said???


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“Do you like or dislike big box stores?” Trick question; to say “yes” would infer that you would be comfortable with a big box store going anywhere regardless of how well it fits the area, regardless of other important issues. To say “no” would infer that one doesn’t want a big box store anywhere, anytime for any reason; again, that is an “unreasonable” answer. I personally feel that some big box stores fit the needs of certain areas sometimes, so they are a good “fit”. Other times, a big box retailer comes in promising unending tax revenue but they use a that as a “carrot and stick” approach by demanding all sorts of exemptions and special treatment. In that case, a big box retailer is attempting to bully their way in and it is not a good fit. It may have been your intention to pigeon hole me with a “yes or no” answer, but like a lot of things in life, the issue is more complex than a single black and white, yes or no response.


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Fair enough answer Bob. Thanks. I feel the same on my side of the fence. I support a LOT of big business. In doing so I get into arguements with people who think that because of my support, I support raping the enviorment. I am all for using smarts and smart products in where to build and how to build a place. But I also am for giving a place a fair chance to build.


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WalJunk doesn’t care.

They don’t care that their huge parking lot in AG causes floods downhill. They don’t care.

They built a catch basin in order to comply…but look at the slope. All just political window dressing to give them a cover.

They hire “at will” people so they can fire them at whim.

They also are not too particular in their hires…they’re known for ex-cons and plenty of deviated preverts among their so-called “associates”.


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As far as Walmart in AG and flooding. They don’t design the building or do terrain takeoff. That would be the Architect. Walmart would sign off on his PROFESSIONAL recommendation. Sounds like your beef should rest with the Architect.


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Oh and one last on your comment about being an at will employer. Um HELLO most private employers are at will. That way they don’t get stuck with crappy employees like they do in the Gov. sector.


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BeenThereDoneThat… if you were an ” AT WILL ” employee,

you would have been summarilly fired at an early opportunity.


You lucked out by being a coward.


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Your biased politics are showing in your ill chosen conclusions. No one has blamed all the ills of society on the big boxes. Pit bulls kill, guns kill, and big box stores diminish community and often wreck the heart of the communities they infect. The prevalent motives for having any of these items around are fear, hate, ignorance and cheapness. There are also some good reasons (for the second two, none for the first) but overall we would be way better off without any of them.

But like so much chatter here the gist of the article has fallen on deaf ears and biased ideologies.

Many years ago when I was in London a report came out that domestic cats murdered something like 50 million birds there per year. OUTRAGE from cat owners! What a bunch of idiots, love of cats was not the issue. Cat carnage was the issue yet the fools could not see past their own short sighted little interests. Fact was, and is, cats slaughter hundreds of millions of birds every year worldwide. The only possible legitimate response is to question the accuracy of the study. Many or most people love cats, I surely do. But the facts are the facts. Clouding these issues with childish emotional outbursts just makes fools of those who write such gibberish.


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I about fell out of my chair reading your first sentence about political bias. I’ve been reading your posts here for over three years so save me your hypocrazy of bias.


Again as I commented to Bob, I am commenting on the article here. The article states that Walmart helps create a problem in areas with hate groups. Like I asked Bob where did I miss read?


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