Subsidizing Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart would like for Americans to think they have to pay their employees poverty wages, or they wouldn't be able to keep their prices low. That's just not true. Costco is able to keep their prices down, while paying a livable wage (with benefits) to their employees -- and they turn a nice profit while doing it.

The truth is that Wal-Mart could do it too. They just don't want to. By refusing to pay their employees a decent wage (with benefits), the owners of Wal-Mart are able to turn a healthy profit into an obscene profit. And they can get away with it because the taxpayers make up the difference by giving those workers food stamps, housing assistance, school lunches for their children, and other types of government assistance.

Frankly, I'm a bit tired of this. I'm not opposed to government help for the poor and disadvantaged, or those unemployed. But someone with a job should be making a livable wage, and should not have to rely on the government for assistance. It's time to raise the minimum wage to a livable level, and it's time to stop subsidizing greedy employers like Wal-Mart.