Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Seasons of Grace

Home
Catholic
“Thanks For Sharing Your First Draft”: I’m Still Laughing Over Walmart’s Snarky Response to the NY Times

“Thanks For Sharing Your First Draft”: I’m Still Laughing Over Walmart’s Snarky Response to the NY Times

Last updated on: January 10, 2015 at 12:21 am by Kathy Schiffer

“Thanks For Sharing Your First Draft”: I’m Still Laughing Over Walmart’s Snarky Response to the NY Times 2015-01-10T00:21:12-05:00 Kathy Schiffer

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Last week I wrote about the minimum wage–looking at a comparison drawn by Bloomberg between Walmart and Costco, suggesting that Walmart ought to adopt Costco’s business model and pay its employees a living wage. In “The Bishops’ Love Affair With Raising the Minimum Wage”, I was critical of what I considered well-intentioned but ill-founded solutions proposed for elevating people from poverty by enforcing a higher minimum wage.

The quick-fix solution proposed by Obama would, I said, lead to higher unemployment and small businesses closing their doors.

* * * * *

Never mind that the Obamas–Barack and Michelle, in a joint interview June 20 that was published in Parade Magazine–have now said that they’d like their daughters Malia and Sasha to have the experience of working in minimum wage jobs. According to Politico:

“Oh yeah,” the first lady said when asked whether she would like her daughters to work in minimum wage jobs. “I think every kid needs to get a taste of what it’s like to do that real hard work.”

“We are looking for opportunities for them to feel as if going to work and getting a paycheck is not always fun, not always stimulating, not always fair,” the president added. “But that’s what most folks go through every single day.”

Given that the President has made the minimum wage an important plank in his platform, I can’t imagine how he’s going to square those comments with his remarks at the Working Families Summit he’s hosting in Washington DC today.

* * * * *

Anyway, back to Walmart: Chuck Ross at the Daily Caller has a report regarding the discount giant’s response to a hit piece by NY Times writer Timothy Egan titled “Corporate Daddy”.

“Thanks for sharing your first draft,” reads a red-inked note from Wal-Mart, which is known more for its low prices than its snark.

“Below are a few thoughts to ensure something inaccurate doesn’t get published,” continued the note, which was posted at Walmart’s blog and is attributed to David Tovar, Wal-Mart’s director of corporate communications.

And Walmart set out to set things straight, tweaking Egan’s facts and cleaning up the details. On Walmart’s cost to taxpayers:

“Walmart is a net drain on taxpayers,” wrote Egan in the missive, adding that the company forces “employees into public assistance with its poverty-wage structure.

“We are the largest tax payer in America,” Tovar wrote in his edit. “Can we see your math?”

How about the NY Times’ claim that Walmart employees must supplement their wages with the government dole? Or the impact on veterans?

“We see more associates move off of public assistance as a result of their job at Walmart,” Tovar wrote.

Egan argued that “most advanced nations” look for ways to boost the middle class but that the U.S. had ceased doing that. “Witness the G.I. Bill, which helped millions of returning soldiers get a lift to a better life,” wrote the Times columnist.

“Did you know?” Tovar quizzed. “Walmart has hired more than 42,000 veterans this year.”

How about Egan’s statistics regarding Walmart’s low starting wage?

The company also chastised Egan for using vague statistics.

“Walmart disputes these figures, claiming the average full-time store worker makes at least $12 an hour,” wrote Egan.

“Be specific,” reads Tovar’s edit. “Full time average associate wage is $12.91.”

“But these numbers are skewed by higher pay for management,” wrote Egan.

“False: Only includes associates paid hourly,” Tovar corrected.

“The average ‘associate’ at Walmart makes $8.81 an hour – poverty wage,” offered Egan.

“Argument incomplete — in this study, starting wage 3 years ago was $1.50 over minimum wage. That’s a good thing,” reads Tovar’s red ink.

The Daily Caller concludes with some advice from Walmart regarding a more relevant article which the NY Times might publish instead of this wildly inaccurate report:

“Better idea for a piece,” Tovar concluded. “Could focus on bringing back US manufacturing…and expanding education, training, and workforce programs, i.e. things that will make a bigger difference, not just focusing on starting wages.”

This is funny, but there’s more, so much more. Read the rest here.

* * * * *

Just a note from my minimum wage post on June 18:

“…to urge the federal government, already on a crash course toward increased socialism with the Affordable Care Act and other projects of the Obama administration, to embrace the goal of income equalization seems imprudent.

Let the market self-correct, with businesses paying the salaries which they can afford to pay, and which will attract the workers they need.

And let the Church be the Church, doing what it does well: teaching the Faith and helping the poor, all in the name of Christ.”

Previous Post

June 23, 2014

Why UC-Davis' New Study of Free Will Is Horse Patootie

Next Post

June 23, 2014 My Interview With Kevin Knight, Humble King of the Catholic Blogosphere

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category #Synod14 Abortion Abstinence Abuse Addiction Adoption Advent Adventure Advertising Aging Agnosticism All Saints Day All Souls Day Amish Anathema Angels Anglican Animals Annulment Annunciation Apocalypse Apologetics Apostles Apostleship of the Sea Apparitions Archangels Archbishop Cordileone Archbishop Dolan Archbishop Vigneron Archeology Architecture Art Art Buchwald Ash Wednesday Assisted Suicide Astronauts Atheism Athletes Babies Baptism Beatification Beauty Bible Biochemistry Bioethics Birds Bishop Lori Bishops Blasphemy Books Canon Law Canonization Capital Punishment Cardinal Burke Cardinal Dolan Cardinal George Caritas Catechesis Catechism of the Catholic Church Catholic Catholic Education Catholic Higher Education Catholic Social Teaching Celibacy Cemeteries Character Charity Chastity Cheapskate Christian Unity Christmas Churches Civil Rights Cloning Comedy Communion of Saints Community Kitchens Confession Confirmation Conscience Consequences Consistory Constitution Contraception Conversion Cooking Councils of the Church Creativity Criminal Justice Cristero War Crucifixion Crystal Cathedral Culture Death Death and Dying Death Penalty Department of Health and Human Services Diaconate Dictatorship of Relativism Dignity Disability Discrimination Dissidence Divorce Doctors of the Church Early Church Fathers Easter Economics Ecumenism Education Encyclicals Environmentalism Episcopal Church Eucharist Euthanasia Evangelism Evangelists Evangelization Evolution Excuses Facebook Faith Families Family Fashion Fasting Fatherhood Federal Government Feminism Fiction Film First Amendment First Communion For Greater Glory Forgiveness Free Speech Friends Friendship Gender Discrimination Germany Gnosticism Good Friday Government Grace Greed Gregorian Calendar Happiness Health Heaven Heresy History Holidays Holiness Hollywood Holy Land Holy Saturday Holy Spirit Holy Week Holy Year Home Sweet Home Homosexuality Hope Humanism Humility Humor Imagination Immaculate Conception Immigration Impulsivity In Vitro Fertilization Incarnation Indulgences Infallibility Internet Islam Italy Jerusalem Jesus Judaism Justice Kathleen Sebelius Labor Movement LCWR Lent Life Literature Liturgy Lourdes Love Magi Marketing Marriage Martyrdom Martyrs Mary Mass Media Medical Ethics Mexico Michigan Miracles Missionaries Modernism Modesty Monks Monothelitism Motherhood Movies Mushrooms Music Muslim Mystery Mysticism Mythology Nativity Natural Law Nature New Evangelization New Media New Year New Year's Resolutions Nostalgia Obscenity Occult Old Testament Origen Orthodox Orvieto Pallium Papacy Parenting Patience Patriarch Bartholomew Patriotism Peace Peace and Justice Penitence Pentecost People Persecution Philosophy Poetry Political activism Political Correctness Politics Polls Pop Culture Pope Benedict XVI Pope Francis Pope John Paul II Pope John XXIII Pope Paul VI Pope St. Pius X Pope Urban VII Population Prayer Preaching Prejudice Pride Priesthood Pro-Life Protestantism Psychology Purgatory Queenship of Mary Racism Rape Real Presence Reconciliation Reformation Relics Religious Religious Liberty Reliquary Renewal Reproductive Technology Resurrection Rights Romance Rome Royalty Sacraments Sacred Heart Saints Satanism Science Science Fiction Scripture Seal of Confession Secularism Seniors September 11 Seventy Times Seven Sexuality Sharks Sin Smoking Social Communications Social Justice Social Networking Social Sciences Space Exploration Spirituality Sports St. Luke St. Patrick's Day St. Paul St. Peter St. Teresa of Avila Stations of the Cross Steve Jobs Superstition Supreme Court Symbolism Synod Technology Teen Rebellion Television Terrorism Thankfulness Thanksgiving Theology Think This, Not That Tobit Toilets Toys Tradition Traditions Transplants Travel Trinity Twitter U.S. Air Force Uncategorized United Nations USCCB Valentine Vatican Vatican Archives Vatican Blogfest Virtue Vocations Where We Pray White Heart Women World Day of Social Communications World Meeting of Families World News World Youth Day Worship Writing Year of Consecrated Life Year of Faith Year of Mercy Youth

Select a Month December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: Hebrews teaches that Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant.

Select your answer to see how you score.

TRUE FALSE