Wal-Mart is a self replicating virus.

Through volume of sales and purchasing power Wal-Mart has forced American manufacturing overseas to competitively be able to produce their wares at a low enough cost to be able to sell to Wal-Mart.

With the loss of manufacturing jobs and the only available jobs being service sector that pay $7 an hour, a large amount of Americans can only afford to shop at Wal-Mart.

It’s slash-and-burn economics, drive down the standard of living, and everyone will be your customer because they have to shop at the place with the lowest prices.

I don’t think Wal-Mart set out to force manufacturing overseas, ruin local economies, and put Americans out of good paying jobs. But these things have conveniently allowed Wal-Mart to grow exponentially.

They don’t care about anything other than their bottom line and pleasing their shareholders. Now will a Republican please stand up and tell me how businesses will regulate themselves in a free market economy?

Wal-Mart is a shining example of corporate greed, caring nothing about the American consumer. They’ll tell you that they save the average American shopper more than $2,000 per year. They’ll tell you that they provide jobs for unskilled workers and senior citizens who would have trouble finding work otherwise.

What they won’t tell you is you save more than $2,000 per year by purchasing cheap items mostly manufactured in China. That the U.S. trade deficit to China is $250 billion per year, and the importation of Chinese goods by Wal-Mart accounts for much of that deficit.

They won’t tell you that through their cozy relationship with China, the American consumer is fueling the rise and becoming dependent upon the largest Communist country in the world. Why did 58,000 American soldiers die to stop the spread of Communism in Vietnam if we are just going to turn around and finance the spread of Communism through our Wal-Mart addiction?

What they won’t tell you is through their low wages and lack of health coverage for their employees, they have more employees covered by Medicare and Medicaid than any other company in America. That’s a hell of a business model, pay your employees low wages and let the government provide the health coverage.

Another convenient benefit of Wal-Mart’s low wages is they have a workforce earning so little, they have to shop at Wal-Mart. Talk about “Owing your soul to the company store.”

I regret to tell you, I shop at Wal-Mart because I have to. That’s not freedom.