Friday, November 18, 2005

Wal-Mart

Over one hundred suspected illegal immigrants were caught building a new distribution center for the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart.

Let me sort this one out for you.

Wal-Mart does not hire its builders at the individual level. Prime contractors bid for the construction work and hire sub-contractors to put the building up. Sub-contractors hire the builders at the individual level. This is not only not a Wal-Mart scandal, this is not a Wal-Mart scandal twice removed.

If you believe that you have a principled, objective grievance against Wal-Mart, stick around. Let's talk for a while. We're both "principle guys" and can surely reach some common ground.

If you have already decided that Wal-Mart is the Prince of Darkness for the reason listed above and that reason alone, please sign off of this web log and never return.

I write this with all due professional courtesy for those for whom the subject of illegal immigration is an acutely emotional issue. I am not one of those. To me the coming-together of free men trumps most things.

Yet at the same time, no, even as a self-governing advocate, I admit that we will never have "absolutely open" borders. Nor should we.


UPDATE:

Celebrity circle-jerk Huffington Post -- not exactly a Seal the Borders site either, but always poised for a strike against corporations of unusual size -- has posted about this story. Check out the comments section:

If you shop at this sweatshop, you are part of the problem. Am I willing to pay more for fair trade and employment practices? YES I AM. ... Posted by: JeffDeVore on November 18, 2005 at 03:27pm

And who's the biggest supporter of illegal imigration and slave wage labor in America? That's right! George W Bush. Posted by: Ohio on November 18, 2005 at 04:25pm

Why not fine the contractors 1 million dollars per alien, suspend their business license, and fine Walmart in addition to deporting the aliens? ... Posted by: djt on November 19, 2005 at 05:57pm

At the risk of boring you with repetition: this is not a Wal-Mart scandal. Wal-Mart's building contract (which governs all sub-contracts issued by the prime contractor) would require the prime contractor to obey all applicable codes and statutes, including federal requirements for documenting workers. The moment an illegal immigrant appeared for work at the construction site, the prime contractor and responsible sub-contractor were in breach of contract. Wal-Mart has been wronged, here. In precisely the same way that you believe you have.

posted by Immanuel Can't @ 10:58 AM

1 Comments:

At 1:45 AM, Blogger Grampapinhead said...

Excellent
about time someone recognized walmart as standing for what built america.

Illegals? I can't tell the difference ,just noticed that if they have good family values the odds are they are.

Problem isn't illegals as much as the employers who take advantage of them.

 

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