$1.3M grant may aid Wal-Mart

[seriousstan]

PRINCESS ANNE - Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s newest planned distribution center could receive up to $1.3 million in federal aid following approval of a Community Development Block Grant application by Somerset County Commissioners this month.

The bulk of the grant - $810,000 - would help fund Wal-Mart's purchase of land for the proposed center on Revells Neck Road in Westover. Currently, the land is owned by Mitchell Bonneville Jr., who operates a borrow pit on the site.

According to the proposal, $500,000 from the grant would help fund street improvements between Sign Post Road and the entrance to the Eastern Correctional Institution. Wal-Mart's trucks likely would use this stretch of the road to access the center. Another $30,000 would cover the county's administrative costs in connection with the project.

With the grant application, approved following a public hearing, county officials upheld a vow to assist Wal-Mart in gaining financial support to place a distribution center in Somerset. Commissioners also have borrowed $500,000 as a loan that will allow water and sewer installation at the proposed center's site.
http://www.newszap.com/articles/2005/01/17/dm/eastern_shore_of_maryland/sports/crs01.txt

[bobweaver]

1. Thank god the feds are supporting small businesses ($218 billion in sales)

[central scrutinizer]

2. we're going pay Wal-mart?

to destroy another downtown business section, lower wages, and increase the demand on local social services? Yeah, that makes a lot of sense in Bushizzaro world.

[jmowreader]

18. This is a Distribution Center, not a store

This project won't do any of the things you say. A DC is more like a warehouse. I'm not certain what the difference between a "DC" and a "warehouse" is, but apparently there is one.

It will, however, massively increase the amount of heavy truck traffic on the road leading to the DC.

[Southpaw Bookworm]

3. Not surprised

Wasn't it "Fast Food Nation" that pointed out that much of Small Business Administration funding goes to fast-food franchises?

[whistle]

4. I wonder how the potential consumers for those Wal-Mart...

...stores are being helped by federal state and local grants with their home mortgages and refinancing?

[napi21]

5. So what do the local residents think about WM moving in?

More & more locals are demanding that their commissioners turn down WM's application to build in their area. Seems like I hear of another refusal each week.

[Egalitariat]

9. I think it's a distribution center

which means jobs. Distribution centers don't sell to the public so that one won't be putting the local Mom & Pop stores out of business.

I'd love to have a Wal-Mart distribution center in my town - Ocala, FL. I'd trade all of our Wal-Mart stores for one of their DC's.

[seriousstan]

10. Princess Anne town, Somerset County...population.....2,313

That is an impressive amount of jobs, 450, for the area. I'll bet the locals love the idea of the jobs and the tax base.

[Ezlivin]

6. IGNORE THIS! Our REAL problem is with welfare

If we could just stop paying money to all those welfare cheats, we'd soon pay off the deficit and provide health care for all Americans.

Wal-Mart does nothing but good for everyone, everywhere.

It's those damned poor people and their constant demand for food and shelter that's breaking the back of this fine Christian nation.

I'm outraged, I tell you, outraged.

[MindPilot]

7. Wal-mart is building close to a correctional facility?

Then they won't even have to go overseas to outsource for cheap labour

[warrens]

8. Wal-Mart gets breaks like these all the time

So do most large retailers. Wal-Mart is just a much tougher negotiator than most.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

11. and Ronald "Satan" Reagan had the nerve to blame poor....

people for "living off the system"! :puke:

Wal-Mart is no result of the FREE MARKET, they exist and thrive because they are subsidized by the TAXPAYER dollar! :mad:

[catmandu57]

12. CDBG grants are being cut too

I say fuck walmart they make enough money to build a thousand of these things.

[the aocp]

13. insert jon stewart's famous "whaaaaaat?" here!!! HUH?!?!?

walmart is evil, eeeeevil i say. sure, let's pay them to continue the rape and pillage of our society. right-o, nice work.

[genieroze]

14. delete

[2Design]

15. well they got their campaign contribution back and they are making

hand over fist now in money - amazing how we help those who don't need it and screw those who do

[TexasLawyer]

16. Then we'll subsidize WalMart's labor costs

when the store's poorly paid employees apply for welfare and food-stamps. We'll help to give health benefits to the new WalMart employees through Medicaid and their unpaid trips to the emergency room.

Not that I begrudge the employees these things-- just pointing out that WalMart can make money hand over fist by socializing a lot of its business costs, i.e, by making the U.S. taxpayer pick up the tab.

[snippy]

17. This is what happens when people vote republican.

More people need to understand the consequences of their votes.

[hatrack]

19. Why not exempt them from all wage and hour laws, too?

While they're at it, why not throw out child labor restrictions? Hell, why not just import some starving Chinese peasants who'll work for $1.00 a week, and pay Wal-Mart's costs for shipping them over?

What the FUCK is wrong with this country?!?!?!?

:mad:

[primavera]

21. No need - MalWart's already figured ways around those pesky regs

Minimum wage too high? No problem, just threaten to fire employees who refuse to work additional hours off the books beyond those for which you actually pay them for and voila, minimum wage circumvented! Also works well for getting around laws requiring the provision of benefits: since they're only being paid for a few hours, you can call them part-time independent contractors and escape having to provide any benefits whatsoever! Is this a great fucking country or what, I ask you!

[KT2000]

20. Isnt this the norm for Wal-Mart?

Saw a guy on C-Span a month ago or so and he had written a book about Wal-Mart doing this everywhere they put Distribution Centers. They tell the local politicians that unless they get all these grants and give them tax breaks, they will go elsewhere to build the Dist. Ctr.

Sorry I don't remember his name or title of the book.

I see similarities in the way the Mafia operates and Wal-Mart. Their success was built on the backs of all taxpayers.

[struggle4progress]

22. The Ownership Society. eom