trying to grok

In the place of open-air markets we now have big box supercenters. Mom and Pop have given way to the forced smiles of checkout clerks and supervisors in stiff suits. A few questions:

-What have we lost in trading authentic community for the rock bottom prices? What is a vibrant neighborhood worth?

-How is it that a company that generates $10.5 billion a year can't afford to pay for medical benefits or staff overtime?

-Why do the women working for Wal-Mart carry food tamps in their wallets?

I have to wonder if the cost to communities is actually good for our economy overall. There must be a system out there that is more interesting, dynamic and fulfilling.

http://www.goodmagazine.com/section/Provocations/Unconscious_Consumption

I wrote the above Wal-Mart piece, and boy am I getting hammered. LOL.

I'm not going to pretend I read all of that nancy, but what I did read only raised one question in my mind - do you want your kids to be like sweatshop workers in mexico one day? Or do you want to continue to live in a first world country?

Okay, I guess that's kind of two questions.