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Walmart - My new Enemy

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Just awhile ago, I heard an ad on the radio from Walmart about how they support the government's efforts to nationalize health care. As a result, I went to their website, sent them an email, then called their toll-free customer service number to inform them that they just lost a customer. Since I am of middle-class means, it will hurt my bottom line by not shopping at Walmart, particularly for groceries; however, if they're going to lobby for, in essence, higher taxes and more expensive health care, then they aren't saving me a penny!

http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2009/...re-mandate.html

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I heard that this morning too...I was a bit surprised. It won't stop me from shopping there, however. I can't just not shop at every business that supports things I disagree with.

In a totally free society, that would be precisely what you do to let them know of their stupid decisions (e.g. race discrimination, which would be legal) - that and encouraging everyone you know to follow suit. Personal responsibility becomes paramount for ensuring quality and security.

Edited by brian0918
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Do you think a national healthcare system will be bad for the person who is having a heart attack and won't call 911 because they don't have the money to pay the hospital bills? Do you really think people that cannot support themselves deserve to die?

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Do you think a national healthcare system will be bad for the person who is having a heart attack and won't call 911 because they don't have the money to pay the hospital bills? Do you really think people that cannot support themselves deserve to die?

Do you think individual rights are a good idea, or do you think they should only kick in when everyone elses needs and wants are first met?

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Do you think a national healthcare system will be bad for the person who is having a heart attack and won't call 911 because they don't have the money to pay the hospital bills?

Do you really, honestly, sincerely believe that there are people who, while in the midst of a heart attack, decide NOT to call the doctor because it'll cost too much?

Do you really think people that cannot support themselves deserve to die?

I'm not going to go out and kill them, no, but you do realize that *all* life on this planet operates under the "support yourself or die" principle in the wild, right?

One need only look at the unintended consequences of mandatory help to the needy to see that using need as an excuse for theft does no long term favors to those in need. Whether you examine the long term consequences of social security or welfare, the results are the same: mandatory giving to those who have not earned breeds more of the same problem, not solutions to the problem.

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Do you think a national healthcare system will be bad for the person who is having a heart attack and won't call 911 because they don't have the money to pay the hospital bills? Do you really think people that cannot support themselves deserve to die?

In somewhat related news the Canadian Government is working out a triage plan to manage its limited healthcare resources should the Swine Flu mutate into something more dangerous.

Do you want the government to decide who gets to live and who gets to die?

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In somewhat related news the Canadian Government is working out a triage plan to manage its limited healthcare resources should the Swine Flu mutate into something more dangerous.

Do you want the government to decide who gets to live and who gets to die?

Did the canadian goverment forbid private healthcare?

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Did the canadian goverment forbid private healthcare?
The entire Canadian system is built on force. It is a fundamental principle of their system that wealth will be taken by force from some people, to pay for whatever healthcare the government thinks fit for others.
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Did the canadian goverment forbid private healthcare?

As a matter of fact it does forbid it within Canada, that's why we supply a thriving Medical tourism industry in the US, Mexico and of all places Cuba.

You choose. It's life or death, with either the government or you calling the shots... This is NOT about the poor, it is not about those that can't afford it, it is about control plain, pure and simple.

In Canada it takes about a month to get an MRI because those machines are scarce. Some bright young vet decided that since his MRI was exactly the same as the ones used on humans that he would rent it out when he wasn't using it so people could get MRI'd.

Well can you guess what happened next?

If you guessed Door "B"... The government threatens to fine the Vet for the use of his MRI because it was "violated the Canadian healthcare system" then you guessed correctly and welcome to universal healthcare.

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Do you think a national healthcare system will be bad for the person who is having a heart attack and won't call 911 because they don't have the money to pay the hospital bills?

That's the wrong question to ask. Let us ammend it:

Do you think a national healthcare system will be bad for the person who is haviong a heart attack, who because of government's partial nationalization of healthcare and government's meddling in the parts that aren't nationalized, won't call 911 because they can't afford the huge costs imposed by government regulations on the healthcare system?

And the answer to that is: yes, it would be bad for such people.

Do you really think people that cannot support themselves deserve to die?

Aside from rare cases of severe mental retardation, severe psychological illness and severe injury, people can support themselves. If they can't afford everything they need, like health insurance, because government has made it to expensive, the solution is not more government.

There are people who won't support themselves. Do they deserve to die? Well, I woulnd't favor killing them, but I also wouldn't favor lifting a finger to help them, either.

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Did the canadian goverment forbid private healthcare?

Another example for you...

A friend of mine has a Daughter with Autism. Autism therapy is very expensive and very time intensive so after a certain age the "universal" healthcare system does not pay for it But my friend's daughter still has Autism.

Now the portion of the average Canadian's taxes that goes to healthcare is about 40% My friend pays this money and although he and his wife and other child are healthy he can not demand that his money be used to treat his own daughter. Indeed he can not afford to pay (over and above his money stolen for the express purpose of "healthcare") to have her treated. As a result her quality of life such as it is is diminished and this places more strain on my friend and the rest of his family.

Don't worry though, my friends (and everyone else's) money is ensuring that drug addicts are receiving free crack pipes from the provincial government, and he pays for AIDS medicines and for the treatment of all sorts of other ailments both self inflicted and not that he, his family and his daughter do not have.

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Do you think a national healthcare system will be bad for the person who is having a heart attack and won't call 911 because they don't have the money to pay the hospital bills? Do you really think people that cannot support themselves deserve to die?

Do you think that a national healthcare system will be bad for doctors who are forced to work for wages established by government edict? Doctors aren't slaves and they shouldn't be treated as such.

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Do you really think people that cannot support themselves deserve to die?

Nobody deserves to die except those who violate individual rights to certain extremes (e.g. murderers, rapists). Everyone else may or may not die, depending on their specific situations. A person who cannot support himself will die if nobody else provides support for him. What's your point?

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Do you think a national healthcare system will be bad for the person who is having a heart attack and won't call 911 because they don't have the money to pay the hospital bills? Do you really think people that cannot support themselves deserve to die?

Do you think a 5,4% surtax on millionaires, which will drive this country into a deeper, more painful depression, is a good idea? Because that's exactly what they plan to do to pay for socialized healthcare.

Are you aware of the mass suffering and death the recession will cause, and are you ready to take responsibility for all the children who will die from diseases that your brutish support for gunmen robbing businessmen of another 5,4% of their rightful earnings will cause?

Is that what you are, a monster who is holding a gun to the head of the hard working father who is trying to find the cure for his child, taking away his job and driving his employer out of the country? That little girl is dying, and you are responsible Jill, look at your hands holding that gun to the father's head, your friends putting handcuffs on his hands, as he is struggling to save his suffering child. How does it feel to kill a child, Jill?

See, I can be overly emotional too, except I'm emotional for the right reasons, and you're wrong.

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Thank you for your message.

Dear Kelly,

Thank you for your inquiry. At Walmart, we believe the time for comprehensive health care reform is now. The present system is not sustainable and the status quo is not an option.

We also believe in shared responsibility and support an employer mandate that is broad and fair. That mandate must be accompanied by strong efficiency provisions that will reduce health costs and dramatically improve the value we get for our health care dollar.

The bill should contain 'trigger' provisions which guarantee that promised savings take place both for the federal government and for employers who provide insurance.

We applaud the bipartisan efforts in Congress to craft and pass legislation.

Again, thank you for contacting us with your concerns. For any additional information, we would suggest visiting our website at www.walmartstores.com.

Sincerely,

Walmart Customer Care

What a crock of sh!t! This response is worse than the ad I heard yesterday. I am planning to respond to them, but I'm just too busy at work today...will have to wait.

I heard that this morning too...I was a bit surprised. It won't stop me from shopping there, however. I can't just not shop at every business that supports things I disagree with.

I understand this completely and it will be difficult and costly for me to shop elsewhere; however, when a company gets air time to lobby for this crap, I cannot just ignore it. I'm sure there are many companies I do business with that do things I disagree with, and when they voice it this loudly and back it up with as much money and power as Walmart has, it's time for the gloves to come off. If Walmart has its way, they won't be saving me any money, so why continue to shop there and feed the problem, knowingly?

Do you think a national healthcare system will be bad for the person who is having a heart attack and won't call 911 because they don't have the money to pay the hospital bills? Do you really think people that cannot support themselves deserve to die?

Yes, it will and no they don't. If said person needs any type of procedure, under government-run health care, they may not even get it before they die. Furthermore, they may not deserve to die, but if they are unhealthy, cannot take care of themselves and no one else volunteers to, why is it your right to force me to take care of them? If you want to donate to charities to help those types of people, go right ahead. And like someone said above, you can still get the treatment you need here without insurance and without a penny. You may have to file for bankruptcy by the time it's all over and your credit will be ruined for about a decade, but you'll be alive and healthy to deal with those consequences. You don't have the right to my life, regardless of your personal situation.

Since you're in England, I'm shocked that you even throw out this emotionally charged, ridiculous argument when the evidence of state run health care is literally all around you. Here's a video about Canada's system if you need more evidence...

Did the canadian goverment forbid private healthcare?

Whether they forbid it or not, why would any private insurer stay in business? Why would anyone pay for health care when the government provides "great" care for "free"? I suggest you visit FIRM's website and educate yourself on the health care debate. It sounds like you are completely ignorant in this area. http://www.westandfirm.org/blog/2008/05/fa...-insurance.html

Edited by K-Mac
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We also believe in shared responsibility and support an employer mandate that is broad and fair. That mandate must be accompanied by strong efficiency provisions that will reduce health costs and dramatically improve the value we get for our health care dollar.

Poor Sam Walton must be spinning in his grave.

So Walmart favors healthcare rationing, because short of a fully free system that's the only way to keep "costs" down (costs won't be kept down, but expenditures will be).

I used to shop more often at Walmart and Sam's Club, but lately I've other options nearer home with about the same prices. No way I'll spend another penny at Walmart if I can help it.

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Did the canadian goverment forbid private healthcare?

I love when people invoke the "Do they deserve to die?" argument. It is utterly moronic. Who said anything about people deserving to die?

Nobody deserves to die, unless they're murders or they've somehow otherwise invited their own death upon themselves.

The real question is: Does an individual with poor health deserve to steal from me?

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I wonder if I just walked into Walmart, stole a cart load of products, and waltzed out with it, would they prosecute me if I told them it was their "shared responsibility" to provide me with my needs, which justifies me stealing from them?

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What a crock of sh!t! This response is worse than the ad I heard yesterday. I am planning to respond to them, but I'm just too busy at work today...will have to wait.

Here's just a suggestion for you:

Dear Walmart Customer Care Person,

After further reflection, I find myself agreeing whole-heartedly with you. Just last week I was discussing the family finances with my husband and we both came to the realization that the present system is not sustainable and the status quo is not an option. What with both of us working 1/3 of the year just to pay taxes, it's getting harder and harder to feed and clothe the dearth of welfare recipients, let alone our family.

It heartens me to read you believe in shared responsibility. In that spirit, my husband and I have decided to share our responsibility for feeding ourselves and our children with you. Starting tomorrow, we'll fill up our shopping cart at the local Walmart and proceed straight to our car.

Please ensure your new corporate policy of shared responsibility is communicated system-wide as some of your managers may still consider taking other people's property without an exchange of value to be theft.

Sincerely, your partner in my responsibilities,

K-Mac

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