In regard to a recent letter to the editor by Victor Silva, proposing the establishment of a “committee” to study bringing Walmart to Brentwood: What are we thinking? This is the politically correct approach but total nonsense and a waste of time and effort (even John F. Kennedy said, “Committees are large groups of people doing the work of one”).
There is already a huge abundance of data, information and impact studies available to see the Walmart impacts to cities. Do we really think we need more studies? Have we lost our ability to see the obvious and use our common sense? Here is a quick evaluation and all you need to know to make your decision:
Pros: You will provide a low-cost facility for low-income shoppers, get an uptick in tax revenues and create some low-paying jobs.
Cons: You will wipe out many small businesses and jobs in downtown Brentwood (the ones whose charm creates the downtown culture). You will increase blight and crime in the Walmart area (just drive over to Antioch and Pittsburg if you have any uncertainty). You will send the first big message to Brentwood residents that we are going to be just like all the other cities in the area and are nothing special.
Bottom line: Our mayor and city leaders need to step up now and do the obvious. Say no to Walmart and move on to other options for Brentwood. The last thing we need is a committee to tell us what we already know.
P.S.: If you really need to see what Walmart produces over time, just visit the Walmarts in Antioch and Pittsburg (but I wouldn’t recommend visiting after dark).
Mike Hinchcliff , Brentwood
WAL-MART Costs Taxpayers $1,557,000,000,00 to Support its Employees
"The Democratic Staff of the Committee on Education and the Workforce estimates that one 200-person Wal-Mart store may result in a cost to federal taxpayers of $420,750 per year - about $2,103 per employee. Specifically, the low wages result in the following additional public costs being passed along to taxpayers:
$36,000 a year for free and reduced lunches for just 50 qualifying Wal-Mart families.
$42,000 a year for Section 8 housing assistance, assuming 3 percent of the store employees qualify for such assistance, at $6,700 per family.
$125,000 a year for federal tax credits and deductions for low-income families, assuming 50 employees are heads of household with a child and 50 are married with two children.
$100,000 a year for the additional Title I expenses, assuming 50 Wal-Mart families qualify with an average of 2 children.
$108,000 a year for the additional federal health care costs of moving into state children's health insurance programs (S-CHIP), assuming 30 employees with an average of two children qualify.
$9,750 a year for the additional costs for low income energy assistance."
The total figure is based on the average $420,750 per-store figure, multiplied by 3700 (the approximate number of stores currently in the United States).
Source: Rep. George Miller / Democratic Staff of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, "Everyday Low Wages: The Hidden Price We All Pay for Wal-Mart", February 16, 2004.
"This private unity of public men and their God is an enduring source of reassurance for the people of America. Lyndon B. Johnson