Extortion as Public Policy — Not Good!

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Big Red Car here.  Today we will discuss how the District of Columbia is attempting to extort WalMart.

WTF, Big Red Car, are you serious?  Yes, Grasshopper, I am serious.  Here are the specifics.

Lay out the extortion case, Big Red Car, please

WalMart has several stores in the District.

The District of Columbia City Council passed legislation targeting WalMart for an increase in the minimum wage from $8.25/hour to $12.50/hour.  This is what the DC City Council is calling a “living wage”.

Hey, Big Red Car, that is a huge increase in the minimum wage.  Huge.

The DC City Council had already increased their local minimum wage from the Federal standard of $7.25/hour to $8.25/hour.

Now they want to move the DC minimum wage from $8.25 to $12.50/hour.  But just for WalMart, ya’ll.

So, Big Red Car, what is the beef here?

The DC City Council has targeted WalMart with their proposed new law.  They are playing with WalMart.

WalMart has indicated that if the DC City Council moves forward with this legislation, they will withdraw from the District and close their stores.

The DC City Council thinks that WalMart is bluffing.  Really?  WalMart is bluffing?

I don’t think that WalMart is bluffing.  There is no history of their being bluffers, Big Red Car.  They are simple folk from Bentonville, Arkansas, and they don’t bluff.

The District of Columbia City Council — the clown factory

To really get a feel for how dopey this is, you have to know that one of the members of the DC City Council is Marion Barry.  Right, that Marion Barry.  The former Mayor is a crack smoking philanderer who was set up by that “bitch”, his former girlfriend.  The ex-con Marion Barry.

He says that WalMart is “sticking DC up” — huh?  Big Red Car, WalMart is screwing with the District of Columbia.  I don’t think so, Big Red Car.  It looks like the DC City Council is screwing with WalMart.

Have I got this right?  You’ve got it right, Old Sport.

 Maybe, Marion Barry needs to take another piss test, no?  Cause it seems like he is till using crack.

Who is really suffering here?

If WalMart leaves it will hurt the folks of the District who will no longer have access to affordable merchandise.  Thank you, DC City Council.

Folks will lose a bunch of entry level jobs, right?  Thank you, DC City Council.

Property values will suffer when a WalMart anchored shopping center is kaput.  Thank you, DC City Council.

So, really, is this a good idea?

Remember this is not focused on all employers — only those whose description is similar to WalMart.  The WalMart law is clearly unconstitutional.

Read about it here:  DC City Council Sets Up Extortion Scam on WalMart

Old Sport, you can’t make this stuff up.

But, hey, what the Hell do I know anyway?  I’m just a Big Red Car.