READER RESPONSE:

"The Consumer Is Boss" Is Over-Simplistic

Wal-Mart's genius is to keep people so poor (through low wages and skimpy benefits) that they will be forced to purchase their goods at the lowest prices which, guess what, is what Wal-Mart purports to offer. Wal-Mart is the company store of the 21st century.

But that is not the whole story. Wal-Mart purchases their goods from countries that employ people in slave-like conditions if not, in some cases, virtual slavery. Of course, were they paid decent wages and working in America, they could be making decent wages--at least in those limited number of States that have taken a shot at a living wage law.

Maryland's Governor, Bob Ehrlich, just vetoed a bill that would have required Wal-Mart to act more like a good corporate citizen (after all corporations claim the rights of "personhood" since the infamous Santa Clara Supreme Court decision) and he also vetoed an increase in the minimum wage to a still woefully inadequate $6.15 an hour. He wouldn't want to seem corporate unfriendly, especially if he has national ambitions.

The "consumer as king" idea is a Trojan Horse. The average consumer today takes home less in real wages than he did in 1970. Why is that?

Five of the 15 most wealthy individuals in the world are Walton family heirs. The wealth of the top five individuals exceeds the GDP of 144 countries. The discrepancy between the rich and the poor has never been greater than it is now in the US.

No, I don't see the consumer as king, nor do I see a coalition of consumers striking for their rights. It will have to come from workers (remember, decades ago workers risked their lives and lost their lives in union strikes and boycotts). Mr. Richmond has no nostalgia for those bad old days when, by the way, many people still had the skills to make their own garments and land to grow their own produce.

As a start to rectify the situation US workers face today, I would suggest boycotting all oil companies except CITGO, which is owned by the Venezuelan government--a government we will probably invade soon because of its socialist leanings. Imagine, a country not in slavery to the property rights of the elite! Who would have thought, in this day and age?

And also: shop green at Co-Op America.