The shit in NOLA

[13]

I can't believe this.
listen to this interview with Nagin the mayor of NOLA.
he's pissed.

[url:1vll3iuz]http://godlikeproductions.com/sounds/mayornagin.mp3[/url:1vll3iuz]

[brand]

he sounds like i feel about this, screw fixing the pipelines and press conferences about helping, get these people the hell out of there first. and whats up with these idiots playing real life GTA down there!

[Roadrunr]

While I agree with the sentiment of getting the people out, I think the guy is part of the problem rather than the solution.

[13]

http://static.flickr.com/28/39554198_bcc617fdc5.jpg

[Weasel]

That's what I like to see. **** the looters - they deserve to be shot (not the ones just looting food etc to survive, but the ones stealing for personal gain I mean).

[BlackRaindrops]

Amazing how the news only focuses on the negative, whereas the 587 million dollars worth of aid that's been raised is rarely mentioned. Or the 17 million dollars the so-called "evil" Wal-Mart is giving. As for looters, shoot em and leave em to die in the toxic gumbo. They're not helping the situation at all.

[13]

Think about how much money Wal-Mart makes. They are the killer of small business in the USA and you can go **** yourself bitch.

[Deju]

im not usually a fan of Walmart... but you can't say that they are the SOLE cause of the decline of the small business.

The fact is, if the majority people felt small businesses were important to keep around, and if they felt that it was important to support worker's rights, then they would support small businesses by shopping there even if it meant spending an extra $.12 on a pack of slim jims, or an extra $1.14 on that shitty all cotton pre-shrunk t-shirt. But they don't. They usually sell out small businesses for what is usually a very small monatary gain. Therefore, I also consider the general population equally (if not more so) at fault for this decline.

Like i said, I generally hate Walmart for being a part of what i think is evil in this country... but it is really hard to speak ill of a company who has stepped up in New Orleans, Mississippi and the surrouding areas like they have. Remember, just because a company makes a shitload of money doesnt mean they HAVE to donate or spend any of it on humanitarian causes.

[Weasel]

LOL 17mil is nothing to a company the size of WalMart - this is just normal PR spending, don't confuse it with a social conscience.

At the same time, something is better than nothing, but WalMart made sure everyone knew, didn't they..

[12345]

I think it's safe to say that most major companies have been quite generous, especially those who operate in that area. I've been quite impressed with the fact my industry has actually been making FEMA mad by bypassing them and delivering medical supplies and medications directly to the folks that need it... in addition to what's supplied through FEMA's efforts.

The private sector and Red Cross seem to be doing an outstanding job, all things considered. Why can't FEMA seem to get it together? I thought they were the pros at this.

[Avatar]

Hopefully there are some "good" aligned people in that huge "evil" corporation.

I'm just here to echo what Deju said.

This is evolution, whether it's Wal-Mart or Target or some other corporation that uses the efficiencies of a mass market approach to kill off small business. Either way, every business has to find a way to compete (excepting monopoly or protected industries), every business has a limited life cycle.

In the 1800's, rifles began to be mass produced from identical components on assembly lines. I'm sure there were people who believed that this would destroy the income of thousands of gunsmiths in the US. I'm sure they also believed that the mass-produced arms were lower quality than any journeyman gunsmith could create.

In the 1890's Sears catalogs became quite popular. I'll bet there were people then who feared that this would hurt the "general stores" popular at the time. I'm sure it did have an impact on many small businesses of the time.

My point is that these two sources of conflict were important issues at the time, but now they are 'history' and everyone is familiar with the outcome. The only way to stop this march of progress would be to legislate protections for various industries, which in the long run is a bad idea and costs us (citizens) a lot of money. Wal-Mart and the huge distributors isn't the only sector seeing this conflict between old and new business processes. Anyone familiar with MP3's and the RIAA? Do we want to establish laws protecting the ability of the old infrastructure to keep generating revenue? I'm sure they would like to, but I wouldn't vote for it.

[Deju]

[quote="Weasel":1aeprlvs]LOL 17mil is nothing to a company the size of WalMart - this is just normal PR spending, don't confuse it with a social conscience.[/quote:1aeprlvs]

I'll say it again:

Remember, just because a company makes a shitload of money doesnt mean they HAVE to donate or spend any of it on humanitarian causes. There is nothing in any of the law books that state anyone HAS to help anyone else in a situation like this. Walmart doesnt owe anyone a thing. Also, Walmart has donated 17mil in CASH. This doesnt include the millions in goods they have sent to the area.

And yes, of course those donations have PR value. Like it or not, that is partially the reason that ANY company or person makes a charitable contribution... But that doesn't change the fact that the money and goods they are donating is real and that it is helping real people with real problems.

Like I said before, I actually hate Walmart. They have a certain business model that obviously works, and that is how they choose to do business. If people dont like it, they shouldn't shop there... I dont. That said, you have to give them credit for what they have done to help. You can find a list of their efforts here:

http://www.walmartfacts.com/community/a ... px?id=1331

Sure, its on their own website, which makes it seem like they are blowing their own horn a little.... but maybe they should. A lot of people would be considerably worse off without the contributions made.

That said, to those of you who are bashing Walmart: What exactly have YOU done to help people in need there? Please don't tell me that the evil Walmart is helping, and you arent?

oh, and ps. I HATE you for making me defend Walmart!

[Argeos]

[quote="Deju":1bbcb8fk][quote="Weasel":1bbcb8fk]LOL 17mil is nothing to a company the size of WalMart - this is just normal PR spending, don't confuse it with a social conscience.[/quote:1bbcb8fk]

I'll say it again:

Remember, just because a company makes a shitload of money doesnt mean they HAVE to donate or spend any of it on humanitarian causes. There is nothing in any of the law books that state anyone HAS to help anyone else in a situation like this. Walmart doesnt owe anyone a thing. Also, Walmart has donated 17mil in CASH. This doesnt include the millions in goods they have sent to the area.

And yes, of course those donations have PR value. Like it or not, that is partially the reason that ANY company or person makes a charitable contribution... But that doesn't change the fact that the money and goods they are donating is real and that it is helping real people with real problems.

Like I said before, I actually hate Walmart. They have a certain business model that obviously works, and that is how they choose to do business.
/deleted
[/quote:1bbcb8fk]

I do not like Walmart neither. Next time you will go to Mexico to visit one of the most famous pre-colombian city.....you will have the opportunity to have a scenic view of a...Wal-Mart ! Great pictures, great postcards, great souvenirs !
http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/art ... dart=11661

It just show that Wal-mart is after money and don`t care much about local culture. Others websites relate that in that buffer zone where Wal-Mart is located there are some archeological discoveries to be made. Who cares ? Money is money !

Argeos

[Weasel]

..it's also a tax write-off. But yeah, what really matters is peope are getting help.

[13]

I don't give a **** about their 'hurricane relief'. If they wanted to help they would donate some of huge huge huge store of shit that they sell (they are wal mart) to help get people back on track rather than giving money which goes to dubious recipients. Wal-Mart is evil, believe me I'm right in the heart of Wal-Mart country.