Letter: Wal-Mart not a positive reflection of America

Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006 | 7:15 a.m.

New York Times writer John Tierney, in an Oct. 18 column published in the Las Vegas Sun, claimed that the Nobel Peace Prize should have been given to Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart, because no one has done more to help the poor Third World nations than Wal-Mart.

Tierney bragged of workers making up to $12 (U.S. currency) per day and claimed that this "factory work" was much more welcome than the self-reliance granted by small loans from Bangladesh-based Grameen Bank (whose founder, Muhammad Yunus, won the Nobel Peace Prize).

The loans that were given by the bank helped farmers purchase goods and materials so that they could continue to run their land, give craftsmen the opportunity to sell their wares, and a variety of other causes that benefited, not only the loan recipient but also the bank that now boasts hundreds of thousands of locations and a surging customer base.

Wal-Mart, on the other hand, is doing nothing more than reaping the benefits of legalized slavery, keeping the poverty-stricken peoples of Third World nations in the same situation they are in with no real way out. John Tierney reminds me of a lot of spoiled Americans who believe in equality only when it is convenient. According to Tierney, the people in India, China and Mexico are doing well since they are getting $4 (U.S.) per day, (that's per day ) because without the work they would only be making $2 per day.

When we stop fooling ourselves and ponder why the rest of the world hates us, we might stop cheering for cheap DVD players and discounted halter tops at Wal-Mart.

Ernest Hemmings, Las Vegas