Is Wal-Mart the evil empire? No.

Over on the user forums at www.herald-dispatch.com, there is a discussion going on about how Wal-Mart has been the largest private employer in West Virginia for about nine years now. It got to the point where I had to reply to some of what was being said. These are my comments posted there:

Okay, I'll swim in this river.

What is so wrong about Wal-Mart that cannot be said about many other profitable corporations of national scope? The difference is that Wal-Mart is larger and more visible. Try comparing its personnel policies with those of other Fortune 500 companies, especially as regard new hires.

Wal-Mart grew because it was more efficient and delivered what the customer wanted, and still does. The decline of downtown stores and neighborhood mom-and-pops began long before Wal-Mart built its first store in this area.

If you want a goods-producing company to be West Virginia's largest employer, then get on your legislators to change the legal and regulatory climate so such a company will want to locate here. And encourage other people to get an education so they will have the skills that such a company will want.

If Wal-Mart is the state's largest employer, it's not because Wal-Mart is an evil empire looking to take over an entire state. It's the largest by default, because no one else can or will fill that spot.

Disclaimer: I have a relative who formerly worked at Wal-Mart. It was a job. He/she worked hard for his/her money and learned a lot about the retail business in that time. He/she would go back if necessary.

It's nice to be able to dump on Wal-Mart. It's a lot easier than facing the real problems that West Virginia has.