Walmart and my moral dilemma

Yes, I stress out and agonize over going to Walmart. Funny, eh? Of course, they are so much cheaper than any other store. We don't do a lot of frivolous buying either. I am talking about for diapers, toiletries, over-the-counter medicine, and other mundane items. For our family, being as big as we are and surviving on just one income, barely making ends meet, anything that saves a dollar is absolutely what we have to do. Yet. Walmart is wrong in so many ways.

My biggest gripe is Walmart's exploitation of its employees. It pays terrible wages. It offers little to no (or too expensive) healthcare so that the mostly single moms that it employs must utilize Wisconsin's state funded healthcare (Badgercare), while the low wages ensure that these working poor mothers must depend on Housing Assistance, Child Care Assistance, Food Stamps and other government assistance. Ultimately, that costs taxpayers more because they fund all these programs (see, I can speak Republican, too!). I think it is deplorable that a super-mega-billionaire enterprise like that cannot pay its workers more so that they can really get off welfare (technically WI doesn't have welfare anymore, now it is W-2 Wisconsin Works).

Walmart dazzles us consumers with its super-low prices, so we think we are getting ahead, but really we are just helping perpetuate this cycle of underpaid, exploited workers. Some people say, "Those people don't have to work at Walmart." That is true. However, I worked in the staffing industry. I know that there is an extreme shortage of living-wage paying jobs. At any given time, many of Walmarts employees are those who have been downsized from better jobs and work at Walmart until something better comes along.

Sadly, for these people there is more often than not no something better. Wisconsin, for sure, and many other states have shipped their manufacturing jobs to Mexico or overseas. What is left is Walmart and other McJobs.

Consumers (myself included) must shop with conscience. Do we continue to perpetuate this cycle of supporting super-mega billionaire companies that screw their employees? Or just say fuck it, there is a sale and I really need an extra $1.50 off this pack of toilet paper? I believe that if we were all willing to spend a little more at the checkout, we would all be a little better off. Lower taxes because we won't be supporting McJobs. Better lives for McEmployees (hey, I never said it would make your bosses stop being dickheads!).

So here is my idea. This is just a thought and probably way to simplistic to ever work. Probably some Econ God can explain how it is a pipe-dream and totally unrealistic.Heck, even in my heart I know it is unrealistic. But, whatever. I will explain it anyway.

Do we always have to have the latest MP-3 player or Gameboy or whatever other game system my lame self doesn't even know the name of? Could we wear the same pair of pants maybe two winters instead of just one? Do we really need so much New Stuff all the time? Maybe if we cut back on buying New Stuff constantly, we could afford a little more for essentials like food and clothes. Then wages would increase, our taxes would decrease, and we would have more money to spend on stuff again! I know, Econ God, it probably would never work. But MLK Jr. had his dream. I have mine.