The Aberville Wally is truly a sight to behold.

I grew up here for the first 15 years of my life, moved away for a number of years, and then returned as an adult. When I left nearly 20 years ago I didn't think the socio/economic situation could get much worse in this town,.......... I was wrong.

The cheap cost of living here is certainly a determining factor in the number of dirtballs this area seems to attract. Add to that I-5 Corridor County social workers encouraging public benefit recipients to move to the area to make their dollars go further and it's pretty easy to see the gradual transition. Regardless, I've always said that after spending time all over the country there are no better people than those I've known all my life right here in the Harbor. The place has seen better days, of that there is no doubt. I'd still choose to raise my children here as opposed to the city any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

The retail activity in this town has moved around a few times. Started off in the downtown sector and moved to the south side with the advent of the South Shore Mall, which is now a ghost town. Enter Walmart and the Olympic Gateway Plaza, what was formerly Ernst and the Wishkah Mall, is now the hub of retail activity in the area.

Wally World arguments aside people are going to shop where they want to shop. Hate the place myself and buy all my stuff at Dennis Co. even though I'll be spending more $ there. The significant other uses the same strategy Chuck's wife does because the savings makes too much sense. I'm fine with it so long as she doesn't ask me to step foot in there. Well, that's what I say anyway. She'll drag me along, I'll complain like a child, life moves on.

I can certainly understand the frustrations of the mom and pops. No one wants to see their community's small businesses fold.

Well in the case of the Harbor Wally didn't hurt a bloody thing. Local biz has always had customer service that was in the toilet. Traffic and parking just as bad thanks to Walt and the boys having that bloody bridge there instead of junction city and they ain't smart enough to synchronize the stop lights. Hell Hm Depot isn't much better.

Now Dennis Co. is a good local and I do biz there but you can be limited so things can be a little non selective. The Abr Wally is by far with out a doubt the worse Wally or retail store I have ever had the misfortune to see!

Maybe in the past, but now Walmart is anal retentive about Clean water/BES/EPA regs as well as hiring documented workers to do their construction work. Don't get me wrong, they are shitty to work for(as a contractor), but don't believe everything you read.

The funny part is, those people you're laughing at there used to be the popular kids back in High School.

Anytime I run low on Chinese cheap plastic crap, Wally World is my go to store.

http://www.pdc.wa.gov/rptimg/default.aspx?batchnumber=100315171

She isnt the only one.

Now that is a strange pairing for money.

I don't shop at Wal Mart. Ever. I guess I still have some pride. I used to avoid buying stuff made in China, that communist national arch-enemy. But's that's become hard, maybe impossible, since you can buy a lot of American name brand tools and other stuff that was made in China. So I quit worrying about it as part of a stress management strategy. I think I finally understand the overall strategy of corporate globalization. Level the playing field. Make every country a third world nation. Corporations do rule the world.

Knowing what I know now, I'd like to go back and re-take Econ 368 : International Trade & The World Economy.

I would have more things to say in class this time around.

These are the same people who join the Tea Party and rant and rave about Government getting involed in their health care. They are sheep being lead to the slaughter.

I watched that anti Walmart Movie sometime ago. Made it look so sad that Walmart destroyed small businesses in the small towns but that only happened because the above made it happen.

We are so poor in Post Falls, that we have two new Walmarts opening up and that will make three. For you Cabelas shoppers one of them will be pretty near next door.

First thing I did when I moved here was to find the real local fishing store. I go there for just about everything. It's real nice to talk with employees that know the fishing in the area. I haven't given up my name yet, because I don't want them using my name when they complain about that guy who comes in all the time asking questions - but does spend some of his retirement check.

Corporate tax rates should be based on where the value of your product is being added.

100% of value added overseas 50% tax rate.

50% of value added overseas 25% tax rate.

<= 25% of value added overseas 10% tax rate.

This would apply to foreign owned companies too so an American made Toyota would be treated the same as an American made Ford.

This would also include the total value not just where assembled but also where the components are built.

This would ensure that an American made pillow case could compete with a foriegn made pillow case.

This would also force Corporations to set up shop local to their customers be those customers foriegn or domestic.

You would think that for Obama and Dems this would be a no brainer especially when wrapped in the "jobs" and "green" umbrella but, alas, they are bought and paid for just like the R's!

Broodbuster,

Didn't NAFTA and other recent trade agreements do away with "protectionist tariffs?" I'm partial to the idea. Other countries routinely do it to imports, but we seem to often take the unilateral economic hit.

Sg

Bunch of stuff around about tariffs. The Europeans got busted on planes & MS on PC's. Bottom line is that this global economy thing is really a series of treaties and trade agreements that are almost impossible to get out of.

Our trade thing started to go wrong during Eisenhower's administration and has progressed down the road through both R & D presidents.

The US economy is large enough to tell all to take a hike and tariff up. Jobs would be created and lost in this but exporting states like Washington would be in the dirt and I read once that it would add about 30% to the cost of living.

As to NAFTA the only thing Pat Buchanan ever said that I agreed with was that NAFTA only worked when US wages were the same as Mexico's. I don't think he envisioned a massive wage increase in Mexico.

In Econ class, they'll learn you that trade restrictions and tariffs only hurt the consumer via higher prices for goods and services.