Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Newest Wal-Mart Outrage Outrages Me

Yesterday I saw an article online that says Wal-Mart is suing a former employee - who is permanently brain-damaged and in a nursing home for the rest of her life - for close to $400,000 in repayment for monies paid out when she was hospitalized after a car crash. This redefines "outrageous", in my opinion, and takes it to a new low in 'art forms'.
But wait! We aren't finished! This woman's husband is just finishing treatment for prostate cancer, so he isn't exactly solid in the make-a-living / pay-the-bills department, either.
And in the This-Wasn't-Needed-Either category, we have some brainless twit of a judge deciding to award Wal-Mart $277,000. Wal-Mart's spokeman said "Wal-Mart feels terrible on behalf of (this woman and her husband) - "but" - the paperwork sez...."
In this Indn's opinion - screw the paperwork! Wal-Mart's profits last year were $90 BILLION!
I divided $90 billion by $400,000, and came up with 225,000 : 1 in favor of Wal-Mart and against this pitiful, sad couple. Therefore, I repeat, to Hell with the paperwork.
I think it's time Wal-Mart heard from YOU who read this. They've already heard from me..
As a business person, this kind of don't-give-a-damn attitude on the part of big corporations embarrasses me. We who do care look bad by association. We who are small corporations - mine is about the size of the period at the end of a sentence - look even worse, simply because we are corporations and we want to grow.
The difference is, some of us - like mine - work to honor Affirmative Action, hire the handicapped, promote and follow Indian Preference, and plan our activities to include handicapped access - because that's real "good business practice".
Last but not least - just because "the paperwork" includes a clause that says Wal-Mart "can" sue one of their employees or former employees to recoup monies paid out for hospitalization, does not mean it "must" or even that it "should". When a company makes 225,000 times the amount involved in the lawsuit, I believe that company has a bigger responsibility to not sue and thereby to help the injured employee.
Call 1-800-Wal-Mart and tell them what you think of this outrageous lawsuit of theirs. Or go to Wal-Mart.com and email them through their Contact Us link. Let them know the "massa / slave" mentality was outlawed when slavery was - in 1862. And then join me in boycotting Wal-Mart until they stop this outrageous kind of action.

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