The new fun word of the day is "Hezbocrats".
The Hezbocrats, a roaming band of militant guerrillas seeking their party's 2008 nomination for president, have most recently lobbed their rhetorical bombs at Wal-Mart, that cruel capitalist occupying corporation. The most recent base of Hezbocrat activity was Iowa, the state whose January 2008 party caucuses are the nation's first measure of presidential preference. The Hezbocrats, armed with nothing more than Katyusha-grade class warfare rhetoric, descended upon Iowa earlier this month determined to take down Wal-Mart, a company they consider the nation's largest capitalistic oppressor of the proletariat.
Leading Hezbocrats, including Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE), Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) and Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM), attended rallies in Des Moines to slam Wal-Mart, the nation's largest private employer. Wal-Mart's crime? According to the Hezbocrats, Wal-Mart has abandoned the middle class by not paying what they consider a "living wage" or providing its employees free healthcare coverage.
At one rally, Sen. Biden stated, "My problem with Wal-Mart is that I don't see any indication that they care about the fate of middle-class people." Sen. Bayh added, "Wal-Mart has become emblematic of the anxiety around the country, and the middle-class squeeze."
These are spurious charges, considering the fact that Wal-Mart's average full-time hourly wage is $10.11. Wal-Mart also announced this month that it is raising wages by an average of six percent for employees in over 1,200 of its 4,000 U.S. stores. Further, the company offers qualifying employees a menu of 18 healthcare plans, some costing as little as $11 per month.
Uh, sure. Who in the hell makes $10.11 there? Employees at the original Wal-Mart in Arkansas? I used to work at one here in Indiana, and I sure didn't know anyone, including full-time managers, who made that much. And as for their idea of healthcare: first, you have to "qualify" which means you have to work at least 37 hours a week -- which you'll never manage to do because they make it a point to work every "associate" just under the 37 hours needed, and if you do "qualify," you'll need to cough up at least 1/3 of your paycheck just to get decent coverage out of your healthcare plan.
Think Wal-Mart really cares about "working families"?
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