I don’t hate Wal-Mart and neither does Jack Lewis. Jack Lewis thinks that the New York Times hates Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart, in my humble opinion, protects the majority of Americans from having to live in the real world.

The cost of living in America without Wal-Mart would be much higher. Wal-Mart subsidizes the lower middle class so as to make them believe they’re a healthy middle class.

We Americans could not live as comfortably and “successfully” without the subsidies provided by the McDonalds Dollar Menu, Taco Bell, the fast food joints, and chains like Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and Target (and their third-world resourcing).

Without them, all dress shoes would start at $200, all sports shoes would start at a Benjamin, and all polo shirts would start at $75.

- A full 76 percent of Wal-Mart store management started as hourly associates.

- The average pay for hourly associates is $10.11 an hour

- All Wal-Mart hourly associates are eligible for benefits

- Wal-Mart provides affordable health insurance to more than one million people, offering a choice of 18 different plans for as little as $23 a month

- In 2006, Wal-Mart will spend roughly $4.7 billion on benefits for their associates.

- Last year, Wal-Mart created more than 125,000 job opportunities for workers across America.

- In some parts of America, more than 30 percent of Wal-Mart associates had been unemployed the previous year.

- Thousands of applicants apply for the 300-400 new jobs created by each new store.

- Recently, a record 25,000 Chicagoans applied for just 325 jobs at the Wal-Mart store in Evergreen Park, Ill

- More than 11,000 job-seekers applied for 400 openings at a new Wal-Mart store in Oakland, Calif.

- Wal-Mart will build, over the next few years, more than 50 stores in neighborhoods with high crime or unemployment rates, bringing between 15,000 and 25,000 jobs and generating more than $100 million in tax revenue for these areas.

- Wal-Mart creates hundreds of thousands of jobs for American suppliers. Small businesses across the country compete to sell their products at Wal-Mart.

- Families that shop at Wal-Mart can save more than $2,329 a year, including upwards of 20 percent on groceries, because of the existence of a Wal-Mart in their community, according to recent independent studies.

- Wal-Mart is the largest corporate cash contributor to charities in the United States, contributing over $200 million just last year to more than 100,000 charities, most of which occur at the local level.

Paul and David are over on PRADE discussing DC men and their colorful striped shirts.

Firstly, David wears striped shirts.

Secondly, he loves them. David argues that it is the Collars Up kind of guy and not the Striped Shirt guy who is so insufferable.

Thirdly, I am not a shill, I am a promoter, thank you very much, Paul.

Here’s the original Collars Up screed:

Wearing Your Collar Down is for Poor People
By I.M. Adick, III
[History of this Article]

When my ancestors came over to this great country 400 years ago, they had a vision for a utopia, free from minorities, liberals, poor people, homosexuals, and immigrants. There are few today who share such lofty ideals, but we’re easy to find: Pastel polo shirts, loafers without socks, tucked-in shirts, but most importantly, collars up.

Call me a douchebag. Call me an arrogant little cocksucking dickhead. Beat the shit out of me if I’m not with fifteen of my B-frat friends (unlikely). But just know this: I interned at Smith Barney this summer. Where did you work? A Blockbuster? That’s right you insignificant sack of dogshit; I’m going to be your boss. So take your t-shirt wearing, financial aid, blue-collar ass over to Blockbuster and get me a copy of Old School. Do you even own a tuxedo?

Look at my girlfriend. You think she’d go for someone who didn’t have his collar up? I don’t think so. I remember the night I met her. I bought her so many $9 drinks she couldn’t even walk. So I drove her home in my BMW 328ci, but not before I took a few “liberties” with her. The next morning I took her to brunch and went to the mall, where I bought her some blouses. You assholes don\’t know the first thing about being a gentleman. You probably don’t even know how to sail.

When I get out of business school, I’m going to be making $120,000 a year. Add that to my trust fund, and I can buy a country club membership, a ski house, and still have enough money to go barhopping around the city in my designer clothes and shit-eating grin. Maybe I’ll offer you a hundred bucks to flip my collar up for me. I earned it you middle-class fuck up. I bet you went to public school.

You’re so predictable. I bet I can guess your political party just by looking at you. My cronies and I range from elitist northern liberals to heartless conservative bastards. I’ve wasted enough time with you. Get some rich parents, an internship, and a pink polo with the collar up, and then maybe I’ll let you hang out with me.