I have just finished reading everyones post. Many many good points made. Walmart does employ people who otherwise would not have a job. They offer products at a reasonable price. They offer healthcare. How Walmart operates is Capitalism at it's greatest. It is one of the things that make this country great. If you feel that Walmart doesn't pay people enough, don't work there. Get an education either through school or work expericence and go somewhere else. If you don't like Walmart, don't shop there. I personally think most of their stuff is low quailty, I perfer K-Mart or Target. As far as a union, look what the union did for Ford and the other auto makers. It made people greedy. It paid and paid and paid people wages that were far too high, making their cars too expensive. Yes factory workers work hard, but they shouldn't be making $25.00 an hour. They should not be paid more then police, firemen, or teachers. Education should still count for something. When the Ford workers were laid off in the 80's many of them couldn't read or write past an 8th grade level, yet they were making $50.000 a year. There was no way they could find a job anywhere that paid them as much. Many lost their homes. Some couldn't even fill out a job application, they had no skills. They didn't care about school because hey they were gonna work at Ford and make big bucks, who needs schooling? It was a rude awakening. Factory work should not be a lifetime employment. It should be short term until once gathers skills. Be it as a plumber, carpenter, cook. At least one is trained, one has a skill. And most important people need to be educated. Education is the key.