Meanwhile, the events here mostly sound like the opening to weird jokes. Right now, for example, we have Al Gore, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Archbiship Desmond Tutu, Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott, Filipino president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and World Bank chief Robert Zoellick up on a podium to discuss "the need for global action." Clinton moderates, and leads by asking Karzai to make the case that Afghanistan is a good investment opportunity. I, for one, look forward to WalMart Kandahar. Maybe they could turn their union-busting expertise against the Taliban.
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A Politician, A CEO, and an Archbishop Walk Into a Hotel Ballroom
26 Sep 2007 10:37 am
Comments (20)
For all effective purposes, Hamid Karzai isn't the president of Afghanistan, he's the Mayor of Kabul. Which would suggest that no, Afghanistan for now is not a terribly sound investment opportunity.
The CEO says to the Archbishop, I thought you were dead. The politician says, no that was the other famous guy from South Africa. The Archbishop says, no, we're both still rather alive, thank you.
But they all agree they really hate bloggers.
"Maybe they could turn their union-busting expertise against the Taliban."
So funny. Wal-Mart's lame because tacky uncool rural whites shop there. Never mind their razor-thin margins after paying their employees well-over the minimum wage, better for them to unionize even if it means the company goes out of business. Then maybe Carrefour can buy the wreckage of Wal-Mart's U.S. operations and run it the same way as before. At least the French Carrefour will sound more worldly and trendy to affluent white hipsters.
Karzai: Well, right now in Afganistan, a burka will run you about 2500 Afganis, which is pretty much the average yearly pay of those not directly profitting from the booming heroin economy. Our burkas our handmade in the ancient tradition and very expensive, far beyond the reach of most. But if Wal-Mart were providing burkas mass produced by their slaves in China, we could probably get the price of a burka down to 250 Afganis or better, which would free up a lot of money for the purchase of other things, like cheap toasters.
Desmund Tutu will be remembered for many things, among which the saying: The white man came to Africa holding the Bible. It didn't take long before the Africans were holding the Bible and the white man was holding Africa.
Fred, you so funny! Please make more jokes about French and tell how company with largest workforce in North America barely gets by because of cruel union. You make sides hurt!
"Wal-Mart's lame because tacky uncool rural whites shop there. "
Actually, about half the people I see when I am at Wal-Mart are from Mexico.
Funny y'all should mention it, there are already three Carrefours in Urumqi.
Well, Carrefour DID pioneer the superstore concept that WalMart knows and loves, but the similarities end there.
Those poor, barely getting by, razor thin marginning, hard working Walton family.
Worth in BILLIONS:
Jim Walton, 58, $15.9, Wal-Mart
S. Robson Walton, 62, $15.8, Wal-Mart
Helen Walton, 86, $15.6, Wal-Mart
Ann Walton Kroenke, 56, $2.6, Wal-Mart
Nancy Walton Laurie, 54, $2.2, Wal-Mart
Alice Walton, 56, $15.7, Wal-Mart
Christy Walton, 51, $15.9, Wal-Mart inheritance
I was very interested in Fred's post, too. I can remember back before WalMart, when people went naked and hungry because there were no stores at all.
Oh, wait, no, there did used to be stores. They were shut down because of WalMart.
Fred makes a good point. Unions have been responsible for most of what's gone wrong in this country over the past 100 years.
For example, before unions, women could be locked inside their workplace -- often factories -- from the outside, and not let out even for breaks or meals. Think what that meant for American productivity! Why, even the occasional fire won't stop those workers from meeting their quotas!
Nowadays, those lazy, unionized workers can work in a non-hazardous environment, free from sexual harassment or abuse. What a waste, right? Better to let the market decide. And when enormously powerful corporate industries control the market, everybody wins -- especially the workers!
Wow, it must be fun to be so deluded and/or medicated that you believe the right-wing bullshit about how unions are part of the problem rather than part of the solution.
Shorter Fred: It's okay for management to create a legal structure under which to consolidate for their own benefits (i.e. a corporation) and fight against workers' rights, but not okay for labor to create a legal structure under which to consolidate for their own benefits (i.e. a union), because that would interfere with the profits of the corporation. Got it. Thanks, dude!
I loved Fred's point about WalMart's razor-thin margins.
The last time I saw WalMart's profit figures, I calculated that they could take half of their profits to pay a $5,000 bonus (or provide free health insurance) to every one of their employees.
That would still leave an enormous profit to help cover the daily essentials of the Walton clan.
Does Fred know what "razor-thin" means?
I reckon Fred is Al moonlighting over here from Political Animal
Carrefour? Do they have U.S. stores now? I know they opened one in Philadelphia about 1990, the biggest store I'd ever seen on one floor (they had clerks on roller skates as a necessity), but I didn't like it. They had tires, televisions, lovely fresh vegetables, and catfood, but nobody told them that Americans wanted a choice of more than three flavors of catfood. Are French cats not very picky?
They lasted maybe two years.
Desmund Tutu will be remembered for many things, among which the saying: The white man came to Africa holding the Bible. It didn't take long before the Africans were holding the Bible and the white man was holding Africa.
That's awesome.
Do you mean BILL Clinton and Al Gore are together on the same stage??
That's a first in many, many years.
Joyful Alternative:
I remember that Carrefour and you are right, I only shopped there a few times. I do remember the union picketers who used to stand out on Knights Rd with signs. I think they were trade unions because the store was built non union. It's a Walmart now.
As long as Wal-mart builds their stores using the unions in Philly, they don't get picketed.
In my experience, cats abroad expect home cooking. In Italy, there are regional recipes for cat pasta. Probably French cats expect a chunk of that "chicken in every pot" Henri Quatre promised.
Comments closed October 10, 2007.
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Heads in the Sand
That's definitely the lead question for any forum involving a discussion of Afghanistan. If I send my money there, will I get more money back? It's actually the starting point of Western Civilization.
Posted by Garuda | September 26, 2007 11:00 AM