Old Decathlon Olympics Journal

I hate Wal-Mart - May 10th entry made May 12th.

May 10th, 2004 entry made on May 12th, 2004

Geeezzzzz! I am certainly a dollar short and more than a day late with this entry. Isn’t it amazing how many real life daily challenges interfere with how I actually want to spend my time? I cannot believe that I allowed myself to get two days behind in my journal entries for the Writing Decathlon Olympic Challenge.

To begin with I have been forced to run back and forth to a Notary’s office to get fraud documents notarized for at least six different and separate national businesses all because I was a victim of identity theft and fraud. I have had to fax 10 page copies of police reports and bank fraud letters to entirely too many places. I have spent almost a hundred dollars between notary’s, copies, and postage. I am furious because I am the VICTIM. The thief has been identified, interviewed by the police, and confessed. Yet, the thief has still not been arrested. It is my name and personal information that is now listed in all these national reporting agencies that prevent a person from writing a check. I have done nothing wrong, except become a victim to a crime. I would have been prevented from opening another checking account if I had chosen not to open the new account with my current bank because of the theft. What a crock!

I had over-draft protection on my checking account that would prevent me from bouncing a check in the event I made a mistake in addition and subtraction in my check register. Well, guess what? The bank did not notify me until my savings account was empty, then the bank finally bounced one of the stolen checks that required them to contact me. This is the first time in my life that I was glad that I did not have more money, and isn’t that a crazy thing to have to be glad about. If I would have had more money then the thief would have stolen more money. When Wal-Mart sent the stolen though bounce check through my account the second time it was returned to them clearly marked lost or stolen. Now, you would think that would mean something to them? Well, that fact did not stop them from reporting me to every national bad check reporting agency on the face of this planet, and they have been calling wanting to know when I was going to clear this matter up. The merchants that are trying to blame the victim are repeatedly victimizing me. I think this is incredibly stupid way to conduct business. I have never liked Wal-Mart to begin with, as their big money strong-arm tactics only destroy a local economy.

I am sure that many of you are wondering how Wal-Mart can destroy a local economy. Well then you need to be better read on current events. Wal-Mart is not doing a community a favor by building one of their stores in your city or town. They use lost leader tactics to draw massive crowds of people into their stores, then when they have sufficiently eliminated and destroyed local and long establish businesses in your town or city then their prices go up, usually higher than the smaller, local stores charged for the same merchandise. Wal-Mart is a for profit business that is redefining the meaning of corporate greed. Oh, you think Wal-Mart is helping your community by providing employment. Guess again. Most all of their jobs are minimum wage jobs that have no benefits or real hope for advancement. They have already been sued for their tactics of firing long time upper management employees just before an upper management employee’s retirement benefits would have been earned. Wal-Mart has been caught red-handed at destroying evidence in lawsuits pertaining to accidents on their property caused by their stores negligence. They deliberately relocate personnel to avoid their giving testimony. Wal-Mart moves into a community and takes full legal advantage of tax-credits; legal tax credits that are meant to help local community based businesses get established by providing tax breaks. How much of Wal-Mart stores profits are actually returned to the economy of your city or town? The answer is: none. Zip, zilch, nada, zero profits from your local Wal-Mart’s are returned to your community. And you think all that charitable giving to local community organizations is a good thing. It is tax deductible for Wal-Mart, and just a smoke screen to hide their real intentions.

I need to go get another cup of coffee, adjust my attitude, light a cigarette, and ponder long and hard about how to get even with these corporate raiders.

Oh, and I know that I am way over the daily word count. And for your information I could have kept going.