You get what you pay for

Typically, you get what you pay for. Wal-Mart's so-called "everyday low prices" have consumers forgetting the difference between the price of a commodity and its cost. Wal- Mart's relentless quest for low prices exemplifies a principle that we Americans are only beginning to realize about globalization: evercheaper prices have consequences. "We want clean air, clear water, good living conditions, the best health care in the world, yet we aren't willing to pay for anything manufactured under those restrictions," Steve Dobbins, president of thread maker Carolina Mills pointed out.

"Over 80% of Wal-Mart's suppliers are from China. According to Duke University Professor Gary Gerreffi, Wal-Mart and China are a joint venture." (www.fastcompany.com/magazi ne/77/walmart.html.) Poisoned pet food and toothpaste, dangerous tires, and lead-painted toys have all recently found their way into the U. S. market from China. Who will keep such adulterated products off the shelves of a Wal-Mart in Bath?

Additionally, "everyday low prices" have resulted in a diminution of quality name brands. Reportedly, Levi-Strauss blue jeans sold at Wal- Mart have the look and feel you would expect given their price (around $23 for adult pants): cheap. It is disappointing to find such cheap clothing labeled with Levi Strauss's name. Meanwhile, Levi-Strauss, which had 60 U.S. factories, has closed its last two U.S. factories, and laid off more than 2,500 workers. The company that was known as a socially responsible corporation no longer makes any clothes at all. It just imports them.

Those who would allow yet another Wal-Mart to peddle so-called "everyday low prices" should realize that there is no free lunch. You get what you pay for. Author Kahlil Gibran prophetically wrote, "It is in exchanging the gifts of the earth that you shall find abundance and be satisfied. Yet unless the exchange be in love and kindly justice, it will but lead some to greed and others to hunger."

Sincerely,

Jeffrey P. Nieznanski Bath