Wal-Mart Again!

Dear Letters Editor:

In Thursday's Gazette, Dave Beckly's letter shows that he lacks an understanding of both economics and causal relationships.

What Beckly does not understand, or is unwilling to admit, is that Wal-Mart does not apply any form of coercion or compulsion in order to entice consumers to shop at it's stores. Consumers shop at Wal-Mart simply because those stores provide the mix of price and quality that is currently demanded by a large number of consumers. That's right, Wal-Mart is just doing its job by satisfying the consumer. And for doing such a great job of satisfying the consumer, Wal-Mart is the latest recipient of anti-market rants and rages from those who claim to be looking out for the interests others.

Ludwig von Mises of the Austrian School of Economics was correct when he wrote that the consumer captains the economy, and the consumer is a heartless taskmaster. Should another company bring a better mix of price and quality to the market, consumers will cross the street to the better bargain and Wal-Mart will soon end up in the waste heap of failed businesses.

The Beckly's of the world don't like the fact that Wal-Mart is successful, they are at war with the free market. Though they may claim otherwise, they are statists: adherents to a less dogmatic form of socialism. But the Beckly's never direct their rage at the source of their unease; his family, friends and neighbors, those who like to save as much as they can at the end of the check-out lane.

Family, friends and neighbors of Beckly watch out, he wants to raise your cost of goods and services and thereby reduce your other expenditures. He would like to see government use it's power of control to limit your access to goods and services at a price that Beckly deems unfair. Sounds pretty socialistic to me.

Rant and rage all you like but please leave me to shop where I choose, and I choose to shop at stores where my mix of price and quality is the best. Today it's Wal-Mart. Tomorrow, who knows.

Jim Fedako