Everyday Democracy, the Sequel
Recently I talked about the voter initiative in Inglewood, California, that was pushed by Wal-Mart to allow the company to build a supercenter in the city. There were many issues involved. Inglewood’s average income is a third of the national average. Its unemployment rate is a whopping 8.8 percent.
Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest employer (outside of the federal government, that is), argued that the store would bring the community jobs. And tax revenue. Unions campaigned against the initiative, as did Jesse Jackson, arguing that the development would mean only low-wage jobs and that small businesses currently in Inglewood would be hurt. It was quite a battle.
Wal-Mart has become a lightning rod for anti-growth advocates, but frankly, I like the store. It came from Arkansas, where I grew up. I’ve always both liked and respected the late Sam Walton, the company’s founder. One of the country’s first billionaires, he was famous for driving a beat-up old pick-up truck around the small town of Bentonville.
In Inglewood, Wal-Mart felt they couldn’t get a fair shake from the local politicans. So, to cut through the red tape, they went directly to the people. During the campaign, one in which Wal-Mart spent over a million dollars, opponents suggested the company was trying to buy votes. But once again, as is so often the case in citizen initiatives, voters rejected the side that spent the most money.
The Wal-Mart initiative was defeated 61 to 39 percent. So voters got it their way. Wait that’s a different company’s slogan. . . .
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
