Baby Walmart

Do you know what really upsets me?  (Cruelty? Intolerance?) -Wasted Effort.  It is because of this that I rise from the blogging grave to bring you these pictures.  She was a mere 5 months old!  She couldn't sit up straight in the cart! After making her t-shirt/costume I had to drive all the way out to Forest Grove to get a picture in the guns & ammo section of Wal-mart. (You should have seen the looks I got from women waiting in line for licenses.  Shouldn't I have been staring at them?) Whitman came along screaming and pooped his pants on the way into the store.  "When in Rome".  

 "You don't know me!!"

After all that, I didn't feel like I got the shot. So I planned to take a redneck picture of her sitting infront of the run down camper trailer that sits in a newer housing development.  Only she didn't know how to sit.  As proof of how much I love her, I didn't do it because it was turning cold outside and I didn't want her to freeze in her tank top,mini-skirt, and flops.

 A couple of months later, and colder still, I tried to make it happen in my garage.  She was confused.

Jana, always angry, accuses "so now Bumbos's are trashy??!!"  No, it's the only way I could get her to stay in one spot.  I was hoping it looked like an armchair. I was forcing it. What I really need is an old trailer!! And bottle of Mt. Dew!

My parents have an Oregon camping trailer.

I love her 5month chubby baby legs.

Ha!  Now that I've lured you here with baby in wig photos, how about you stick around to hear my opinions:
If you have every had the pleasure of hanging out with me in a social situation when Wal-mart is brought up, you already know I have strong feelings about the world's most profitable retailer.  In short: they are unethical bullies.

Almost everyone I know has a story about something terrible that Walmart has done in their community.  So why are we still shopping there?  In Oregon there are not very many Wal-marts- another reason I love Oregon!  They tried and tried to build a new store just a mile or so past our neighborhood and it took years and umpteen protests to keep them out. They recently succeeded in opening a  "smaller" Wal-mart into a struggling retail area and my blood boils every time I drive by.

I have a personal shopping ban on Walmart (that I try to persuade everyone I know to commit to).  Mostly is is because they make money at the expense of others, and hurt America over all.  I don't want even the smallest amount of my money to support their dirty business.  If I can't change laws to make some of their worst practices illegal, than at least I have the option of voting with my money. And I think Wal-mart is really starting to feel it!  (small joke)  I realize that not everyone has this luxury.  If you live in a rural area, not by accident, Wal-mart my be your only shopping option. Or maybe saving $2 on diapers isn't selling out your fellow Americans to you, but rather it is the difference between diapers and eating or just diapers. I'd pick Wal-mart in that senario.

With its low price focus, Wal-Mart may appear to help the U.S. economy. But, the reality is that with its poor wages and benefits, massive China out-sourcing and tax avoidance, Wal-Mart makes its workers and the communities where it operates poorer.
"Wal-Mart routinely dodges state and local taxes, meaning money spent at a Wal-Mart store won't end up in your community. Wal-Mart actively works to challenge property tax assessments and creates complex real estate arrangements to obscure how much taxes the company owes. When Wal-Mart dodges its tax burden, it takes precious revenues away from cities and states to pay for roads, schools and other services. In turn, individual taxpayers are forced to pay more to make up the difference (which takes more money out of their pockets) or get by with less."  from-David Nassar, "Why Wal-Mart Does Not Strengthen Our Economy"

I could go on and on.  Instead I will say how much I love shopping the fresh local produce and meats at New Seasons, the stylish and pleasant smelling Target, the Hillsboro Farmer's Market where I feel like I'm practically stealing from the vendors, Fred Meyers for a little bit of everything, and Goodwill when I'm on a treasure hunt.

Oh!  But in the same way that Hitler really loved his mother, I hear Wal-mart sells CD's with the swear words bleeped out.