$640.00 to fill the tanks...

Don't forget that this is from a guy that thinks his privacy may be in
danger from the radio tags in products being sold today.

Actually, I think it is in danger from the RFID readers that will almost
inevitably become commonplace, and the vast amount of computing power
that can easily be assembled to correlate "this shirt" with "that pair
of shoes" and "the car over there", and infer far more than I want them
to. Apply Moore's law and you get half-cent RFID tags and ten dollar
readers in just a few years.

I also think privacy is in danger from the likes of Sony and their
rootkits, unencrypted data tapes on UPS trucks, and the who-knows-what
that comes through the DSL line.

Jose
--
The monkey turns the crank and thinks he's making the music.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

"Newps" wrote in message
. ..


Jose wrote:




How is this =really= different from WalMart jumping in and crushing all
the local stores? Think for a moment.

You've got to be kidding.

He must be; around most Wal-Marts, there's an influx of boutique stores and
ancillary shops such as theaters, restaurants, etc.

Michelle

"Jose" wrote in message
om...
It is plain and simple communism. The people (read government) owns the
means of production.

On the other hand, Wal-Mart was a little company that got big because it
provided something the buying public wanted. It did not start out the
giant that it is today.

But now that WalMart is big, it goes public, and the people once again own
the means of production (only this time it's a limited set of people).
And, when it gets big enough, it purchases influence in the government.

Ultimately, if enough influence is purchased, we end up in the same place,
effectively, as what you call communism.

Also, I would say that another useful definition of communism is that the
people own the =only= means of production. This is where it gets bad.
Otherwise, it is just in competition with everything else.



So business are OK unless they are successful? That's a nice thought.

He must be; around most Wal-Marts, there's an influx of boutique stores and
ancillary shops such as theaters, restaurants, etc.

Little comfort if you are a hardware store, a lumberyard, or another
store with which WalMart competes.

Jose
--
The monkey turns the crank and thinks he's making the music.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

So business are OK unless they are successful? That's a nice thought.

I'm not saying anything is OK or not OK. I'm saying that a business
that is too successful (gets too big) becomes relatively more powerful
than its customers. This has upsides and downsides. Sometimes, the
public benefits by some restraint on the larger companies. Sometimes not.

But "unrestrained capitalsim" is not the unmitigated good that the OP
implied.

Jose
--
The monkey turns the crank and thinks he's making the music.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

"Jose" wrote in message
t...
He must be; around most Wal-Marts, there's an influx of boutique stores
and ancillary shops such as theaters, restaurants, etc.

Little comfort if you are a hardware store, a lumberyard, or another store
with which WalMart competes.


Those stores must adapt or die. It is not that hard to compete with Wal-Mart
as a specialty store. All you have to do is provide something that Wal-Mart
cannot. That something is usually service or expertise. There is a reason
that the most expensive retail real estate in any given town is next to a
Wal-Mart.

Jose wrote:

He must be; around most Wal-Marts, there's an influx of boutique
stores and ancillary shops such as theaters, restaurants, etc.


Little comfort if you are a hardware store, a lumberyard, or another
store with which WalMart competes.

Then they deserve to die. Big front page story in our local Sunday
paper about three weeks ago about the local Ace hardware that is buying
the building left vacant by the Albertson grocery store. This place has
four times the floor space that they currently have now. They are
currently one block from Wal Mart and are moving across the street from
Wal Mart. Wal Mart has basic hardware, if you are a hardware store and
can't compete with Wal Mart then you should go out of business.
A lumberyard? Have you ever been to a Wal Mart? I defy you to walk
out of a Wal Mart with a 2x4 that you bought. And why all this
animosity toward Wal Mart? My wife gets most of our groceries from
Costco, they were here long before Wal Mart. They're both cheaper
overall than the grocery store. Why would I spend more money for the
same product?

"Gig 601XL Builder" wrDOTgiaconaATcox.net wrote in message
...

"Jose" wrote in message
t...
He must be; around most Wal-Marts, there's an influx of boutique stores
and ancillary shops such as theaters, restaurants, etc.

Little comfort if you are a hardware store, a lumberyard, or another
store with which WalMart competes.

Not to mention buggywhip manufacturers.



Those stores must adapt or die. It is not that hard to compete with
Wal-Mart as a specialty store. All you have to do is provide something
that Wal-Mart cannot. That something is usually service or expertise.
There is a reason that the most expensive retail real estate in any given
town is next to a Wal-Mart.

I find it amazing that you need explained this to an adult.

Michelle

"Gig 601XL Builder" wrDOTgiaconaATcox.net wrote in message
...

"Jose" wrote in message
om...
It is plain and simple communism. The people (read government) owns the
means of production.

On the other hand, Wal-Mart was a little company that got big because it
provided something the buying public wanted. It did not start out the
giant that it is today.

But now that WalMart is big, it goes public, and the people once again
own the means of production (only this time it's a limited set of
people). And, when it gets big enough, it purchases influence in the
government.

Ultimately, if enough influence is purchased, we end up in the same
place, effectively, as what you call communism.

Also, I would say that another useful definition of communism is that the
people own the =only= means of production. This is where it gets bad.
Otherwise, it is just in competition with everything else.



So business are OK unless they are successful? That's a nice thought.

It's called envy, the same problem the Arab/Islamic world operates under.

Michelle

A lumberyard? Have you ever been to a Wal Mart?

Sorry. I was thinking Home Depot. Other examples would apply though.

Jose
--
The monkey turns the crank and thinks he's making the music.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.