Local governments do tons of stupid and oppressive things to try to keep out Walmart. The D.C. Council, for instance, passed a bill that would have stuck Walmart, and only Walmart, with an extra-high minimum wage.
But in Ellisville, Mo., saying no to Walmart meant saying no to Big Government. The Institute for Justice — a leading foe of eminent domain abuse — reports:
Mayor Alan Paul had this novel idea for Walmart: “If you want to buy and develop property that exists, you can do it on your own dime.”
Large retailers always get corporate welfare from towns, cities, counties, and states. Walmart being the largest retailer, gets its fair share. I wrote on a Walmart distribution center in Florida that governments showered with aid.
Paul’s tack needs to be considered more: How about towns don’t try to block Walmart, and they don’t subsidize it, either?
