Bernie: "Today the Walton family of Walmart own more wealth than the bottom 40 percent of America."

[bripat9643]

None of Walton's heirs are worth $50 billion.

Good point. There are six of them divvying up the $144.7 billion, but can you show where they're each receiving an equal amount?

She opposes the minimum wage because it's bad for the people it claims to help.

The rationalization for this should be fascinating...

Christy is the richest of them, and she only has $25 billion, not $50 billion.

Only $25 billion? Poor dear, how does she manage?

Now, about this:

She opposes the minimum wage because it's bad for the people it claims to help.

You can always count on a lib to fail to get the point. They think acting stupid is a winning debate strategy.

 

[Vigilante]

I just LOVE these little TRUTHS!!!!!!!

 

[paulitician]

Oh yeah, shopping at Walmart is a truly miserable experience. .

.......buuuuuuuut you STILL shop at Wal Mart...... WHY is that again?

Stopped shopping there awhile ago. I don't miss the dirty stinky misery. There are stores out there that provide clean stores, quality products, and friendly service. Once you stop shopping at Walmart, you truly respect what other stores provide. I do see myself ever being a Walmart shopper again.

 

[Campbell]

So these folks build a business....
Hire people.....
People shop there and don't seem to have a problem with it.
No one is putting a gun to their heads....

Walmart is a huge success story.....

And Libs have a problem with it.

Why?

One of Sam Walton's heirs, a woman worth $50 billion openly opposes any kind of minimum wage. She never earned anything in her life....just inherited it.

None of Walton's heirs are worth $50 billion, so you're obviously full of shit.

She opposes the minimum wage because it's bad for the people it claims to help.

Here’s the Top 10 Richest People United States as of 2012:

No. 4 Christy Walton & family
Net Worth:$25.3 billion – As of March 2012
Source: Walmart, inherited , Age: 57 , Citizenship: U.S.

You talk about gaping at a gnat and swallowing a camel!!!

Meet the Family

"The six Waltons on Forbes’ list of wealthiest Americans have a net worth of $144.7 billion. This fiscal year three Waltons—Rob, Jim, and Alice (and the various entities that they control)—will receive an estimated $3.1 billion in Walmart dividends from their majority stake in the company.

The Waltons aren’t just the face of the 1%; they’re the face of the 0.000001%. The Waltons have more wealth than 42% of American families combined."

I repeat...they oppose a minimum wage!!!!!

 

[CrusaderFrank]

So these folks build a business....
Hire people.....
People shop there and don't seem to have a problem with it.
No one is putting a gun to their heads....

Walmart is a huge success story.....

And Libs have a problem with it.

Why?

One of Sam Walton's heirs, a woman worth $50 billion openly opposes any kind of minimum wage. She never earned anything in her life....just inherited it.

None of Walton's heirs are worth $50 billion, so you're obviously full of shit.

She opposes the minimum wage because it's bad for the people it claims to help.

Here’s the Top 10 Richest People United States as of 2012:

No. 4 Christy Walton & family
Net Worth:$25.3 billion – As of March 2012
Source: Walmart, inherited , Age: 57 , Citizenship: U.S.

You talk about gaping at a gnat and swallowing a camel!!!

The six Waltons on Forbes’ list of wealthiest Americans have a net worth of $144.7 billion. This fiscal year three Waltons—Rob, Jim, and Alice (and the various entities that they control)—will receive an estimated $3.1 billion in Walmart dividends from their majority stake in the company.

The Waltons aren’t just the face of the 1%; they’re the face of the 0.000001%. The Waltons have more wealth than 42% of American families combined.

So?

 

[Arianrhod]

None of Walton's heirs are worth $50 billion.

Good point. There are six of them divvying up the $144.7 billion, but can you show where they're each receiving an equal amount?

She opposes the minimum wage because it's bad for the people it claims to help.

The rationalization for this should be fascinating...

Christy is the richest of them, and she only has $25 billion, not $50 billion.

Only $25 billion? Poor dear, how does she manage?

Now, about this:

She opposes the minimum wage because it's bad for the people it claims to help.

You can always count on a lib to fail to get the point. They think acting stupid is a winning debate strategy.

Your point was quite clear. You worship the wealthy, facts be damned.

Your precious princess's company is tanking. You should offer to let her crash on your couch when things get really ugly.

 

[g5000]

Let's give the Walton's the other 60 percent of the wealth, and then create a reality TV show to follow them and find out what they do with it.

"How much you want for Nigeria?"

 

[Campbell]

So these folks build a business....
Hire people.....
People shop there and don't seem to have a problem with it.
No one is putting a gun to their heads....

Walmart is a huge success story.....

And Libs have a problem with it.

Why?

One of Sam Walton's heirs, a woman worth $50 billion openly opposes any kind of minimum wage. She never earned anything in her life....just inherited it.

None of Walton's heirs are worth $50 billion, so you're obviously full of shit.

She opposes the minimum wage because it's bad for the people it claims to help.

Here’s the Top 10 Richest People United States as of 2012:

No. 4 Christy Walton & family
Net Worth:$25.3 billion – As of March 2012
Source: Walmart, inherited , Age: 57 , Citizenship: U.S.

You talk about gaping at a gnat and swallowing a camel!!!

The six Waltons on Forbes’ list of wealthiest Americans have a net worth of $144.7 billion. This fiscal year three Waltons—Rob, Jim, and Alice (and the various entities that they control)—will receive an estimated $3.1 billion in Walmart dividends from their majority stake in the company.

The Waltons aren’t just the face of the 1%; they’re the face of the 0.000001%. The Waltons have more wealth than 42% of American families combined.

So?

By Gawd it's like I've said....the rich don't just want wealth, they want all the wealth. Adjust for inflation and VOILA!!! In case you can't manage the chart 80% have lost ground and are losing more every year. And folks wonder what happened to the middle class.

 

[auditor0007]

So these folks build a business....
Hire people.....
People shop there and don't seem to have a problem with it.
No one is putting a gun to their heads....

Walmart is a huge success story.....

And Libs have a problem with it.

Why?

No problem with the success story or with people making money and having great success from building a business or empire. That being said, can you not see the problem with one family having as much wealth as 40% of the country? Does that not concern you in any way? What if that 40% jumps to 80%? Will it concern you then? Walmart got this big and profitable by paying the lowest wages they can. They have not been a success story for Americans, just for themselves. Obviously they have seen the writing on the wall and now are increasing wages. Supposedly by February, no employee of Walmart will be making less than $10 per hour. That is definitely a step in the right direction.

 

[Arianrhod]

So these folks build a business....
Hire people.....
People shop there and don't seem to have a problem with it.
No one is putting a gun to their heads....

Walmart is a huge success story.....

And Libs have a problem with it.

Why?

One of Sam Walton's heirs, a woman worth $50 billion openly opposes any kind of minimum wage. She never earned anything in her life....just inherited it.

None of Walton's heirs are worth $50 billion, so you're obviously full of shit.

She opposes the minimum wage because it's bad for the people it claims to help.

Here’s the Top 10 Richest People United States as of 2012:

No. 4 Christy Walton & family
Net Worth:$25.3 billion – As of March 2012
Source: Walmart, inherited , Age: 57 , Citizenship: U.S.

You talk about gaping at a gnat and swallowing a camel!!!

The six Waltons on Forbes’ list of wealthiest Americans have a net worth of $144.7 billion. This fiscal year three Waltons—Rob, Jim, and Alice (and the various entities that they control)—will receive an estimated $3.1 billion in Walmart dividends from their majority stake in the company.

The Waltons aren’t just the face of the 1%; they’re the face of the 0.000001%. The Waltons have more wealth than 42% of American families combined.

So?

By Gawd it's like I've said....the rich don't just want wealth, they want all the wealth. Adjust for inflation and VOILA!!! In case you can't manage the chart 80% have lost ground and are losing more every year. And folks wonder what happened to the middle class.

They'll ignore the data and freak out because "Like, OMG, Mother Jones!111!" Watch.

 

[Remodeling Maidiac]

I don't see how anyone can justify this.
Bernie Sanders says Walmart heirs own more wealth than bottom 40 percent of Americans

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, tweeted a startling statistic to his followers on July 22, 2012: "Today the Walton family of Walmart own more wealth than the bottom 40 percent of America."

Sanders speaks and writes frequently about wealth distribution in the U.S., a hot-button issue among liberals and a rallying cry of the Occupy Wall Street Movement.

The Waltons, of course, are members of the proverbial 1 percent. But are they really sitting on that much wealth? We decided to check it out.

First, what is wealth?

In economics, wealth is commonly measured in terms of net worth, and it’s defined as the value of assets minus liabilities. For someone in the middle class, that could encompass the value of their 401(k) or other retirement accounts, bank savings and personal assets such as jewelry or cars, minus what they owe on a home mortgage, credit cards and a car note.

It does not include income -- what people earn in wages. For that reason, someone who earns a good salary but has little savings and owes a lot of money on their house would have a negative net worth.

In fact, because so many Americans invest in real estate to buy a home, middle-class wealth has been one of the biggest casualties of the housing-driven recession.

From 2007 to 2010, typical families lost 39 percent of their wealth, according to the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances, done every three years. In 2007, the median family net worth was $126,400. In 2010, it was $77,300, according to the survey.

Where the Waltons fit in

Six members of the Walton family appear on the Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest Americans. Christy Walton, widow of the late John Walton, leads the clan at No. 6 with a net worth of $25.3 billion as of March 2012. She is also the richest woman in the world for the seventh year in a row, according to Forbes. Here are the other five:

No. 9: Jim Walton, $23.7 billion
No. 10: Alice Walton, $23.3 billion
No. 11: S. Robson Walton, oldest son of Sam Walton, $23.1 billion
No. 103: Ann Walton Kroenke, $3.9 billion
No. 139: Nancy Walton Laurie, $3.4 billion

 

[Arianrhod]

Walmart is a huge success story.....

Was, past tense. They've been operating at a deficit for years despite leeching off the middle-class taxpayer and they recently suffered a $14.7 billion loss in a single day.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

I do not shop at Walmart. The Waltons make billions each year, my taxes should not subsidize their workers.

I agree, so why do you keep voting for it?

 

[Clementine]

I don't see how anyone can justify this.
Bernie Sanders says Walmart heirs own more wealth than bottom 40 percent of Americans

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, tweeted a startling statistic to his followers on July 22, 2012: "Today the Walton family of Walmart own more wealth than the bottom 40 percent of America."

Sanders speaks and writes frequently about wealth distribution in the U.S., a hot-button issue among liberals and a rallying cry of the Occupy Wall Street Movement.

The Waltons, of course, are members of the proverbial 1 percent. But are they really sitting on that much wealth? We decided to check it out.

First, what is wealth?

In economics, wealth is commonly measured in terms of net worth, and it’s defined as the value of assets minus liabilities. For someone in the middle class, that could encompass the value of their 401(k) or other retirement accounts, bank savings and personal assets such as jewelry or cars, minus what they owe on a home mortgage, credit cards and a car note.

It does not include income -- what people earn in wages. For that reason, someone who earns a good salary but has little savings and owes a lot of money on their house would have a negative net worth.

In fact, because so many Americans invest in real estate to buy a home, middle-class wealth has been one of the biggest casualties of the housing-driven recession.

From 2007 to 2010, typical families lost 39 percent of their wealth, according to the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances, done every three years. In 2007, the median family net worth was $126,400. In 2010, it was $77,300, according to the survey.

Where the Waltons fit in

Six members of the Walton family appear on the Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest Americans. Christy Walton, widow of the late John Walton, leads the clan at No. 6 with a net worth of $25.3 billion as of March 2012. She is also the richest woman in the world for the seventh year in a row, according to Forbes. Here are the other five:

No. 9: Jim Walton, $23.7 billion
No. 10: Alice Walton, $23.3 billion
No. 11: S. Robson Walton, oldest son of Sam Walton, $23.1 billion
No. 103: Ann Walton Kroenke, $3.9 billion
No. 139: Nancy Walton Laurie, $3.4 billion

Why are they wealthy?

Did they break laws?
Did they force people to shop there?

They've been making money for decades, through Dem and Repub administrations and Dem majorities in congress. Funny that libs always claim they intend to go after the wealthy and have missed many opportunities. They would blame the Repubs if only one guy was in congress.

Thing is, companies make money because the people willingly shop with them. If people stopped going to Walmart, they would fail. The people have all the power, but we are so disorganized that there will never be a coordinated effort to support the local businesses who sell American made products. Imagine what it would be like if more people were informed shoppers and decided to quit buying crap from China just because it's cheap.

As it is, companies follow the regulations, make savvy business decisions, and then get vilified for it.

Instead of bitching about wealth disparity, why not offer something more constructive. It's not government's place to step in and punish those who succeed under the current laws. If people are so upset with Walmart's business practices, why do so many continue to support them by giving them their business?

I don't like Walmart. I don't shop there. I hate cheap crap made in China and I don't want it in my house. I prefer my local grocery store for food. If more people were a little pickier about what they buy, the left wouldn't be so outraged that a company is making huge profits by selling shit from China. But it's legal and your complaining doesn't do shit.

The people can make or break any business. It's about choices and looks like millions of people across the country are okay with Walmart or they wouldn't go there.

 

[Meathead]

Easy. Stop shopping at wally world. We did that 20 years ago. Stop shopping there and their wealth drops.

That's actually funny.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Costco and/or WinCo will do just that, and Walmart will fail that much faster.

Then I don't understand what your issue is. Sounds like the market will work everything out.

Seems I'll have to edumacate about food deserts as well...

Food deserts exist because store owners and employees aren't in the business of getting robbed.

 

[Arianrhod]

Why are they wealthy?

Because their grandfather made a fortune, which they're now squandering while simultaneously costing the taxpayer money. Not sure why you'd want to defend that.

Did they break laws?

Unfortunately, the laws allow them to gouge the middle-class taxpayer. But if you're okay with that, those laws will stay in place.

Did they force people to shop there?

In markets where they've driven out every other store, yes.

They've been making money for decades.

Until 2012, when they began operating at a deficit. And a few weeks ago they declared a loss of over $14 billion dollars.

Costco and/or WinCo will do just that, and Walmart will fail that much faster.

Then I don't understand what your issue is. Sounds like the market will work everything out.

My issue is with the fact that middle-class taxpayers have been paying for this shoddy business model, both in billion-dollar tax breaks to the corporation, and in SNAP benefits for its employees because the third-generation Waltons pay them on the cheap.

Seems I'll have to edumacate about food deserts as well...

Food deserts exist because store owners and employees aren't in the business of getting robbed.

In urban areas that’s often a contributing factor. In the suburbs and rural areas – which is where most Walmart stores are (because they’re often the only employer for miles; in a major city people looking for work have more options at better pay) – it’s more often than not because they’ve driven all the Mom & Pop groceries and service stations out of the area.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Who cares about the Walton's the government wastes more money in a year than the Walton's ever made

 

[Arianrhod]

Who cares about the Walton's the government wastes more money in a year than the Walton's ever made

So you're happy to pay for more waste? Okay.

 

[Cecilie1200]

I don't see how anyone can justify this.
Bernie Sanders says Walmart heirs own more wealth than bottom 40 percent of Americans

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, tweeted a startling statistic to his followers on July 22, 2012: "Today the Walton family of Walmart own more wealth than the bottom 40 percent of America."

Sanders speaks and writes frequently about wealth distribution in the U.S., a hot-button issue among liberals and a rallying cry of the Occupy Wall Street Movement.

The Waltons, of course, are members of the proverbial 1 percent. But are they really sitting on that much wealth? We decided to check it out.

First, what is wealth?

In economics, wealth is commonly measured in terms of net worth, and it’s defined as the value of assets minus liabilities. For someone in the middle class, that could encompass the value of their 401(k) or other retirement accounts, bank savings and personal assets such as jewelry or cars, minus what they owe on a home mortgage, credit cards and a car note.

It does not include income -- what people earn in wages. For that reason, someone who earns a good salary but has little savings and owes a lot of money on their house would have a negative net worth.

In fact, because so many Americans invest in real estate to buy a home, middle-class wealth has been one of the biggest casualties of the housing-driven recession.

From 2007 to 2010, typical families lost 39 percent of their wealth, according to the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances, done every three years. In 2007, the median family net worth was $126,400. In 2010, it was $77,300, according to the survey.

Where the Waltons fit in

Six members of the Walton family appear on the Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest Americans. Christy Walton, widow of the late John Walton, leads the clan at No. 6 with a net worth of $25.3 billion as of March 2012. She is also the richest woman in the world for the seventh year in a row, according to Forbes. Here are the other five:

No. 9: Jim Walton, $23.7 billion
No. 10: Alice Walton, $23.3 billion
No. 11: S. Robson Walton, oldest son of Sam Walton, $23.1 billion
No. 103: Ann Walton Kroenke, $3.9 billion
No. 139: Nancy Walton Laurie, $3.4 billion

See, I'm caught on wondering WHY anyone would NEED to justify it.

The Walton family started and built a store chain which millions of people shop at every day, and which employs thousands of people. Said store chain brings in billions of dollars in revenue, thus paying the members of the family which created it a share of that revenue.

They have also prudently saved and invested that income, rather than pissing it away, thus increasing their wealth.

The "bottom 40%", on the other hand, have NOT started and built anything which brings in large amounts of revenue, and therefore do not receive a share of that nonexistent revenue.

Not seeing the confusion here. This isn't rocket magic.