Wal-Mart plays a curiously illustrative role in this jobs phenomenon—not just in the creation of low- paying jobs and the downward pressure on wages and benefits, but also in the export of existing manufacturing jobs to foreign countries offering cheap labor. Wal-Mart markets itself with a patriotic, small-town, red-white-and-blue advertising motif. But Wal-Mart's trade practices are anything but small-town. Indeed, Wal-Mart conducts international trade in manufactured goods on a scale that can bring down entire nations' economies. While the red-white-and-blue banners remain, long-gone are the days when Wal-Mart abided by the mottos of Buy American and Bring It Home to the USA. In 1995, Wal-Mart claimed only 6 percent of its merchandise was imported. Today an estimated 50-60 percent of its products come from overseas.
a) A Congressman Explores Wal-Mart's Labor Practices in the United States and Asia 2004
b) Unsafe at Any Speed Ralph Nader 1965
c) David Y.H. Wu, Anthropologist, Believes Taiwanese McDonald's is a Local Institution 1997
d) Jewish Immigrant Abraham Kohn Laments His Wanderings as a Peddler 1842-1843
