Consumers do have choices. I for one will never again visit the St. Louis Dispatch. Why? Because of Kurt Greenbaum. What a douche. Any newspaper that employs a hypocrite like Greenbaum will not have my readership.

Not KG,

Then leave already. We won’t miss you.

Phillip,

You are absolutely correct. Everyone should be free to buy the products of their choice. The problem comes when a small but very vocal minority decides to force their desires on everyone else. The recent smoking ban is a good example of this. Everyone had the choice to patronize businesses that allowed smoking or those that didn’t but, this small but vocal minority decided they had the right to force business owners to bend to their wishes at the point of the government gun. So, you really don’t have the right to patronize the businesses you wish. Big brother will guide you to the politically correct business.

Back to your original post, consumers can sometimes do business with companies that support America but, if you think the majority of consumers will give up the low Wal-Mart prices, you’re sadly mistaken.

Phillip, I couldnt agree more. We, at the present time, have CHOICE in where we want to go and who we want to patronize. For some reason, Americans have forgotten that. It’s called freedom and frankly I don’t think most people have a remote clue what the real definition really is.

No one is FORCED to solicit a business. If you have a beef against Emerson then don’t buy it. However, Mr Farr, whether you like it or not, has a responsibility to his shareholders as you do your own children. It’s too bad so many don’t understand how business really works and that it’s not a welfare plan.

superdave, I would submit that the biggest problem with American business over the last 50 years is the near complete focus on quarterly profits at the expense of virtually everything else.

This focus has led to the almost complete collapse of the manufacturing economy by placing profit ahead of capital investment in new plant or improvement to existing plant. Further, it has led to the erosion of the unwritten contract that used to be called loyalty. Within recent memory, there was a time where employers were loyal to their employees, and they earned loyalty in return. Today, employers still demand loyalty from the employees…but grant darned little in return for that loyalty.

The actions of Emerson to shut down and leave the country is directly about the above. They believe they can make a few more cents per share by shattering the lives of their employees, and they probably can. However, is shareholder profit the only thing? I wonder, what would happen if the individual owners of Emerson stock were to start selling as result of this announcement? Would enough of them sell enough stock to depress the price? I know, it won’t happen, but what if it did?

— James R
“The recent smoking ban is a good example of this. . ”
Nonsense, BS, illogical, rubbish
.
The ban was passed by a vote of the people, the people that cared enough to vote. People that don’t just whine and post trash on these PD boards, but responsible individuals that try to right a wrong by voting in the right. Anybody that thinks smoking in a public place is Aok and not a health hazard is living in the haze of tobacco smoke. My hunch is that most of the so vocal so negative wacko right wing extremists leaving their vomit on these PD boards don’t even vote.

STL, if you do not like smoke do not go there, silly to pass a law. Yes we do vote, wait until next year. Yourself and the rest of the control freaks will be in for it.

I worked for a very large food producer, had an order with Wallmart, they said if we did not meet the deadline would cancle all orders from the entire company. Kind of the same with workers, if you do not like it leave, well if we keep shopping there what happens. Lower price, at what cost?

— almon
“Yourself and the rest of the control freaks will be in for it.”
.
It’s a public health issue chump, and you know it.
Public health for the customers and probably more importantly the employees that have to breathe the smoke for hours on end.
.
Science has proven that 2nd hand smoke kills.

First off, there is no proof that second hand smoke kills. However, Socialism has killed more than your fake second hand smoke could ever begin to kill.

As stated, if you dont like the smoke then dont go in. Again, I hate smoking but i love freedom more! If you dont like it either dont go in or build your own!

Hs, our government has chased more business out of this country than ever can be imagined. Business is not there to provide you a job. Business is there to make a profit. If you make it attractive to a business then they will build and jobs will happen. However, when you over tax and over regulate, then you get companies that leave this U.S. Its been proven, so if they keep leaving then all I can say is “How is your way working for you?”

Why is it so hard for your side to figure it out?