Wally World

Just in case you were on the edge of your seat waiting to know: yes, I am still bleeding again today. More than yesterday. I'm almost afraid to find out what my levels will be tomorrow. I've inquired of Dr. Google but can't find much information related to bleeding and hormone levels. I'm not even sure if they're related. If it continues, I may go ahead and schedule an appointment with OB just to discuss things in person with her.

So, the biggest news in my smallish town of about 15,000 is that the new Super W*l-M*rt just opened. 24/7, closed only on Christmas Day I think. My neice informs me that it is the biggest W*l-M*rt in Ohio, 3rd largest in the nation, and 9th largest in the World. How oh how did we get the dubious distinction of containing it? The behemoth consists of 206,000 square feet after abondoning their paltry 74,000 square foot building across the road.

It's not that I'm against progress. This W*l-M*rt is only the first of many large retail stores that will open here in the near future and I'm glad to see the area growing. I knew when we moved here that it will eventually become a suburb of Columbus. I'm hoping that more people will mean better funded schools and more job opportunities for myself when that day comes.

I also don't necessarily have a problem with big-box retailers. Target is one of my favorite places in the world to shop and I will be glad to see this town get one eventually.

What I do have a big problem with is W*l-M*rt. When I first started typing this post, I was going to make it a comprehensive reference on the evils of the chain. But there's plenty of people out there who have done that much more succintly than me. If you're interested, just google why is walmart bad and you will have plenty of reading material. Basically, they are the worst of the worst in how they treat their employees, their suppliers, and even (in my own humble opinion) their customers.

One issue that really haunts me about W*l-M*rt is a subject that is currently near and dear to my heart: health insurance. The average national wage of W*l-M*rt employees is $10.11. One site I found said that family coverage is $218/month. Considerng that most employees are limited to about 30 hours of work per week, that's a pretty significant percentage of pay. And, to add insult to injury, their coverage caps out at paying $1000/year. There's no way that the vast majority of W*l-M*rt employees could even consider any kind of fertility treatments.

Well, I've ranted enough. I'll step down from the soapbox now. I'm telling all my friends that I have no plans to set foot in the new W*l-M*rt. This statement draws horrified, unbelieving looks from most of them. But it makes them stop and think. And that's all I'm asking: that you just take a moment to pause and consider.