On the 11th of February, the City Council in Springfield, Missouri held a hearing on whether or not Wal-Mart should be allowed to open yet another store, in a city already containing FIVE Wal-Marts.
During a break, Wal-Mart representatives started trash talking several City Councilmembers over a traffic study, foolishy thinking the microphones were off.
(audio clip from Springfield, Mo City Council video: hot mike during break catches Wal-Mart rep's trash talk)
In case you could not understand it, here's the transcript: "I'm thinking Bailes is a no Clayton: Oh my god-what's his deal. Who paid for the traffic study you dipshit-who pays for it all!
In other words, Wal-Mart won't hesitate to take a great big smelly dump in the faces of any local government officials who dare to question their expansion plans, or question their so-called "studies." They seem to think if Wal-Mart expends a dime to meet legal requirements of a study, the city is then obligated to approve Wal-Marts plans in return.
Here in DC, Wal-Mart is known to have Mayor Gray in their pocket, but several City Councilmembers are talking of bills to regulate labor conditions in Big Box stores. Passing one of these bills would either force Wal-Mart to make unprecedented concessions, or better yet cancel their stores and get the hell out of DC.
In the meantime, all I can say is "Oh my God-What is Wal-Mart smoking to think they can treat our cities like this?" I don't know what it is, but I do NOT want a hit on it, and I hope to God it goes out before I have to smell any more of it!
Wal-Mart Representative had a potty mouth, had to be quoted in read- over-air transcript, as his words were hard to understand over noise of City Council mike not in intentional use