Thankful For Wal Mart

You get thoughts at the strangest times. This morning's thought came as I made my sone a grilled ham and cheese sandwich before taking him to basketball practice. It centered on how good kids have got it these days.

I cannot get across to my children how things have changed in thirty years. For most kids growing up in the 1970s, going out to eat somewhere that did not get your food to you in a minute or so was a big deal. If you found yourself eating a sandwich, it was bologna or Spam and "cheese food." Cheese food was the slices of stuff they put in the plastic. Brown beans or navy beans came to our table quite often, as did tuna noodle casserole. Forget steak or chicken breast. You almost never saw a chicken breast unless it was from Kentucky Fried Chicken. And that was a special meal too!

How about the generation before that? Ever listen to old country songs like "Coal Miner's Daughter?" If you've never heard of that song, look up the lyrics. A lot of people lived like that even after World War II.

The point is that America has advanced its living standards by leaps and bounds every generation in this century. We could do this because we had the most powerful and productive economy on earth. Plus we always looked to find the most efficient and effective ways to produce and do business. Almost anyone can enjoy a ham sandwich with real cheese for lunch and a steak for dinner now, not just because we make more money, but also because food and other items got less expensive. Wal Mart generally provides everything from food to clothing to drugs at lower prices than anyone else. That includes many items once thought of as near luxuries by those with lower salaries. In many counties in our region they employ more people than anyone, too. They need the work because of Obama's War on Coal.

Remember this next time you hear a left wing snob bash Wal Mart. Think of their contribution to America's higher standard of living. Among so many other things, I am thankful for Wal Mart and the American way. Let's hope that the left wing Democrats and Obama don't crush the life out of it.