Evil is in the eyes of the beholder.

On the way to my brother-in-law's retirement party a couple weekends ago, we passed a sign saying McDonald's was selling the McCrap. Then I realized I read the sign wrong - it was McWrap. Oh well, same thing, even pronounced the same.

Just how do you make yourself worth a higher wage when no one is paying one? It is bad enough to see corporations so profit driven they are willing to treat their employees like cannon fodder, depriving them of a decent wage and the ability to care for their families while paying extravagant salaries and benefits to management. More amazing and disheartening is to see people like Genvieve who have so absorbed the propaganda of the Republican Party and Fox News that they actually support that agenda.

Total lies from you. The number of hours an employee works has no bearing on whether or not they get insurance. Insurance is given as a benefit, and it is up to the employer, regardless of hours. Of course that all changes with the stupid Obamacare, which will cause more people to lose jobs and their insurance.

Michael M. is completely wrong. Obamacare does not effect part time employees. I am sure he is used to it by now. Obamacare also makes it less expensive for those companies that want to offer health insurance.

It does not affect part time employees, but it does affect full time employees. Enployers are already cutting employees hours to less than 30 hrs per week in order to avoid having to pay for insurance. The Obama care law cut off is 50 employees or more and those employees working 30 hrs or more. So employers will cut you to part time and you will lose your insurance. Way to go Obama and the rest of you who voted for this crap. I also work in healthcare for more than 25 years. I nurses who have already had their hours cut, we also had our meetings about how Obamacare will work, and if you think your healthcare will be the same or better, you have a rude awakening coming to you. For example, the best stent for heart disease will no longer be used unless you can pay out of pocket for it, Obamacare does not pay for it (about $2500.00), so you will get a less effective stent, which means you have a 40% chance of having that same artery close again and having another cardiac event, versus having only a 1 to 2% chance with the best stent. You will be back at the hospital with your second cardiac event, which means it will cost more money, which will drive healthcare prices and insurance up. You get what you voted for, enjoy!!!

This isn't a lie - if you work a minimum of 20 hours your employer must offer you a healthcare package. If you work under 20 hours the employer is not obligated to off healthcare.

Formereastside- Show me where there is any federal law that requires an employers to give you health insurance based on the number of hours you work. I think you are mistaken. Only Hawaii requires it, and that is a state law, not federal. Now when Obamacare goes into full force employers will be required by fed law to provide insurance to employees who work 30 or more hours per pay period. So employers are just going to cut employees to 29 hrs or less, as they have already started to do.

Some of the school districts use the less than 20 hour tactic to avoid insurance while paying extravagant salaries and benefits to management.

I watched it on PBS. I cried. It was a very good documentary and I encourage all to see it.

PBS is an arm of the leftist and socialist movement. They are not an unbiased source.

Michael M. is completely wrong again. No surprise. Public radio gives complete news stories.

Independent Lens shows independently-produced documentaries on a variety of subjects. The documentaries they show aren't produced by PBS, just aired by them, and carry the opinions and biases of the independent writers/producers who make them. Most of the documentaries are film-festival award winners.

No one is unbiased, but if we choose to, we can all seek out information from a variety of sources, which I prefer to do. It's easy, and often lazy to slap a label on a point of view and dismiss it, or alternatively, take it at face value, especially if we haven't taken the time to explore it thoroughly.

I examine the merits of different viewpoints for myself and see the merits of a diverse variety of viewpoints on both ends of the spectrum and everything in-between, keeping in mind both ends of the political spectrum have been co-opted and corrupted by greed, money, and power. My political views are a mix of left, right, and center. While I'd like to see more than two viable political parties, I can see the value and respect the merits of both, while disagreeing with aspects of both.

Sorry, but there is no one right way to see things. We can though, do our best to gather facts, be respectful of viewpoints even when we disagree, and form balanced opinions that can even be open to change based on more information and changing circumstances. Or not. We can just slap a label on it and go about our own business, which works just fine for many people as well.

Linda T - PBS picks which shows they air. If I produced an independent negative documentary about Obama, they would choose not to air it.

Well, of course they do, just like every other network chooses what they air.

PBS, and public radio for that matter, have not been all glowing about Obama and you might know that if you chose not to dismiss it. PBS and public radio have exposed and discussed problems with both major political parties. Like I said, being dismissive is easy. You're not going to narrow my perspective, and it's unlikely I'll broaden yours. That's ok with me - thankfully we're fortunate enough to live in a country where, at least last time I checked, we are free to have our own points of view.

You are free to say and think whatever you want. I would never want to limit anyone's speech or thought. But, I also have the right to my speech and to let people know when I believe they are wrong. You won't understand until you start to lose some freedoms, I bet you won't be happy when we have to start paying the global UN tax. http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news/policy/wess2012.html

Trust me MM, I'm quite aware of the illusion of 'freedom' and the continual erosion of what little we actually have. I also know it's been going on for a long time under administrations of both parties.

The shop somewhere else, you have that right. Aren't you glad that you have that right?

So, Genvieve, you think that is fair what Walmart is doing to their employees and you support them in their efforts. Here is an excerpt from Corporate Walmart regarding the History and Dream of Sam Walton, founder of Walmart:
"Sam credited the rapid growth of Walmart not just to the low costs that attracted his customers, but also to his associates. He relied on them to give customers the great shopping experience that would keep them coming back. Sam shared his vision for the company with associates in a way that was nearly unheard of in the industry. He made them partners in the success of the company, and firmly believed that this partnership was what made Walmart great."
Apparently, this vision died with Sam Walton in 1992.

My kids are grown but money was tight when they were young. Their clothes came from garage sales, 2nd hand shops, and hand-me-downs. They were nursed and wore cloth diapers. I saved huge amounts of money, they didn't suffer, and they grew up to be wonderful human beings with strong values.

I'm not saying that as a criticism, just saying there are many different ways of seeing, poor or not.

It's the most democratic thing in the world - voting with our dollars. Personally I prefer not to support companies run by billionaires among the richest on the planet whose fortunes are made on the backs of the working poor and slave labor in third-world countries. No, I can't control their behavior, but I sure can choose not to support it. That's my right and I'll continue to exercise it by choosing carefully where my money goes.

You are doing well keeping employment in China high.

That is why 4 individual owners are all on the weathiest American list. They could still easily have more money than can be spent in a lifetime and offer better pay and benefits to their employees.

Raising the minimum wage will cost employers to reduce the work force. The more employers have to spend the less they have to hire employees.

I know Michael. I was being somewhat rhetorical with that statement. Unfortunately, sometimes people can't see past these issues and understand that there are unintended consequences to everyone getting paid more.

#1 If Walmart paid higher wages, they would pick up their own employees as customers. It would more than offset any customer loss from slightly higher prices.

#2 Minimum wage is not a living wage, especially if you are always getting less than 40 hours a week.

#3 Conservatives can't have it both ways: Medicaid and food stamps can't be horrible problems that unfair support lazy people, but acceptable for Walmart employees to use to compensate for low wages. It's not right for a company that makes that much profit to pay it's employees so poorly. What ever happened to the idea of investing in the people who work for you and are the faces of your company?

Do you have tomorrow off? If so, thank unions.

I suppose you also blame the unions for taking away your precious Twinkies and completely ignore the fact that because of inept management, they went into bankruptcy twice in eight years and executives rewarded themselves with huge pay raises. "I got mine, ---- you."

unions had nothing to do with having tomorrow off. That was a federal law passed back when FDR was president, he kept changing the date so congress made a law to avoid the confusion. Unions spout off that many of the benefits we enjoy is from them, but it simply is not true. No I am not off, I will be on call for the hospital. Thanks Unions!!

Fangman, you would take the pay also if you had the chance. Wait, are you one of those guys that refuse their raise because someone else is not making as much as you? I bet not.

Michael M. --"unions had nothing to do with having tomorrow off." Hey, Mikey, your lack of understanding of federal law and holidays and the history of how unions help build the middle class is pathetic!

There are no federal laws which require private employers to give their employees a federal holiday off with or without pay. There is no federal law which requires an employer to pay their employees extra pay for working on a federally designated holiday. These benefits were won by workers, mostly in unions, fighting and striking and sometimes dying for every work benefit that people like you, who are the real 'takers' in our society, enjoy.

Hey Walt- Unions had nothing to do with Thanksgiving becoming a holiday. I never said there was any federal law requiring you get a day off work. Employers choose to give you the day off. All you are doing is spouting progressive talking points. Unions have severed their purpose, and no doubt they had some influence in many of the benefits we have today, but the union leaders, not the members, have become corrupt and drunk with power. They get rich and give union money away to politcos who in turn give union leaders great deals on pensions that can't be paid. Wait until Illinois can't pay the union pensions that are due to public workers, do you think the likes of Andy Stern or Richard Trumka will care? No, they already have their millions, but the members will have no pension.

I love how you call me a taker. How do I take from anyone? I pay all my own bills with money I earn from my 2 jobs, I feed my family with that same money, I give to charity, I take nothing from the govt or from you. And I pay a ton in taxes and I am middle class and we are going to pay even more in taxes and so will you.

Um, just a reminder: there are other TV channels besides Fox News.

Hey Fangman, is it possible that someone who disagrees with this article and the progressive writer who penned it just happens to disagree with him and isn't a fan of Fox News? No offense, but you probably won't win many arguments if you use the typical playbook every time.

He called PBS "an arm of the leftist and socialist movement" earlier. That's pretty much the modus operandi of the average Fox News viewer.

I watch PBS, MSNBC, CNN, FoxNews, and many other news sources. I even blog on the Huffington Post, I like to be well rounded and versed in my politics because no one news source has all the facts. So be careful about judging a person

I'm with you - we could all do with more mutual respect for each other. The world would be a better place if we could all at least try to see things from the perspectives of others. We are all in this together, like it or not. Peace, and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

I respect all of your opinions, but you're still wrong. Mutual respect does not change any of the facts, and I am not going to sugar coat something so that you can "feel good" about yourself or your situation or our political process.

Wow - that's a lot of power you (think you) have, MM if you actually believe anyone needs your "sugar coating" of "facts" in order to "feel good" about "themselves or their situation."

Concerning the political process, anyone who "feels good" about it with or without your "sugar coating" regardless of which major party's agenda we're speaking of, hasn't done their homework.

Linda T- I have no power, Why does it always have to be about power or authority? I prefer everyone make their own decisions. I just think the facts should be offered so that people can make informed decisions. I am speaking of the sugar coating that in general is offered by the media or anyone who talks about politics or thinks that being PC is the way to communicate. I am just saying that I am not going to sugar coat it as compared to others. You do not have to agree with me, or like what I say. All I ask is that you respect my right to express my opinions and to offer them for public consumption.

PS-I am a conservative and I think you would be truly surprised by what conservatives actually believe, if some of you would take the time to engage in actual conversation.

The employees at the New Lenox and Homer store are great. Always helpful and never had a problem with them.

Someone drank too much kool-aid.

Good point!!

You're assuming I am a liberal. I just stated no one cares where you shop. You're not that important.

Yeah, and the management that led them into two bankruptcies in eight years yet still could find the money to give themselves pay raises, had absolutely nothing to do with Hostess going under.