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Citizens for Responsible Corporations and Local Economies


BIG BOX ORDINANCE PASSES!

On February 15, 2007, the Austin City Council adopted the long-awaited "big box" ordinance on a 6-0 vote, marking a major victory for Austin Full Circle and its community partners.

Click here for details.

 

 

A healthy economy is like a circle. People work, get paid, and buy things...that are made by other people who work, get paid, and buy things. As these links repeat, they form a circle. And as long as every link holds, the circle works.

But what happens if one of these links starts to break down? What happens if the biggest employer in the country, for example, won't pay its workers enough to buy the things they need? What happens if the factories that used to pay people to make things close their doors and move overseas?

The circle snaps. And when it does, it becomes a downward spiral, taking our healthy economy sliding down along with it.

Nowhere is this downward spiral more evident than in the world of big-box retail. Major employers like Wal-Mart pay poverty-level wages to store "associates" while shipping American manufacturing jobs overseas. As shoppers, we're blinded by so-called low prices, not noticing that we pick up a hefty tab for hidden costs on our tax bills. Some folks complain about the ugliness of big-box developments - but the real danger is not esthetic, it's economic!

At Full CIRCLE, we believe corporate responsibility and strong local economies go hand in hand. As consumers, we have the power to demand change and to start repairs on the broken economic spiral.

Big-box retail is a good shopping choice to have. But we don't want it to crowd out our other retail options or cloud our overall economic picture. With increased growth of big-box developments, we need solid planning to keep our local retail economy strong, balanced and diverse. Let's CIRCLE up and work together for corporate responsibility and healthy local economies.

 

Are Wal-Marts Magnets for Crime?
A national study of 551 Wal-Marts found the average rate of reported police incidents for each Wal-Mart store was 400 percent higher than the average rate for the nearest Target store - and six times higher for serious and violent crime. Costs to local police departments for responses to a single Wal-Mart store averaged up to $59,000 per year.

"Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price"
Find out more about the movie Wal-Mart doesn't want you to see.

"Wal-Mart: Rolling Back Prices..and Worker's Rights"
View this cartoon to find out how Wal-Mart really treats it's workers.

Click here: Full Circle Weighs in on Box at Mueller

Click here: Better Big Box Choices

 

 

TOP TEN REASONS TO SHOP ANYWHERE BUT WAL-MART ... (1) WAL-MART TAKES AWAY THREE LOCAL JOBS FOR EVERY TWO IT CREATES - AND THEN PAYS POVERTY WAGES. (2) WAL-MART PUTS LOCAL STORES OUT OF BUSINESS. (3) WAL-MART ROUTINELY DISREGARDS LABOR LAWS. (4) WAL-MART DOES NOT HAVE THE LOWEST PRICES - AND WAS ORDERED TO STOP SAYING SO! (5) WAL-MART COSTS YOU MONEY AT TAX TIME. (6) WAL-MART LEADS IN KILLING AMERICAN MANUFACTURING JOBS. (7) WAL-MART DOES NOT HELP GROW THE CITY'S SALES TAX BASE. (8) WAL-MART ALREADY OUTNUMBERS OTHER RETAILERS IN AUSTIN BY MORE THAN TWO TO ONE. (9) WAL-MART'S PROFITS DO NOT STAY IN OUR COMMUNITY. (10) WAL-MART IS THE BIGGEST COMPANY ON THE PLANET. IF IT DOESN'T TAKE THE LEAD ON CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY, WHO WILL?




"I think we have to get away from the mentality that we're just glad to get a job," said St. Sabina's pastor, the Rev. Michael Pfleger. "We've got to stop accepting crumbs as if it's the only thing we're meant to eat. A slave job is a slave job."
Chicago Sun-Times
5/2/04

 

 


 

 

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