Wal-Mart: You Want It Cheap And Nasty, Don't You?

Wal-Mart is about to change it's advertising approach. No, this doesn't mean they'll be spending ad money on a much-needed apology for their dangerous flip flops or for slowly strangling the North American economy.

The new strategy? "Save Money, Live Better." Put that up on the wall at a Chinese slave pit to inspire your employees.

The funny thing is that Wal-Mart itself appears to be ready to do some serious spending itself. Rumour has it that Wal-Mart is looking to eat a big chunk of retailer Tesco.

It's a fine line between "corporate expansion" and metastasis.

So really, should anyone in North America care about this? Isn't the idea here that a free market will find its own level? Surely, Wal-Mart's rampant capitalist success makes the North American economy more free, not less... right?

As a matter of fact, the North American economy is so free that even a shlub like me can own a piece of the world's biggest retailer. All I have to do is work hard, save money, buy some shares. That's how it works.

So when is a free market not a free market? When one retailer eats its competition, then finds other things to eat.

...And then it sells shares to a government-sponsored investment fund owned by the world's largest totalitarian government.

Whether you're an economic patriot, or just don't want to poison yourself with cheap toys and shoes, Wal-Mart wants to eat you alive.