What if anything, you may be wondering, does this have to do with Wal-Mart? Directly, there is nothing of which I am aware. Given his right-of-center leanings, It is doubtful that Weaver would be on the side of Wal-Mart's critics, especially for the way some tried to interject religion into the anti-Wal-mart campaign last year.

There are, however, many interesting parallels and associations that can be noted when one considers that Walmart Watch, the union-backed anti-Wal-Mart group, recently had published in the New York Times an epistle of the economic variety, one decidely canonical in tone. Entitled "An Handshake with Sam: Reaching Across the Wall of Wal-Mart" the letter outlines what the union thinks should be "The Moral Responsbilities of Wal-Mart". The document's preamble begins this quote from Sam Walton, the charismatic and respected Wal-Mart founder:

I am absolutely convinced that the only way we can improve one another’s quality of life, which is something very real to those of us who grew up in the Depression, is through what we call free enterprise- practiced correctly and morally.

The preamble continues with two questions "WHAT DEFINES A GREAT AMERICAN INSTITUTION? And what are its obligations to the common good?" and then proceeds with what appear to be both conciliatory and encouraging, even inspiring, words for Wal-Mart.

These two questions have helped frame every historic clash between those inside and outside the walls of embattled American corporations. Without exception, the walls of distrust and division have not ultimately been lowered by an endless siege. Instead, there must be an enduring realization that all have an interest in both the health and welfare of the corporation and in those whose lives are touched by it. AS OUR NATION’S LARGEST EMPLOYER and most financially successful company, Wal-Mart is a singular American institution. It occupies a unique position in our world by virtue of its size, reach and responsibility for the livelihoods of millions of workers and the needs of billions of consumers. And with such overwhelming influence comes certain moral responsibilities. It is the acceptance or rejection of those responsibilities that determines greatness. TO THAT END, just as a corporation might reach an agreement with its shareholders, this “Handshake Agreement” broadens the scope to a global community of concerned citizens, and is an agreement of shared principles to be held in high regard.

The format of the remainder of the letter is telling. It has seven sections, each divided into three parts. The first contains a moral imperative and is, appropriately enough, expressed in the imperative mood. They read, in effect, like Seven Commandments: Protect Human Dignity, Ensure Quality and and Affordable Health Care Coverage, Use Market Power to Improve Supplier Conditions and Wages, Enable & Embrace Self Sufficiency, Buy Local First, Keep it Clean, Prove Worthy of the Public Trust.

The second part of each section is comprised of a quotation of the words of the founder, words with which no Wal-Mart employee or manager could presumably disagree, at least not publicly. The third and final section contains Wal-Mart Watch's "good faith" recommendation on how Wal-Mart could make good on the principle espoused in the quote. Here are a two examples:

Protect Human Dignity. “If you want people in the stores to take care of the customers, you have to make sure you are taking care of the people in the stores.” - Sam Walton. WAL-MART WILL AGGRESSIVELY WORK to ensure that employees are never mistreated through practices such as illegal firings, "off-the-clock" wage violations, intimidation, sexual harassment, violations of child labor laws, or discrimination of any sort. And Wal-Mart will justly compensate each associate with a family-sustaining wage that will enable the associate to raise a family without having to rely on public assistance.

Keep It Clean. “I’d like to believe that as Wal-Mart continues to thrive and grow, it can come to live up to what someone once called us: the Lighthouse of the Ozarks.” - Sam Walton. EVERY STEP IN WAL-MART’S SUPPLY CHAIN will demonstrate sound environmental stewardship. Wal-Mart will partner with local community and environmental leaders to avoid environmental damage and other disruptions caused by the site selection, construction, and operation of any Wal-Mart store or facility. This includes conserving wetlands, animal habitats, and green space, as well as minimizing traffic delays and air pollution. Wal-Mart will also strictly enforce this "Keep it Clean" policy with all of its suppliers, both foreign and domestic.

Commentary

There is little doubt that a hand familiar with the rhetoric of hermeneutics drafted this letter. It is not by accident that it reads like an exegesis, an explanation or critical interpretation of a text. The use of the words of a charismatic founder and the appeal to his followers to heed and hold true to them is clearly calculated- calculated to give the impression that they, not the current Wal-Mart management, who are Sam Walton's acolytes.

To my mind, however, these words are not what they appear to be. That is to say, they are not really a call for the company to tread a nobler path and to return to first principles. Rather, the words are meant to see Wal-Mart adhere to ostensibly progressive yet actually antiquated notions of social justice and corporate social responsibility. If followed, these recommendations would lower productivity and profitability and send the message that Wal-Mart was an easy mark. As I will show in a future post, each and every Wal-Mart Watch recommendation runs directly counter to the free-market principles in which Sam Walton had so much confidence. In other words, Wal-Mart Watch's proposals are, in their essence, pro-labor and, by definition, anti-capitalist.

And while that is certainly no crime, it is interesting that they used over $150K of their union members' money to place the "Handshake With Sam" ad in the New York Times, to put the ideas in play in the marketplace of ideas. And it is fascinating to contemplate what they might have done differently were the Wal-Mart Watch folks men of good faith or "handshake men" like Richard Weaver. They might have found a way to get their letter directly into the hands of current Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott. To do so would have been a master stroke, a PR coup of the highest order. It also would have been much more economically efficient.

But we should not be surprised not to see this. Wal-Mart Watch has no moral authority and are privy to no revelation from on high; though their appeal is made like a minister's, they've not been to the mountain top and returned therefrom with tablets bearing the new labor and management relations commandments; they have no concern with economic efficiency or the consumer surplus that arises therefrom. Theirs is a self-proclaimed gospel of self-interest and self-preservation and they ought to have the courage of those convictions and just say so.

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