San Diego bans Wal Mart

Somebody needs to tell me why people hate Wal-Mart so much. It's wildly successful, keeps prices low and tries to make shoppers smile a little with those famous greeters. Let's not forget the $4 prescription drugs the retailer is introducing throughout the country in an effort to bring down costs. But the nation's largest retailer is under assault, as is usually the case with the "big boys."

San Diego is the latest community to effectively ban Wal-Mart SuperCenters. But other cities have done so also. The San Diego City Council last month approved an ordinance that, while not naming Wal-Mart, was clearly targeting the Bentonville, Ark.-based giant. How else does one explain allowing Sam's and COSTCO to skirt the law? These membership-based stores were specifically left off the "prohibited" list.

The law likely be vetoed by Mayor Jerry Sanders, but the council can override the veto, since the measure passed 5-3, according to the San Diego Union Tribune. Those against Wal-Mart SuperCenters in their neighborhoods have two basic arguments: The giant stores make survival tough for smaller retailers, and they add traffic.

The first should be immediately discounted by any defender of free markets. The second should be handled by city engineers before a vote is ever taken.

Wal-Mart is going to drive people out of business because people want to by more for less. A small independent retailer or grocery store that doesn't buy in bulk will get hurt. But the government has an obligation to stay out of his fight to remain afloat. Otherwise, prices remain artificially high and consumers get hurt.

Those complaining Wal-Mart causes traffic problems are also correct. Success will do that. Wal-Mart has done extensive work in past years to improve its impact on neighborhoods, introducing a slimmed-down grocery store concept and even building its stores to blend into the surroundings. Neither matters to the Wal-Mart-haters. To them, Wal-Mart is just plain evil, $4 drugs or not.