Walmart, Ehrlich, and Hyman

Hyman engages in yet more journalistic malpractice in his recent commentary on WalMart.

Specifically, Hyman attacks the Marlyand state legislature for overriding the veto of Governor Bob Ehrlich of a law that would require Walmart to spend more money on its healthcare plan for employees.

Without any evidence to support his assertions, Hyman calls the bill “anti-worker,” suggests that it will cost taxpayers money, and says that “The WalMart bill was passed to appease the United Food and Commercial Workers Union - because WalMart workers have consistently voted down union efforts to organize them.”

Don’t bother trying to parse that last sentence for anything resembling logic—there isn’t any.

In fact, turn Hyman’s assertions on their head, and you get something closer to the truth. One WalMart worker who lobbied in favor of the law said that although she had been working at the retail giant for five years, she still couldn’t afford the company’s healthcare plan. When the majority of Walmart workers can’t get health insurance through the company, they end up using taxpayer subsidized healthcare systems, often in ways that are not financially sound (e.g., going to the emergency room to get treatment for a chronic condition that would be better handled with ongoing medication).

Even for those bottom-liners who don’t put any stock in the ethical argument that an employer (particularly as one as huge and wealthy as WalMart) owes its employees an affordable health plan, it makes financial sense to have WalMart fund a reasonable plan for its workers rather than letting the government subsidize the maintenance of the company’s workforce.

But don’t take my word for it. Listen to what Bruce Newcomb has to say:

“[WalMart] is eating everybody else alive. They come in and suck the town dry. I
resent that. Wal-Mart's blowing people out of the water, and if they're doing
that by having the public sector subsidize their health care, that's wrong.
That's really wrong. Rather than taxpayers subsidizing the wealthiest
family in the world, maybe the wealthiest family in the world ought to reimburse
Medicaid."

Is Mr. Newcomb a disgruntled WalMart employee? Some sort of agitatin’ union boss? A garden variety bleeding heart liberal?

None of the above. He’s the Republican speaker of the heavily Republican House of
Representatives in the highly conservative state of Idaho.

The content of Hyman’s argument is so obviously nonsensical and contrary to common sense (e.g., the less a company spends on healthcare for its workers, the better that plan probably is) as to be laughable.

A larger meta-issue is the continual disregard Hyman has for basic journalistic integrity.

Again, Hyman uses his nationally syndicated segment to comment on an issue in his own backyard of Maryland (although, to be fair, Hyman did have the decency to do a separate Baltimore-only edition of “The Point” last week when he attacked a local competitor in the Baltimore media).

Again, Hyman does not mention that Governor Ehrlich, whose position on the WalMart bill Hyman is defending, is his personal friend and former employer (Hyman staffed for Ehrlich when Ehrlich was in the House of Representatives).

Again, Hyman does not mention that Ehrlich aggressively lobbied on behalf of Sinclair’s business interests when he was in the House.

Again, Hyman does not mention that when he was running for governor, Ehrlich received large campaign donations from Sinclair executives (not to mention WalMart itself).

Again, Hyman does not mention that Sinclair-owned stations attacked Ehrlich’s opponent in the gubernatorial race.

Again, Hyman does not mention that Sinclair gave illegal campaign donations to Ehrlich in the form of freebie rides on the corporate helicopter as he went from campaign event to campaign event.

Again, Hyman does not mention that Sinclair and Ehrlich worked out a quid pro quo deal in
which Sinclair produced Maryland tourism ads featuring the governor for free in exchange for the state of Maryland buying $60,000 of ad time on Sinclair stations.

Again, we’re left to ask the question that won’t go away: does Hyman have no shame?

And that’s The Counterpoint.

Hyman Index: 6.32