Did you receive your government stimulus notification in the mail? I hope you did. If you had not, I hope you will.

It cost us $41.8 million dollars.

The IRS mailed .32 notifications to an estimated 130 million households that filed 2006 tax returns. Why? To let you know you may, or not, receive a tax rebate for the $168 billion stimulus package.

This price doesn’t include mailings sent to households whom didn’t file a tax form, but may get a check anyway. Thanks government. It pays to be thorough.

By the way people, don’t buy big screen televisions or any other shit with the rebate check. The purpose of the money is to keep America from falling into a recession. This can’t happen if you buy a television made in China ! Buy American. Get a Whirlpool, or buy an Oreck Vacuum! Not that I really care. There’s no point in buying American if the damned stuff breaks after a month.

However, I digress.

There’s a better alternative to spending. You can save or invest the $300-$1200.

I just read my second anti-Walmart article this week. The first was a story featured on CNN. A woman got in a car wreck which resulted in severe mental retardation. She and her husband sued the trucking company. They won $1million, of which $417, 000 was placed in a trust after legal fees (to pay for long-term care related cost).

Since she was an employee of Walmart, insurance paid $470, 000 for expenses. Walmart later sued to get it back. There was a fine print in the policy stating the company has a right to reclaim costs in the event of winning a law suit. The case went as far as the Supreme Court. They turned the case down. Now the couple are broke.

The second article involved Walmart suing a local man for copyright infringement. He owns two Walmart bashing websites "Walocaust and Wal-Queda." He sold t-shirts spoofing the Walmart logo (62 total, including 15 to Walmart’s outside law firms). The Empire wrote various cease and desist notices. He sued. They counter-sued. He eventually won.

Walmart has a long history of eminent domain abuse, including building a center on Hawaiian burial ground. Many people were forced out of their homes and businesses because Walmart offered local government a higher return on taxes.

Here’s my dilemna. I support the right for corporations to make money. I support a free market economy. Most importantly, I like saving money. Hell, I LOVE saving money on purchases.

However, some of the practices of Walmart are questionable. Why is customer service lousy? The employees are treated like shit. Why are Walmart products so cheap? Part of the reason is mountains of imports from China. Do you remember the "BUY AMERICAN!" campaign of the 90’s? Cheap labor and deception are key ingredients for success.

Then again, nobody is forced to work for Walmart. It’s the individual’s responsibility to have insurance. At least this is the ideal.

Reality is different. Most of us live on a day to day basis, with some planning for the future. But shit happens. I don’t know what I’d do if Walmart forced me to sell my business or home, or desecrated land where my descendants are buried. I doubt I would’ve seen the clause in Walmart’s insurance policy that might punish me later. I hate the idea of living across the street from a super center.

I hate what they do, but I love saving money. Fuck it. I’ll stick with Amazon.