Our U.S. Supreme Court got it wrong with its Citizen United decision. The latest proof of its wrong decision comes with the closing of the Walmart stores along Arkansas Hwy. 59 in Arkansas from Sulphur Springs through Gentry, with the closing of Walmart stores leaving communities without a grocery store.
This Walmart Corporate decision left families living in Western Benton County with little choice. Many will have to drive 40 miles round trip or more to purchase a bag of potatoes.
The recently-built stores in Gravette, Decatur and Gentry came with great promise from Walmart corporate executives. Now, their promise of "Live Better" and "Low Prices" seems hollow, for to fulfill those promises the family car has to use more gas and members must use more time on the road to buy their bag of potatoes.
The problem started when the corporate heads made the decision to build the stores. The result was to put out of business the hometown groceries that had for years served their public well. Now that those stores are gone, it leaves families without, wanting and with few choices.
Say you're putting on a meal for a family gathering. Your son calls and asks if he can bring two of his teen friends for dinner. Everyone knows how much teenage boys can eat. You know you need more potatoes. What do you do?
Because you had already made the 40 mile round trip to Siloam Springs the day before, you send your husband for more. That interrupts his watching the Razorback game just ready to come on TV. This great inconvenience proves that corporate decisions flow downhill, they affect people in real time. It also gives more proof that the Court's Citizen United decision was more for corporations and political gain and against families that the Court's members swore to serve.
Corporations can break promises without consideration for real time, on-the-ground, everyday consequences to families without a car, or the elderly who have to depend on others for transportation to buy necessities.
Walmart executive actions to close stores in Gravette and Decatur and Gentry make their promises to western Benton County residents hollow. They came. They conquered. They left families without.
Each of these three stores built with corporate promises to their community caused local groceries to close their doors. Now, many families are without a local grocery store they could always count on in a pinch. Like, just in case someone needed a quick trip to the grocery to pick up more potatoes for surprise guests.
The Court's decision on Citizen United did not consider one important element. The very thing we natives living in western Benton County heard from Sam Walton when we went into his store on the Bentonville square in the 1960s. He cared about people most. Profits are important, but if you're making a smaller profit than predicted and serving the people, it's worth it.
Therefore, this all proves that our Supreme Court decision was wrong because, if corporations were people, they would have hearts. The decision to close Walmart stores in Gravette, Decatur and Gentry shows that corporate decisions are made on profits only and not with heartfelt concern for citizens in the community, the same communities they promised to serve by building their stores.
Larry Burge is a long-time Sulphur Springs resident. He may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 01/27/2016