Temptation comes in many forms. Sometimes it’s an apple. Sometimes it’s Walmart.

Sandra and I – and the cats – are out of some stuff, and I am about to head for the grocery store. Publix is just across the road, but the prices there are quite a bit higher than at Walmart.

So I was thinking that I might go the extra mile to save a few bucks, but as I looked through the morning emails, I came cross this article from a service called Reader Supported News:

Walmart Heirs’ Net Worth Equals Bottom 30% of Americans

And it occurred to me that by shopping at Walmart, I would be abetting people who are destroying America to enrich themselves.

Consider this excerpt from the article:

Not only have the Waltons gathered a fortune equal to that of the bottom third of the country, but they spend it lobbying to cut their own taxes. For years, the Waltons have been supporting efforts to cut the estate tax, the tax levied on inheritance. Conservatives intent on cutting this tax – which they’ve brilliantly dubbed the “death tax” – led to President Obama agreeing to a “compromise” last year that lowered the rate and increased the tax-free exemption, giving a senseless tax break to extremely wealthy families.

Sam Walton must be turning over in his grave. How could such an unpretentious, simple – and as far as I know, honest – man have such greedy offspring? I recall reading articles about Sam Walton, and he lived very modestly. From what I’ve read, “Mr. Sam” drove around the Ozarks in a pickup truck, looking for cheap goods to buy. Ironically, he was the architect of Wal-Mart’s “Buy American” campaign in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

But Walmart has changed over the years. And the changes include bullying suppliers into moving to China.

Of course, by moving to China, the suppliers were able to reduce their costs and, as a result, Walmart was able to reduce its prices – while increasing its profits.

You might think that’s a win-win situation. Many Americans will be able to buy Christmas presents for their kids at Walmart that they could not afford if they had to shop at the department stores. And a lot of poor people will be able to eat turkey this festive season because of Walmart.

But at what price?

With every bite of Walmart turkey, American shoppers destroy another American job.  Bite by bite, American jobs are shipped to China, and more families are left to face a bleak and jobless Christmas.

Inevitably the shoppers who go to Walmart to save a dollar or two will see their own jobs disappear across the ocean.

How can I in good conscience, help to perpetuate this self-destructive system?

I guess I’ll be heading for Publix, after all.

Click here to read about Walmart’s impact on American jobs.