Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Moonbattery

A story in yesterday’s Moscow-Pullman Daily News reported how the Moscow City Council amended their “big box ordinance” with even more unconstitutional provisions such as a “dark store” reuse plan, a store size cap, and preventing clusters of large stores at Monday night’s meeting.

But this is what I found most interesting:

Ament also introduced the idea of a free speech clause Monday night, which was voted down when Mayor Nancy Chaney broke a tie vote. He didn’t elaborate on how the clause would work other than giving people permission to protest on store property.

Also voted down was Councilman Bob Stout’s recommendation that a living wage section be added. “I contend that this is a battle worth fighting,” Stout said, adding that living wages could have been addressed under socio-economic impact sections.

Stout said he recognized that his idea sounds like socialism [SOUNDS like socialism??], but it could have helped the business be sustainable.

“I think we can deal with (wages and free speech) in other areas,” Councilwoman Linda Pall said after councilmen Stout and Ament introduced the ideas.

If that sounds eerily familiar to Pullman residents, it should. From the January 24, 2005 issue of the Daily Evergreen:

However, Leland Glenna, P.A.W.S. [the proto-PARD] supporter and assistant scientist in the WSU community and rural sociology department, said if the city enacted a living wage ordinance, specifically to raise the wage paid to “big box” employees, that might force Wal-Mart to not build here or at least pay their employees decent wages.

Glenna also said if the city forced the Wal-Mart parking lot to be a public space, that might also help scare the retailer away because that allows union organizers to gather near the entrance and inform employees of their rights.

Another tactic that has stopped other Wal-Marts around the nation from going through with plans to build a store is forcing Wal-Mart to pay an employee at about the federal poverty level for a family of four, Glenna said.

Apparently, Ament and Stout attended PARD’s “How to Ruin Your Town’s Economy” seminar held in Moscow back on November 29, which was described in the announcement thusly:

“Leaders of the Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development will give a presentation about the structure of the organization they set up to oppose the WalMart Supercenter in their town, and will be available to answer questions.”

Talk about attribution. You’d think Ament and Stout could have at least given PARD a shout out. Or even better, a tip of the hat to the ultimate originator of the “living wage” and “public space” tactics to keep Wal-Mart out of town, the labor unions and their Wake Up Wal-mart and Wal-Mart Watch websites.