There's a bit of irony:
Last year when Wal-Mart came to D.C. there were over 23,000 applications for 600 jobs. That's an acceptance rate of 2.6%, twice as selective as Harvard's and over five times as choosy as Cornell.
Of course, the colleges are offering degrees that may or may not prepare their students for the real-world job market, whereas the maligned company provides more than simple retail/checkout positions; IT, real-estate management, pharmacy, building trades, accounting, and many others are among the jobs they offer - and they back them with continuing education scholarships and advancement opportunities.
While it's become fashionable to hate on them (think former Porkland mayor Sam Adams' continual railing against them), the fact is that they provide a lot of decent to excellent jobs. On a personal note, I know a woman who's worked in one of their pharmacies for years, and she's quite happy with her pay, working conditions, and healthcare program.
Of course, she's not a Lefty.
