Most of us know how taxpayers subsidize Walmart's low wages with billions of dollars in Medicaid, food stamps, and other financial assistance for workers. But, did you know that we're also subsidizing the retail giant by paying the cost of their environmental destruction.

 

According to a new report from The Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Walmart is one of the world's biggest consumers of coal, which makes them one of the leading carbon polluters. The authors of that study calculated how much electricity the chain uses, how much coal they consume, and the greenhouse gas emitted by every Walmart store and distribution center in our country.

 

The results were "staggering" - showing that Walmart uses 19.5 million megawatt hours of energy - the same amount used by "every industrial facility in New Jersey and West Virginia put together." That is six times more electricity than the entire U.S. Auto industry, and 75 percent of all their energy comes from coal.

 

Walmart isn't only dodging their responsibility to pay a living wage or contribute to our nation by paying their fair share of taxes. They're also skipping out on the bill when it comes to society's cost of cleaning up our environment.

 

Bill McKibben of 350.org said, "It's unconscionable that the country's largest employer and the world's largest company is choosing to hurt our planet and hurt working families with its dirty operations and poverty pay." He added, "Walmart and the Waltons can help our communities truly live better by switching to clean energy and paying workers a fair wage." And, McKibben is exactly right.

 

One of the best ways to make that happen is to stop covering the costs of these practices. Let's end the subsidies by making Walmart pay a living wage, and by putting a tax on the tons of carbon that they're pumping into our atmosphere.

 

Read more here.

 

-Thom

 

Tonight on The Big Picture on RT TV at 7pm and 10pm... Bigger Picture Panel: Greg Palast and Brad Friedman (check your local listings for stations or stream at RT or Free Speech TV, and catch past shows on Youtube)

 

Be sure to check out our new videos: CARBON, LAST HOURS & GREEN WORLD RISING - narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio

 

Big Picture Rumble:
- Sam Bennett, Political Strategist  
- Jean Card, Jean Card Ink / U.S. News & World Report  
- Patrick Hedger, American Encore   

 

Bigger Picture Panel:
- Greg Palast, BBC News / Al Jazeera / The Guardian / Vultures and Vote Rustlers   
- Brad Friedman, The Brad Blog  

        

Friday's Daily Stack 

Hour One: If it's Friday, it's "Brunch With Bernie"... the honorable Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) joins Thom with all the news from our nation's capitol and as always he'll be spending the hour taking your calls and answering your questions too...
Follow Bernie:     campaign site.

Article: "Statement on Immigration Reform and Network Blackout" by Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Article: "Drugmakers Mum on Huge Price Hikes" by Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Article: "Senate Hearing on Generic Drug Prices" by Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Case: "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission" (2010).

Article: "Soaring generic drug prices draw Senate scrutiny" by AP.

Article: "Transcript: President Obama's immigration address", 20 November 2014.

Article: "Senate Stops Tar Sands Pipeline" by Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Movie: "Kill the Messenger".

Article: "Wait, what are family values again?" by kpete.

Article: "Obama's Immigration Speech: Reader Reax" by Andrew Sullivan.

Article: "Pic Of The Moment: Conservative Pundits Have Incredible Emotional Meltdown" by EarlG.

Site: Move to Amend

Case: "Buckley v. Valeo", 1976.

Case: "First National Bank Of Boston V. Bellotti", 1978.

Article: "Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan & Kevin McCarthy: Plot To Sabotage US Economy with Frank Luntz" by keepemhonest.

Book: "When the Tea Party Came to Town: Inside the U.S. House of Representatives' Most Combative, Dysfunctional, and Infuriating Term in Modern History" by Robert Draper.

Book: "Do Not Ask What Good We Do: Inside the U.S. House of Representatives" by Robert Draper.

Article: "John Boehner files long-awaited lawsuit over Obamacare" by Tom Howell Jr.

Article: "Arpaio Filing Lawsuit Against Obama For Executive Actions On Immigration" by CBSDC/AP.

 

Talk Radio News Segment:
- Victoria Jones 

Article: "Don Siegelman to appear at appeal hearing next month" by AP, November 11, 2014.

Article: "Holder urges calm as Ferguson grand jury decision nears" by Jennifer Epstein.

Article: "Lawyers descend on Ferguson ahead of grand jury decision" by Tim Reid.

Article: "Governor Nixon Activates National Guard" by Loretta Lewis.

Article: "Obama On Immigration: 'Come Out Of The Shadows'" by Nicholas Salazar.

Article: "Boehner: "We Will Not Stand Idle" On Obama's Immigration Order" by Leah Schwarting.

Article: "White House: GOP threats are childish" by Justin Sink.

Article: "Kerry: No Discussions On Iranian Nuclear Deadline Extension" by Leah Schwarting.

Article: "House Republicans File Suit Against Obamacare" by Leah Schwarting.

---

  

Monday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 12-3pm ET 

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Geeky Science: Proof! Being Bi Makes You Smarter

The Good - the Bad - and the Very Very Quercinely Ugly

Your Take/My Take - "Mandatory drug testing for people w/guns?"

Why Are the Networks Refusing to Run Obama's Speech?

Politifact Left the House Without Their Pants On

What Do Activists Think of Obama's Immigration Plan?

Crazy Alert! Here's What a Pastafarian Really! Looks Like

Full Show 11/20/14: Reagan & Bush Also Acted on Immigration Without Congress

Thom previews Obama's immigration speech with Presente.org's Arturo Carmona and the Women for Common Sense Immigration Reform's Miriam Yeung and talks NSA reform with "The Nation's" John Nichols. Thom takes viewer questions and comments in "Your Take, My Take Live" and in tonight's "Daily Take" Thom discusses how Politifact missed the point when they gave him a "Pants on Fire" rating for a story on the Koch Brothers.

Brunch with Bernie: November 21, 2014

Immigration...Amnesty by Executive Order

Conservative caller: Dems Need a Populist Message...

How Walmart is scheming to dodge even more BILLIONS in taxes...

Caller: Democrats Need a Progressive Contract for America...