Earlier this month, the College Republicans executive board received an e-mail from a young lady asking for our support against Wal-Mart. We were informed that Wal-Mart is "non-partisan," and as such, it would be morally permissible (if not wholly obligatory) that we join against them as good Americans. Fittingly lacking in this nonsensical rant was a valid reason why.

Only rabid socialists and progressive ideologues find fault with Wal-Mart. As the manifestation of a flourishing capitalist system, the notions of competition, deregulation, and profitability Wal-Mart frightens the left-wing Marxists increasingly referred to as the Democratic base. The campus movement, led by the neo-Communist Working Family Party Club, better named "Working Families of the World Unite," culminates in the preview of another piece of garbage leftist propaganda, The High Cost of Low Prices. The agenda of both the movement and the movie is simple: discredit Wal-Mart by any means necessary. To do so, they revert to traditional liberal arguments void of logic and wrought with emotion, stories of local "mom and pop" stores displaced by the "evil conglomerate," and the workers who Wal-Mart fails to "adequately" compensate.

By giving one local store's account of its displacement, progressives attempt to equate Wal-Mart's existence with the "unfair" treatment of local industry. This argument, like the rest, fails. It is the belief that in the free market consumers are not educated enough to make their own decisions. Considered profit-oriented and greedy, progressives fault the individuals who support Wal-Mart (and not local stores) because they want to save money for themselves and their families. When that is a crime, America is a crime.

These local stores, despite their unique histories, cannot compete with Wal-Mart for the patronage of the public. Should Wal-Mart lose focus and fail to deliver the lowest prices and quality service, however, there remains a niche for local businesses. The two function as a system of checks and balances, demanding the best from both. Success derives from ability to perform; Wal-Mart was not handed everything it has-it earned everything. Even Wal-Mart started as one of those mom and pop stores the progressives claim to champion. As a young company, it was able to outperform its competition (including chain stores) and make its mark on consumer society. If these progressives had their way, the economy would remain static. They argue that the natural system is flawed and that the only change should come from those who apparently understand best what society needs: government planners and bureaucrats.

The second attack claims that Wal-Mart is "anti-worker" and fails to adequately compensate their employees with benefits. Such a belief, however, is predicated upon the disingenuous notion that a job is the same as welfare or entitlement. On the contrary, in the private sector, you and your employer owe nothing to each other beyond that which is mutually beneficial. Wal-Mart, or any employer for that matter, does not owe someone a job, nor is anyone entitled to one. What Wal-Mart offers its employees is done in good faith, with hopes to increase production and foster loyalty-not because they are obliged to, or because they were bullied by their workers, or as an act of charity. We know that this system works as oh-so-evil Wal-Mart somehow managed to procure some 1.3 million workers in a remarkably close-knit corporate family without the impediments of government mandates, court orders, or manipulative unions.

What a family it is. Let me reiterate: 1.3 million jobs in the United States alone. In addition, with 61,000 U.S. suppliers and 150 billion in purchases, Wal-Mart supports an extra three million jobs in the United States. A quick look at the statistics could woo even the staunchest liberal to Wal-Mart's side:

For the diversity-minded, that's 139,000 Hispanics, 208,000 African-Americans, 220,000 senior citizens, with more than 775,000 women and 4,000 current employees on active duty.

For tax revenue enthusiasts, that's $11.2 billion in state and local sales taxes and millions paid in property taxes (2004).

For the family-oriented, a UBS Warburg study found that Wal-Mart grocery prices are 17 to 20 percent lower. The same study found Wal-Mart saved working families over $2,300 per household-every year.

For the charity-minded, the typical Wal-Mart Supercenter raises or gives $30,000 to $50,000 a year to local organizations.

For future business moguls, 76 percent of store managers started in hourly positions and were promoted internally.

For the environmentalists, two of the newest Wal-Mart stores are "experimental"; they attempt to "save energy, conserve natural resources, and reduce pollution."

For the logical, Wal-Mart's average hourly wage for regular full-time associates is $9.68 an hour, nearly double the federal minimum wage.

Don't be fooled by these people and their puppet groups: they're more than just anti-Wal-Mart, they're anti-capitalism. Wal-Mart will do more for the American people than these socialists ever will.