By Kenneth Lowder

Do Walmart and other retailers support the destruction of American values through their lack of willingness to stop shoplifting? How much is their lack of enforcement costing you and me? The answer appears to be YES and it's costing us BILLIONS. Last year Walmart reported that they had lost $3 billion due to theft of products. That's just at Walmart. Most retailers reported losses in the same range for their market share. Given the poor economy I would expect this year's losses to be much higher.

How is this happening? Two reasons: 1. Once a shoplifter makes it outside, they are safe from store employees trying to detain them. 2. When was the last time they asked you for an ID when making a credit card purchase?

Just a few weeks ago I watched the door alarm go off and the criminal just kept on walking. All the door greeter did was say, "Miss, come back."  All she did was flip me off when I shouted, "Hey shoplifter, come back."  She just kept on walking and the greeter just went back to checking bags of the compliant sheeple. Some retailers have even fired employees who have taken action to stop thieves. I read about one who only went out and got the thief's license plate to give to the police. Why would anyone risk their ability to feed their family for these companies? You and I are also paying the price when the thieves just walk out in higher prices to cover the losses and sales taxes lost, and thieves embolden to continue their evil ways.

A couple of weeks ago, while vacationing in Hawaii, I was shocked when asked to produce an ID while making a credit card purchase from a small vendor. This was the first time that I had been asked for ID in a long time. I latter had to do it again at a t-shirt store! What's up with these small stores? Walmart, Target, and Home Depot in Hawaii never hassled me. Could it be that these small stores were tired of the credit card companies charging them back for this bad stolen debt and they are losing too much money? Nah, must be some other racist reason.

This is the promotion of corruption and is a crime against you and me. It costs us in our freedoms. It costs us in tax losses not paid. It costs us in the deterioration of our values and the honest American Way of Life. I say we could reverse this policy by removing the ability of these stores and banks to write off the losses on their corporate taxes. Nothing changes minds quicker than money.