Sheboygan Press vs. Wal-Mart

Is it just me? Am I missing something important? Or am I simply numb to the troubles of my fellow man?

I ask, because I simply can't abide the headline to this Sheboygan-Press Editorial:

Health-care costs of large companies should not be shifted to taxpayers

The editorial is about Wal-Mart, and the recent report that a lot of Wal-Mart employees are also enrolled in Badger Care, the state's "work supplement" welfare program (read the editorial if you need details).

That mirrors this excerpt from an earlier MJS editorial (which I linked to last week) on the same subject:

Walmartwatch.com estimates that U.S. taxpayers pay $1.5 billion subsidizing Wal-Mart Medicaid costs, 15% of Wal-Mart's $10 billion in profits last year.

Now we are all for free enterprise, but some companies think this means a free ride on the people's dime.

I have a few questions for these writers:

My family spends money on food several times a month. Are these my employer's food costs?

We have car payments to make. We have to buy gas. Are these my employer's transportation costs?

We pay a mortgage and upkeep on a house. Are these my employer's housing costs?

One of my kids has braces. They're expensive. Is the monthly bill we pay part of my employer's orthodontic costs?

The Sheboygan Press might answer yes, and support that by supporting a higher state-mandated minimum wage. Don't know. I do know that, by shifting responsibility from individuals to the companies they work for, we move closer to a socialistic society in which we are less and less responsible for ourselves.