SC's most "evil" companies

[Spartan]

Horry County is one of the fastest growing counties in SC. It is a major national and international tourist attraction for some reason. Its not going anywhere. Naturally within the region there will be some fluctuations. Sooner or later these ares will be rehabilitated as there is only so much room between the beach and the intracoastal waterway.

Horry County is one of the fastest growing counties in SC. It is a major national and international tourist attraction for some reason. Its not going anywhere. Naturally within the region there will be some fluctuations. Sooner or later these ares will be rehabilitated as there is only so much room between the beach and the intracoastal waterway.

[upstate29650]

Horry County is one of the fastest growing counties in SC. It is a major national and international tourist attraction for some reason. Its not going anywhere. Naturally within the region there will be some fluctuations. Sooner or later these ares will be rehabilitated as there is only so much room between the beach and the intracoastal waterway.

Horry County is one of the fastest growing counties in SC. It is a major national and international tourist attraction for some reason. Its not going anywhere. Naturally within the region there will be some fluctuations. Sooner or later these ares will be rehabilitated as there is only so much room between the beach and the intracoastal waterway.

Your comment was twice as nice

[vicupstate]

Hartsville does not owe its success to Wal-Mart. If Sonoco weren't there. then that town would be truely desolate. I think that The timing of walmart there is purely coincidental.

Sunonco Has been around since 1899, including the 1980's when Hartsville was indeed drying up. Most residents were making the trip to Florence for most of there shopping and restaurants. WalMart was a part of stopping that trend. Hartsville has made a remarkable comeback, due largely to visionary leadership of the Mayor from that era. The Governor's School, YMCA, streetscaping, etc. have turned the area around. It is one of the nicest cities it's size around.

[krazeeboi]

I'm hoping that I-74 will spur growth and development in the Pee Dee/Grand Strand.

And the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area is the fastest growing metro in the state.

[Jerseyman4]

I'm hoping that I-74 will spur growth and development in the Pee Dee/Grand Strand.

And the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area is the fastest growing metro in the state.

I-74 is in a tug of war between terminating at Wilmington or North Myrtle Beach so time will only tell what really happens. I-73 will do more good for SC than I-74 will.

Sunonco Has been around since 1899, including the 1980's when Hartsville was indeed drying up. Most residents were making the trip to Florence for most of there shopping and restaurants. WalMart was a part of stopping that trend. Hartsville has made a remarkable comeback, due largely to visionary leadership of the Mayor from that era. The Governor's School, YMCA, streetscaping, etc. have turned the area around. It is one of the nicest cities it's size around.

So perhaps, the Applebees built in downtown was influenced by Wal-Mart's presence in Hartsville?

[Spartan]

Your comment was twice as nice

Indeed. Sometimes its necessary to do that in order to get your point accross.

Perhaps I spoke too soon about the Walmart. I can conceed that it was an influence on these other businesses. I still don't think its the sole reason. Walmart was part of a process that showed that Hartsville and the surrounding area could support more business, and with Sonoco there, it is a no-brainer. The thing you have to keep in mind is that if Sonoco goes, so does Hartsville, which is why I said what I did earlier (twice, apparantly).

[myrtlesquare]

I'm hoping that I-74 will spur growth and development in the Pee Dee/Grand Strand.

And the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area is the fastest growing metro in the state.

Speaking of these facts...

I believe that Myrtle Beach creates about 1/3 of the state's total tax. Do you see 1/3 of the total taxes go back to the beach?

do any of you think there could ultimately be one day a decline of myrtle beach? For instance Waccamaw is desolate and the factory stores on 501 dont seem to be real active when i go by there. If people trend away from tourist traps like intelligent people would then there could be some real economic problems coming down the pipe. MB needs to diversify its economy.

There was a former topic that I started about Recession and Depression of MB. You can probably search for it to add comments.

[btoy]

Speaking on "evil" companies, I wonder if you want to add West Point Stevens and Springs Industries to that list. Both textile companies have laid off workers and closed numerous plants in the past few years. I'm sure otehr textiles companies can go here, because tehy do nto seem to have a future in this state.

You go to be jokeing! A company not being able to make a profit does not make it eveil. You can't expect a company to continue providing jobs that aren't makeing it money. They are not in the business of providing jobs, their are in the business to make a return on their investment. With cheap chinese products flooding our markets they can not compete, that does not make them evil.

If anything people who purchase foriegn are evil because that is what is killing American jobs. But honestly that is not evil either becuase everyone has the right to buy what they want. It is just the way the market works. Out strenght is no loger texiles, time to move on to something else.

Also, don't get me started on unions, after what the UAW has done to GM and many other companies, we better hope they stay away from the N. Chas Van Plant.

Unions have done more to kill jobs than anyone, and all under the guise of trying to help employees, unions are the biggest racquet around. They force you to join in most states take a percentage of your check to support legislation that you may be agaisnt. And the only reason they want you wages to go up is becuase they det a percentage so if you make more they can line their pockets with more money. They have driven wages and benefits up so high that many companies have gone bankrupt and had to fire many many employees. Ya, sounds to me like the unions are for the workers, what a load of crap they are.

[monsoon]

I would argue that many of the benefits, wages, and work place safety rules that we take for granted now, were as the result of unions forcing the corporations to provide better conditions for their workers.

Would you rather us return to the days of dangerous and polluted where people died and childre were put into servitude all in the name of letting a company make their profit?

There has to be a balance between letting companies run amonk to make profits vs the common good for the people where they are located. One can argue that companies that send work to countries where these workplace rules are not in place is unfair to the workers here. However I do agree that people should, at the same time, demand with what buying dollars they have left, to buy American.

[upstate29650]

Btoy is right. Unions are job killers. They usefullness unions once served has been usurped by government agencies such as OSHA & the EEOC. Therefore, unions are no longer needed.

[btoy]

Ya, business should never have been forced to get in to life long care for their employees, look what that has done to GM.

[waccamatt]

I agree with Metro and I suggest the union bashers read up on their history a little bit. Before unions became commonplace, many workplaces were very dangerous and had few benefits for their employees. To say that unions are no longer needed is very shortsighted. Yes, some unions have made unnecessary demands of companies, but they are still an important part of American industry, keeping companies on the up and up and ensuring a safe workplace. As far as OSHA and the EEOC, do you think they really have any teeth? Most laws support big business - the workers be damned.

[Spartan]

Unions have an important history and shouldn't be discounted because of that. However, I think that in this day and age we have outgrown the need for unions. Now all they do is cause problems.

[upstate29650]

Unions have an important history and shouldn't be discounted because of that. However, I think that in this day and age we have outgrown the need for unions. Now all they do is cause problems.

My point exactly.

Just because something was useful at the turn of the 20th Century doesn't mean it's still useful...or needed.

[monsoon]

My point exactly.

Just because something was useful at the turn of the 20th Century doesn't mean it's still useful...or needed.

But because it was useful then, there is a good chance it is useful now. I think it is a bad idea to completely abdocate all aspects of working life to the corporate board room. The corporations have had a dismal history of doing what is right for the people, their consumers, and the country. Take away the counter balance of the unions and they completely control what happens in this country. (don't expect the government to save you)

We have had 25 years of a systematic breakup of the unions and what has replaced it?

• Outsourcing of tens of millions of jobs that continues unabated. These jobs were jobs that created the middle class in the USA. While there are arguments that work should go to 3rd world countries because the labor is cheaper there, the only thing this does is to create a middle class in these places at the expense of the standard of living in the USA. The average American has a fairly significant lower standard of living than what is found in Europe, Japan, and even Canada. It was the other way around 25 years ago.

• Tens of millions of illegal aliens working in these places.

• Loss of Technology. The number of technology related jobs is shrinking everyday and entire industries have disappeared from the USA. Along with this is the technology of production. We are transferring this knowledge to places such as China and India which will one day challenge the USA and take our place as the world power. Instead of people doing engineering, programming, science, etc. we are pushing carts at the local Walmart. This is where jobs are headed in the USA.

• The average person now has less access to health care than 25 years ago, and significant portions of the population have not health care. This is another failure of leaving decisions completely in the board room.

• The corporations are happy for the middle class to disappear in the USA as long as it makes them more profits. Have you ever seen places that don't have a middle class? I recommend trip to parts of SC where we have the effect.

Before we hear cries that this is all ok, because businesses exist to make money, keep in mind that most large corporations exist today because of significant spending by the public sector to keep them in business. And many exist because of government regulation that protects them from competiton. For example should a huge corporation such as Clear Channel have the right to treat its employees as expendable resources, with low pay and no benefits while at the same time having complete monopoly access to government owned airwaves at no cost? If you ask me it sounds completely one sided. The unions at least give the common person the ability to deal with these corporate boards.

[btoy]

But because it was useful then, there is a good chance it is useful now. I think it is a bad idea to completely abdocate all aspects of working life to the corporate board room. The corporations have had a dismal history of doing what is right for the people, their consumers, and the country. Take away the counter balance of the unions and they completely control what happens in this country. (don't expect the government to save you)

We have had 25 years of a systematic breakup of the unions and what has replaced it?

• Outsourcing of tens of millions of jobs that continues unabated. These jobs were jobs that created the middle class in the USA. While there are arguments that work should go to 3rd world countries because the labor is cheaper there, the only thing this does is to create a middle class in these places at the expense of the standard of living in the USA. The average American has a fairly significant lower standard of living than what is found in Europe, Japan, and even Canada. It was the other way around 25 years ago.

• Tens of millions of illegal aliens working in these places.

• Loss of Technology. The number of technology related jobs is shrinking everyday and entire industries have disappeared from the USA. Along with this is the technology of production. We are transferring this knowledge to places such as China and India which will one day challenge the USA and take our place as the world power. Instead of people doing engineering, programming, science, etc. we are pushing carts at the local Walmart. This is where jobs are headed in the USA.

• The average person now has less access to health care than 25 years ago, and significant portions of the population have not health care. This is another failure of leaving decisions completely in the board room.

• The corporations are happy for the middle class to disappear in the USA as long as it makes them more profits. Have you ever seen places that don't have a middle class? I recommend trip to parts of SC where we have the effect.

Before we hear cries that this is all ok, because businesses exist to make money, keep in mind that most large corporations exist today because of significant spending by the public sector to keep them in business. And many exist because of government regulation that protects them from competiton. For example should a huge corporation such as Clear Channel have the right to treat its employees as expendable resources, with low pay and no benefits while at the same time having complete monopoly access to government owned airwaves at no cost? If you ask me it sounds completely one sided. The unions at least give the common person the ability to deal with these corporate boards.

My opininon and on loosing jobs to other countries is that as long as why buy foriegn to save a few cents it is going to happen. The American companies can't compete on price with products made here, and we demand cheaper and cheaper prices. If we want to sace the manufactorings jobs we need to be buying American, it all goes back to the consumer.

Also, with regards to Health Care, this is coming from some one who can't get health insurance and can't afford the state pool. Health Care industry does suck. It is screwed up terribly, but it is health isurance and medacaid, and medacare large group health plans that have made it what it the way it is, if all this went away and everybody just paid for their own health care I bet it could fix its self. Well, that and they need to stop giving illegals free health care just because they can not pay. Often when hospitals or sugery centers perform certain precedures what medacaid pays them is less than it actually costs the hospital to perform that procedure, if they are to stay afloat, they have to correct this loss by charging someone else more for their procedure. A system that works that way is broken. Group Health care plans, and Blue Cross Blue Shield is the main culprit here have caused the same problems, they use their size just like WalMart does to get agreed up rates for procedures again causeing those costs to be made up on the uninsured.

And for Clear Channel, I dislike them as much as the next person, you will never convince me that them and MTV aren't involved in mass Payola. But, they don't own the airwaves, their are stations under different ownership that provide competition. It is just a shame that most of the non-Clear Channel owned stations feel a need to puch the same crap that the Clear Channel stations push.

[monsoon]

My opininon and on loosing jobs to other countries is that as long as why buy foriegn to save a few cents it is going to happen. The American companies can't compete on price with products made here, and we demand cheaper and cheaper prices. If we want to sace the manufactorings jobs we need to be buying American, it all goes back to the consumer.

This is the myth that has been put forth however I would argue there has not been any deflation in prices due to outsourcing. Just more profits for the companies whose executives are getting larger and larger pay increases. Some CEOs make as much money as 1000s of workers.

For example Magtag shuts down a refrigerator plant in Iowa and moves the operation to Mexico where not only are there lower wages, but little government oversight on working conditions, environmental controls, etc. The end result is they have reduced their cost to produce a fridge, but this difference is not being passed on to the consumer. Have you priced a fridge lately, they are just as expensive as they were 10 years ago (even counting inflation.

Another example is the airline industry. Should the corporate board room be allowed to bust the unions and decide the fate of their workers without letting the workers organize to negotiate. Keep in mind this is an industry that gets a free ride at the public's expense in airports facilities, free air traffic control from the Federal government, and benefits in aerospace research and design from the American military.

Unions are employee's only chance to level the playing field somewhat as these industries could not exist without their workers either. Blanket statement's such as "we should eliminate all unions" only go to remove basic rights of Americans and put more control into corporate hands.

[upstate29650]

And I would counter that it's EXACTLY because of unions that jobs have left America! Face it, when you have organizations whose upper eschelons are either in organized crime &/or want to use union dues advance some fringe political agenda, then Houston, we have a BIG problem!

What have unions done in the past 20 years? Let's see....they've used strong arm tactics against business to drive up wages (not let employees earn them on merit, mind you), which allows more money to be collected in union dues...and drives up the prices WE pay for those goods & services. Unions are basically crushing the Big 3 US automakers, due to concessions they made with unions years ago to cover a set amount of (future) retirerees healthcare costs.

Just one of many, many examples of why unions are no longer good for our nation.

[monsoon]

I will take note that most of the jobs leaving South Carolina are not union jobs nor did the unions have anything to do with it. SC is a non-union state. It is corporate greed.

[btoy]

I will take note that most of the jobs leaving South Carolina are not union jobs nor did the unions have anything to do with it. SC is a non-union state. It is corporate greed.

What you call "Corporate Greed" is the corporations legal responsibilty. Millions of people invest in corporations. They do so to make a profit, not for the good of humanity. It is the corporations duty and responsibility to do, with in the means of the law, what they can to make the best return on that money. To do anything else would be irrisponsible and their share holders would vote out the boards members and executives running the business. If it wasn't for the "Greed" of the coporations and share hoilders many advancements we take for granted would never have been realized, many companies would never have been to afford the investment needed in R&D and other departments to supply our industries with the innovations that have made us such a great nation.

BTW, I am in no way condoning any illegal practices that any corporations take on. It makes me sick to hear what some companies have done.

And with regards to over paid executives, you have to pay competitively to get the best and the brightest, who are in short supply, to run your company. It is just like major league baseball where salaries have gone through the roof becuase everybody is competing for the best players. It is the same reason why Universities have to pay thier business professors more than the others.

[upstate29650]

So metro...how's your 401K looking?

Food for thought, when you speak of "corporate greed".

[monsoon]

So metro...how's your 401K looking?

Food for thought, when you speak of "corporate greed".

Well honestly, the part invested in the domestic stock market has not done so well in the past 5 years. The S&P 500 has barely moved during this time. The best gains have been in the European stock market which is going gang busters and interestingly enough, is all union. These days the average person in the Eurozone has a much higher standard of living than in the USA.

Fortunately I am grandfathered in on a pension plan that pays out regardless of the stock market. Something that has been cut out for younger employees.

It's a shame that you guys will never experience the times when companies competed with their employees instead of against them and the USA experienced decades of tremendous growth as a result of it. Instead you are settling for the new thought that short terms gains are the only thing important.

[Charleston native]

And I would counter that it's EXACTLY because of unions that jobs have left America! Face it, when you have organizations whose upper eschelons are either in organized crime &/or want to use union dues advance some fringe political agenda, then Houston, we have a BIG problem!

What have unions done in the past 20 years? Let's see....they've used strong arm tactics against business to drive up wages (not let employees earn them on merit, mind you), which allows more money to be collected in union dues...and drives up the prices WE pay for those goods & services. Unions are basically crushing the Big 3 US automakers, due to concessions they made with unions years ago to cover a set amount of (future) retirerees healthcare costs.

Just one of many, many examples of why unions are no longer good for our nation.

My sentiments exactly! I couldn't have said it better, upstate! No need for me to add anything...

[upstate29650]

Fortunately I am grandfathered in on a pension plan that pays out regardless of the stock market. Something that has been cut out for younger employees.

A pension. The modern day term is profit sharing. And you wouldn't have either if that evil company you worked for didn't make money, have stockholders (internal or external) invested in your evil company, and extort your time & energy from you.

[Spartan]

But then you have companies like GM who are looking at bankuptcy because of their past union agreements, whatever they may be. There was one instance where they needed to relocate one of their old two-story plants elsewhere to build a highly efficient one-storey plant, but they weren't allowed to do that because of the union in that particular plant. If they can't move their plants into a more efficiant setup, even within the United States, how are these companies going to survive? On top of that, how will unions answer to the fact that their own existance was one of the reasons for their own job loss? I see these airliners fighting bankruptcy and the unions arent even willing to cut their own salaries enough to save their jobs. Seems like they're biting the hand that feeds them.

I will say once again that unions had a VERY important place in history, but I think their continued existance is a detriment to America's manufacturing companies.