"Only Walmart Wins," Business Blunders update on CO Antitrust, Kroger-Albertsons-C&S Case

On the Federal Trade Commission and Colorado "ONLY WALMART WINS," Business Blunders update on CO Antitrust, Kroger - Albertsons Companies - C&S Wholesale Grocers Case: In an update on the Colorado Attorney General's, Phil Weiser , antitrust case, legendary journalist Al Lewis —winner of numerous prestigious awards—recaps in Business Blunders. According to a leading UFCW Local President, "The AG, FTC, and government continue to ignore the two 800 lb. gorillas, 沃尔玛 and 亚马逊 , which are continually supported by $7.7 billion in taxpayer-funded subsidies. Meanwhile, the AG and FTC "stomp out" the last of the strong, smaller competitors like Kroger, Albertsons, and C&S." Referencing Lewis' charts, the UFCW President concluded, "And the winner is Walmart."

I admire Mr. Weiser, Esq. for his notable work on environmental issues and his strong stance on domestic and societal abuses. Nevertheless, it appears CO AG Weiser may have been under-informed in his bio experience with both:

1. Supreme Court of the U.S. late/great Ruth Bader Ginsburg , {who was my wife's {who was JFK Jr.s General Counsel & Columbia Law School Review} beloved professor & Columbia Law Review Editor's advisor}
2. President Bill Clinton's epiphanous enlightened DOJ & FTC? knew that when The Kroger Company bought Fred Meyer (FM)- Smith's Food & Drug Centers -Smitty's- QFC - Ralphs Grocery Company total of 800 stores, and President Clinton, who w/Ms. Clinton ( Hillary for America ) knew Walmart, Inc. better than anyone in any state & Washington; hence, President Bill Clinton asked for ONLY 1% divestitures (Kroger bought 792 stores and FTC & states divestitures aggregated to ONLY 8 stores).

Had Mr. Weiser & CO's AG Office been fully informed on Detailed Retail History, they'd find a few more highly material, meaningful facts.

1. Bill Clinton's FTC & state AGs ordered de minimis Costco Wholesale -Price Club M&A divestitures-again only 8 total stores were divested.
2. Since President Bill Clinton ( Clinton Foundation supported Kroger's (#1 supermarket retailer) acquisition of #5 supermarket retailer, Kroger has lowered prices by $5.5 billion to consumers. Kroger , Costco Wholesale and WinCo Foods continue to raise shoppers' standards of living by lowering prices!
3. Meanwhile, in CO, the Intermountain Region, and the USA, $7.7 billion taxpayer-subsidized Walmart and Amazon have laid waste to the supermarket and food distribution sector, including Avanza, Associated Corporate Stores, Bashas' Inc., CUB Foods-CO, Fleming, Super KMart, AG-Seattle & N/West, A&P, Pace Wholesale Clubs, Wild Oats, Tesco USA, and many others.

As enlightened leaders like President Bill Clinton and union leaders who worked with Bill Clinton know very well, the FTC & State AGs now are well-intentioned, yet do the proverbial "Faustian Deal" work for Walmart & Amazon, with really regrettable consequences for Consumers, Farmers, Communities, Shopping Center Owners, Public Schools: Kindergarten through college (that depend on Shopping centers commercial real estate taxes), and Union Workers who have lost 250,000+ union jobs since Bill Clinton left office.

Thus, dozens of unsubsidized food retailers filed for bankruptcy, in part due to proverbially draconian FTC order divestitures, e.g., Alabama-Mississippi went from 10,400+ UFCW workers to only 47 in MS & 338 in AL, as previously viable unionized food retailers filed for bankruptcy & liquidation, and became nearly state-wide FOOD DESERTS with Walmart owning its FTC enabled oligopoly of 51% to 95% Food Retail Market Shares, (Sources: U.S. Dept. of Labor Flickinger-Mellet 2024 Study for JLMC/Joint Labor Management Committee and Former Acting Secretary Julie Su & Walmart created Top 100 U.S. Food Deserts IPSL study).

Background: I am a 10-year UFCW and International Brotherhood of Teamsters member who has done 25+ more years of pro bono work for these unions, BCTGM /" Bakers," and the AFL-CIO .

I'm from a family founded by an orphan with an 8th-grade education of national & international spiritually based businesses for 5 generations from 1899-2024/now from farming and wall-to-wall union retailing, food manufacturing & distribution, marketing, as well as teaching? (Elementary to Univ. to Sunday Schools). Kindly click on the link: srginsight.com/family-of-firsts

As a longterm Walmart/WMT and Amazon/AMZN, am I & other WMT & AMZN shareholders benefitting from the Waltons (who earn $100 Million per day/365 days year/every year) as the wealthiest family in the world & Jeff Bezos : 亚马逊 /AMZN, world's wealthiest man & WMT son-in-law Stan Kroenke (owner Colorado Rapids Soccer Club ( Major League Soccer )), Denver Nuggets (NBA), Colorado Avalanche National Hockey League (NHL) , Colorado Mammoth National Lacrosse League (NLL) , D & R campaign contributions? (that Kroger & the chains, co-ops, and voluntary independent groups in the supermarket sector ethically do not typically make).