Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal (March 24) features a sad story on Wal Mart’s move into lobbying. In a mere five years the company has gone from giving almost nothing to political candidates to being the largest corporate donor to federal parties and candidates ($1 million in 2003). Why? “[F]riendly lawmakers warned Wal-Mart executives to guard against the fate that had befallen Microsoft Corp. The technology giant’s courtship of Washington didn’t start until the Justice Department had filed an antitrust lawsuit -- leading to years of costly litigation and damage control.”
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