Cut Up That TARGET Card

Run time: 02:58 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SipXbgyi68   Posted on YouTube: July 28, 2010 By YouTube Member: UpTakeVideo Views on YouTube: 309   Posted on DU: July 28, 2010 By DU Member: unapatriciated Views on DU: 1444

 
http://www.perfectduluthday.com/2010/07/27/target-corp-gives-150000-for-republican-tom-emmer/

Target Corp Gives $150,000 for Republican Tom Emmer
By Sam on Jul 27, 2010 in Current Events, Politics

Some Minnesotans seem upset about Minneapolis-based Target giving money for Republican Tom Emmer’s campaign for Minnesota Governor, as Target is usually not associated with conservative politics. Minnesota-based BestBuy also gave $100,000. National News has picked up the story.

Emmer supports Arizona’s controversial new immigration law that has St. Paul mayor’s office boycotting travel to Arizona. On MPR, Emmer said, “I think what Arizona has done is a wonderful first step.” Emmer then said that he hopes to model Minnesota law on Arizona immigration law.

Emmer also advocated lowering wages for Minnesota waiters, and said, “With the tips that they get to take home, there are some people earning over $100,000 a year.”

Emmer supports a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, which has many Minnesota gay rights groups upset.

The January 2010 Supreme Court decision overturned a century of law and now allows corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money for ads supporting candidates.

What do you think about Minnesota corporations being able to spend unlimited money on Minnesota elections?

http://www.theawl.com/2010/07/real-america-why-target-supports-tom-emmer

Real America: Why Target Supports Tom Emmer
by Abe Sauer posted @9:40 AM

As we reported this week in our profile of Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, a PAC called MN Forward raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in just a few weeks. MN Forward is using that money to run ads in support of Emmer, a Republican.

Target, long headquartered in Minneapolis, was one of the four corporate patrons of MN Forward. They forked over $100,000 cash and another $50,000 of in-kind goods and services. It's an odd move for a corporation that expresses support for gay rights. And it's your chance to stop whining and do something.

Progressive compared to its peers, Target extends domestic-partner benefits to gay and lesbian employees. It has also openly sponsored Twin Cities Pride and other gay and lesbian events in the state. Target puts its name on Minnesota AIDS Walk, a move that many corporations, worried about religious consumer terrorism, are far too cowardly to even consider.

Target's been deservedly rewarded, receiving a top rating of 100 percent on the 2009 and 2010 Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index and Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality, the 2009 Rainbow Families Award and the 2009 Lavender Pride Award—and a reputation amongst the LGBT community as a "good" big box retailer.

Target's support for MN Forward and Emmer is surprising. Emmer's a candidate who isn't just indifferent about gay rights; he's outright hostile. Despite claiming to be for freedom and personal liberty, Emmer's name appears on the author line of constitutional legislature "protecting" traditional marriage...

http://sfist.com/2010/07/23/targets_anti-gay_support.php

by Matt Baume

Here's something that may give fans of San Francisco's impending Target invasion some pause: the company's financial support for an anti-gay Republican politician whose friends include a "kill-the-gays" Christian rock singer.

Aaaaaaaawkward.

The story goes like this:

Bradlee Dean, the frontman of a Christian rock band in Minnesota called You Can Run But You Cannot Hide, recently said that Muslim countries that execute LGBTs are "more moral than even the American Christians," plus some mouth-foaming about gays engaging in abominations and child molestation. Ugh.

So what's the Target connection? Well, Bradlee's ministry received money and support from Tom Emmer, an anti-gay Minnesota Republican running for Governor. And Tom Emmer's campaign got a boost from Minnesota Forward, a PAC running TV ads on his behalf. And Minnesota Forward got $150,000 -- which amounts to about a third of all of their donations -- from Target.

So, to follow the money: Target gave $150,000 to Minnesota Forward, which bought TV ads for Tom Emmer, who says "I believe marriage is the union between one man and one woman," and who hangs out with a guy who thinks killing gays is moral.

Tom Emmer seems to like Bradlee Dean -- as in, really like. "These are nice people," Tom said of the band. Meanwhile, Bradlee told an interviewer, "On average, they molest 117 people before they're found out. How many kids have been destroyed, how many adults have been destroyed because of crimes against nature?"

In Target's defense, backing Emmer could have been more about getting corporate welfare for their company, and the anti-gay stuff didn't even appear on their radar. Which is a shame, because it really should have. Maybe they donate to politicians who support their business needs? Fine. But, at what point do we say, "this person may be good for the bottom line but they want to hurt people and we can't support that." While Target didn't know about Dean's "kill the gays" bile, the certainly knew that Emmer wants to stop gays from marrying, and they want ahead and gave him the money anyway.

Nothing glamorous, just a cart attendant who ran himself ragged clearing the lot, helping carry heavy purchases, sorting hangers, getting yelled at by the resident blowhard manager, you know the drill.

Good thing I didn't have a Target card to begin with.

I did my shopping at KMart and WalMart. The sold the same stuff for LESS. And the Target about 30 miles for our home has the same stuff as Walmart 2 miles away. So I never shop there. AND now I never will.Emmer is so stupid his message is so over the hill he won't get elected. I don't understand why companies are wasting money on him. He did himself in big time when he said that the wait staff's salary should be lower and tips included in.

as lame54 stated do not use my thread to endorse that piece of dung. It's your right to shop there but let me point out a few things regarding that race to the bottom company.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/22/magazines/fortune/pluggedin_gunther_walmart.fortune/index.htm

http://houstonemploymentlawsblog.com/2010/06/walmart-employee-claims-that-he-faced-homophobic-discrimination.html

http://criminaljustice.change.org/blog/view/thank_walmart_for_violating_patients_rights

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/26/walmart.suit/index.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36900136/

http://www.laborrights.org/creating-a-sweatfree-world/wal-mart-campaign/news/11587

and just a final link that keep you up to date on that race to the bottom company. Your cheaper prices have consequences.

http://blog.wakeupwalmart.com/ufcw/2006/03/walmart_in_the_1.html


all of the links above took five minuets to google. They earned the title of the MOST sued corporation the old fashioned way.......discriminating against any and all in the name of greed.

Walmart is still the worst retailer I've ever seen.

Target has WAY better buyers than K-mart or Walmart. Much better looking house wears and clothes. But I guess some people can't tell the difference.

That being said.... I don't go there often and NEVER go to Walmart or K-mart... but I think I'll stop my twice a year (maybe) trip to Target as well.

I will also be writing via snail mail and giving them a jingle.


Target Corporation
1000 Nicllet Mall
Minneapolis,MN55403
Phone:612-304-6073
Fax:612-370-5502
Web Site: www.targetcorp.com


feel free to do the same.

they (big box stores) are all the same, why bash just one, so this comes as no surprise to me!:shrug:

You take on the largest bully and beat him, it sets an example for small corporations.
That's a very simple often used tactic to get other (smaller corporations) wrong doers to fall in line.
Wal-mart has earned their bashing on a larger scale than the rest of the big-box stores (see my post above).

I don't know why that is so hard to understand.

people are made to suffer the same consequences. It takes a lot more to make the likes of walmart hurt than the smaller players like target.

to get away with abuse. This post is an example of that.
My point is you do take on the biggest offender first. This allows you to hold up to smaller corporations the consequences if they engage in the same practices.
I did not say smaller players like target would influence walmart, in fact I stated the opposite. What we do to stop wal-marts practices of discrimination will influence smaller companies not to do the same.