This is not a joke.  This is how ridiculous the lefties are.  Seriously….. (Washington Post) Progressives loathe Walmart because it resists unionization, and is therefore in a position to offer goods at prices people can afford, as well as provide jobs to some who might otherwise be on welfare. Characteristically, they can’t admit their true motives for opposing Walmart, so they have to come up with increasingly preposterous pretexts — like the threat of shoplifting: 

Brenda Speaks, a Ward 4 ANC commissioner, actually urged blocking construction of the planned store in her ward at Georgia and Missouri avenues NW [in DC] partly because of that risk. Addressing a small, anti-Wal-Mart rally at City Hall on Monday, Speaks said young people would get criminal records when they couldn’t resist the temptation to steal. “There’ll probably be a lot of shoplifting going on. They’ll need a lot of security,” Terriea Sutton, 35, said.

(Read Washington Post Article)
Brilliant progressive solution to stopping shoplifting.  No stores, no shoplifting, no criminal records. We can just fence off poor neighborhoods and have the government drop free food on them from airplanes. Another problem has been solved by the wise bureaucrats who rule us.  Sheeesh…. these progs are really out there.
It’s basically the same principle for most elements of liberal legislation.  Remove the soda – make you thinner, remove the salt – make your heart healthy, take away the cheeseburgers – control your weight, take guns away- make you safer, etc. etc.  It just goes on and on.   Now they can remove the criminal records for shoplifters by taking away the stores….  Brilliant!    Progressive logic at its best   /SD