Plaid Friday 3: "Americans have chosen cheap ... (and) it's led to a cycle of impoverishment."

Something to consider while you're standing in line.

Who's Really to Blame for the Wal-Mart Strikes? The American Consumer, by Jordan Weissmann (The Atlantic)

... It would be a mistake, however, to think of this simply as a clash over one company. Rather, it's symptomatic of forces Wal-Mart helped set in motion and now shape our economy in fundamental way. It's about big box retail's refusal to pay a decent wage. It's about the way we've stacked the deck against unions. And it's about the choices we make as consumers.