The old axiom is that just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. A lot of times States get flushed with their own power because the Constitution says that they retain the powers not delegated to the Federal Government (Amendment X: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people"). Bureaucrats who like power take that to mean that they can do whatever they want ... ignoring the other part of that amendment which mentions "the people". And even if the "people" want something it doesn't mean they should get it either especially if their want infringes on the rights of others.

Theoretically that is why we have a Republican government which is to protect against the ravages of pure Democracy and the mere wants of people.

The Maryland Legislature has decided that Walmart isn't paying "it's fair share" with regards to health care. The unions, bureaucrats, competing businesses and assorted other economic socialists have managed to get a law into place that will require the retailer to spend 8% of its payroll on healthcare because they have over 10,000 employees in the state.

Ok, so aside from the obvious economic insanity of this approach which tells businesses that they should not expand, create new jobs and help people get out from under the welfare state it is also of wonder how many of these legislators are voting for the bill in exchange for "kickbacks" - legally known as "campaign contributions". Perhaps an investigation should be in order?

So what is Walmart to do? Some have said that Walmart should just lay off enough employees to get them under the 10,000 mark. Currently Walmart has an estimated 17,000 employees in the state. But that wont help. Next legislative session they will just drop the threshold to some lower number. And if the "your money is our money" socialists in government had their way they would simply just pass emergency legislation that would stop Walmart from laying off enough employees to get in under the set level.

No? Don't think so? Why not? They've already passed legislation telling Walmart how to run it's business!

No, nothing Walmart does short of launching a defensive nuclear attack will do. This nuclear attack would entail Walmart closing every single store and emptying every shelf in them in Maryland and laying off every last one of it's over 10,000 employees. Walmart has to do this because there is similar legislation being considered in other states as well. And only if Walmart pulls out and conducts a scorched earth nuclear campaign in Maryland will there be a chance that people will wake up and realize what is happening here.

Of course at this point there is nothing preventing the Maryland legislature from passing a new law that would prevent Walmart from closing up every store either. After all, they apparently think that they have this sort of power.

The harder the left tries to institute it's bizarre agenda of increasing government regulation over our lives to