In the ongoing world of corporate socialism in the United States (which has plagued this country since the creation of the “Federal” Reserve back in 1914), it seems that Wal-Mart has joined the chorus of large corporations singing the “praises” of employer-mandated health insurance:

Wal-Mart Endorses Employer Mandate

After years of strenuous opposition, Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest private employer, announced yesterday that it supports a controversial proposal requiring businesses to contribute to the cost of employee health insurance…company executives said they decided to back a federal “employer mandate” if certain conditions are met: It must be part of a broad health-care reform bill, it should exempt some small firms, and it must be pegged to a moderately priced benefits package similar to the coverage Wal-Mart offers most of its workers.

…large employers support an employer mandate as a way to “level the playing field,” said Helen Darling, president of the National Business Group on Health, which represents primarily Fortune 500 companies. “A lot of big companies in the retail business already provide it, and they feel that creates a competitive disadvantage for them,” she said.

[Wal-Mart] also spent more than $8 million on lobbying from January 2008 through March of this year, including a strong focus on health-care reform, according to Senate disclosure documents.

[Thanks to Thomas Byrne]