[panglott]

Meh, liberals and conservatives like to immiserate the poor in different ways: conservatives try to drive down wages and liberals try to drive up prices.

As a simple matter of increasing purchasing power at the low end of the economic scale, Wal-Mart has done an amazing amount to reduce poverty. Financial services are hugely overpriced for poor people, and Wal-Mart providing financial services could be a fantastic way to lower those costs.