We all know that Wal-Mart is obsessed with saving money, but this is a little absurd. According the the Saint Louise Post Dispatch Political Fix blog, instead of hedging their bets and contributing to both candidates for Missouri Governor (an oft used tactic among companies), they waited to see who won and then donated $10,000 to the winning candidate's campaign. That's right, they donated money after the election had been decided.

Perhaps it's not about saving money, though. Perhaps it's about buying access to a governor. It would certainly make sense to do so since Wal-Mart has been cheating Missouri out of, potentially, millions of dollars in property taxes. If they can gain a friend at the state capitol, maybe they won't have to pay all that money back and they can keep stealing from the state? Or maybe they think the governor will overlook various other issues that may come up in his term, like union busting, violating labor law, or costing the state millions by forcing employees on to state aide by not providing adequate benefits.

Either way, we hope Wal-Mart's late donation does not absolve them from their very real responsibilities in the state of Missouri, like property taxes, providing workers with health care, and not breaking the law.

Here's the blog post from Political Fix:

Bargain bin: Wal-Mart gives to Nixon — two days after election

Political donors will often hedge their bets by giving to both candidates in a competitive race.

But, in this month’s contest for Missouri governor, Wal-Mart found a way to make sure it was backing the winner: Wait until the polls close.

Campaign reports for Gov. elect Jay Nixon show that the retail giant gave the Democrat’s campaign $10,000 on Nov. 6 — two days after the election.

Though based in Bentonville, Ark., Wal-Mart has strong ties to Missouri — founder Sam Walton went to high school in Columbia, Mo.

However, that bit of history may not hold much sway for members of organized labor — early and active supporters of Nixon — who for years have battled Wal-Mart’s attempts to keep unions out of their stores.