Chief among the many unnecessary drains on our financial resources -- think war, corporate tax evasion, etc. -- is the trend of large companies earning record profits while making every effort to drive down wages. The nation’s largest employer, Walmart, has been the poster child of such abuses along the supply chain.

These practices have been institutionalized in the retail industry forcing the government to pick up the slack for countless oppressed employees. This cost is ultimately paid by the taxpayer who, in this scenario, doubles as the consumer.

The U.S. House of Representatives recently released a report, prepared by the Democratic staff of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workfororce, that evaluates Wisconsin Medicaid data in an attempt to evaluate how much Walmart's low wages cost the taxpayer. The report, Everyday Low Wages: The Hidden Price We All Pay for Wal-Mart, provides the following facts:

After analyzing data released by Wisconsin’s Medicaid program, the Democratic staff of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce estimates that a single 300-person Wal-Mart Supercenter store in Wisconsin likely costs taxpayers at least $904,542 per year and could cost taxpayers up to $1,744,590 per year – about $5,815 per employee.

This problem is spiraling out of control with no sign Walmart and the companies like them releasing their vice grip on the "largest employer" slot. While big business lobbyists push for small government, the companies they represent force maximum government burden through unscrupulous wage behavior. It is parasitic at best.

The report comment on Walmart's inescapable size.