Petula Dvorak: Why Vincent Gray should veto the living wage bill The living wage bill is a way of singling out this billion-dollar behemoth to boost the fortunes of hundreds of low-wage workers. They would make 50 percent more than the $8.25 minimum wage. And that sentiment makes me and lots of other bleeding hearts who may have grown up in working-class homes or struggled in minimum-wage jobs fist-pump in triumph. I want working people to make a decent living. I want to make a dent in the growing chasm between the poor and the rich. I want the destroyer of small-town businesses and purveyor of made-in-China smiley faces to offer some recompense for its sprawling, depressing stores, for its crushing effect on the American economy and its unequal treatment of female workers. It would make a great Disney movie, wouldn't it? The city that's not even a state stopping the big, blue bully in its tracks. But this bill isn't going to be the way to do it, I'm afraid. Wal-Mart promised it will walk away from three of its six stores if the $12.50-an-hour mandate stands. And at this point, the people of this city need Wal-Mart more than Wal-Mart needs us. Only Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) can decide what happens now. If he vetoes the bill, Wal-Mart stays. If he signs it - we'll see. It's a multimillion-dollar game of chicken. Gray did one of his community walkabouts Saturday, going door-to-door in Ward 7, the community in Southeast that would lose the most if Wal-Mart pulls out. I trailed after him, figuring he'd hear an earful about it from folks east of the Anacostia River, who have far fewer places to shop than residents in other parts of the city. I watched at least a dozen folks talk to the mayor, and not a single one brought up the Wal-Mart deal. "And I'm not asking them about it," Gray declared, as we both boiled in the afternoon sun and he ordered a service request for a crumbling sidewalk. When I visited each resident after the mayor's entourage left and pressed them to talk about the issue, every one of them said Wal-Mart needs to win this one. None of them had a burning desire to raise the minimum wage in this city. "I understand the salary concerns, but that's a fight we can fight later," said Alphonzo Ransome, 53, who works for D.C. Public Works and relies on Wal-Mart to help him make ends meet. He has one daughter in college and a high school senior at home, so every penny counts. He left the front door of his brick duplex in the middle of our conversation to wheel out a shiny, red Radio Flyer trike he bought as a gift for a family member the night before. It was $79 at Toys R Us. I found it for $49 at Wal-Mart," he explained. When it comes to D.C., it'll really change some areas. Some of these places in the city haven't seen development in 100 years. This will change everything," he said.