In one of his most famous and eloquent passages, Karl Marx expresses awe at the transformative power of capitalism, writing that, “All that is solid melts into air, all that is sacred is profaned.”  In the last two decades, Wal-Mart, the embodiment of global capital, has almost single handedly transformed the world’s retail industry, and with it, the American cityscape.  As Wal-Mart and other corporations embrace economies of scale, those Mom-and-Pop stores on Main Street have, in Marx’s words, melted into air.  Now, Wal-Mart is poised to make another large social transformation, this time threatening to "desecrate," what for many, is the sacred ground of financial services.  In an article published in last week’s Wall Street Journal, Can Wal-Mart Cash In on Financial Services? Robin Sidel and Ann Zimmerman describe Wal-Mart’s foray into the world of check cashing, bill payment, money orders, and—our very favorite—remittances.