business decisions are made daily - some work, some don't.
You have the most profitable retailer in the world, walmart, pushing cheap product for a cheap price. You can't say the high volume, low margin business model doesnt work.
Raising the price of salt is not going to lower the cost of an expensive skimmer made from everyday pvc and acrylic (why does a euroreef cost $600 for $40 worth of plastic and 3 hours labour? Because people will pay for it), raising the price of salt is not going to result in healthy or more diversified livestock being brought in to fish stores and raising the price of salt is not going to change the world.
This is a pretty silly, 3 page argument
If salt is cheap now, I will enjoy the price break, because they come so rarely in this hobby. If, in the future, a salt manufacturer does indeed feel their product is being sold too cheaply and steps in to enforce a minimum selling price for salt that is higher then what I currently pay, then I will pay more - and so will everyone who wants salt. Personally, I doubt it will happen, as the salt was originally purchased by the retailers/wholesalers and the salt manufacturer has already made their profit, they dont care if the product is then sold at a loss - their business isnt directly hurt by the LFS losing a few bucks on a product
Bringing responsibility and ethics as an aquarist into the discussion is uncalled for. It just twists your arguments and makes it look like you are all attacking each other on a personal level.
If you want to talk about ethics, talk about the stores that say you can start a saltwater tank for a couple hundred bucks and keep a dozen fish and a dozen corals plus 3 anemones in a 20 gallon tank - which I have personally seen happen at 3 stores (all slightly different scenarios, but you get the point).
And finally, impulse buying that algae scrubber, fishnet or PH monitor does not make one an irresponsible aquarist.