As American citizens, we have more power than many others over our government and therefore our society.
But what are those powers? They're largely squandered, but they're largely the vote, contacting elected officials, and... how we spend our money.
That last is not enough understood enough as a core political act. A boycott seems to many like some radical political act, when instead every purchase we make has political impact.
Do y9ou bank with one of the 'too big to fail' banks and fund their dominance over our political system, ensuring their ability to get bailed out with tax dollars, or do you bank locally and support competitiveness in the industry? Do you buy food that supports big corporate food production, the overuse of chemicals, abusive business practices that hurt smaller farmers, or do you buy organic, buy smaller producers? Do you support the richest family in America, the Walton family, or do you support your neighbors' small businesses?
If you buy Campbell's soup, you are funding the Campbell children's political battle to eliminate the esate tax - and make the rich (them) richer.
If you buy Domino's pizza, you are supporting a right-wing group who funds or owns a number of right-wing affiliated businesses, including at times ones funding political leaders.
If you buy Comcast, you are supporting their political acts like hiring people to use up all the seats at a regulatory meeitng for public input, and their 'net neutrality' poliies.
Business does a lot of things that affect society, and you have little say. You can get the government to regulate it, but that's pretty limited, and the businesses - who have gone from a few hundred lobbyists when Reagan took office to 35,000 today - tend to have a lot more say. But you have an additional influence - where you spend your money, that most people pay no attention to. Spending, with communication to the businesses why, is one of only two real political acts you have IMO - and you only vote every couple years, with very little specific issue impact, normally just picking between two candidates with all their policies take it or leave it.
IMO, especially to counter the increasing domination of our system by business, we can use more 'citizen activism' on spending - whether just people including the politics in their spending choices, or more organized movements to pressure for change. There is nothing wrong with people including the political effects of their spending in choosing, and instead it's important they do so, if they don't want to hand over the power to the 'special interests'.
There are businesses who offer alternatives - for example, there's a phone company called 'Working Assets' (or 'Credo' that offers services with 'social responsibility'; they include a free call a day to the White House, they donate some proceeds to charities the customers vote on, they include 'action alerts' you can help on.
Big business won't tell you how your own money funds battles against your interests by your spending with the wrong companies. It's up to citizens to pay attention, be 'vigilant'.
Whatever your views, consider the political effects of your voting with dollars every day. Spend a little more when the benefits - personal, moral, societal - justiy it.
The dollar you spend without political consideration is funneled into political lobbying by those you give it to. You get a say - before you spend.
But what are those powers? They're largely squandered, but they're largely the vote, contacting elected officials, and... how we spend our money.
That last is not enough understood enough as a core political act. A boycott seems to many like some radical political act, when instead every purchase we make has political impact.
Do y9ou bank with one of the 'too big to fail' banks and fund their dominance over our political system, ensuring their ability to get bailed out with tax dollars, or do you bank locally and support competitiveness in the industry? Do you buy food that supports big corporate food production, the overuse of chemicals, abusive business practices that hurt smaller farmers, or do you buy organic, buy smaller producers? Do you support the richest family in America, the Walton family, or do you support your neighbors' small businesses?
If you buy Campbell's soup, you are funding the Campbell children's political battle to eliminate the esate tax - and make the rich (them) richer.
If you buy Domino's pizza, you are supporting a right-wing group who funds or owns a number of right-wing affiliated businesses, including at times ones funding political leaders.
If you buy Comcast, you are supporting their political acts like hiring people to use up all the seats at a regulatory meeitng for public input, and their 'net neutrality' poliies.
Business does a lot of things that affect society, and you have little say. You can get the government to regulate it, but that's pretty limited, and the businesses - who have gone from a few hundred lobbyists when Reagan took office to 35,000 today - tend to have a lot more say. But you have an additional influence - where you spend your money, that most people pay no attention to. Spending, with communication to the businesses why, is one of only two real political acts you have IMO - and you only vote every couple years, with very little specific issue impact, normally just picking between two candidates with all their policies take it or leave it.
IMO, especially to counter the increasing domination of our system by business, we can use more 'citizen activism' on spending - whether just people including the politics in their spending choices, or more organized movements to pressure for change. There is nothing wrong with people including the political effects of their spending in choosing, and instead it's important they do so, if they don't want to hand over the power to the 'special interests'.
There are businesses who offer alternatives - for example, there's a phone company called 'Working Assets' (or 'Credo' that offers services with 'social responsibility'; they include a free call a day to the White House, they donate some proceeds to charities the customers vote on, they include 'action alerts' you can help on.
Big business won't tell you how your own money funds battles against your interests by your spending with the wrong companies. It's up to citizens to pay attention, be 'vigilant'.
Whatever your views, consider the political effects of your voting with dollars every day. Spend a little more when the benefits - personal, moral, societal - justiy it.
The dollar you spend without political consideration is funneled into political lobbying by those you give it to. You get a say - before you spend.
I am grouping all political votes - including school board - together as one type of vote, with spending another.
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