On the Rachel Maddow show, Paul Krugman famously said that "the people on Wall Street are not our friends and can't be trusted". The same could be said about some of our local businesses and merchants, so now is the time to start taking action:
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The Citizens' United case allowed wealthy people and large corporations to give unlimited amounts of money to political candidates. Based on the number of Romney/Ryan signs I have been seeing on commercial property, it also seems to have emboldened a lot of local business owners. In the past, most area merchants were at least smart enough to keep their political leanings to themselves lest they scare away potential customers. This year, however, they wear their party affiliation on their sleeves (or at least on their 5-by-10 foot Romney sign).
With only a little more than a week left in the campaign season, I would advise all progressive thinking people to keep their smart phone or a pen and paper handy as they go about their daily activities. If you see a Republican campaign sign in a store window or on the adjacent property, jot down the name of the merchant. Trade lists with your friends and neighbors and send them out via email, or post them to your Facebook page. While you're at it, if the merchant has a web page with a "contact us" link, write them a friendly message notifying them that you have your choice of businesses to patronize, and their regressive political leanings give you no choice but to find some other store from which to purchase goods and services.
All politics are local. If business people want to use their prominent position in the community, and the prominent location of their store/office, to advance the conservative agenda, let's remind them that their actions have consequences. Everybody has a right to express their views, but that doesn't mean we have to listen or approve.
Vote with your dollars, not just with ballots.