Do other members here try to make ethical purchases when shopping? As a young man I was never really too concerned with such things, but as I have grown older and seen the damage that many of these corporations have done and the power they wield within the halls of power in Washington, D.C. I have made the effort to not support these corporations. I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart, I won't purchase fuel from BP, or Exxon. I will not purchase anything with the name G.E. either upon finding out that they paid NO US taxes in 2009.
Of course there are many other corporations that play the tax game but this is about US not THEM. Have any of you changed your shopping habits? Do you make an effort to only support those corporations that behave ethically both with their workers and with the making of their products? I've found that I may pay a little bit more for items however I don't mind knowing that I am not enriching those that would oppress myself and future generations in order to bolster their profits.
For far too long these corporations have invested their profits in politicians and have usurped the voice and power of the people in this nation and around the world. They garnered these profits off the backs and wallets of the citizens. Laws are crafted that favor them over the people and all it took was a few dollars and some time. The transformation is nearly complete and I may be wasting my time flexing my purchasing power at this late date in the game. The power they wield is great, and it runs deep within the halls of power.
I see the horror stories involving overseas operations of Coca Cola and I cringe in horror at what these corporations are allowed to do in the name of profit. They are destroying environments, rives, water supplies, and lives with eyes only on the bottom line as Americans keep a watchful eye on the markets. What they have done in Columbia alone warrants prison time for many people. I won't bother with a cut and paste job, it won't do the site justice but take a minute to check out: http://killercoke.org/ and see for yourselves the documented horrors committed by this most American of corporations. As a life long Dr. Pepper drinker this was hard to take, but I stopped buying the stuff.
I simply will not allow any more of my dollars to flow into the coffers of madmen bent on domination and I would love to hear how others are "fighting the power" in their own ways. Suggestions for ethical businesses to support are welcome as well. We need to speak to these people in a language they understand by hitting them in their profit margins. We have the power to send a message that cannot be ignored, if we take away their profits then they have nothing left in which to buy lawmakers. Let the money well run dry for those that would oppress you. Retake America one purchase at a time, we know that it will not be simply handed back without a fight, remove the weapon of unlimited cash from their arsenals. Thanks for reading.