It has always bothered me that over the years, how we have allowed major corporations to infiltrate our lives with the lure of cheap goods. We have allowed them to close down our local mom & pop businesses with superstores and $5 pizzas. I read a diary recently that called for the boycott of Papa John's pizza and Walmart, but it shouldn't stop there.
I hope you bear with me, this is my 1st diary although I have been a fan of Daily Kos for the past 5 or so years, I thoroughly enjoy the diaries and information I gain from all of you, and marvel at how quickly important stories are diaried here. I am technology challenged, and not quick with text messaging.
That being said, I grew up in the 60's where you were sent to the corner store with a $1 to buy bread and milk for the family and always had change left over for that candy to eat on the way back home. You knew the grocer and they knew you and your family. Our "big" grocery store was the local IGA.
Over the years as bigger companies gobbled up our little stores and family owned businesses were unable to compete with their prices, we lost something. I now live in a quaint little beach town in Florida, where you have all "local" owned companies, only a few corporate giants have been able to get onto the beachside. I support all of our local family owned businesses because I would rather see them succeed than put another penny into the Walton clan's Trust Fund or other greedy CEO's pockets who back the republicant party.
I never used to think about where my money was being spent or who owned the establishment, I would just buy what I needed and what was convenient at the time. With the politics of the past few years, it has made me question just where my money was being spent, so I started thinking about what I buy and where, and I've come to the conclusion that I will only spend my money at companies who share the same ideology that I do. Since it is almost impossible to buy everything from local family owned businesses, I started looking at the Business owners who back the Democratic agenda, and decided that these are the companies that I will support.
My 1st person to follow was Warren Buffet, and below you will see the major corporations Berkshire Hathaway owns:
Acme Brick Company
Iscar Metalworking Companies
Applied Underwriters
Johns Manville
Ben Bridge Jeweler
Jordan's Furniture
Benjamin Moore & Co.
Justin Brands
Berkshire Hathaway Group
Larson-Juhl
Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies
Lubrizol Corporation
BoatU.S.
Marmon Holdings, Inc.
Borsheims Fine Jewelry
McLane Company
Brooks
Medical Protective
Buffalo NEWS, Buffalo NY
MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company
BNSF
MiTek Inc.
Business Wire
National Indemnity Company
Central States Indemnity Company
Nebraska Furniture Mart
Clayton Homes
NetJets®
CORT Business Services
Omaha World-Herald
CTB Inc.
The Pampered Chef®
Fechheimer Brothers Company
Precision Steel Warehouse, Inc.
FlightSafety
RC Willey Home Furnishings
Forest River
Richline Group
Fruit of the Loom Companies
Scott Fetzer Companies
Garan Incorporated
See's Candies
Gateway Underwriters Agency
Shaw Industries
GEICO Auto Insurance
Star Furniture
General Re
TTI, Inc.
Helzberg Diamonds
United States Liability Insurance Group
H.H. Brown Shoe Group
XTRA Corporation
HomeServices of America, a subsidiary of
MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company
International Dairy Queen, Inc.
I know there are many other Democratic agenda supporters and hope that you will add to the list to educate all of us. It really does matter who we support, and let's be sure that they support what we believe in!