Please for one year – I’m not asking you to do this for the rest of your life – for one year (at least - hopefully longer) do not use Black Friday or Cyber-Monday to line the pockets of ALEC members (the American Legislative Exchange Council).
Shop local – help out your neighbor by giving them business.
I know that the deals look really good in that flyer that you are going to get in the mail tomorrow and the next day – but PLEASE, PLEASE do not line the coffers of ALEC corporate sector / private enterprise members by giving them your business for the ENTIRE holiday season.
PLEASE no ALEC inspired holiday presents this year – PLEASE???????????
When you look at those “fantastic buys” or “”must haves” or “gotta haves for dinner” that are advertised – remember that the following companies have contributed to the destruction of our democracy and pay for ALEC members to be brainwashed at ALEC meetings.
From ALEC Exposed (this is only a few, visit ALEC Exposed for all the rest):
Amazon
AT&T
Coca Cola
Diageo – (Seagram's, it obtained the brands Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, and VO Canadian) (hypocritical as I sit here at the end of a a$$hole day – drinking a Morgan diet – sorry, [didn't know, really!!!] I won’t buy another bottle of Morgan)
No giftcards from Exxon Mobil, BP, Conoco Phillips, Chevron, Marathon, Shell, Texaco
Johnson & Johnson
Koch Industries (Georgia Pacific brands include brands include Quilted Northern, Angel Soft, Brawny, Sparkle, Vanity Fair, and Dixie cups)
Kraft Foods
WalMart
Altria
Don’t use your American Express or give AMEX gift cards
Jewel / OSCO
Amway
Annheuser Busch
Century Link (formerly Qwest)
No new or used Chrysler, Fords or General Motor vehicles
Coors
Dell
Please don’t use FedEx or UPS – plan ahead and use the US Postal Service
FritoLay
Fruit of the Loom
General Electric
Gerber baby foods – don’t feed those to your kids or grandkids
Hiram Walker
HP
IBM
International Paper
Intuit
Seagrams
Kraft
Mars candies
Mary Kay Cosmetics
McDonalds fast food
Microsoft – everything and anything
Miller Brewing
Motorola
Nestle
Outback Steakhouse
Pepsi
Proctor and Gamble
Sara Lee
Sony
Sprint
Tropicana
Unliver (owner of Axe deodorant, Dove soap, Pond's cold cream, Suave shampoo, Vaseline petroleum jelly, Signal toothpaste, Surf laundry soap, Slim Fast weight loss foods, Lipton tea, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, Breyers ice cream, and Country Crock margarine)
United Airlines
UPS and FedEx
Verizon
VISA (please don’t use their card or give their gift cards)
Walgreens
YUM! Brands (owner of Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Long John Silver's and A&W)
I'm sure I probably missed a couple -
please look here for the entire list that is published.
PLEASE buy local this year.
Give gift certificates from local entrepreneurs trying to stay afloat: a house cleaning, some snow shoveling or lawn mowing, car repair, organic local foods, locally made bakery goods, educational tutoring, a deck wash or gutter cleaning, a new hair style, a massage, a chiropractic adjustment, acupuncture, a brewsky from a local brewer, a bottle of wine from a local vintner, dinner at a locally owned restaurant, handcrafted pottery or jewerly from a local artisan, candy from a local chocolatier, make your own gifts, ice cream and goodies – you get the idea.
By the way - what are your ideas?
Keep it in your community – give your business to locals.
We really don't need fancy stuff made in China. We just need to show we care for each other.
Buy local – Buy American, from here or from here or buy Union made!!!