My mother has been in the hospital for a week and is still on the mend. But I had this big idea right before her surgery and in between health scares and medication cycles (can’t sleep in the hospital anyway) it has been on my mind and I’m hoping some of you will take the idea and run with it.
April 15th is tax day. Most of us will begrudgingly and diligently fill out our tax forms. Some of us will have to pay additional taxes, some will give a big sigh of relief when we find out we have broken even this year, and a few lucky souls will get a tax refund.
However, on the corporate side of the ledger, it is a very different story. Many American corporations pay 0$ in taxes, while the vast majority of individual Americans foot the bill for schools, roads, clean water, safe food, the military and all of the other services and institutions needed to maintain our status as a developed nation.
Follow me over the fold for the BIG IDEA that I need help with that might make the Corporate America sit up and take notice of those of us who foot the bill for the country they are so privileged to be a part of.
Let’s make the week of April 15 – 22 National We Pay the Bills week. We need a catchy slogan, a zippy title for the movement that the media and other groups will pick up and run with. But here are the broad strokes.
Let’s turn off the spigot. If we don’t buy, they don’t get our money. Let’s organize a National Workers and Consumers Week of Revolt. We could go a day, but I think a week would send a much clearer and more important message. Let’s set a week in April from the 15 – 22, to capture the symbolism, and not purchase any that isn’t locally grown, produced, or supplied.
Let’s send a clear message to corporations and governors like Scott Walker, if we don’t work, you don’t get our tax dollars. This is what it will look like if you continue to put us all out of a job. And maybe the Dillards and the Walmarts and the Home Depots will finally get the message that we the people, not they the fat cats are the ones with the power. We are the people who buy their products and support their banks, stores, and restaurants.
We can take the money we save that week at Starbucks and McDonald’s and use it for other things. We could save for a family vacation. We could put it toward our children’s college funds. We could donate it to a good cause. How about the earthquake relief fund or to help those organizing in Wisconsin or Michigan?
We can have fun with this! We can start a What I Didn’t Buy This Week blog and each person can talk about what they almost bought but didn’t. We can blog about the great local businesses we found that we didn’t know existed and the people we met there. We can blog about the wonderful meals we made at home rather than eating out and share recipes.
For those who are research minded, you could find out how much corporations have paid in local, state, and national taxes and post it so we know which the worst offenders are. We can share lists of national companies to boycott that week and the lists of local businesses we should be supporting.
National companies, members of the Chamber of Commerce, banks, and our state and national officials need to see that we have power. So let’s keep working and let’s keep protesting by let’s vow that between April 15-22, we will not feed the corporate coffers. If they aren’t going to pay their fare share in taxes, if they are going to send jobs overseas and destroy industries in America, if they are going to take away our right to bargain and organize, then lets show them that we can simply stop the cash flow.
For this to work, we have to collectively take the plunge. We have to get union support and party support and the support of individuals. Let’s send a message to the corporate fat cats, we are mad as hell and we aren’t going to take it anymore. It is time to send Wall Street and Washington a clear message. It is our money and you aren’t getting anymore of it until you share the burden.
Anybody who is interested please take the idea and run with it. Please post it on Facebook and other sites. Who knows? May be it will grow and by April 15th Wall Street will be wondering where we all are. Thanks!!!