The Greedy Oil Party is supported by the 1%, the Billionaires who dodge taxes, pollute our environment, exploit workers worldwide, and basically screw us over every way they can. Many of the Billionaires also get rich off of our purchases. Every time you spend money you are potentially helping a Billionaire GOP supporter who hates you and hurts you every chance.
We have the power to support better companies over worse companies every day of our lives. My wife and I try to make sure every dollar we spend is spent with this in mind. Which is not to say we don't occasionally slip up, knowingly or unknowingly. But we do our best to avoid the tax dodgers, the predatory lenders, the supporters of the Greedy Oil Party, etc. And you can too!
The Billionaires who spent so much to try and buy this election are pissed that we won. Now let's show them that WE are pissed at THEM and their efforts to screw us over, destroy our rights and our unions, take away our homes, etc.
Follow me to find out how YOU can stop feeding the billionaires who control the teabaggers and the Greedy Oil Party.
1. DON'T PAY THE KOCH BROTHERS EVERY TIME YOU WIPE YOUR ASS:
The Koch Brothers are the epitome of selfish, anti-working class, anti-middle class, whining right wing extremists and are among the biggest donors to the Greedy Oil Party. NO ONE in the 99% should be using products associated with the Koch Brothers. A lot of their holdings are things beyond our personal consumer choices (construction materials, for example). But they own one line of products we ALL should boycott: Georgia Pacific paper goods. EVERY TIME you use the following products, you are paying the Koch Brothers your money and enabling their agenda:
BOYCOTT Angel Soft toilet paper
BOYCOTT Brawny paper towels
BOYCOTT Dixie plates, bowls, napkins and cups
BOYCOTT Mardi Gras napkins and towels
BOYCOTT Quilted Northern toilet paper
BOYCOTT Soft 'n Gentle toilet paper
BOYCOTT Sparkle napkins
BOYCOTT Vanity fair napkins
BOYCOTT Zee napkins
BOYCOTT Georgia-Pacific labeled paper products and envelopes
Personally I use
Seventh Generation paper goods, which I can buy relatively cheaply at my local food co-op but used to order online. But at this point ANY company is better than the Koch Brothers affiliated products I list above.
2. DON'T TRUST THE BILLIONAIRE BANKS WITH YOUR MONEY:
Want to fight the Greedy Oil Party, anti-working class extremists? BOYCOTT BANK OF AMERICA AND CITICORP (and Chase). Together these are among the WORST companies in America in almost every way.
Bank of America is a major GOP donor compared with other major banks. Bank of America, along with Citicorp, is also one of the worst companies in America according to Green America's Responsible Shopper website. Both receive particularly low scores on environmental record and corporate ethics, not surprisingly. In addition, Bank of America receives the most customer service complaints according to the Comptroller of the Currency. In terms of customer service complaints, B of A is worst followed by J.P. Morgan Chase and then Citibank. in EVERY way Bank of America is the worst bank out there with Citibank and Chase competing for second and third places, but Citibank usually coming off worse (Chase comes somewhat closer, for example, to splitting donations evenly between Dems and Repubs). Bank of America and Citigroup, are also are two of the top ten tax dodging companies in America. Is there any way to hurt YOU and hurt America that Bank of America and Citicorp aren't already doing??
From Responsible Shopper:
• Bank of America has been sued by the New York State Attorney General for multiple instances of improper mutual fund trading, including the most costly trading scandal to date, which the company settled for $675 million.
• Bank of America claims to enrich communities with its nationwide reach, but its acquisition of MBNA, the country's third-largest credit card company, has raised concerns about continued predatory lending and soaring interest rates due to stifled competition.
• Bank of America is one of the largest investors in coal and coal fired power, which is responsible for nearly a third of the nation's CO2 emissions, and also funds surface coal mining.
Bank of America Affiliates: (these are the companies that may or may not obviously be Bank of America but are...I only include American and Canadian affiliates that don't have the full "Bank of America" name)
- AFSA Data Corporation (Other) - Long Beach, CA
- BA Asia Ltd. - Hong Kong, China (Hong Kong)
- BA Merchant Services Incorporated (Subsidiary) - San Francisco, CA
read more
- BA Merchant Services Incorporated (Subsidiary) - San Francisco, CA
- Columbia Financial Center Inc. (Other) - Portland, OR
- Columbia Management Advisors - Rochester, NY
- Columbia Management Advisors, Inc. - Portland, OR
- Columbia Management Advisors, Inc. - San Francisco, CA
- Columbia Management Group - Boston, MA
- Columbia Trust Co. - Portland, OR
- Fleet Bank (Parent) - Blue Bell, PA
- Fleet Bank (Subsidiary) - Paramus, NJ
- Fleet Bank - Albany, NY
- Fleet Business Credit Corp. - Chicago, IL
- Fleet Capital Canada Corporation - Toronto, Canada
- Fleet Capital Corp. - Atlanta, GA
- Fleet Capital Corporation (Other) - Glastonbury, CT
- Fleet Capital Leasing - Providence, RI
- Fleet Capital Leasing - Troy, MI
- Fleet Capital Leasing Healthcare Finance Corp. (Subsidiary) - Parsippany, NJ
- Fleet Credit Card Services, L.P. (Other) - Horsham, PA
- Fleet Growth Resources Inc. - Providence, RI
- Fleet Insurance Advisors (Other) - Mount Laurel, NJ
- Fleet Insurance Services (Other) - Cranford, NJ
- Fleet Investment Services Inc. - Providence, RI
- Fleet Pennsylvania Service - Wilmington, DE
- Fleet Retail Finance Inc. - Boston, MA
- Fleet Trust & Investment Services Company, N.A. - Stuart, FL
- FleetBoston Financial Corporation (Subsidiary) - Boston, MA
- FleetBoston Financial Corporation - Boston, MA
- FleetBoston New Jersey - Princeton, NJ
- Progress Financial Resources, Inc. - Philadelphia, PA
- Progress Realty Advisors, Inc. - Blue Bell, PA
- Wanger Asset Management Inc. (Other) - Chicago, IL
Regarding Citicorp, from Responsible Shopper:
• Citigroup has spearheaded industry efforts to fight legislation that would restrict bank consolidation.
• Citigroup has been accused of engaging in predatory lending practices that prey on the financially vulnerable.
• Citigroup is one of the top financiers of coal mining and coal fired power plants.
•Citigroup's record proves that its desire for profits come at the expense of environmental and social sustainability.
Affiliates: (again only US and Canadian ones and only ones that don't clearly have "Citi_
_" in their name)
- A. Friedrich Flender AG - Bocholt, Germany
- Acciones y Valores de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. - Mexico, Mexico
- American Health & Life Insurance Company (Subsidiary) - Fort Worth, TX
read more
- American Health & Life Insurance Company (Subsidiary) - Fort Worth, TX
- Associates Finance - San Juan, PR
- AST Stockplan, Inc. - New York, NY
- Auto One Acceptance Corp. - Dallas, TX
- Bearing Inspection Inc. (Subsidiary) - Los Alamitos, CA
- California Commerce Bank - Los Angeles, CA
- CityStreet - Jacksonville, FL
- Communico - Clearwater, FL
- Constitution State Claims - Buffalo, NY
- Constitution State Service LLC - Hartford, CT
- E.J. Footwear LLC - Franklin, TN
- Erico International Corp. - Solon, OH
- Flender Corporation (Branch) - Elgin, IL
- Flender Power Transmission, Inc. - Markham, Canada
- FNC Insurance Agency Inc. - Frederick, MD
- Geneva Companies LLC - Irvine, CA
- Grand River Navigation Co. - Avon Lake, OH
- Kiku (Subsidiary) - Honolulu, HI
- Loher Drive Systems, Inc. - Houston, TX
- Lower Lake Towing Ltd. - Port Dover, Canada
- Mid-America Insurance Services Inc. - Normal, IL
- MSX International, Inc. - Auburn Hills, MI
- MSX International, Inc. - Warren, MI
- National Benefit Life Insurance Company - New York, NY
- PFS Investments, Inc. - Duluth, GA
- PFSL Investments Canada Ltd. - Mississauga, Canada
- Phibro Inc. - Westport, CT
- Primerica Financial Services Ltd. - Mississauga, Canada
- Primerica Financial Services, Inc. (Subsidiary) - Duluth, GA
- Primerica Financial Services, Inc. - Kosciusko, MS
- Primerica Life Insurance Company - Duluth, GA
- Primerica Life Insurance Company of Canada - Mississauga, Canada
- Scholar Craft (Subsidiary) - Irondale, AL
- Sears Life Insurance Co. - Fort Worth, TX
- Smith Barney - New York, NY
- Strategic Industries, LLC - Alpharetta, GA
- The Geneva Companies Inc. - Irvine, CA
- Tower Square Securities Inc. - Hartford, CT
- Transouth Financial - Vero Beach, FL
- Transsouth Financial Inc. (Subsidiary) - Murfreesboro, TN
- Triton Insurance Co. - Fort Worth, TX
- Universal Financial Corp. - Salt Lake City, UT
Bottom line is, NO ONE in the 99% should bank with Bank of America or Citicorp. They are rock bottom in every way INCLUDING customer service AND being top GOP donors AND being among the worst companies in America for environment and for corporate ethics. MOVE YOUR MONEY, folks!
Among the big American banks the top companies (according to Responsible Shopper) are Wachovia, Wells Fargo and Suntrust. Doesn't mean they are GOOD companies, but they are much better than B of A, Citicorp and Chase, including in customer service. In addition TD Bank (which is Canadian) has a good record, is famous for customer service, and did not participate in predatory lending. If you stick with a big bank, these are probably your best bets. Even better options, if they are convenient for your needs, include finding a local credit union or a small local bank. These are also not universally good, but they are worth looking into and are bound to be better than Bank of America or Citicorp.
More on Better Banking and Better Credit Cards
More on Breaking up with your Mega-bank.
3. DON'T FUEL THE GREEDY OIL PARTY:
The company you gas up at makes a difference. The oil business is complex and companies sometimes sell eachother's fuel depending on availability. HOWEVER, bottom line is it is ALWAYS better to give your money to a better company than a worse company, though everyone has to weigh this against convenience sometimes.
When it comes to the gas station you fuel up at, there are of course no GOOD options. The best option you can take if you don't want to pollute and give your money to the GOP is to take public transportation, walk, bike, car pool, etc. Personally I have never owned a car but rather biked and took buses on the West Coast, and rely on subways and occasionally buses on the East Coast. But that is not always possible, so for most Americans it remains important to choose where you gas up carefully.
The worst of the worst companies are Exxon/Mobil, BP/Arco (they used to be far better but have declined), and Chevron. Exxon/Mobil in particular is one of the top donors to the GOP and one of the absolute worst companies in America. I have boycotted them for many years (we do gas up when we rent a car about once a year). All three are rock bottom on the environment and corporate ethics, of course. But BP and Chevron are even worse than Exxon/Mobil on human rights and worker safety, according to Responsible Shopper. Exxon/Mobil and Chevron, along with Valero and Conoco/Philiips, are among the top ten tax dodging companies in America.
Some details from Responsible Shopper:
• Chevron is directly and indirectly responsible for human rights violations in the Niger Delta.
• Chevron has engaged in toxic dumping in several US states and in the Amazon rainforest. From 1972 to 1990 in Ecuador alone, a lawsuit on behalf of 30,000 Ecuadorians alleges that Texaco Corp. was responsible for dumping 18.5 billion gallons of contaminated wastewater into rivers and open pits in the Amazon jungle, causing skin problems, miscarriages, and other ailments in local communities.
• BP has a legacy of questionable ethics, toxic emissions and disregard for ecologically sensitive areas when it comes to oil and gas exploration.
• BP was responsible for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 that lasted for 87 days and spilled an estimated total of 4.9 million barrels of crude oil. The incident has been the largest oil spill in US controlled waters, replacing the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989 that spilled a mere 750,000 barrels of crude oil in comparison.
• BP is head of a coalition of oil and gas companies building the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan pipeline across Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey; the project has been accused of causing widespread dislocation of residents without proper, and in some cases any, compensation and there have also been complaints of contaminated water supplies and landslides triggered by pipeline construction.
• Exxon boasts a commitment to preserving biodiversity but simultaneously fights policies designed to cut greenhouse-gas emissions.
• Critics accuse the company of funding "junk science" to refute evidence of climate change due to rising carbon dioxide levels from fossil fuels.
• Exxon's record of toxic spills, human rights abuses, and overall disregard for corporate responsibility principles have earned it a top spot on Green America's list of the world's most egregious corporations.
Among major gas station companies, Shell is almost as bad as Exxon/Mobil, BP/Arco and Chevron. The three "best" are Sunoco, Citgo and Hess. All three remain pretty bad but have better environmental and human rights records compared with the other major corporations. Valero isn't rated on Responsible Shopper. To find the best options near you:
Citgo (find stations)
Propel Fuels (find stations)
Conserv Fuel (California only, I believe. They also have some alternative fuels at some stations) (find stations)
Pearson Fuel
Sunoco (find stations)
Hess (find stations)
By strategic spending in those three areas (paper products, banks and credit cards, and gasoline) you can start giving your money to BETTER companies and avoiding those companies that are most infamous for dodging taxes, supporting GOP extremists, breaking the law, etc.
I will end with a fourth category: those companies that stupidly put themselves on the front lines of bigotry this year. These are the companies that may be small potatoes (or not) but have CHOSEN to take public stands alongside right wing extremism. I choose three in particular for deliberate boycott: Chic-Fil-A, Walmart (of course), and Home Depot.
Chic-Fil-A is run by a right wing extremist who has actively pushed an anti-LGBT agenda very publicly. They have become the junk food poster child of the right wing. There really is no reason why people who are pro-LGBT should go to Chick-Fil-A. Want fatty fast food chicken? I think Popeye's and El Pollo Loco are better anyway and have at least not been public about being anti-LGBT.
Home Depot founders and current CEO publicly advertised for Romney. They are an extremely right wing company and put themselves forward as a supported of the right wing agenda by advertising in Ohio and Pennsylvania (at least...don't know about other markets) for the GOP. Now I don't know if there are any home improvement companies that are better...other than local independent stores. Arguably Lowes but they aren't much better. I usually like to give clear alternatives when I advocate a boycott but this is one instance the best I can do is say Home Depot particularly sucks and leave it at that.
And then there is Walmart. They need no introduction in the Hall of Shame of right wing extremist companies we all should boycott. According to Responsible Shopper, Walmart is rock bottom among the Big Box Stores. In particular:
• Due to low wages and negligible benefits, thousands of Wal-Mart employees are dependent on public assistance to meet their basic needs, and American taxpayers eventually subsidize Wal-Mart's low prices.
• Wal-Mart hurts U.S. communities by undercutting local merchants and increasing urban sprawl, and its suppliers have been cited for labor and human rights violations.
• Wal-Mart has been repreatedly accused of union busting in the US and Canada, and of using a "Labor Relations Team" that stops Wal-Mart workers from unionizing.
• Wal-Mart's overseas suppliers have been repeatedly accused of using sweatshop labor.
• A recent investigation by the AFL-CIO affiliated Solidarity Center found that Wal-Mart is sourcing shrimp from plants in Thailand and Bangladesh where workers as young as 8 years old are subject to sweatshop conditions.
Now NO Big Box Store is really good according to Responsible Shopper. But the three "best" are Big Lots, Kohl's and Costco. By the way, Trader Joe's (not a Big Box Store but a chain sometimes associated with this category) is one of the highest rated companies on Responsible Shopper. They do have issues, but overall do better than any other major company rated by Responsible Shopper.
So please join me in at least avoiding the WORST right wing extremist enabling companies in America. And if possible patronize the best available to you, including local, independent businesses and co-ops. Green America has a National Green Pages that can help you find the most green and ethical local businesses in your area. See what you find.
Let's start Obama's second term with a wave of enthusiasm and activism that will leave the Billionaire masters of the teabaggers crying for years.