Spend Wisely: Check If the Companies You Shop With Align With Your Political Views
Unhappy with current events? Change your spending habits. Here's how to find out if you're spending money with companies that are aligned with your political views.
A Small Way to Make a Big Impact
It can often feel like you're just a little fish in a giant pond with little ability to affect big change, but what if I told you that there is a small way that you can make an impact?
Most Politicians Are Funded By Big Business
See, most politicians are not funded by people like me and you. Most politicians are funded by big business. How do those big businesses afford to contribute so much money to political campaigns and PACS? They use our money.
Big Businesses Vote With the Money We Give Them
Big businesses use the money they make off our consumer spending habits to donate to politicians and PACs that very often practice politics that benefit the big businesses and not the little guys like us.
What The Heck is a PAC?
If you're unfamiliar with what a PAC is, it's an acronym for Political Action Committee. These are committees that are often committed to raising money to help elect (or defeat) a particular political candidate. You can learn more about the different types of PACs by visiting the government's Federal Election Commission website.
What Can We Do to Counter Corporate Political Donations?
So how can you and I affect change? By putting our collective money where our collective mouths (or hearts) are and changing our spending habits.
The average consumer funds polititcans and PACs about 3 times more through their purchasing decisions as compared to their direct political contrinutions. - Goods Unite Us
Find Out If a Business Aligns With Your Moral, Ethical, and Political Views
How do you find out if a business aligns with your morals, ethics, and political views or if they are donating to politicians that are working against you? There's an app for that - and a website too.
Search Company Names to Learn How They Donate Politically
Goods Unite Us is a website (and mobile app) that allows you to see which side of the politcal spectrum a business has donated to. You can search any number of companies at Goods Unite Us to learn where they are donating politically.
The U.S. Supreme Court has said that corporations have a constitutional right to political speech. Goods Unite Us allows you to hear what they’re saying and for them to hear you! - Goods Unite Us
Check out Goods Unite Us now. You may be surprised to learn that some of the companies you regurlary spend money with are contributing to political plans of action that harm you.
Individual Political Contributions Are Public Record - And There's a Database
Additionally, individual politcal contributions are public records maintained by the Federal Election Commission, and are included in a public, searchable database. This means if you happen to know the name of a company's CEO, or any of its other executives, you can see where they have personally contributed to, as well. See the searchable Federal Election Commission data base here.
If Money Talks, Vote With Your Wallet and Let Your Voice Be Heard
Once you're armed with this new knowledge, you can "vote with your wallet." Making small personal changes in things like where you shop can strip corporations of the ability to vote with your money, which can be very empowering.
You know what else can be empowering? Growing your own food. Keep scrolling to learn how to grow 17 foods from scraps.
17 Foods You Can Grow from Scraps
Gallery Credit: Kat Mykals