Starving the Beast: Ten Things You Can Do To Take America Back

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2010114511/starving-beast-ten-things-you-can-do-take-america-back

By Sara Robinson

November 11, 2010 - 9:47am ET


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8 Buy American. Buy union.

If you've got to buy it new, and there's no choice but to buy it from a big chain retailer, at least make sure your money is going to support another American worker's family. Living without imported Chinese goods is almost impossible (as this woman found out); but again, going out of our way to make better choices is an important way we can shift the leverage in the entire system that's killing our democracy.

Buying American is good. Buying union is even better. Unions have always been our biggest, strongest, best bulwark against creeping corporatocracy. The more support we can give them -- and the more unionized workers we have -- the more leverage we have against the big money interests, and the more likely we'll be able to take our country back in the long run. If we want to restore the middle class, we need to be deadly serious about buying union-made stuff.

[Brickbat]

1. Buy union, buy American, buy from independent retialers.

[fredamae]

2. Folks who can should pool

resources and do our own small business start up, form co-ops and bartering?

[Le Taz Hot]

3. Great suggestions!

K & R

[patrice]

4. K&RRRRRRRR~

[agentS]

5. What union products are available out there (Household goods) ?

If I recall correctly, the big union things available are cars, large machinery, and some other things I can't recall correctly (not stateside).

Is there a website or something akin to a list that tells people what is US made and union?

[SharonRB]

6. Try these

http://www.madeinusa.org/
http://www.americansworking.com/

[Blue_Tires]

7. thanks for this...

[canoeist52]

8. My favorite (though they're all good) is...

2. Stop using credit cards
Conservatives howl that sales taxes are a huge drag on the economy, since they take a little bite out of the value of every transaction. But you never hear them howling about the 3% sales tax we pay to the banks for every credit card transaction. There's a whole lot to be said about the perverse economics of this; but the short summary is that if we're going to defund the powers that are choking the life out of our democracy, the first thing we need to do is stop handing over 3% of almost every transaction we make.

[bvar22]

9. Here is the list:

1 Live within your means

2 Stop using credit cards

3 Move your money to a local bank

4 Eat local. Eat organic. Cook your own.

5 Don't shop in big-box stores; support local merchants instead

6 Make your own energy

7 Buy used whenever possible

8 Buy American. Buy union.

9 Cut your use of fossil fuels

10 Hire a better employer

I thought that was a good list.
My Wife & I practice these to the best of our ability.
To #4, "4 Eat local. Eat organic. Cook your own.",
I would add and GROW your OWN!

and

11 Buy BULK, and cook from Scratch.

In 2006, we moved to The Woods, and began producing our own food.
So far, so good.
Less is More!
:hippie: