Power Shopping for Change

Simply defined, political democracy is the act of citizens participating in collective decision making. Over the centuries the mechanisms and parameters of participation in that decision making process have changed. Perhaps the greatest collective act of democratic participation in this nation was the revolutionary war. Later, codified in our Constitution, and refined through various amendments, our modern liberal democracy today has clearly defined rules and means of citizen participation. The most esteemed form of participation today is the vote. The most reviled: the campaign contribution.

As the many amendments to our Constitution display, our democracy is an evolutionary process, one that requires refining over time. I believe we have reached a point where refining is again necessary. Just as wealth flows to the top of our social structure, so does political power. The manifestation of this evolution is found in the size and power of the lobbying industry and the role of campaign financing in the direction of Washington politics, relative to our nation's history. More than ever, the citizen or organization that contributes cash is better represented than the citizen who votes.

The greater contributor to the financing of our political system is the large corporation. And let's face it, without serious campaign finance reform or revolutionary change in our civic culture, corporations, with their well financed lobbying efforts and huge campaign contributions, will always be better represented than you and I, not to mention the environment, human health, peace and justice, to name a few. And despite the rhetoric in Washington, "substantive" campaign finance reform isn't about to happen. Therefore, I propose some seeds of change for our civic culture.

Even though the present state of our political democracy leaves "us" (citizens with a vote to cast) with less effective mechanisms of participation in the political arena, we as "consumers" (citizens with dollars to spend) still hold all the cards. We simply need to educate ourselves as to how best to play our hands.

Corporations spend billions every year trying to influence our decision making in the marketplace. Every time we open our wallets or slide our plastic cards through the ATM machine, advertising is there battling to get our attention and our money. They need our money to compete and make a profit. Many also want our money to go to work for them in Washington; for example, to keep the minimum wage and corporate taxes low and environmental and worker safety regulations weak. Herein lies our power.

We can vote with our dollars. Some of the corporations out there (and even some small businesses in your own town) share your values and also want your attention. With a little effort, you can find them and put your hard-earned money where your values are. And this doesn't need to cost you a dime. You only have to make the choice where the dollars you are already spending go. By rewarding the "good" corporations (by your definition) you bypass your elected representative and go directly to a powerful source of political power. Call it conscientious consuming. Call it whatever you want. But this is what I would call political power shopping.

Best of all, making political power shopping a part of your civic culture, or better yet your civic duty is your choice. It doesn't require legislation to work. Most of us know the feeling of exercising our civic duty by walking out of the ballot box knowing we've done the right thing even though our chosen candidate doesn't have a chance of winning. By practicing political power shopping, you can always walk away from the cash register knowing that your dollars are not diverted toward lobbying or advertising that seduces teenagers to smoke or to corporations that exploit child labor in faraway lands or spoil the environment here and abroad. Better yet, you can walk away knowing that your dollars are going to either large corporations or small businesses that give generously to charities, offer day care in the work place, use recycled materials, or exercise whatever policies and practices tickle your fancy.

We must accept that exploiting children in the developing world, manufacturing weapons of mass destruction, and destroying the environment are economically profitable in the very short term where the free market game is played. By standing on the sidelines and blindly investing for our retirement, insuring our homes or buying groceries, many of us are contributing to those things that bring us the greatest heartache when we look out into the world; perpetuating human injustice, food and water contamination, lowering wages and many other social, political and economic ailments. Buy products from businesses that share your values and you'll find that those corporation's lobbyists will begin speaking your language in Washington and Lansing.

Now, just as participation in a political democracy requires some sacrifice, whether it be taking time to educate yourself about issues and candidates or taking time off work to vote, or volunteer for an electoral campaign, political power shopping requires the same. You may have to drop your favorite toothpaste, choose another brand of underwear, airline or even a mutual fund. But by doing so. you empower yourself and you determine the rules of the game.

So where do I find this information, you ask? For one, The Council on Economic Priorities (CEP) makes this and much more information available to members through their frequent "Research Reports" and newsletters. They also wrote, and frequently update, the Shopping for a Better World guide (published by Sierra Club Books. ISBN: 0-87156-471-8) Listing products from food, clothing, computers, automobiles and more, they grade each company on the following criteria: the environment, family, community outreach, minority advancement, charitable giving, work place issues, disclosure of information. and more. There's also a section where they offer other little tid-bits about each company. For example, did you know that they test Miracle Whip on animals? Or that Newman's Own gives 100% of their profit to charity?

Take gasoline. Ever wonder if you are rewarding environmental responsibility when you hand over a portion of your income at the filling station? The CEP offers us the answers to such questions. Through their "Campaign for Cleaner Corporations" (C-3) they have compiled the data necessary to help the average consumer make more informed environmental decisions when they step up to the pump. Based on a variety of emission, waste generation and overall environmental impact criteria, they have published a list of "Best" to "Worst" environmental offenders in the petroleum industry. They even give you the names and addresses of each corporation's CEO in order that you can send letters of complaint or compliment.

How about your mutual fund, certificate of deposit or retirement pension? Do you care whether that little income generator is fueled by the arms industry, child labor, or nuclear energy? Try Co-op America's Financial Planning Handbook (ISSN:0885-9930). For a $20.00 membership anyone wishing to invest in a socially responsible manner will find this book invaluable. And you know what else? You can get competitive returns without making moral or ethical compromises. For the past five years the Domini Social Index (DSI), a stock market index of 400 socially responsible companies, has outperformed the S&P 500 in terms of annualized return by more than a full percentage point (16.9% vs 15.5% respecitively).

Next time you hear some CEO defend his or her company's poor social or environmental record by making the tired old claim that they are not in the social welfare business, but in the business of satisfying the damands of profit and shareholders, you'll be able to smile in knowing that you, as a shareholder in his company and our nation's future, have the choice to go elsewhere in good conscience.

Go fourth! Empower yourself! Divest of injustice and put your money where your values are!

To join, or get a copy of Shopping for a Better World, contact:
The Council on Economic Priorities 30 Irving Place
New York, NY 10003
Ph: 800-729-4237

To join, or get a copy of Co-op America's Financial Planning Handbook, contact:
Co-op America
1612 K St. NW #600
Washington DC 20006
Ph: (202)827-5307
e-mail: camember@envirolink.org
http://www.coopamerica.org

Timothy F. Young
10610 Oviatt Rd.
Honor, MI 49640
616-326-6041
email: foodforthought@traverse.com

Return to the Index of Synapse 45, Fall 1998