You Vote With Every Purchase

Buying Local In the Global Economy

We have all chosen to buy lots of ‘cheap’ and ‘convenient’ stuff as we have lived the good lifestyle on plentiful natural resources while accumulating thoughtless and irresponsible debt.  Cheap stuff comes at a very high price. 

We are all responsible for our current economic crisis and the shortage of jobs.  Take a close look at what you have bought the last few years….   We can also change things – starting right now – to develop the best economic position possible for our future.

Many people apparently think ‘buy local’ means shopping for imported stuff on sale at the neighborhood big box store.  Lusting over imported manufactured stuff has exported our money and our jobs.   American industry and jobs have crumbled away.   We export our natural resources, ship materials half way around the world, minimize labor and production costs, ship the products back half way around the world – then complain we have recession and unemployment!!

Every purchase you make is a real vote that immediately counts to affect the future of our planet.  Every purchase you make builds up the company and country where the thing is from.   Every purchase you make has a political effect too, as the big companies exert real and immediate influence on our politicians.

We have created this monster we face today with our selfish and short-sighted purchases.  We can choose to change this now – just stop feeding the monster and it will go away.

How to “Create Jobs”

Today, most of the stuff we buy is made in a big factory with big machines and robots and likely in another country.  Government Regulations and Legal Lawsuits make labor very expensive in America.  Americans everyday are more lazy and fat - and in love with welfare, and the lottery.   Then we say, “we must create more jobs….”

All the politicians talk about creating jobs, yet fail to address the real problems.  Government does a thousand times more to discourage American jobs than the feeble efforts of talk and “stimulus”. 

As a business owner – one thing would get me to hire more employees – SALES!!  Government on the State and Federal Level has been a huge hindrance to my business for decades.  They should just get out of the way – today more than ever!

Globalization has CHANGED the planet

The internet – instant global communications – is the most amazing creation ever.  The airplane is second.  Earth – our economics – has truly changed and there is no going back.

Everyone needs to travel and watch the rest of the world to have a realistic picture of where you fit into the big picture and your effect on others.  Most people choose to be ignorant and don’t want to believe their lifestyle is very wasteful and damaging to the planet.

Homo Sapiens are being Homogenized.  Worker wages are being pressured to a more common-ground level.  High paid American workers will get less in the future and workers in the Far East will demand more.  There is no stopping this trend – a wise person will work within it to arrive at the best position possible for themselves.

We are mixing it up today around the world – nothing is hidden and there is no excuse for ignorance.  Seeing how much we are all about the same is our best hope for survival now.  We are all in this together and better learn to get along.

The Most Powerful Force On Earth

The best chance we have is to rebuild our local economies and communities that have been destroyed by the big corporations.  We created them ourselves with our lusts for cheap and convenience, and we can change the world by making smarter spending decisions - from now on.  The American Woman – the Shopper – is the most powerful force on earth today.  The Shopper has the free choice to support whatever company and country with the power of their purchase.  The Shopper is the one who can create jobs with their votes.  Every single vote counts.

Simple Steps to Change the Economy:

1. Buy As Local As Possible
2. Buy from a company As Small As Possible
3. Drive as little as Possible
4. Do the Opposite (of what got us here)

Big is Bad – most of the time….

Generalizations are not all true, but the long term trends now show the route we are going - being dominated by bigger and bigger corporations that dominate the Government also – are not good or sustainable for most humans. 

Do the opposite of what the big corporations and their puppet politicians want you to do.

Be discerning when listening to their talk. 

If you feed the monster – don’t complain when you get bitten!

People all over are very angry, fearful, and without much hope. 

There is HOPE

The American Dream of one person making a difference is now a Global Possibility for any human being.   The information and tools are becoming more freely available everywhere today.   Grab Globalization and take advantage of the good alternatives.

Most people may not care, but for those who choose – great opportunities are present today. 

http://www.aslocalaspossible.org/  has detailed articles

We can fix this ourselves - starting today

We are all responsible for the economic recession and the shortage of jobs.

The majority, the middle class, the masses.

Humans have built huge factories, huge machines, legions of robots that replace human workers.  We allow our natural resources to be exported as cheap commodities to foreign countries – subsidizing big global corporations.   By choosing ‘cheap’ stuff in the big stores and ‘convenience’, we have exported our money and our jobs.

A universal solution:  Create community based businesses that help meet the needs of local fresh food, wood products, and renewable energy.  We should use our local resources to support good jobs in the local economy.   We can keep our money in the local economy.   We can choose to not subsidize the huge global corporations, buying as local as possible from small businesses.

Government can’t and won’t fix the economy or create the jobs claimed.   Government is controlled by the big corporations too.

We can change all this – starting today – by making wise purchases that immediately build up our local economy and support local jobs.  Every single purchase we make has an immediate effect on our future – a vote that truly counts and makes a difference each time.

How To Fix This Today

Globalization has happened - homo sapiens are being homogenized.  The world has changed.

Instant communications now show us we are all about the same - we want the same things.
We now see we are all in this together, with limited resources that are all connected.
Bullying and selfish Taking of resources is no longer OK.

To survive with limited resources, we all need to develop more sustainable local communities.
We need to choose to keep our money and jobs as local as possible.
Some things now are best produced in factories - electronics, etc. and technology beyond the ability of human hands.
Most things can be produced on a smaller scale in the local community - fresh food, wood products, biofuels.  Small and local means no Huge global disasters, recalls, disease outbreaks.

Our purchases are true votes for our future that have an immediate effect.  Smart, informed consumers sharing information have the numbers, the money and hence the true power to fix this today.
Birky