Which companies/products should progressives buy/avoid?

[Sparky 1]

Which companies or products do you avoid or patronize for progressive/political reasons? I sure wish buyblue.org was still around. Can we get up some sort of list here? I hate to be spending money to support the opposition.

[ellenfl]

1. anything made by georgia pacific, a koch industries company.

going back a few years . . . i still boycott macdonald's, amway, domino's pizza and coors. i try to only by gasoline from sunoco and citgo because most of their oil comes from canada and venezuela, respectively.

ellen fl

[Sparky 1]

2. Thank you for your answer. Which paper products does Georgia Pacific make? I've been wondering.

I buy my gas from Citgo too. At least they don't donate to Republicans and lobby for them.

I'm also wondering which grocery store to patronize, since that's where a great deal of my money seems to go.

[ellenfl]

17. northern tissue for one. just read the product labels. they bear the manufacturers name.

definitely go to costco, if available. i believe publix is employee owned, but i'm not sure. you can see who donates to whom at opensecrets.org.

ellen fl

[Erose999]

28. Angel Soft is the main one. Asswipes making asswipe. How appropos.

[Brickbat]

22. Many Georgia Pacific products are union made.

Just FYI.

[leveymg]

30. G-P is still on the shitlist of Koch Bros holdings.

[bluestate10]

36. The products are Union made.

Why give the Koch brothers one more reason to bust Unions? I use toilet paper made by Georgia Pacific. My paper towels are from Seventh Heaven and Simply Green. I found that I could not use recycled TP.

[jsr]

3. Westgate Resorts

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-10-09/news/os-siegel-letter-to-staff-20121009_1_time-share-mogul-david-siegel-e-mail

Time-share mogul tells employees to vote for Romney -- to save their jobs
By Sara K. Clarke and Scott Powers, Orlando Sentinel

Orlando time-share mogul David Siegel has told his 7,000 employees that if Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is not elected, he may have to lay people off.

Siegel founded Westgate Resorts of Orlando, which employs about 3,200 people in Central Florida and thousands more in cities such as Las Vegas, Branson, Mo., and Gatlinburg, Tenn.

[el_bryanto]

4. Would you rather boycott industries for, say, anti-employee policies or

a bad environmental record? Or are you more interested in punishing people for having the wrong political opinions?

Bryant

[Sparky 1]

9. Both are good. Right this minute I was thinking of political donations, but you make a good point.

[OneGrassRoot]

5. Are DUers up for making this a community project?

I have several community projects in mind I'd love DUers' help with, but I'll mention this one here.

I have a Directory set up and ready to go for this. If people are willing to help 1) identify companies who belong in this directory and, ideally, 2) get that company's permission to add them, we can have a reliable, comprehensive resource.

Note that there is a "Made in the USA" category. I can add/edit categories, too, since this particular tool hasn't yet been developed.

If you feel this should be an OP, let me know. I don't want to hijack this thread, but felt it a good place to piggyback.

http://www.wishadoo.org/directory/main/





http://www.wishadoo.org/directory/main/

[Sparky 1]

11. It's fine for you to put this here and I applaud your efforts. Good luck with it! I'm going to

book mark your site.

[Nye Bevan]

6. Blackwater and Goldman Sachs = bad. Ben and Jerrys = good.

There are probably a few more.

[NoPasaran]

34. Okay, boycott Blackwater (or whatever they're called these days)

But as a progressive, where should I be hiring my mercenaries these days?

[Blue_In_AK]

7. I won't go to Walmart

And I try to avoid Koch bros. products as much as possible.

[Sparky 1]

10. I won't do Walmart either - haven't in years and years. I'd avoid Koch brothers if I knew how.

Is there a list somewhere online?

[Blue_In_AK]

12. Try this

http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/want-to-boycott-the-koch-brothers-products-heres-where-to-start.html

[Sparky 1]

19. Thank you!

[ibegurpard]

18. beat me to it

i'd rummage in a garbage dumpster before I'd buy at WalMart.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

32. I have to drive FIFTY MILES to get to a Target store.

As against 20 miles to go to Wallyworld.

So you want me to waste 3 hours & gas traveling to a Target, when it's an hour plus 45 minutes shopping time at Wallyworld?

I don't like Wallyworld either, I hate their exploitation of workers & destruction of community businesses, but give me a rational choice before you get on your moral high ground.


It's ONE HUNDRED FIFTY miles to Costco, BTW (Houston or Dallas).

[Blue_In_AK]

33. All I said was

I don't go to Walmart, in response to the OP. I fully understand that some people have no other choice. I'm lucky that I do live in a place where I have choices, and so I choose not to patronize Walmart.

[Indpndnt]

35. How did you get any of that from the post you're responding to?

"I won't go to Walmart. And I try to avoid Koch bros. products as much as possible."

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

8. Carl's Jr. fast food

I've heard their owner blast Obama on Fox. He's one of the most virulently anti-Obama people I've seen.

[sadbear]

13. I don't buy Johnsonville products

They're on Scott Walker's side.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

14. Miracle-Gro

Big Repub contributor.

[Sparky 1]

20. Oh bummer, but thanks, I won't buy again.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

23. I switched to Eleanor's VF-11 & I love it.

It works great. I use it as a spray.
Still getting peppers & string beans which I never
used to get this late. And I used Miracle-gro for many years.
The M-Gro guy gave lots to Romney.

[Sparky 1]

41. Thanks. I'll try to remember that next spring.

[arely staircase]

15. buyblue.org

BuyBlue.org

BuyBlue.org was an online consumers' guide designed to help progressives in the United States choose brands that favored their politics. Its editors rated companies based on their campaign contributions and other factors. Its name refers to the popular idea of the U.S. being sharply divided, culturally and politically, into red states and blue states that voted Republican and Democrat, respectively, in the 2000 election.

The website encouraged users to submit articles that criticize or applaud a company's business practices. The submitting user assigned a binary categorical rating of positive or negative with regards to the company's adherence to progressive business practices as described in the article. The absolute number of articles submitted and each submitted article's rating were used to calculate a company's overall rating. A five-point scale ranked a company's degree of progressiveness or regressiveness according to users' submissions.

The website hosted blogs and message boards designed to steer consumers towards businesses favored by the party, to exert direct political pressure on targeted businesses, and to foster activism among the site's users.

Though this website was geared toward liberals, conservatives could also use it to find out which companies are supporting Republicans.

[Sparky 1]

21. I sure wish they'd come back.

[Dawson Leery]

16. Wynn and Adelson Casinos.

Actually, all casinos.

[Risen Demon]

24. Anything that promotes America

and says "Made in (insert sweat shop labor country here)

[Romulox]

25. Apple is the biggest company in the world, and one that exploits labor the most ruthlessly. Riots

at Foxconn are becoming commonplace.

BEIJING — The factory riot that hit one of world’s largest electronics manufacturers this week in northern China was rooted in growing economic pressure and impatience with poor work conditions among the country’s vast pool of migrant workers, analysts say, adding that if grievances remain unaddressed, such incidents are likely to increase.

The riot, which began late Sunday, involved nearly 2,000 workers at a facility of Foxconn, a Taiwan-based manufacturing giant, which temporarily shut down the factory in response. The latest unrest coincides with signs of a slowdown in the Chinese economy, as well as the launch of a new iPhone by Apple, which depends on Foxconn as its main Chinese supplier.

“Such riots have become in some ways inevitable,” said Liu Kaiming, a labor expert in Shenzhen, the hub of China’s manufacturing plants. “It’s no longer simply a matter of raising the wages.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/foxconn-riot-in-china-unlikely-to-be-the-last-experts-say/2012/09/25/1e6828b8-071c-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_story.html

[CheapShotArtist]

26. IMO it's too much trouble boycotting.

There are so many businesses and products out there that are owned and made by right-wingers that you'd probably eventually drive yourself insane always checking to see their politics. As long as the product or service they're selling is decent, I think it compensates for shitty politics.

[bluestate10]

37. The best alternative is for Liberals and Moderates to start businesses.

The occasional anti-capitalist strain on DU irritates me to no end. If we are ever going to be free of assholes like the Kochs, we must start and grow businesses that are alternatives to theirs. I personally only buy clothing, underwear and shoes that are Union made, or made in the USA by companies that have good worker relations and made a point to continue manufacturing in the USA when outfits like Levi-Strauss sent their manufacturing offshore. I spend more time finding items, but I find what I need and I feel fucking great wearing the stuff.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

40. Go to Wishadoo!!

wishadoo.org

OneGrassRoot has done a fabulous job setting up the site.Look at the drop down menu under "Explore!", go to "Marketplace" and you will see my handpainted silk pillows. I will be adding original artwork in the future.

Thanks!!!

[Sparky 1]

42. Very nice!

[RichGirl]

27. Obviously...no Chik fil a...

And...sadly...no Papa John's Pizza...sniff, sniff....

Yup....Papa John, who has made huge profits, doesn't provide his employees with healthcare. So, when Obamacare comes into affect, he'll raise the price of pizza so that WE will have to pay for it!

I am so old that I actually remember the day when the owner of a company took pride in being able to provide his employees with good wages and benefits so they and their families could have good lives. They saw that as part of the benefit of owning a company. Today they are all Mr. Potters (The nasty banker in "It's a Wonderful Life&quot ....all they care about is $$$$$$$$$ Except Mr. Costco...he's still got a heart.

[backscatter712]

39. Also avoid Hobby Lobby.

They're owned by the same Dominionist theocrats.

[Sparky 1]

43. Thanks. I read recently that JoAnn's Fabrics is good and they carry a lot of the same stuff.

[leveymg]

29. Avoid WalMart, buy at CostCo. Avoid BP/buy CITGO gas. Avoid Georgia-Pacific brands (Koch)

Avoid Domino's and Papa John's pizza/buy local pizzaria.

[bluestate10]

38. I only buy pizza and sandwiches from two local shops.

I see how well they treat their employees and how happy those employees are, no phoniness, real happiness with jocking and kidding when they aren't making bad-ass food. I purchased one Papa John's pizza once based upon the good guy image the owner displayed in commercials, I will never buy another.

[ellenfl]

44. i buy my pizza from a local shop. no domino's, no papa john's.

Last edited Fri Oct 12, 2012, 10:56 PM - Edit history (1)

i forgot about walmart. fortunately i have a choice and i chose no wally world a long time ago.

ellen fl

[kimbutgar]

31. Olive Garden and Red Lobster - I avoid anyway because the food is horrible.

http://leanforward.msnbc.com/_news/2012/10/10/14342234-restaurant-chain-experiments-with-more-part-time-work-to-avoid-obamacare-costs?lite

Hey don't you want to go to a restaurant where the employees are sick and cough on your food because their employer is too stringy to foot the bill for healthcare?