September 30, 2008

Gettin' political up in here


I'm not a big fan of politics. Just don't have a head for it. I voted for John Kerry once...wait, was that his name...? Was that the whole hanging chad scandal? Sigh.

But that's not to say I don't believe in voting. The most important votes I make happen every day. The other night I had to wait for some friends in an area of town that has two coffee shops. One, Starbucks. The other, a locally owned place that supports local artists and has great vegan meals and drinks on the menu. Even though I could get a tea at either place, I voted for the local shop. Unlike my single political vote that gets filtered through an electoral college, my dollars vote directly for the establishment that I think kicks the most butt. Sweet!

Want to vote for protecting the environment? For protecting public health? Buy organic! Buy local! Buy less meat and fewer packaged foods. It's good for you, and it uses your spending power to tell big business where they need to focus in order to get your hard earned dollars.

3 comments:

Jenn said...

Our spending dollars have a huge effect on the world...thanks for the food for thought!

Delightfully Healthy said...

Hear, hear! Voting with our dollars is more powerful than we think.

Anonymous said...

Yep. Our votes at the cash register (or farmer's market) are much more influential than those at the ballot box. This is a passion and pet peeve of mine. I didn't vote because it was bad or worse, but I talk to people who say we have to vote for Obama because of his environmental policies. All the while they are holding a cigarette in one hand and making a daily trip to the fast food joint that ships feed lot beef all the way across the country. It doesn't add up.