Where Do Your Dollars Go?
About eight years ago I was driving north on I-77 heading home to Huntersville when I was literally placed between a rock and a hard place. It was one of those instances of sheer “life flashing before your eyes” terror; much akin to the 2008 elections.
To my right was the concrete “wall of death” used in most highway construction projects. To my left was a tractor-trailer whose driver had made the executive decision to enter my lane before fully passing me. I laid on the horn and the brakes, but was nonetheless forced to merge into the wall of death lest I be crushed under the wheels of the 18-wheeler.
This only lasted a second or two and I was able to maintain control of my little Geo Storm, but I lost my side mirror and had a nice scar down the side of the vehicle.
To his credit, the other driver did stop at the next exit and I was able to get his insurance info.
I chose my auto body repair shop based on simple convenience to my home and the availability of an Enterprise Rent-A-Car across the street.
And then it happened.
The day after I picked up my car, I was driving by this particular shop and noticed that the front lawn of the business had been plastered with signs for all of the Democrat candidates. I felt a little dirty. For all I knew, the money that I had just provided to this company was in turn being given to the opposition candidates. Argh!
I was the Chairman of the Mecklenburg Young Republicans at the time of this, and it sparked an idea. What if we could help advertise to our membership the local companies that actually shared our philosophy of government? What if we had a way to know if a business we were looking at utilizing was going to turn around and write a nice big check to Al Gore or some “Save the Wombat” fund?
With the recent rise of the Tea Party movement, I’m wondering if such an idea couldn’t be re-implemented. I understand that some businesses wouldn’t want to advertise their political affiliation, or are barred from doing so based on franchise rules or what have you, but there may be plenty of others interested in reaching out to like minded conservatives.
I know that given the choice between two local pubs, I’d much rather spend my dollars at the one that shares my values!
A few days ago, Julie McKinney of Smart Girl Politics placed a link on her Facebook page to a website called GoodGuide.com.
This site takes a look at the political contributions made by a few dozen of the largest companies in the US and ranks them in terms of “donates left” and “donates right”. Some of them should come as no surprise, but it’s an interesting listing.
I’m thinking we could do something similar on a local level.
Do you know of any local businesses that lean right?
Feel free to give them a plug in the comments section.
Perhaps this could be turned into something bigger. Just a little something extra we can do to support “the cause” while going about our daily lives. Thoughts?
We need your help! If you like PunditHouse, please consider donating to us. Even $5 a month can make a difference!
Short URL: https://pundithouse.com/?p=1645
