Boycott Cyber Monday?

Several activist groups are urging consumers not to do any online shopping on Cyber Monday — that’s next Monday, the first Monday after Thanksgiving.

Two groups, American Rights at Work and Jobs With Justice, have joined forces on an anti-Cyber Monday campaign.  Their main objection is “dangerous, sweatshop-like working conditions facing U.S. warehouse workers who fulfill online orders for retailers like Wal-Mart and Amazon.”  Complaints include the “backbreaking pace of work,” “extreme temperature,” and “expendable employment.”

These problems need to be corrected, but I think a boycott would only accomplish mass layoffs and firings.  What say you?

I have a totally different reason for opposing Cyber Monday and online shopping in general.  I live in a small town — population just under 20,000 — and the downtown is thriving.  (Knock wood.)

Needless to say, online shopping is about as popular among local merchants as Greenpeace at a frackers’ convention.  The common wisdom — I’ve never seen any proof of this but it makes sense — is that when you shop at a locally-owned store, sixty cents of every dollar you spend stays in the community.

If you shop at a large chain or Big Box, only SIX cents of every dollar stays in the community.  And obviously if you shop online, ZERO cents stays in your community.

If nobody in your area has the item you’re looking for, then obviously you’ll have to buy it online.  But other than that…

Governor Rod Blagojevich: Corrupt Politician or Working Class Hero?

Or maybe both. He’s been all over the news today — another politician turns out to be corrupt. Rod Blagojevich and Elliot Spitzer have both stood up to the robber barons on behalf of regular people. Too bad they’ll both be remembered for their scandals more than anything else.

Blagojevich stood up to Marie Antoinette Bank of America, whose refusal to lend money to Republic Windows and Doors forced the company to close.

He was also one of the first politicians to tell pharmacists that they could either be Grand Inquisitors OR pharmacists — but not both.

But back to Bank of America. As you’ll remember, Bank of America received billions of dollars in handouts from You. Me. Us. The taxpayers. The purpose of this giant multi-billion dollar giveaway was:

A. So that banks would start lending money. In turn, companies could stay in business, employees could keep their jobs, and people would continue to buy things; thereby keeping other businesses up and running.

Or:

B. To purchase more yachts, Learjets and luxury vacation homes for banking executives.

Unfortunately a few Bank of America shitstains thought the answer was B.

Bank of America canceled the financing for Republic Windows and Doors, forcing the company to close their factory and lay off 240 workers. This is the factory that got so much publicity when 200 laid-off workers took over the premises.

This incident has highlighted the importance of labor unions. They’re not just some colorful icon from the 1950s. We need them. Now more than ever. Jobs With Justice is hoping this event will galvanize the labor movement.

And this factory closing has pinpointed the absurdity — the intelligence-insulting hypocrisy and double standard — of the Wall Street bailout. Hundreds of billions of dollars were just handed over to a few CEOs. No questions asked; no strings attached. If we just give these tycoons a trillion dollars, they’ll do the right thing and start lending it out so the economy will stay afloat.

Riiight. How’s that working out?

Yesterday Rod Blagojevich ordered all state agencies to stop doing business with Bank of America, just in case that might remind them that We The Taxpayers gave them a few billion dollars so they would Start LENDING it.

He said: “We hope that this kind of leverage and pressure will encourage Bank of America to do the right thing for this business. Take some of that federal tax money that they've received and invest it by providing the necessary credit to this company so these workers can keep their jobs.”

Now, apparently Bank of America has made a token gesture to show how “concerned” they are. Let’s hope they won’t demand another taxpayer handout in return.

cross-posted at Bring It On!