Recently I received a notice that TARGET wanted to build a store in my neighborhood. I often shop at Target. So why do I resent them moving into my turf? I had to really think about it and I realized, other than the increased traffic and tacky feeling of strip mall, I am afraid local mom and pops businesses will suffer. My money represents power and I have the opportunity to wield it.
There was no author to credit on the website I read it on. So thanks to whomever wrote this:
Top Ten Reasons to Shop Local
10. Local stores are more likely to carry locally produced foods which supports local agriculture.
9. Local business owners give to more local fundraising and 501(c)3’s.
8. Local businesses create a majority of jobs.
7. Local businesses support other local businesses.
6. The business community becomes reflective of this community’s unique culture.
5. The sales taxes I pay support this community and county: fixing my roads, maintaining my recreational facilities, . . .
4. Competition and diversity result in fair prices and more choices.
3. Shopping local reduces my carbon footprint.
2. Local business owners invest in the community and have a vested interest in the future of this community.
1. My hometown is more important than a cheap pair of underwear!
Well said!
And this is a great website the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) which proposes a set of new rules that builds community by supporting humanly scaled politics and economics. The rules call for:
- Decisions made by those impacted
- Communities accepting responsibility for the welfare of their members and the next generation
- Households and communities possessing or owning sufficient productive capacity to generate real wealth
NewRules.org discusses the importance of rules and catalogs the best. We make the rules and the rules make us.
Logic & Imagination 