Make America great again by resisting the greedy
26 February 2025
What are you doing this Friday, 28 February 2025? This is economic blackout day. A related theme is “No Amazon, No Walmart, no Nestle, no fast food.” If you must spend on Friday, patronize only small businesses.
This day has been promoted to counter Trump and Republican policies encouraging tax cuts and government programs for the wealthy, cuts to programs for the middle and working classes and opposition to DEI initiatives.
I have already started by:
Using cash for small purchases, not credit cards. I don’t want to reward the big banks that make money from credit card purchases.
Moving money from big banks to credit unions or smaller banks.
Shopping at small businesses when possible, including grocery stores and hardware stores. I also support Costco, which although big, treats its employees well and resists Trump’s threats.
Not using Twitter/X and writing to those who use it to “stop supporting evil.”
Avoiding Fox and other media that promote the big lies: Trump won the 2020 election, COVID and climate change are myths, vaccines are dangerous and tax cuts to the wealthy benefit society.
Writing more emails: “Call all of your elected officials, write them, text them, email them. Do it early and often. Do it repeatedly. Everybody from your local city council to your US Senator, because pressure bursts pipes.”
Big business and the wealthy should use their assets and influence to make the world a better place by promoting charitable giving. Instead, many focus on rigging our economic system to benefit themselves, even though they already have so much. For example, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a Republican budget resolution to cut $2 trillion in federal spending over a decade (most likely to Medicaid and food programs for the poor) to partially finance a $4.5 trillion tax cut that would provide its biggest benefits to rich Americans.
Small changes make a difference. Let me know, in the comments below or by email to NatPernick@gmail.com, what you plan to do.
The index to my prior essays (mostly post 5 November 2024) is here.
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I searched "economic blackout day" on google and page 3 brought me here. All the previous matches were corporate "news" sites. Good essay, thank you. My plan for Feb 28 is to not shop and attempt to not even use internet because all the targeted advertising. [In other words, "airplane mode"]
Anonymous:
I, too, am trying to let my spending influence the people in power. But I have also been writing to my so-called representative to Congress, my Senators (who share our frustration), and I even wrote to Stephen Colbert, asking him to promote the Economic Blackout. I have emailed dozens of friends and acquaintances about Feb. 28th, too.
Individually, we feel so powerless, but if we raise our voices together, we will be heard.
Keep up the good work,