LXIV. Your Wallet, Your Weapon

These are going to be hard times when it comes to looking for leadership.

It will be a roller coaster ride. A very long winding one with numerous dips, falls, and unexpected turns.

But it will also be an opportunity to maximize your personal leadership skills.

It starts with wondering what to do with all the anxiety or frustration or anger.

You do something productive with it.

You have many ways to react and respond.

But the greatest weapon you have is this:

how you spend your money and your time.

Consumer activism has long been a powerful tool; something that we’ve become more apathetic to using.

But it’s in our blood.

From the Boston Tea Party to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, history is full of acts to effect societal change. During the first Trump administration, the country experienced something once considered improper. Members of the immediate family worked to profit while in office. GrabYourWallet was a campaign that led to Ivanka Trump shutting down her fashion brand after sales plummeted.

In 2018, following the Parkland school shooting in Florida, several companies severed ties with the National Rifle Association in response to consumer pressure. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines ended discounts for NRA members, while companies like Hertz and Enterprise ended their co-branding programs with the organization.

More recently, Americans have canceled their Washington Post subscriptions due to dissatisfaction with its editorial direction, feeling Jeff Bezos weighed in for the sake of politics and not journalistic freedom. It is estimated that the Post lost 300,000 subscribers in a matter of weeks, roughly 10% of its circulation. Since that time, long-time journalists and writers for the paper have also resigned, some establishing their own publishing effort.

Your daily financial decisions carry great political weight, especially in our type of political system. The more you spend conscientiously, the more the markets and leaders take notice. Every day, we purchase cars, coffee, pizza, healthcare, access, tickets, news, and services based upon private needs and wants. If just some of those decisions were made with the public in mind, the power balance would be more sustainable and democratic.

One way to make yourselves heard in a purposeful manner is to challenge the financial clout of the administration’s supporters. This will only be accomplished by a million tiny acts, every day, done conscientiously. For example, here are some of the major donors to Trump's 2024 campaign, along with specific products or services associated with those companies.

Timothy Mellon is the billionaire heir to the Mellon banking fortune. Mellon has made substantial contributions to pro-Trump super PACs, including a $50 million donation to Make America Great Again Inc. in May 2024, followed by another $50 million in July 2024. By late 2024, his total contributions to pro-Trump causes for the election cycle exceeded $150 million. Mellon's support extends beyond financial backing; in 2021, he donated $53.1 million in stock to Texas to help fund the state's border wall project, aligning with Trump's immigration policies. Citizens concerned about the influence of billionaire donors like Mellon can take actions such as supporting campaign finance reform and making small-dollar donations to local candidates.

Hendricks Holding Co is owned by Diane Hendricks, a billionaire businesswoman and co-founder of ABC Supply, the largest wholesale distributor of roofing and exterior building products in North America. Hendricks has been a significant supporter of Donald Trump and Republican causes, donating $125 million to MAGA Inc., a pro-Trump super PAC, in 2024 alone, with total contributions exceeding $150 million for the 2024 election cycle. ABC Supply, founded in 1982, has grown to over 970 locations across the U.S. and Canada, with more than 20,000 employees and $20.4 billion in revenue in 2023. Citizens could boycott ABC Supply and buy instead from a major competitor such as Beacon Roofing Supply.

Elon Musk spent over $250 million to support Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2024. As for products associated with Musk that consumers could boycott, the most prominent are Tesla electric vehicles. Additionally, consumers could continue to avoid using X (formerly Twitter) and its services, and prompt numerous media outlets to include alternatives to X on their own social media platforms.

Uline a major distributor of shipping and packaging supplies, is owned by Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, who are prominent conservative megadonors. The Uihleins have significantly supported Donald Trump's political endeavors, with Richard Uihlein contributing nearly $49 million to a pro-Trump PAC in 2024. Their support extends beyond direct contributions, as they've also funded groups involved in the January 6 rally preceding the Capitol attack. Consumers frustrated with the Uihleins' political activities could express their disapproval by boycotting Uline products and services. Additionally, they could support local packaging stores, use online alternatives like clearbags.com or theboxery.com, or spread awareness about the Uihleins' political involvement through social media and community discussions.

British American Tobacco (BAT) has significantly supported Donald Trump's political endeavors through its U.S. subsidiary, Reynolds American Inc. The company donated $8.5 million to Trump's 'Make America Great Again Inc.' super PAC in 2024, making it the largest corporate donor to this Trump-supporting committee. Additionally, BAT's political action committee has contributed to other Republican causes and committees supporting Trump's campaign. The company's support for Trump is seen as a strategic move to influence policies, particularly regarding the proposed menthol cigarette ban and vaping regulations. Consumers concerned about BAT's political activities could consider boycotting the company's products, which include popular cigarette brands like Newport and Camel. They could also opt for alternative tobacco or nicotine products from companies with different political alignments, support organizations advocating for stricter tobacco regulations, or engage in awareness campaigns about the tobacco industry's political influence.

Cantor Fitzgerald is a global financial services firm led by CEO Howard Lutnick, who has been a significant supporter of Donald Trump. Lutnick, who co-chaired Trump's transition team, donated $15 million to a Trump fundraiser and $5 million to the Make America Great Again PAC. The firm and its executives have contributed over $3 million to various Republican causes and Trump-supporting committees in the 2024 election cycle. Lutnick is expected to be nominated as Trump's Commerce Secretary, where he would implement controversial tariff policies. Consumers concerned about Cantor Fitzgerald's political activities have limited direct options, as the firm primarily operates in institutional finance. However, they could consider avoiding financial products or services associated with Cantor Fitzgerald, raising awareness about the firm's political involvement, and encouraging pension funds to divest from them.

Energy Transfer LP Energy Transfer LP, one of North America's largest midstream energy companies, has significantly supported Donald Trump through its co-founder and Executive Chairman, Kelcy Warren. In the 2024 election cycle, Warren donated $5 million to the Make America Great Again super PAC. The company and its affiliates have contributed over $19 million in total, largely to Republican causes. Consumers concerned about Energy Transfer LP's political activities have limited direct options due to the company's focus on energy infrastructure. However, they could raise awareness about the company's political involvement and environmental impact, boycott Sunoco LP fuel stations (partially owned by Energy Transfer LP), and engage in civic participation to influence broader energy policies.

Several major tech companies, including Meta, Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Uber, each donated $1 million to Donald Trump's 2025 inauguration fund. This support comes despite previous tensions between some of these companies and Trump during his first term. The donations are seen as attempts to curry favor with the incoming administration, potentially to influence policies on antitrust, privacy, and tech regulation. In addition to financial contributions, many tech leaders, including Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, Jeff Bezos, and Satya Nadella, have made visits to Mar-a-Lago to discuss technology policies with Trump.

Though these are the companies that can be most readily confronted by consumers, they may also be the most difficult. Their products are deeply entrenched with users around the world. For example, I am a big user of Facebook and have long recognized the need for public regulation of a good that is in almost every household, yet I have struggled to find an alternative platform. However, after over a decade of support, I have ended our Amazon Prime membership, I make use of DuckDuckGo as a search engine, added BlueSky to my social media and dropped X, and I have always used Lyft instead of Uber.

I urge readers to take their purchasing power seriously. Small acts can create big change. The lines between corporate interests and political power are going to be as much challenged as the current separation between church and state.

This is going to be a different type of warfare.

The weapons?

Apps like Goods Unite Us and Buycott, which allow shoppers to scan products and instantly see the political affiliations behind their purchases. The battlefields? Social media platforms, where hashtags and viral campaigns can make or break a brand overnight. Peaceful protests in strategic locations that bring attention to the dangerous resurgence of the gilded age of oligarchs.

This isn't just about steering clear of certain companies that may not align with your values. It's also about actively supporting and investing in businesses and organizations that prioritize Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) values. By choosing to move your money to ethical banks, credit unions, and employee-owned or union-supportive businesses, you can ensure that your financial resources are being used in ways that reflect We the People.

The stakes couldn't be higher.

Your convenience cannot come by supporting companies that prop up a regime that reflects oppressive values. The Confederacy and the Third Reich taught us how that ends. In the next four years, the power of your purse and wallet will be mightier than ever. In an era of unprecedented corporate influence in politics, consumer activism offers a rare chance for individuals to make their voices heard, fought not with bullets, but with dollars. Every swipe of a credit card or a click on a screen is a battle cry. Every boycott, a siege. Every buycott, a rallying of the troops.

While history has numerous examples of corporate interests influencing government, the corporation is now in the White House. The question from your kids will be what did you do?

There are no innocent bystanders.

There’s a high cost that comes with simple-minded cheap consumerism. If we remain focused on the price of eggs without asking harder questions, and without expecting equitable change, we will be lost in Oz and Trumpland forever.

The next time you make a purchase, ask yourself: Am I funding the regime, or fighting it? The answer may just determine the fate of our nation.

Act before things get worse.

This is occurring as you read and is important for anyone who cares about public service, jobs, and stability. The administration has not publicized the plans for this public service. Ironic, and dangerous, since the appearance is one where private data is going to be opted to private industry. It will be sold as an efficiency but will include job loss and private wealth gain. My guess is that this will be akin to what Musk did with Twitter; less people, more code, more AI, and less accountability. That’s how this will play out across your public services.

We're starting to see a trend of these types of takeovers that will continue unless we have a worker's bill of rights. For example, AI can manage many tasks that rely on software. AI systems will handle communication, processing, editing, filing, and storing, which humans do now. While AI can make things more efficient, we should be much more concerned about people losing their jobs. Keep an eye on this because it's just the start. Efficiency gains that treat humans as metrics are not sustainable.

When I spent a summer in Japan, I had the good fortune of going to Mt. Fuji and to Toyota-town, which is the home base for Toyota just outside of Nagoya. I’ll be interested to follow what happens here. Japan has an aged population and declining birth rate, and although Toyota is a car company, they see an opportunity to be innovative in other ways.

Japan is the perfect place to try a planned community. The public transportation is great, healthcare is a public good, and it is safe. It is also a bit of a throwback to company towns pioneered in the US with the big automakers. Musk is trying something similar in Texas.

I hope these efforts work. It would be nice to return to a time when industries and communities were more important to each other than faraway shareholders, and everyone helped each other succeed in the long run.

Subbing in middle school was fun when I did it.

Most of the time.

I did notice that book reports and reading of whole books were not done as often as I would have thought. While students had summer reading lists where they were given a list of books to read, during the school year it was much more about pieces and segments from the curriculum, as mentioned in this piece.

I found some of the selections boring, and I imagined that it was up to the teacher to stimulate young brains. We would do well not to be led astray by what is considered modern approaches to literacy when there are tons of great literature to choose from. I would give English teachers complete control of book selection in the classroom, with the goal of an education that promotes a passion for lifelong reading. While one kid reads more graphic novels another child might be ready for Wuthering Heights.

If there is anything to be seen from the problems in our nation today, it’s that the low-information, low-reading, and reduced attention-easily distracted voters have greatly increased.

That’s a problem at least partially owned by the education system and how we support the enjoyment of reading.

Get beyond all the outright lies and attempts to steal another person’s reputation, and we will remember a leader who led with caring.

Don’t let us lose this. Drop the scales from your eyes.

Thank you for reading today. Always work on being a better human, practice your gratefulness, and remember the power you have to use for good.

While you’re alive, there is always room for discovery.