Forum Post: How the movement can increase impact in a peaceful way

Let me ask a question - does anyone honestly believe that the 1% care if a bunch of "hippies and crackheads" want to camp out in front of their offices? It is a minor inconvenience, but it is not like it is costing them any more (which, we all know, is the ONLY important thing in the world). And, if they sit tight for long enough, winter will set in and all the hippies will go home and the status que continues. So, we need to find a way to take action that will get their attention - we need to take our money elsewhere. And we need to do it positively. As a start, could I suggest the following:

• Take you business away from the megabanks and move it to your local banks and credit unions, ESPECIALLY your credit cards which are hugely lucrative for the banks. How do we sell this? Supporting local credit unions supports local jobs. Putting your money in your local bank or credit union will give them money that they can then loan to local businesses. Credit unions are run for the benefit of their members, so instead of the profits going to some mutual fund, they go to you. And for those that believe in share ownership, it is like your megabank giving you free shares just because you have an account with them.
• The movement should HEAVILY promote the purchase of goods made in your own country. There is no point whining about unemployment and then jumping in the family truckster to do all your shopping in WalMart just so all your money can go straight out of the country. Americans are patriotic people by nature - appeal to that. And provide expansive information about US-made products and show how it is NOT necessary to buy Chinese. I would love to buy more Made in USA products, but I can't find them anywhere. There must be a fantastic business opportunity for someone to set up a Web site or chain of stores that sell American made products.
• How about a series of TV commercials harking back to the 50s, when people knew and supported their local retailers? These retailers were your friends and your neighbors. They provided jobs for your kids, and actually cared if you brought your business back to them. They didn't send all their profits off to corporate headquarters, and they cared more about being able to hand their business over to their kids than they did about making as much money as possible THIS MONTH. They didn't pay themselves 500 times more than their workers, but they were content and they contributed to the social fabric of their communities. The corporates will NEVER give up their power, so the only way to tackle them that will have mass appeal is to take our money away from them and give it to our friends and neighbors instead. And once the corporates no longer have all the money, then "our" politicians might start listening to the people that voted for them for a change.