Let's Be Frank: Vote With Your Wallet

Some people only care about money

I’m writing this as we celebrate the independence of a country I barely recognize anymore.

Several towns have canceled Fourth of July celebrations. Not because of weather, or budgets, but because of fear. Fear of ICE raids. Fear that “federal agents” might use the cover of fireworks and barbecues to tear families apart. I won’t be surprised if I wake up in a few days and read about communities being raided mid-celebration. That’s where we’re at now.

The decline didn’t happen overnight. It started with Reagan and his failed “trickle down” economics, and has spiraled into full blown chaos in recent years. What we’re seeing now is the result of policies that were never meant to lift people up, but to keep them in line.

And now the Republican led Congress has passed a brutal budget that raises taxes on everyone but the top 1%, and strips millions of Americans of their Medicare coverage. For months they pretended to oppose these cuts, and put on a show for the cameras, but when it came time to vote, they folded and sold out the people they swore to represent.

I know people are pissed, and they showed up at the No Kings protest. But we need more voters to get angry at what is happening, and we need to do more than protest in the streets.

Voting is still one of the most powerful tools we have, especially in local elections and primaries where turnout is often low but the impact is high. The challenge is that staying engaged takes time and energy, and not everyone has that to spare.

Taking to the streets absolutely matters. Protests raise awareness, shift narratives, and build solidarity. But most people are juggling jobs, childcare, rent, or second shifts. They can’t be out there every weekend, and that’s okay. It just means we need to be smart, strategic, and relentless in the ways we can show up.

If you can’t always vote or protest, then the next best option is to vote with your wallet.

Politicians are supposed to work for us, but instead they’re working for billionaires. And those billionaires own everything from the news we consume to the apps we scroll through. The only thing they care about more than themselves is their bank accounts. If you want to hurt them, stop giving them your money.

Corporations don’t have beliefs or morals. They follow the money, plain and simple. If enough people boycott, they change direction. Not because it’s the right thing to do, but because the profit margin tells them to.

Those profits get funneled straight into lobbying and campaign donations. That’s how bad policy becomes law, and why so little changes even when the public wants it to.

If Americans could organize and boycott the biggest corporate donors—the ones fueling the politicians on both sides of the aisle—we might finally have their attention.

It’s not just about boycotting though. It’s about building something better. Supporting local businesses, even in small ways, creates more resilient communities. Sure, it’s not always easy. Big corporations offer low prices and convenience, and not everyone has the luxury to shop local. But those who can should try.

Start small. Pick one product you buy often and see if a local shop carries it. If you’ve got a farmers market nearby, check it out. Talk to the folks running the stands. Learn who’s behind the food on your plate and the goods on your shelf.

Unions also have a role here. They need to organize in industries where workers are exploited. But union members need to vote for strong leaders internally too because billionaires will buy them out just like anyone else.

Let’s not forget who got us here. Corporations helped push through Citizens United and kept the federal minimum wage frozen for over a decade. They’ve bought the laws, the lawmakers, and the media. And somehow we’re the ones who keep paying for it.

I’m not a leader, if I was I would have run for office decades ago. But that doesn’t mean I’m not pissed about what has happened to the country I love.

The easiest boycott should be with certain social media companies. We don’t pay for social media, but they sell our information for their profit. And all they do is turn our brains to mush. And guess who they support. These are the same platforms fueling division, spreading disinformation, and quietly shaping our elections while pretending to be neutral.

These companies survive off our attention and our dollars. They’ll only start listening when we hit them where it hurts.

None of this is going to be easy. Change never is. But we don’t have the luxury of waiting around anymore. If we want a country worth celebrating again, we need to put in the work, and we need to do it together.

They might run our lives right now, but they’re nothing without the people. It's time we reminded them.