Introduction
In your hands a dollar may simply be a dollar, but if it changes hands more times in one community and fewer times in another, it will have a disproportionate impact on the two communities; its value may be greater in a community with more local ownership. Americans must consider the distribution of their spending for the sake of their neighborhoods, the nation and the world.
American consumers are more than $700 billion in debt and the federal government debt grows more than $2 billion per day on top of the $8.5 trillion taxpayers already owe.
The nation has tremendous wealth. The top US companies have economies larger than most countries in the world. There are over one million millionaires in the United States, but the numbers of working poor have exceeded 37 million.
Many communities are caught in the middle with limited financial resources, suffering from growing conditions of poverty, crime and inability to meet community needs.
The United States is faced with an unsustainable economic imbalance. A major contributing factor is limited ownership that rapidly transfers large amounts of money from communities and collects it in limited pockets. Reinvestment in communities is not adequate.
The responsibility for this problem is largely in the hands of consumers. By being committed to improving their communities through better consumer practices, community members can make a difference.
Support for locally-owned businesses, as well as the cultural and intellectual resources of the community - its writers, artists and educational institutions - is essential to economic growth and unlimited possibilities for the local community.
Broad ownership allows for greater circulation of wealth in a community and provides more opportunities for people in the local community to succeed with their own interests in mind.
Benefits of Localism
Redistribution of necessary and discretionary spending to the local level will achieve many positive goals and benefits for communities, including:
-Raise economic conditions for the poor and strengthen the middle class
-Reduce waste generated by mass marketing and shipping materials
-Reduce energy use associated with excessive driving and shipping goods long distances
-Make local ownership of businesses and community entities more viable
-Increase overall health of the community by encouraging walking and biking to local stores and activities
-Improve representation on the local level for ideas and interests
-Improve ability of public and private agencies in the community to meet social needs
-Reduce children's envy of celebrities by promoting involvement with local arts
-For nationally-produced goods, local businesses may earn a share of the distribution or sale
-Local goods will have greater significance with purchases made less impulsively
-Goods may be of a greater value and lasting quality, manufactured less "cheaply"
-Alternatives such as local farmers' markets and co-ops may thrive
Please note: This website does not recommend increasing spending in order to support local businesses, but rather spending your money wisely and conservatively - identifying goods and services you normally use and seeking locally-owned providers for them, and eliminating or reducing use of credit cards. The same is true for giving local interest gifts, and supporting local arts and entertainment.
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Community Gift Giving
A Model Program for Holiday Initiatives to Support Local Artists, Authors, Organizations and Businesses
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Resource Downloads
Weblinks and Printable Posters to Inform Community Members About the Benefits of Local Ownership
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Sol Communities
Resources to Preserve the Distinctive Cultures and Identities of Texas Communities
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Additional Resources
Successful Community Principles, Diverse Cultural Histories, Community Forums, and More
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