Happy December! Here are two lists of how some major American companies contributed to the recent political campaign.
Corporations that care about $$$ above all else
WalMart, $467K, 97% to republicans
K-Mart, $524K, 86% to republicans
Home Depot, $298K, 89% to republicans
Target, $226K, 70% to republicans
Circuit City Stores, $261K, 95% to republicans
Coors, $174K, 92% to republicans (also Budweiser)
3M Co., $281K, 87% to republicans
Hallmark Cards, $319K, 92% to republicans
Amway, $391K, 100% republican
Kohler Co. (plumbing fixtures), $283K, 100% republicans
Brown-Forman Corp. (Southern Comfort, Jack Daniels, Bushmills, Korbel wines – as well as Lennox China, Dansk, Gorham Silver), $644, 80% to republicans
B.F. Goodrich (tires), $215K, 97% to republicans
Proctor & Gamble, $243K, 79% to republicans
Hungry Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. (chicken), $366K, 100% republican
Outback Steakhouse, $641K, 95% republican
Tricon Global Restaurants (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell), $133K, 87% republican
Brinker International (Chili’s), $242K, 83% republican
Waffle House, $279K, 100% republican
McDonald’s Corp., $197K, 86% republican
Darden Restaurants (Red Lobster, Olive Garden), $121K, 89% republican
Mariott International, $323K, 81% to republicans
Holiday Inns, $38K, 71% to republicans
Corporations that care about human beings
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, $153K, 99% to democrats
Estee Lauder, $448K, 95% to democrats
Guess? Inc., $145K, 98% to democrats
Calvin Klein, $78K, 100% to democrats
Liz Claiborne, Inc., $34K, 97% to democrats
Levi Straus, $26K, 97% to democrats
Olan Mills, $175K, 99% to democrats
Price Club/Costco donated $225K, 99% went to democrats
Rite Aid, $517K, 60% to democrats
Magla Products (Stanley tools, Mr. Clean), $22K, 100% to democrats
Gallo Winery, $337K, 95% to democrats
Warnaco (undergarments), $55K, 73% to democrats
Southern Wine & Spirits, $213K, 73% to democrats
Joseph E. Seagrams & Sons (beverage business, plus considerable media interests), $2M+, 67% democrats
Sonic Corporation, $83K, 98% democrat
Triarc Companies (Arby’s, T.J. Cinnamon’s, Pasta Connections), $112K, 96% democrats
Hyatt Corporation, $187K, 80% to democrats
I take (cold) comfort in the fact that Target gave the least percentage of their donations to Republicans as compared with the others on the list. As for the rest of the bad guys, I think that avoiding 3M and P&G is unfortunately a difficult task, but perhaps can be done some of the time. No problems avoiding Home Depot, McDonalds, Coors, etc. And of course I still have no plans to ever set foot into a Wal-Mart store.
As for the good guys, I’m glad that there are still large global American companies that haven’t completely sold out to greed and selfishness, and support the party of decency. I just wish there were a hell of a lot more of them. Unfortunately the Corporation itself in modern America functions to consume, to dominate, and to destroy, so you really need to be revolutionary to go against the model of seeking as many profits as possible at the expense of all humanity or integrity.
Go Costco!
yeahhhh Martha! You know I was gonna comment on that.
Jane, do you have the link where you got that info? Thank you!
From opensecrets.org:
http://www.opensecrets.org/overview/topcontribs.asp?Cycle=2000&Bkdn=DemRep
Jane, this was excellent. I work for Sara Lee, who didn’t make either list but…deserve a plug for their absolute committment to me, the human being.
Yesterday I had a one-on-one with my boss, discussing my new role here and everything I brought up as “developmental areas”, she had a tangible solution the company can offer.
I’m hands down the Diversity Poster Child here on so many different fronts but it just makes me feel so good to work for a company that actively (and proactively) develops the person and not just the bottom line.
Our company motto (besides “Nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee!”) is..”We feed, clothe and care”.
Hoo-yah.
I work for a very large company that happens to be very good to its employees, in general. I have excellent healthcare, dental, 401(k), and they offer amazing maternity leave benefits, as well as domestic partnership, the whole enchilada. Actually makes it very hard to think about the time when I will want to quit (the job itself can be deathly dull). My company’s employees are mostly female, and we have a pretty large percentage of out gay coworkers, too. We also give a lot to charity and support taking time off work to volunteer a couple times a year. Pretty awesome. I just wish the actual job itself was a bit more mentally stimulating… ah well 🙂
I think you and I are in the same boat. Love the company…not really stimulated by the position. But (as you have probably read), I don’t work where I want to (the airline)… being laid off made me much more motivated to find something passionate here in Slow-Steady, and to be ok about looking around at what else is here.
I’m glad you work for a company that values you.
This is really upsetting to me. Target and 3M both are staples of the Twin Cities economy, the forces behind our affluence, and the biggest donors to public works. And yet they’re both companies that sell themselves as progressive, in different ways. Leonard and I talked not too long ago about corporate political spending in corporate hometowns, and this really fits the pattern. Wild hypothesis, but I’d guess many of the corporations on the Democrat list are in regions indubitably blue.