No more HOME DEPOT for me! Huge contributions to *

[Room101]

I just shopped there for the last time!

http://www.commondreams.org/news2003/1204-05.htm

Presidential Mystery Solved: Why Bush Is Stopping at Home Depot
Bush Rewards Generous GOP Donor with Visit to Maryland Store on Friday; Energy Bill Includes $48 Million Tax Break for the Giant Retailer

<snip>

WASHINGTON - December 4 - President Bush will make two stops in Maryland on Friday. The first is an exclusive, big-ticket fundraiser in Baltimore, where he is expected to add another million dollars to his massive campaign war chest. Then he’ll deliver a speech on the economy to workers at a Home Depot in nearby Halethorpe.

Research by Public Citizen suggests the president’s visit is yet another way to reward the nation’s second-largest retailer for its generosity to the Bush campaign and the Republican Party. Home Depot employees and their families have given $1.5 million to the GOP since 1999, according to data provided to Public Citizen by the Center for Responsive Politics.

During that time, no candidate has benefited from Home Depot’s largesse more than Bush. The total includes $907,950 in mostly "soft money" donations to the Republican National Committee before such giving was outlawed by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA). So far this year, Home Depot employees and the company political action committee have contributed $31,000 to the 2004 Bush-Cheney re-election campaign.

[KeepItReal]

1. Aw FUDGE!!! I'm a HD shareholder...I suck!

:-(

I guess I gotta ask for my Dean contributions back... and give it to Bush & Co. <sarcasm off>

[SahaleArm]

9. Nah, use your profits to fund Democrats:) *nm*

[pstokely]

10. go to the next HD stockholders meeting and complain

nt

[JNelson6563]

19. There's always Lowes

Home Despot sucks.

[terrisel]

2. The Plot is Thick

Lowes is the home improvement store to patronize.

<http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/0903/30hdepot.html
Bernard Marcus, The Bushes, Home Depot, Choicepoint, Florida Election rolls purging, Langone, Wall Street scandal, and Zell Miller.

They all seem to be in this together.

[terrisel]

4. Interlocking directorships

I avoid almost all spending at large corporate entities. I switched from Home Depot to Lowes because Lowes did more democratic contributions than Home Depot.

I don't think that Home Depot or Choicepoint are planning on doing anything positive for us or most of the people on the planet. They seem to smell the possibilities of absolute power and seem to want it badly.


I think we have a dangerous situation where these non-benevolent mega-corporations have amassed tremendous power. By law a corporation is a person-but one that never dies so long as it registers periodically.

Unlike human people a corporate entity is shielded from the consequences of its actions. It can kill and get away with it. The move to exempt corporations from liability or civil law suits is scary because they are practically exempt from criminal liability already.

<http://whistleblowers.freehosting.net/interlocks.htm>

[maggrwaggr]

7. don't y'all have a local hardware store you can patronize?

I avoid these mammoth chains altogether. I hate 'em with a passion.

In my town I've got a nice selection of locally owned hardware stores of various sizes. Some are great, been there forever, stuff stacked up to the roofs, wonderfully messy and eclectic.

gotta look around!

[laura888]

12. not many of them in metro DC - but I'll look around

I know one in Arlington, I think.

[Blue Gardener]

23. Excellent!

A new Lowes just opened up near my home. Won't feel bad if I shop there now. Still go to the locals if they have what I need.

[LeahMira]

18. Well, not necessarily...

All of the large warehouse stores have driven small businesses away by underpricing them and providing convenience with one stop shopping for customers.

I have to admit that the employees at Home Depot are good with advice on how to do a particular job and their classes are great, but I really do miss the "Farm and Home" store where someone knew exactly what you needed even if you didn't know that tool existed.

If there's a locally owned hardware store nearby, even if they charge an extra fifty cents for what you need, give them your business. My experience is that you save that fifty cents many times over because you don't get tempted by all the other things on display that you didn't know you needed... and really don't need.

[maggrwaggr]

20. maybe I'm lucky but here on the west side of LA there are plenty

of alternatives. In fact going to Home Depot is a freaking nightmare by comparison.

when I've gone to Home Depot there's absolutely no help from anyone, you can walk up to a crowd of employees talking and laughing amongst themselves and they'll completely ignore you.

Then there are those fucking forklifts driving around honking their goddamn little horns at you and the constant BEEP BEEP BEEP

It's enough to make you want to burn the place down.

[theoceansnerves]

3. yes read that this morning

an excellent story. it also serves as a reminder that we still need to let our senators know that we do NOT want an energy bill that gives home depot a $48,000,000 tax break on energy sapping ceiling fans imported from china!

[madrchsod]

5. home depot

is in trouble because of their stores are outdated.they need major money to upgrade thier stores to compete with menards , lowes, and other regional improvement stores. i always thought the stores were ugly and hard to find anything...

[theoceansnerves]

6. and dangerous

10 deaths inside home depot stores since 1999, as well as nearly 200 injuries per week:

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2003/06/09/story6.html

and i wonder if they had any lobbyists working on the "healthy forests" initiative..hmm...

[maggrwaggr]

8. Home Depot is the last place you want to be in an earthquake

unless you like being buried under lawn mowers and boxes of cement.

(I live in S. California so I have to think of these things)

[laura888]

11. who's their competition? Lowes is the only other place I know...

...to shop. Anyone know their politics?

I will avoid HD - but its mighty hard.

[Piperay]

14. Orchard (OSH) they

are owned by Sears, for whatever that is worth. My father worked for Sears and they did alright by him (though that was 20yrs ago) but I don't know what their politics are. :shrug:

[ldoolin]

32. Sears is a mixed bag

Sears donates about 40% to Democrats and 60% to Republicans, if I recall correctly.

Home Depot by comparison gives 100% to Republicans and nothing to Democrats. They're on my boycott list.

I do a lot of checking on Open Secrets (www.opensecrets.org) to figure out where to shop. In some cases it's a matter of determining which is the least of several evils. If the only choice is between Sears and Home Depot, as it is where I live, Sears gets my business.

[Piperay]

37. Interesting

Thanks! :hi:

[shimmergal]

13. Arghhh!

I juost spent big bucks at Home Depot on composite panels for my floor (well, big bucks to me, anyway.)

Then I turn on the TV and see that Bush person in his Home Depot appearance. (First time he's been shown in the middle of a crowd, I think. Wonder how much they had to vet each employee first?)

Then I read this about their wicked contributions. Shoulda done some research first, but I can't keep up with it all! (Have already shifted from WalMart to Target for everything except a couple of must-have items that only WalMart carries.)

Hopefully I won't make this mistake again.

[theHandpuppet]

15. Here's a great resource...

Want to find out which retailers/companies/CEOs contribute the most money to political campaigns and candidates? I've found this list -- the "Mother Jones 400" to be an invaluable reference:

http://www.motherjones.com/news/special_reports/mojo_400/index.html

I knew about Home Depot's shoveling of funds into GWB's campaign from reading their report on the 2000 (s)election. Bernard Marcus, Chairman and CEO of Home Depot, personally funneled 353,500 to the GOP's campaign coffers.

[VOX]

17. Excellent link, tHp -- thanks for posting...

No more Home Depot for me.

:toast:

[UTUSN]

26. Great Link -------------and Dell Computers n/t

[theHandpuppet]

27. Yep. Michael Dell...

.... of Dell Computers is not only a close personal friend of the Pretender-in-Chief, he is one of the biggest contributors to the GOP and Shrub. Buy a Dell, make your contribution to the re-election of GWB.

[Room101]

38. Damn it I just bought a DELL :(

:mad:

[economic justice]

16. Thanks for this!

I didn't know about this! I will not be shopping at Home depot any longer. Period. They have a right to give to whomever, but for Bush to "reward" them with a visit is just crazy. Lowes for me!

[devinsgram]

21. I always shop at Lowe's and stay away from

Home Depot, hope they don't do that.

[OBXNCarolina]

22. Adding Home Depot to my Black List

along with Domino's Pizza, Budweiser and TV Guide. I'm sure this list will grow in the coming year.

[Blue Gardener]

24. TV Guide!

You mean I have to give up my TV Guide? Crap.

[OBXNCarolina]

30. Rupert Murdoch eom

[ldoolin]

33. Check my blog for more...

www.blogstudio.com/ldoolin

So far I've checked into oil companies, motels, airlines, supermarkets, fast food, Las Vegas casinos, and tobacco companies.

There are some pretty nasty offenders out there, some of which I have been shopping at for years without knowing any better. Home Depot is just one example.

Hope this is a helpful link.

My own new years resolution is that I am going to stop giving my business to companies that favor Republicans with their donations, and make a point of patronizing businesses which give to Democrats.

[Walt Starr]

25. DAMN, I am committed to spending another $500 there

I started a fence and bought cedar pickets from HD. They are the only building supply that carries these specifc pickets and I'll need a couple hundred next spring in order to shadow box my fence.

THIS SUCKS!

[DUreader]

35. Come On , Walt, You Can Cut Your Own Pickets

Just buy some lumber and make the cuts yourself.

I have done it many times as matching pickets can be hard to find

It just means a little extra time.

[KharmaTrain]

28. We Need A Site That Tracks These Slime Merchants

I've never liked Home Depot...too big and all the employees can't find a damn thing. I'll take the local Ace.

I knew about TV Guide (Murdoch) and am noting others I'm seeing here, but it would be great to have a website or blog, if there isn't one, that keeps track of corporations that donate big $$$ to the GOOP so we can keep our dollars away.

[ldoolin]

34. I'm working on that right now

www.blogstudio.com/ldoolin

Click on the "consumer research archives" links in the left-hand column.

[YNGW]

29. No, Thanx!

I have never bought or not bought a particular product or from a particular business based upon their politics and I'm not about to start now.


:-)

dai

[DUreader]

36. A Buck for H.D. is A Buck for Bush*

[Individualist]

31. HD customer service is lousy

I bought an exterior steel door from them in Oct., had it installed by their subcontractors, and installation wasn't done properly. They've been back a few times, still haven't fixed the problem, and now they're telling me I "can expect some cold air to come in between the door and door frame". I'm going to contact a lawyer next week in hopes of getting the problems corrected.