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Balle, October 31, 2012 Occasionally we’ll be sharing our blog space with guest voices from the Localist movement. These are the best of the best, the most awesome of the most awesome, and the all-around most interesting people we know. Here’s our first guest blog post, by Stacy Mitchell, a senior researcher with the Institute for … Read More
Here’s a look at six small business issues at stake in next month’s federal and state elections, including bank reform, corporate tax advantages, getting corporate money out of politics, capping credit card fees, and creating preferences for local businesses in government purchasing. … Read More
Lewiston-Auburn Sun Journal, October 20, 2012 LEWISTON — “I put a lot of my making-the-world-better energy into becoming a better consumer,” said Stacy Mitchell, a researcher and writer at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, which challenges corporate consolidation of the economy. “(But) what we really need to do is change the underlying policies that affect the … Read More
A critical function of our banking system is financing small businesses. But big banks are doing a rotten job of it. At the nation’s largest banks, small business lending has plunged 33% since 2009. Trying to cajole or compel them to do more won’t make much difference because the problem is largely inherent to their scale.… Read More
Although they control only 21% of U.S. bank assets, small and mid-sized banks provide 54% of small business loans. … Read More
Climate and Capitalism, October 10, 2012 As I post this, Walmart workers from 28 stores in 12 U.S. states have walked off the job to protest company attempts to “silence and retaliate against workers for speaking out for improvements on the job.” ….snip…. In 2005, the giant retailer (biggest in the world) announced three “aspirational [there’s … Read More
Holland Sentinel, September 21, 2012 Another one bites the dust. As The Sentinel reported on Sept. 14, Dykstra Drug Store, a longtime local pharmacy, is closing. Dykstra has been serving the community for 60 years. Fortunately, yet somewhat ironically, owner and pharmacist Tom Klaasen has been hired by CVS, which has purchased his pharmacy operation, for its new store at … Read More
Yes Magazine, September 7, 2012 If last week’s Republican National Convention had a mythic protagonist (other than Mitt Romney, that is), it was the struggling small business owner. In speech after speech, we heard about the same basic person in the same basic dilemma: a small business owner overcome by the burden of government regulations. This … Read More
San Francisco is home to more independent businesses than other big cities, thanks in part to a 2006 law than gives neighborhoods the power to reject “formula” retail stores and restaurants. But the policy has major gaps, which have opened the way for chains to slip into the city. City leaders are now looking to beef up the law. … Read More
