I don't eat Communist Ice Cream

When anyone says anything about Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream, I jokingly say I don't eat Communist ice cream. Ben and Jerry's of course is the brand of ice cream formerly owned by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield and who still have some association with the brand they created.  It is apparently  a pretty good ice cream but Ben and Jerry use their wealth to support all sorts of liberal causes. Now, I am not so fanatical that if I was at a function or someone's house and someone offered me a bowl of B&J ice cream that I would refuse to eat it, but I am not going to choose that brand at the grocery store.

On the other hand, I always buy Angel Soft toilet tissue because I appreciate and want to support the Koch brothers. Actually, it was my preferred brand before I realized it was a Koch brothers product, but that makes me like it even more.

If I ever need to buy some artificial flowers, which I doubt I ever will, or if I get the urge to decoupage a bird house, which I doubt I ever will, I will shop at Hobby Lobby.  If there was a Chick-fill-a and a KFC side by side, I would choose the Chick-fill-a. I would rather support brands and stores that share my values and support causes I support and I would like to avoid brands and stores that support things I disagree with. I wouldn't drive across town to avoid a liberal store, but if convenient, I would prefer to shop at a store that shares my values.

2nd Vote is a group of conservatives who are dedicated to helping you be informed about the everyday choices you make. They have created an app for cell phones that can instantly give you a score of hundreds of brands and stores. They rate companies from 1 for  liberal, to 5 for conservative. Some of the "1's" are Ben and Jerry's, Starbucks, and T-mobile. There are no perfect "5's" but some high scores are Bass Pro shop, Chick-fill-a, and Ace Hardware.

If you are more concerned about a particular issue, say 1st Amendment issues, Trader Joe's gets a "3" and Whole Foods gets a "1".  Where would you rather shop? Or if your issue is marriage, Radio Shake gets a "4" while Best Buy scores a "1." If they are both in the same mall, where would you rather spend your money?

I am still in the dark ages and have an old flip cell phone but soon I am going to get me a smart phone and when I do, I will put the 2nd Vote app on it. The app is not perfect. Right now there are more stores and brands not scored than there are. I tried to look up Logan's Road House, a restaurant I like, and they are not scored and Shoney's is not in there, so the service is limited but it is off to a good start.  Wallgreens pharmacy (2) and CVS pharmacy (1) are listed. Krogers (2.5) and Publix (2.8) are listed. That is an example of where the difference between two choices is insignificant and that is often the case. I hope this app grows so it can be even more useful and more influential. If a significant number of conservative consumers start using 2nd Vote, companies may become concerned and drop supporting liberal causes that cause them to score low. 

Money talks and now we have a way to be informed and speak with a louder voice. I hope 2nd Vote grows and becomes a force to change corporate behavior.

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