Granny D's Dirty Thirty

Why would we buy clothing at The Limited, or a lawnmower at K-Mart, or stay at the Mirage or MGM in Las Vegas, or order our long distance from AT&T if they were using our own money to buy our democracy out from under us? I have made a list of the thirty dirtiest companies that no longer deserve the business trade of good Americans. They have betrayed our most deeply held values by circumventing our campaign laws and giving huge amounts of soft money to the senators and representatives who are supposed to be representing us.This list includes companies to which you may be loyal. I am asking you to make a sacrifice -- to take the pain of political progress upon yourself. I would like you to stop buying from them and from their subsidiaries. I would like you to send the list to your stockbroker, if you are fortunate enough to have one, and tell them to move your investments elsewhere. When we get these thirty companies to swear off the dirty habit of undermining democracies, we will go after the next thirty.Now, life is complex today, and we sometimes have to do business with firms we do not like. A drug company among the dirty thirty may make a drug you need. But on the list may be some firms where you do have a choice in your purchases and your investments. There are surely several opportunities for your action and modest sacrifice.Based on soft money donations made in the 1999-2000 election cycle (Source: Federal Elections Commission)1. AMERICAN TELEPHONE & TELEGRAPH2. MIRAGE RESORTS INC.3. PHILIP MORRIS COMPANIES INC.4. SBC COMMUNICATIONS INC.5. CITIGROUP6. BELLSOUTH CORPORATION7. BELL ATLANTIC8. GENERAL ELECTRIC9. FDX CORPORATION (FEDERAL EXPRESS)10. AMR CORPORATION11. MICROSOFT CORPORATION12. FEDERAL HOME LOAN MORTGAGE CORPORATION (FREDDIE MAC)13. PFIZER INC.14. SCHERING-PLOUGH CORPORATION15. LIMITED INC.16. MGM GRAND INC.17. UST INC (US TOBACCO)18. ENRON CORPORATION19. ANHEUSER-BUSCH COMPANIES20. ATLANTIC RICHFIELD CO (ARCO)21. SERVICES GROUP OF AMERICA22. ARCHER-DANIELS-MIDLAND CORPORATION23. RITE AID CORPORATION24. FLO-SUN INC.25. TELE-COMMUNICATIONS INC.26. CONNELL27. KMART CORPORATION28. BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB29. COCA-COLA30. UPS GENERAL SERVICE