I just signed yet another petition, this time about Ohio Senator Bill Coley’s support of HB 203 proposed Stand Your Ground legislation, but really, what’s the point?

We live in a capitalist democracy; note capitalism comes before democracy. I think we are well past the point of détente, discussions, parades and petitions. We must aggressively withhold our collective dollars from the stream of commerce until that stream runs bone dry. When that happens and it will, because black people spend a lot of our disposable income on non-essential consumer goods- we won’t have to ask for a seat at the table. The table will be brought to us, prepared in the presence of our enemies.  But that won’t happen as long as we continue to complain about the Koch brothers’ undue influence while simultaneously supporting them and their colleagues’ corporate interests.

Six months ago a small group of black Sunday School Sisters committed to a 365 Day Consecration for Peace and Justice, including a 50% reduction in discretionary spending which we calculated to be approximately $6,248.00 per Sister.  The U.S. Census reports 17.8 million black women in the U.S.; if we each withdrew $6,248.00 that’s a collective economic force of $111,214,400,000.00,   One Hundred-Eleven Billion, Two Hundred-Fourteen Million and Four Hundred Thousand Dollars, which in a capitalist democracy is the force that makes things happen. (Just ask Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer how economic levers work.)  So no, my problem isn’t the political and legislative influence of the Koch brothers because Forbes, March 4, 2013 Billionaire Issue lists their combined worth at just $72 Billion.  My problem is our well-honed proclivity to pontificate in public and the cottage industry of complaint that supports it-the community events, the lectures, the talk shows, blah, blah, blah.  We don’t need another call to action, another meeting, another task force or committee. We simply need to keep our money in our pockets until we get what we want.  Period.

Over a decade ago when our sons complained about being homeschooled, about no cable, about no video games and no summers off, their Dad would say, Come, let us reason together. The beauty of a capitalist democracy lies in its simplicity. If you don’t own anything, you don’t run anything. Your mother and I own the means of production here ergo we and we alone establish all policies. When said policies become onerous or egregious you must terminate your dependent status.  So simple, so elegant, yet so effective in a capitalist democracy.  This simple, elegant and effective approach is what we need to implement in the face of encroaching and dangerous Stand Your Ground laws, mass incarcerations, the school-to-prison pipeline, the military-industrial complex, GMOs, etc., etc., etc. Keep our money in our pockets. Period.

Do you think we have the will to execute? Will you join us?