So the idea is to boycott people with whom we have a differing opinion? Mr. Schwab has just as much right as I do to support any candidates he wishes and to vote the way he sees fit.

But yes, Christopher, that’s exactly the point of boycotts.

KBear: Well maybe that’s the INTENTION of boycotts. But often they can have opposite consequences. It just seems too simplistic to me, as does the implication that Republicans are automatically bad and Democrats are automatically good. I recognize how that idea provides the fodder for a lot of political masturbation on the West Seattle Blog Forums. But this militant adhesion to labels is what is paralyzing the legislative engine of our country.

Almost every big company gives money to both Republicans and Democrats. Sure – Republicans often get more because their interests line up more closely. But I would be shocked if Charles Schwab doesn’t give substantial amounts of money to Democrats as well. But I’m too lazy to check.

Why would anyone boycott a business just because the business donates money to a political party? Would you also not associate with your neighbors if you learned they had different policital beliefs than you?

so…Bostonman…are you saying that not all Dems are…evil? lol…I keep telling Kootch that, but it’s not making an impression ;-)

KBear: Consider this scenario: you boycott a local business and call on your friends to do the same and (if it works) the fortunes of that business decline and the business owner has to fire his staff of workers (some or all of which might be Democrats who support the same political agenda you do). And you’ve decreased local tax revenue in your own neighborhood while probably having no effect at all on the vote of the business owner you were targeting. Would you call that a job well done?

Evil? probably not. Maybe a little off kilter though. Plus they drink my beer

¶ If my neighbor intimated to me that he’d just given $10 to the Republican National Committee, I’d go: “Dude! You coulda bought a Zippy’s Deluxe and a shake with that tenner!”

¶ If my best friend told me he agreed with the Pope’s position on birth control, I’d give him a bear hug and say: “Aw . . . you big loveable idiot!”

¶ If I was eating a candy bar and someone told me the company* that made it was pushing women in developing countries to feed their babies formula instead of breast milk . . .

. . . that candy bar would turn to shit, right in my mouth.

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*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestl%C3%A9_boycott

I don’t understand how the OP’s random assumption that Charles Schwab is the same as Les Schwab is just being glossed over here. People need to do at least a teensy bit of research before inviting others to boycott. OP, if you had just searched on Google for “Charles Schwab” you would have quickly learned that no, he and Les Schwab are/were not one and the same. I have no ideal was Les Schwab’s political leanings were, for the record.

And for what it’s worth, Les Schwab died in 2007, not 2003.

I love Courtesy Tire. They have been around this community a long time. They do good things. They are honest. Are they republican? Don’t know. I patronize them cause I like em’. Would I blow them off if they were Democrats? Nope. I do suspect though that IF LES (not Charles) Schwab was alive he would be a republican…. most business persons are, .. I wouldn’t shop there for that reason. Say JoB… god forbid.. but should ya need a heart by-pass… gonna politically credential your surgeon? Ha ha … my advice? Take the best one. BTY Les Schwab… donates to republican 75% of the time.based on this little sampling link..http://www.followthemoney.org/database/topcontributor.phtml?u=13668&y=2008 .. and imports Chinese tires.. lots and lots and lots of Chinese tires.

kootch…

i AM going to have to re-examine my loyalty to Les Schwab tires…

which makes me really really unhappy…

what i learn will determine whether i continue to do business with them