3c hapter - Index of

The Local Imperative 61
never gain widespread acceptance or viability without changes
to our securities laws. Others may work well for one community
or sector but not another. Yet, they are all worth pursuing, and
we ignore them at our peril. After all, what is our choice? We can
continue subsidizing corporate dominance, the Wall Street casino,
and foreign jobs, or we can begin to build a different world, dollar
by dollar.
The local investing movement is not anti–big business. It just
asks that we consider the implications of our policies and actions,
and that we give local enterprises a fair shake. As Michelle Long
of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies put it: “We’re
not against scale. But we question it when it means violence, or
outwitting your stupid customers, or squeezing your competitors.”
Rather, the movement celebrates the native genius of America,
the resourcefulness of communities, and the inherent desire in all
humans to be part of something bigger than ourselves.