Why I Made Fiscal Disobedience

Why I Made Fiscal Disobedience.

For two months now, as of the time of this writing, the lives of entire communities, schools, social services, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and the countless immigrants and minorities within the communities who help power our nation, have been critically disrupted and thrown into crisis. The actions of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, as well as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) under the overarching umbrella of the United States Department of Homeland Security, have not just placed communities into disarray and lives at risk; they have also engaged in unconscionable acts under the guise of national security, entirely at the direction of the absolute evil that currently resides within our government: the President of the United States.

Although I live a mere 30 miles from the sites of the killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, like many others, I have struggled to find ways to be useful and engaged with the needs of the broader community. My suburb exists far enough from the epicenter of activity that the grassroots landscape is different, yet close enough to experience the impacts firsthand. Even my commute results in interactions with ICE and the communities most impacted. I can still look within my own local community and see these impacts firsthand as well. Between the effects on immigrant and minority owned businesses, the strain on schools, and the mutual aid efforts required, the impact is seen, heard, and felt.

On Friday, January 23rd, the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as the surrounding suburban communities, the entire state, and even the nation, participated in a general economic strike. It was incredible to see not only the hundreds of businesses but the hundreds of thousands or even millions of individuals come together in solidarity to have a single day of impact by refusing to participate in commerce, whether online or with brick-and-mortar businesses, and by not contributing to the productivity of corporations to the best of their ability. We also saw, on one of the coldest days of the year, the entire community come together to march, either in person in Minneapolis or remotely in spirit within their own communities, in support of each other and those impacted. They did this to be seen and to have their voices heard in protest of the occupation of Minneapolis and the unethical and inhumane efforts of ICE across the nation.

I took part in this myself, along with many others in my community. Within the following days, many corporations, including Fortune 100 companies, came together in a joint statement urging a meaningful solution to put an end to the disruptions and violence. I had already started to grasp the possibilities, and it was at these points I saw, for the first time in my lifetime, that a general economic strike was truly possible and could have a meaningful impact. It was at this point, as well, that I started work on this project.

Then, on Saturday, January 24th, the world witnessed the killing of Alex Pretti. I was filled with a mixture of anger, desperation, and the need to no longer remain idle.These feelings had been building for a long time by this point, but started to boil over. I knew I had to turn the rage I felt into something productive. I knew I must carry the work I had started just the previous night into something tangible.

The idea behind “fiscal disobedience” is not a singular concept, but a combination of ideas and practices that can create a meaningful disruption in corporate revenue. It puts pressure on them in the only way they understand: money. This might take the form of a boycott, changing your spending habits, shopping locally or from immigrant- and minority-owned businesses, or outright canceling services in search of better options. It is that last one that we are starting with today.

Over the past years, I have been evaluating my own spending on subscription services. I found that for non-critical services, like entertainment streaming, music, gaming services, and so on, I spend roughly $200 a month. That is $200 a month where I could have a recurring monthly impact on corporate revenue simply by canceling my services.

Now, imagine if just 10 other people did the same; that’s $2,000 a month. If 100 people did it, that’s $20,000 a month. For 1,000 people, it’s $200,000. With 10,000 people, that is $2 million per month in possible impact. That is a potential $24 million a year that we could remove from the pocketbooks of corporations just by canceling subscriptions across 10,000 people.

It just so happens there are millions of people who are angered by ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the current administration. If even a million people canceled those subscriptions, that is potentially $2.4 billion that could be removed from the hands of the rich. Just think about that. The act of not spending money can have such an incredible impact. And we are still only talking about Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, AI subscriptions, Amazon Prime, DoorDash Pass, and so on. Imagine instead ordering directly from the manufacturer rather than Amazon; or instead of an Instacart order, you shop at your local grocery store; instead of ordering DoorDash, you visit a local immigrant- or minority-owned restaurant you’ve been eyeing. Perhaps you contribute to mutual aid efforts within your community and around the nation. Not only can you make an incredible impact on corporate revenue, but you can make a positive impact within your own communities just by adjusting your spending habits slightly.

We are talking about billions of dollars of impact every year that we can potentially have together. And again, we are just talking about unsubscribing here, not counting all the other impacts you can have through boycotts or other economic disruptions. You and I can flex our wallets in a way that makes corporations and the powerful understand. Enough is enough. It is time to get ICE out of our communities. It is time to restore families to their homes and their lives. It is time to abolish ICE and reform the monolithic, reactionary practices brought about by the Department of Homeland Security over the past decades. We must show the world that the people of our nation are not defeated. This is but one way you can do so.

Fiscaldisobedience.com is one of many places where you can share the impact you are having by canceling your subscriptions. I offer Fiscal Disobedience as a tangible location to do so. It does not replace the act of canceling or changing your spending habits, but it can help shine a light on the collective impact we can have together. Ultimately, it is up to you to choose your own impact and what that may look like. This may not even take the form of canceling subscriptions. But I encourage you to take this opportunity to look at the communities around the world and the people within them who have been impacted, and think about what you can do to have a simple or even greater impact.

If you are already participating in similar efforts within your community, acting as an observer, contributing to mutual aid, or any of the many other ways to have an impact, I thank you with all my heart. And if you have not yet done so, I also thank you for listening and visiting. It’s up to us now.