Rhode Island is famously at the bottom of the economic prosperity pile, with a stagnant business climate, so what's a Rhode Islander to do? Let's stop worrying about this and do something!
Specifically, we can spend whatever money we have IN Rhode Island at locally owned businesses. There's a new website: buylocalri.org. It's a great way to find local businesses that can provide what you are looking for. The Rhode Island Foundation is collaborating with RI-owned businesses, non-profits and local governments. What Grows On in RI just listed there, and I see quite a few businesses have already joined.
Why do this? BuyLocalRI has 5 reasons, which I quote (but look at their webpage for further explanation):
- Support good jobs.
- Keep your money in the Rhode Island economy longer.
- Local businesses shape the chaaracter of our community.
- Feel good about your purchases.
- Reduce environmental impact.
You can also listen to a short segment of The Bottom Line on RI NPR with Neil Steinberg of the Rhode Island Foundation: Keeping Black Friday Dollars in RI.
And I'll adapt a comment I made regarding the RhodeMapRI economic development plan: If as many Rhode Islanders who can spend their money mostly in Rhode Island, we'll enable more Rhode Islanders to have a living, indirectly lessen the need for social services as more people become self-supporting, and enable more Rhode Islanders to be taxpayers and donors, thus reducing the taxes paid by each of us.
We really don't need to wait until the government does something. We ourselves can prime the pump!
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