An outlet in the kitchen was sparking

[barbtries]

and it killed the microwave (fortunately temporarily). So I went on to my local town reddit and searched for an electrician recommendation. Two companies popped up. I contacted one and asked them to come out today.

Then i got to thinking. I don't know these people. What can I find out about them. So I went to the about page, got the guy's name, and looked him up on fb. His own posts were neutral, but his friends were magats and I do not want to do business with magats.

So I did the same with the second electrician. I found his fb page, and this is what he posted on 06N0v2024:

It's a great day if you're a white male disconnected from women, queer or trans individuals, BIPOC communities, undocumented workers, minimum wage earners, unhoused persons, Muslim or Jewish individuals, non-Christian or agnostic or atheist citizens, un-unionized workers, anarchists, socialists or communists. So yeah, not a great day for most people I know.

the second company was out by noon today, did a great job at a good price, and we had a wonderful visit at the same time.

I will make this a habit going forward i think. I resent every penny I give supporting people who are poised to destroy my country and hurt and/or kill untold numbers of people as they do so.

I only took down all my Kamala signs while they were working in my kitchen. I wouldn't trust a maga electrician past my front door, not to sabotage my job, not to rip me off for money, nothing at all. Then i see a tik tok this evening with a guy saying don't give your money to these people! and so it helped me believe that I am not so extreme after all.

I don't see the American people the way I did prior to the election. I just don't. Something broke in me that day. They don't get to do that again if I can help it.

[onecaliberal]

1. I started this during the rapists first admin. I have list of go to. I will not give my money to MAGAts.

[barbtries]

2. maybe I'll start a list.

I haven't made it a practice before today. I thought maybe I was taking this all too far, but when i told my son about it, he said,"I do the same thing."

yeah. If i end up doing business with someone who hates me (I am a woman and a liberal), I'm going to hate that I did that.

[AllaN01Bear]

53. ive been boycotting the golden arches since .... pulled that stunt with the french frying station.

[barbtries]

54. that's one franchise holder.

i would definitely not frequent that mcDonald's but any others, maybe. Sometimes my son, DIL and I take a walk and have breakfast at the one down the street. it's most likely owned by local people who probably are not magats.

[magicarpet]

3. As Americans we get two votes.

1.) @ The ballotbox,...

2.) @ the cash Register of those who you select to be your vendors and receive your limited disposable income. Spend your money wisely - do not promote or support Fascism. They count on your pre-approvals so you can help them advance their agendas against you.

[Demovictory9]

4. Kick

[iluvtennis]

5. KnR. @barbtries - I'm gonna follow ur lead. n/t

[niyad]

6. I have been doing this since the fight for the ERA, the nestle boycott,

the coors boycott (even though I don't drink beer), and on, and on. Not on penny of my money if I can help it. Our feminist groups put out sheets, back in paper days, of companes that supported women, and those that did not. Some years back, a friend took me to a used furniture store to show me a dining room set she wanted to buy. Something about the store set me off, although I was not sure why. When we went up to talk to the owner, that person pointed out a stack of booklets with yellow covers, which she proudly identified as the "christian yellow pages". At that moment, I noticed the rather large cross hanging over her desk. I smiled and said, "It is so handy to have a list so that one knows which shops to avoid." She was smiling until I added, "every shop in that book." My friend did not buy the dining room set.

Nothing extreme in what you did at all. Welcome to the club!

[soldierant]

8. Yes, me too.

It is possible to vote with your pocketbook and with your feet.

I've only set foot in a WalMart twice in the last 40 years - once to speak with a friend who was a manager, and once because they were literally the only vendor in the world for the modem my local phone company used.

If someone gives me an amazon gift card, I will shop there - I figure they already have the money so why let them keep the merch. I just finished up a gift card today - only required 29¢ of my own money. I can live with that.

[barbtries]

16. that's a great story.

I'm on board. There are still purchases i will make while holding my nose, but others - like Penzey's spices - where I love to shop and feel good about where my money went.

[niyad]

23. Absolutely agree. I shop local as much as I can, having known many of the

shop owners for years. And, of course, there is Penzey's! Did you see his email yesterday?

[barbtries]

25. no, but it's probably in my inbox.

and probably really good.

[niyad]

29. It is a very loving one.

[radius777]

7. Good work. The problem with the Trumpers

is they think they can do or say whatever they want (including taking away people's rights) and we all just have to go along with it. Actions have consequences. Democracy doesn't end at the ballot box but is an ongoing process.

[niyad]

24. EXACTLY!!!

[markodochartaigh]

9. To me your action seems like

the exact opposite of the "good old boys club" where a group of wealthy men, get together to enrich each other. They know what each other thinks ( almost certainly conservative by the very nature of the group), and they work together to ensure that only they alone benefit.

You acted to give work to someone who will pass it on, and pass it around so that everyone benefits.

[BlueKentuckyGirl]

10. Agreed

You know, I agree with you about not seeing the American people the way you did before. I don't either. Although I am a 70 year old white woman, I look at other white women, and young men, no matter what race they are, as likely Trump voters. I know that I shouldn't categorize people this way but until I know otherwise, I regard them all with a certain level of contempt. I guess the only people that I'm giving the benefit of the doubt to these days are black women. I know I shouldn't judge people this way but I can't really help the way that I feel.

[barbtries]

17. yeah.

there's an openness that's gone in me, I miss it, but I'm not sure it's avoidable. I was really certain there were more of us and was 90% confident that love would win. The election taught me more about the electorate than any other single thing. Before that, I knew republicans, corporate media, billionaires were the "enemy" so to speak. Afterward, I knew it was also the people themselves.

it can take me a long time to get to these bleak points of fact. I'm a Pollyanna. I was so naive once upon a time that I thought the republican party would dissolve after gwbush. Couldn't be much more wrong than that.

But the things i still believe I am absolutely right about: everybody matters. Human rights mean ALL humans. Hate is regressive and destructive. We are all in this together. So I'm not changing me. I'm not shutting up. I will resist these coming dark days of democracy being demolished. I'm just clearer, I guess, about the reasons it's happening.

[niyad]

26. I am a cynical, suspicious person with a fairly low opinion of people

in the aggregate, but even I was somewhat shocked, thoroughly disgusted. There are now several new people and businesses on my"avoid" list.

[irisblue]

11. Check your nearest LGBTQ/Stonewall centers to see if they have "Lavender Listings" of trad ppl

I got a odd jobs womans business for some smaller maintaince & next week an HVAC company will be out for an estimate.

[niyad]

27. Thank you for the reminder!

[irisblue]

39. You are welcome

I feel the odds of maga ppl are lower in the trades people level in the LGBTQ community.
Yes I do know that Log Cabin maga ppl exist, but those $$$ typed are a bit easier to weed out.

[ancianita]

12. Thank you. La lucha continua.

If millions do what you do, it's good trouble.

Also be aware that social media platforms can be used to check customers, too, not just political election signs.

[barbtries]

18. i got both of the names on Reddit.

the local reddit sub is a gold mine for recommendations for trade people with real people weighing in. But it's not political, so I looked up the prinicipals of each company and learned what I needed to know to choose my electrician.

[barbtries]

37. i think i just now got your meaning.

they're welcome to check me out. I until recently made all of my posts public as a way to raise consciousness. But there is still plenty for them to see, from my rainbow profile picture to posts that are still public.

I've never shied from that because of Bekah primarily, but also then the danger our democracy has been in for at least the past 20+ years. So yeah, look me up trades people, if you don't like what you see, well i already chose someone else anyway.

[Dem2theMax]

13. What a great idea!

I don't have Facebook, but for this, I would sign up. I know how to find out information about the big companies. But when you are hiring local? This is a fantastic idea. Thank you for passing it along!

[barbtries]

19. Reddit,

like any social media, can be a cesspool. But it's great for so many things too. i use it to study scientology and LDS cults, if there's a plant, a bug, or a bird i can't identify and want to, and for trade recs in my local area.

My son has been on Reddit for years but it's only within the past couple years that I go there. There's also 2 subs, Foxbrain and QAnon casualties, full of stories of the families torn asunder by specious right wing propaganda.

My fb is primarily to stay in touch with my extended family (we're spread out all over the US), but I also use it regularly to raise consciousness with political content. i did, however, have to switch my privacy settings to friends only after something I posted was bombarded with trolls and/or bots.

[PeaceWave]

14. Nobody else cares what was wrong with the outlet? Seriously, I want to know.

[barbtries]

20. it needed to be rewired and replaced.

was definitely a fire hazard. I'm 69 years old and this was my first experience requiring an electrician except when i had my Ring doorbell wired.

[Jersey Devil]

31. I'm guessng it was originally back wired

I'm not an electrician but this happened to me and when I took the cover off the outlet I saw that one of the wires connected to the outlet was charred and discolored like it was burned. Its connection to the outlet was loose and the wire was arcing in order to make contact with the outlet. It was connected by pushing the wire into the hole in the back of the outlet instead of screwing it into the terminal connection, something that is commonly done on new construction to save time. Thereafter I spoke to an electrician who told me to never ever back wire an outlet, that the electric current causes vibration which can make a back wired connection come loose.

[barbtries]

38. close.

one of the wires had not been properly wound around the screw. I asked if we likely would have had a fire, and she showed me where we already had. it just didn't catch and spread, but yeah. Definitely happy that's fixed now.

[The Wandering Harper]

15. if everyone did that all the time maybe we wouldn't be in this mess

good work !

[SKKY]

21. Some people would say you're unfairly "cancelling" the first electriction based on perceived political beliefs...

...to which I say, that's the beauty of a "Free Market Economy".

[niyad]

28. I love pointing that out to the little morans (sp intentional).

[Norbert]

22. Maybe starting an Angles List of professionals that are not MAGAs would be an idea

at the local and regional level.

I am not saying ones that didn't vote for trump, but ones that had the good sense to keep their mouth and FB posts quiet while doing so.

In 2019 we had a startup HVAC business. The first thing they did was identify themselves as trumpies. "Make HVAC great again" and things like that. The problem is, in a 5 mile radius there, are at least ten HVAC businesses that have been around a while. So, not only did he flirt with losing potential clients, they had to fight the more established businesses for customers. Well, it didn't work out. After four years his business folded.

[niyad]

30. Thank you for making me smile. Love it when the haters lose.

[Emile]

32. Turn off the breaker to the outlet. Open up the outlet

and look for a loose wire. If no loose wires, go to a hardware store and buy a new outlet. If that doesn't work, look for a electrician.

[barbtries]

36. not a DIY woman.

especially as it pertains to electricity. I will pay for expertise in that department.

i had a feeling and hoped that it was a simple fix, but try to fix it myself was not even in my wheelhouse.

[usonian]

41. If you're nearby, call me.

• Not licensed (yet) but skilled.

• Many DU'ers can do properly, but

• The licensed GOOD person is great.

Might be a mighty long drive in my case (Sierra Nevada foothills) 🏞️

Best of luck and safety.

[barbtries]

43. you so sweet!

I'm in NC.

[usonian]

45. Yeah, that's a bit far.

Glad you got it fixed right!

(putting my multimeter and wire cutters away)

But seriously, I do have one toolbox full of electrical and electronic tools at the ready.

Before having done electronic, optical and computer engineering for decades, I was third class Electrician's Mate in the Coast Guard. Went to work in aerospace right after.

Semper Paratus, Always Ready.

[barbtries]

47. My dad was an electrician in the Navy.

WWII. never taught me the first thing about it lol

[Irish_Dem]

33. I don't look at people the same way anymore either.

I look at people and wonder, are you one of the people who sold me and the country down the river?
Sold us to Russia. Will destroy my SS and Medicare? Damage my retirement account.

[barbtries]

34. nullify my vote,

oppress my granddaughter, tear families of migrants apart, try to shut me up, the possibilities are nearly endless and none of them good.

who are these people who voted for this dystopia? I love some of them but still i ask the question.

[Irish_Dem]

35. Exactly.

Pure evil. I can no longer love or like any of them.

[Woodwizard]

40. I ended up dropping a customer.

After he posted a homophobic comment on something on my FB page.

I had done a massive amount of work on his house redid the entire kitchen and upstairs bathroom and many other renovations with more to do.

It was a kind of relief to have a reason to ditch him, I always thought he was a bit of an ass and did not like the dismissive way he treated his wife during input on renovations.

Money is not everything and I am never short for work anyway.

[barbtries]

44. Thank you.

I commiserated with the people at my house yesterday about what it must be like for them working at a magat's house. It is not fun for them. the guy even told me that the 25% discount he gave me on parts - magats don't get that discount.

[usaf-vet]

42. The real problem is something LONG AGO broke in them.

[dlk]

46. Time for a plug for the app, "Goods Unite Us"

When you enter a brand name, it lets you know about the company's and senior management’s political donations.

We should do everything we can to support businesses who support Democrats

[barbtries]

49. thank you,

i've never heard of it til now

[dlk]

52. Spread the word...

[Attilatheblond]

48. I generally ask for business license # filed with State AND proof of bonding insurance for any professional I need

[ThoughtCriminal]

50. Do not trust a MAGA in business dealings

They admire a con man, they will not hesitate to emulate him.

Based on more than a few bad experiences, I have also became distrustful of anyone who put a "Fish" on their business cards. Apparently, in some fundamentalist dogma, being "saved" is green light for bad ethics because it's all "forgiven".

[barbtries]

51. oh yeah,

i've steered clear of business people who also have the urge to proselytize, or think that others will think more highly of them for being religious. it's really offputting.

[C Moon]

55. When I was looking for a plumber

I tried something similar but came out empty handed.

It would be great if someone came up with a blue services app or site. But I guess that could hurt business, too.

[keetseel]

56. Goods Unite Us

I want to echo and earlier post. Goods Unite Us has been very helpful. I don't really know how to investigate locals except on occasion, but for the big brands you can check out on Goodsuniteus.com, which tracks corporations' direct political contributions. You can also see how your choices such as the car you drive, where you buy groceries, etcetera, indirectly contribute to politics.