But then, the instant your dollars change hands is a powerful moment, more tangible for many people than even the act of voting.
Readers agonize over their shopping guilt with regularity, according to our mail and phone calls.
They like Japanese cars better, but they want to support American jobs. Like the protesters at last weekend's Quebec free-trade talks, they may drink espresso but fear Starbucks taking over the world. A lot of people have a lot of different problems with Wal-Mart, which tends to present a large target, being the nation's largest retailer and possessing a quirky Southern paternalism in some of its management decisions. Every dollar counts Like millions of shoppers, though, Johnson finds Wal-Mart extremely inexpensive, and on her income, the savings can make a big difference. And anti-sweatshop activists took on the Arkansas store giant and celebrity Kathie Lee Gifford for selling clothes made under medieval working conditions.