Posted on 10/10/2011 5:23:32 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
We, the Ben & Jerry’s Board of Directors, compelled by our personal convictions and our Company’s mission and values, wish to express our deepest admiration to all of you who have initiated the non-violent Occupy Wall Street Movement and to those around the country who have joined in solidarity. The issues raised are of fundamental importance to all of us. These include:
The inequity that exists between classes in our country is simply immoral. We are in an unemployment crisis. Almost 14 million people are unemployed. Nearly 20% of African American men are unemployed. Over 25% of our nation’s youth are unemployed. Many workers who have jobs have to work 2 or 3 of them just to scrape by. Higher education is almost impossible to obtain without going deeply in debt. Corporations are permitted to spend unlimited resources to influence elections while stockpiling a trillion dollars rather than hiring people.
We know the media will either ignore you or frame the issue as to who may be getting pepper sprayed rather than addressing the despair and hardships borne by so many, or accurately conveying what this movement is about. All this goes on while corporate profits continue to soar and millionaires whine about paying a bit more in taxes. And we have not even mentioned the environment.
We know that words are relatively easy but we wanted to act quickly to demonstrate our support. As a board and as a company we have actively been involved with these issues for years but your efforts have put them out front in a way we have not been able to do. We have provided support to citizens’ efforts to rein in corporate money in politics, we pay a livable wage to our employees, we directly support family farms and we are working to source fairly traded ingredients for all our products. But we realize that Occupy Wall Street is calling for systemic change. We support this call to action and are honored to join you in this call to take back our nation and democracy.
— Ben & Jerry’s Board of Directors
FROM THEIR WEBSITE:
Does Ben & Jerry’s spend money on lobbying in the United States?
Ben & Jerry’s has launched numerous activist campaigns over the years that are considered lobbying activities according to federal and state laws.
In the past four years, the positions we have taken in these activist campaigns are:
Support for a Constitutional amendment that would limit corporate spending in elections.
Support for stronger social and environmental protections in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.
Support for the Youth PROMISE Act, which funds proven youth violence prevention programs.
Support for continued funding for the United States Institute of Peace.
Support for continued funding for the Complex Crises Fund which supports State Department emergency efforts to defuse volatile conflicts around the globe.
Support for aggressive federal legislation to limit and reduce carbon emissions to respond to the challenge of climate change.
Opposition to FDA approval of foods from cloned animals.
Support for a USDA program to require mandatory tracking of cloned animals in the food supply to support consumer choice.
Opposition to FDA approval of genetically engineered animals in the food supply.
Support for the right of dairy companies to label their products as being ‘rBGH-free.’
Support for the United Nations Millennium Development goals to eradicate extreme poverty and inequality.
Ben & Jerry’s has reported all expenditures on these grassroots campaign activities as required by federal and Vermont state law.
How weird... we have 14 million unemployed citizens, and 12 million employed illegals. What a bizarre coincidence.
oooooh what an opportunity!!!
protesters, add another demand to your list...free unlimited B&J’s ice cream for life.
you’ll get it!
OK, Ben & Jerry’s; let’s start with nationalizing your company and distributing your profits to the unemployed and others “according to their need”....
I wouldn’t worry too much.
The whole Ben & Jerry’s label is a scam.
The hippie ice cream was bought out by the mega corporate conglomerate Unilever years ago.
“Unilever — a conglomerate that employs more than 167,000 workers and sells more than 170 billion products annually”
So it is rather ironic that an a large capitalist corporation is endorsing the OWS crowd. Talk about subterfuge.
The hippies are just too stupid to realize it.
I would like to boycott them but I have never seen any of their products in this area.
Don't buy their crap, who knows where those hands have been.
ML/NJ
Guess I won’t be buying any more “Moose Tracks” ice cream.
Hey, give me a bunch of your money.
Blue Bell is much better ice cream!
To anyone who wastes their money on B&J’s garbage, I’d stay away from Ben & Jerry’s “Wall Street Fleabagger Fudge” ice cream.
Yeah. Its those other corporations. Our corporation is good. Don’t look at us. I swear. Its not us. Please don’t hurt us.
Its not me, its not me. Its that corproation behind the tree.
These are the same guys who sold out to Unilever, right? So corporate greed is ok when it benefits them, I guess. Why does no one call these idiots out on their hypocrisy but us?
Yeah. Its those other corporations. Our corporation is good. Don’t look at us. I swear. Its not us. Please don’t hurt us.
Its not me, its not me. Its that corproation behind the tree.
I have never — never — eaten Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and I never will. This is a reminder why.
Go to their online store and tell them you aren't going to buy anything.
Unilever?
What else do the make?
Do they really support pigs who defecate on police cars?
ML/NJ
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