Would you ever join a movement like this?

[SophieKoko]

I came across www.StampStampede.org a few days ago.

It's a grassroots campaign started by Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry's.

They are spreading awareness of big money's influence in the U.S. political system by STAMPING MONEY with messages like "Not to be Used for Buying Elections" and "Stamp Money Out of Politics."

I think the cost of U.S. elections is INSANE and don't get me started on lobbyists influencing a.k.a. bribing our politicians...but is Stamp Stampede a good way to start being an activist about this issue? It seems great for someone like me who is too busy (I'm juggling two jobs) to attend marches and go door-to-door with a petition...

Here is more information on the campaign: http://www.stampstampede.org/pages/about-stamping

What do all of you think? Should I get a stamp?

[BetterWorldMLK]

1. Stamping money out

Hey Sophie!

Stamper here (one of the 30,000 currently stamping). Stamping sounds like a great fit for you. I have the "Not to be used for buying elections" stamp and I stamp my bills every day. Even though I usually use a debit/credit card, I always carry a few stamped bills on me for when I tip. A few of my buddies are also stampers and we all love it and the cause. The more stampers, the better we can get this message out!

tl;dr DO IT! Join the movement, it's fun and a great way to be involved without spending too much time.

[SophieKoko]

5. Thanks for the quick reply!

Do you feel like it's been effective? Which stamp should I buy?

[spotocrat]

2. Looks nifty; go for it

They addressed the legal problem of defacing currency, which would be my big hangup. And they have stuff from other heavy hitters like WolfPAC, Public Citizen, and Represent.Us, so it seems legit. If it's what floats your boat, go for it.

[JeffHead]

3. I've been stamping for over 2 years.

I get a lot of looks from cashiers that actually notice what is on them.

[SophieKoko]

4. Which stamp should I get?

There are a lot of options...

[EdwardErikson]

6. Which stamp should I get

Hi Sophie!

I'm a stamper too, in fact, I work with Ben on the Stampede. I've been doing this for three years and have every almost every stamp out there. I like to mix up the slogan depending on my mood, but the one that people talk about the most is "Not To Be Used for Bribing Politicians."

I get a lot of cashiers who will laugh when they see it. We also see a lot of people posting images of found bills on instagram, twitter, Facebook, etc. You can see some of the found bills on our tumblr page here: http://gotstampede.tumblr.com/

In terms of a simple action you can take everyday to help build the movement to overturn Citizens United and #GetMoneyOut of politics, this is one of the best things out there.

It's great to see so many stampers here!

Ed

[SophieKoko]

7. Excellent Ed!

It's very cool to see these comments. Thanks everyone!

[JeffHead]

13. I have 2 stamps.

Not to be used to bribe politicians and Corporations are not people and money is not free speech. There are other options but I decided to go with those 2 they sum it up for me. About 80% of the people that notice seem to agree. So what are you waiting for? Get Stamping and join the stampede!

[jcarver793]

8. Heard of this too

Hey Sophie,

I've actually just recently come across the stampede and am curious about the system myself. Seems like it's a great message with active "stampers" who care deeply about this problem, like it sounds you and I do too. I'm thinking I'm going to just go for it - check it out for myself. They seem to be growing and growing, and it seems like something I want to be a part of. If you want, I can let you know how it goes! I'm going to place my order for the bribing politicians one now.

Take care!
JC.

[Electric Monk]

9. Welcome to DU SophieKoko, BetterWorldMLK, spotocrat, EdwardErikson and jcarver793 :)

That's a lot of new DUers in a single thread


This stamping campaign you are discussing reminds me of the Ancient and Accepted Discordian Practice of Fnording Dollar Bills.

(It's ok, if you don't see the fnords they can't eat you )

[BetterWorldMLK]

10. Oh Cool!

I sent this discussion out to some Stampede folks to see if people will respond to her query. Glad some Stampers joined in on this discussion. I'm surprised there has been no criticisms of the movement thus far.

[EdwardErikson]

11. Great blog post!

Electric Monk, Thank you! And thanks for sharing the post about Fnording the dollars bills. I've been researching different historical political movements that manipulate currency in protest, but hadn't heard about this one before.

[prairierose]

12. I have been wanting to stamp money but just got...

my stamp the other day. I love this. Sunday, when I paid for breakfast, the cashier stopped to look at the bill. I got the "Not to be used for bribing politicians" stamp. I think it is important to use the "bribe" word.

They also send you a kewl little booklet that helps you line up your stamp on different bills.

I think this is a great educational project.

Now, if I could just get my brother to start stamping his cash.....


Hi Edward glad you're here.

[aspirant]

16. "line up your stamp on different bills"

Are their exact places you must stamp on a bill to keep it legal?

[prairierose]

17. I will admit, I did not read the brochure very carefully.

It seems more like making it easier for people to read the stamp.

[Joe Magarac]

14. Utterly absurd. It is not possible even in principle to get money out of politics. n/t

[ellenrr]

15. great idea, bec. everybody reads their money.