There was a report last week on HP detailing Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel's contributions to a rabidly anti-gay state representative -
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/27/target-homophobia-ceo-gre_n_660990.htmlI wrote to Target to express my opinion and to tell them that I would do my best to avoid shopping there.
The response I received follows:
Target has long believed that engaging in civic activities is an important and necessary element of operating a national retail business. What's more important than any one candidate's stance on a particular issue is how we nurture thoughtful, long-term growth in the state of Minnesota.
To continue to grow and create jobs and opportunity in our home state, we believe it is imperative to be engaged in public policy and the political process. That is why we are members of organizations like the Minnesota Business Partnership, the Chamber of Commerce and many others. And that is why we decided to contribute to MN Forward.
MN Forward's objective is to elect candidates from both parties who will make job creation and economic growth a top priority. We operate best when working collaboratively with legislators on both sides of the aisle. In fact, if you look at our Federal PAC contributions year to date, you will see that they are very balanced between Republicans and Democrats. For more information please visit www.target.com/company, and view the Civic Activity page.
Target has a large stake in Minnesota's future, which is why it is so important to be able to provide jobs, serve guests, support communities and deliver on our commitment to shareholders. As an international business that is proud to call Minnesota home, it is critical that we have a business environment that allows us to be competitive. Our guests, team members, communities and shareholders depend on Target to remain competitive.
Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback.
Clearly that doesn't count as regretting the decision, so, of course, I just had to check Steinhafel's record at www.opensecrets.org:
According to the information at Open Secrets, the Target CEO has made political contributions, at least at the federal level, of $51,500 since August 2006. This excludes contributions to industry trade groups. You see, Target, the only problem with your official response is that it's, well, not entirely accurate. Or, in the reality-based community, a lie.
Every single one of those $51,500 - again, according to Open Secrets - was made to a Republican candidate or Political Action Committee. Every. Single. Dollar.
This does not include any family members or other Target executives. But let's take a look at that.
A search for "Target Corporation" at Open Secrets turns up 29 contributions. These include the chairman and others who identify themselves as Target employees. This total? $59,425. Some of this, $14,500, was to industry trade associations. Of the balance, 85% was directed at Republican candidates and Political Action Committees. To suggest that they are even-handed is, in technical parlance, a load of crap. And, of course, these numbers do not reflect the local, in-state contributions such as those reported in the HP article.
I'm not going to throw out the "B" word. But if one can express his views by voting candidates into office and out, one can do the same with what little discretionary income they have available. And when the leadership of a corporation demonstrates with its checkbook utter contempt for their employees and consumers, I think it's fair to decide to spend one's money elsewhere. Will it make a difference? Probably not, and that's a shame. But at least you'll know you're doing what you can.
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