OCCUPY WALL STREET

[nobelcarrot69]

I'm thrilled to tears about this movement! Having been a victim of corporate greed and outsourcing, I will gladly join the revolt !! We need to pull our heads out of the sand! Everytime you spend your hard earned dollar, on a product made in some other country from a company,in the USA who reap all the perks of tax breaks, greed, and politics, you add to your own oppression. We line their pockets with our money all the while they make it harder and harder for you to make that money. As they taint the waters and land the drinking supplies and farms of countries like China. Who's people have no voice and are forced to be silent about as their govt and US companies cover it up and deny it. The labor is cheap and noone is held accountable for what their operations do to the enviroment. Perfect safe haven for greedy CEO's shareholders and whom ever they are in bed with in Washington. If you outsource to other countries and reap from taxpayers money in any way, as in tax breaks, or rebates for different govt funded programs you should be fined and taxed into the hilt. Only a US company who uses us workers to make their product on US soil should be allowed to receive any govt. Kick backs of any sort. Ask these CEO's why they don't base their headquarters in China too instead of just operations. HM? I know why. Do you ?

[SoNotHer]

It has gone far too far, and I know we can all see the clear watershed moments along the way when corporations were allowed to lie, when they were allowed to invade our privacy and track us, when they were allowed to receive tax breaks for various and sundry awful things, when they were allowed to patent life, when they were allowed to buy a democracy, when they pushed a widening gap between the haves and have nots into a unbridgeable chasm, and when they were considered persons and told that there we no limits on campaign spending.

Enough is enough.


"Since the crisis, which has hit the average worker much harder than CEOs, the gap between the top one percent and the remaining 99% of the US population has grown to a record high. The economic top one percent of the population now owns over 70% of all financial assets, an all time record."

http://www.alternet.org/economy/1457...to_get_it_back

[Ebon]

I have a question. Do you think that Obama is part of the problem also or trying to help? There are several "Wall Street Types" that he has appointed into his administration.

[Novelafemme]

Originally Posted by Ebon

I have a question. Do you think that Obama is part of the problem also or trying to help? There are several "Wall Street Types" that he has appointed into his administration.

Amy Goodman interview the author of a book that spoke largely to the subject of off-shore bank accounts. Supposably, there is a "building" somewhere in the Cayman Islands that houses over 50,000 U.S. corporate offices. Wow! As the author said (sorry, I can't remember his name)...that must be a really BIG building!

Obama COULD step in again and work to hold large multi-million dollar corporations accountable for paying their fair share of taxes. And at one point prior to his presidency he lobbied diligently to do just that! I am certainly not a fan of politicians, unless you throw Lieberman in the pile...then I'm a number one fan!...and until there is more transparency in policy making/fiscal reporting and corporate backing, one simply MUST hold the current president accountable.

[Novelafemme]

AMY GOODMAN: Our first guest today is the British journalist Nicholas Shaxson, author of the new book Treasure Islands: Uncovering the Damage of Offshore Banking and Tax Havens. In the book Shaxson writes, quote, "The offshore system is the secret underpinning for the political and financial power of Wall Street today. It is the fortified refuge of Big Finance." Nicholas Shaxson joins us from Washington, D.C.

Welcome to Democracy Now! Talk about what you're calling "Treasure Islands."

Nicholas Shaxson? We'll go to a music break, and we'll come back to see if we can get the audio of Nicholas Shaxson. Looks like we got it right now. Welcome to Democracy Now!, Nicholas.

http://tangibleinfo.blogspot.com/201...1_archive.html

[SoNotHer]

I want to believe otherwise, but I when see Monsanto types, for example, get appointments in Ag and over the food systems they so clearly want to dominate, I worry.

I think we an engaged, active democracy, and I see this movement as one of the most promising wake up calls toward that end that I have seen in some time.

Originally Posted by Ebon

I have a question. Do you think that Obama is part of the problem also or trying to help? There are several "Wall Street Types" that he has appointed into his administration.

[atomiczombie]

Countdown with Keith Olberman on the Current cable tv network is giving GREAT coverage of the Occupy Wall Street movement. So are Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC.

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by Ebon

I have a question. Do you think that Obama is part of the problem also or trying to help? There are several "Wall Street Types" that he has appointed into his administration.

His appointment of Guitner as Sec of the Treasury bothered me- still does. He was and is a Wall Street kind of guy and was right in the middle of what was going on under Bush.

However, I'll take Obama over any of the GOP candidates that most likely will get the nomination. Frankly, I could possibly vote for Jon Hunstman, but he is far too in the "middle" to be the GOP nomination. Romney destroyed more jobs in the US than created them at Bain.

Something that I am getting really tired of is our (the United States) continued tunnel vision about the fact that we are not the only developed country in the world in an economic mess. This is not just a US problem needing to be addressed. We have got to get our heads out of our butts and realize that this just is not all about us.

Also, if we do not take drastic measures to reform our educational system, we will never recover from this recession and not be competitive ever again economically.

[Ebon]

These pictures are cool. It's pictures of people with signs that took pictures explaining their stories.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/moveon/...th/6215057626/

[Cin]

Originally Posted by atomiczombie

Countdown with Keith Olberman on the Current cable tv network is giving GREAT coverage of the Occupy Wall Street movement. So are Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC.

It certainly took them long enough. I was wondering about Rachel Maddow and read a some FB comments, tweets and posts wondering why she was ignoring Occupy Wall St.

Glad to hear this is changing

[Linus]

Originally Posted by Ebon

These pictures are cool. It's pictures of people with signs that took pictures explaining their stories.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/moveon/...th/6215057626/

Actually, it's really sad that those stories exist. I do fit into the upper middle class and wouldn't have an issue with paying more to provide resources to those that need (no different than what I did when I lived in Canada -- although I was only middle class there). I knew that if I paid more in my taxes that the services would be there for those that needed it.

Politicians shouldn't be listening for a lobbyist. They should be listening to the people. The last time this happened in a large nation, we got the USSR. And it may yet happen again.

[Corkey]

Originally Posted by Ebon

This guy is awesome. This was an interview meant to make fun of the protestors but he schooled the dude.

I'm a bit concerned that it appeared to be staged, too quick with the analogies and at Faux they would never have stuck the mic in that guys face. Well it appears staged, I however agree whole heartedly with the guy, off the cuff or not.

[Cin]

Live stream from Occupy Wall St.

http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews...h_coverage%21/

[Cin]

A tiny bit off topic, but not really.

Here is an article in the Washington Post about how rich people are being demonized for flaunting their wealth. Pretty funny. Well, actually, maybe not so funny after all.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinio...4AL_story.html

[Corkey]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Citi-a...83525.html?x=0

And Herman Cain wants you to blame yourself if you don't have a job and aren't rich..isn't that rich!

[AtLast]

I want people to do well. However, I want all people to have access to what allows us all to be successful. I have family members that certainly fall within the higher tax rates that would be paying more in taxes. They earned every penny they have and have been good employers that give a damn about the people that work for them. When that has mean't they take a cut in order to keep employees on the job, they do just that. Hopefully, they will be able to continue this. They also are willing to pay more in taxes because get that tyhere has to be increases in revenue along with smarter use of revenues in order to get us out of this mess.

I just watched a clip about how now banks in certain states (not legal in all states) that have foreclosed on a mortgage holder can (and are) suing for the remaining "short" in the foreclosed mortgage.

So, if I were to forclose on my home and it went back to the bank and the bank sold it for an amount that was "short" of my original note, the bank could also come at me for the difference!

Talk about smacking someone around when they are down!! The guy interviewed was a Iraq War Vet, to boot!! This plus the banks wanting to impose new fees for using a debit card is just insane and unfair to people.

Something I am jazzed at seeing about these demonstrations is that POC, young, old, able-bodied, disabled folks are involved. Veterans are there, union people are there, retired people are there. Maybe all that really are part of the 99% will continue to join together.

[Linus]

Originally Posted by Corkey

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Citi-a...83525.html?x=0

And Herman Cain wants you to blame yourself if you don't have a job and aren't rich..isn't that rich!

But that is the way it's supposed to be, no? That's American culture. You should be able to support yourself and not rely on "hand-outs from the gummit". Your lack of a job, your illness, your poverty is of your own creation and not the fault of anyone else in the world, don't'cha know? If you ask for help then you're a socialist and that ain't American. What are you? Some kind of anti-American!? You traitor you. (this is said in a sarcastic tone).

But really. From an outsider, this isn't a surprise since this is very much the neo-conservative American cultural view that I'm used to seeing about Americans. When I read the piece on the Washington Post that Miss Tick had linked, I read the comments. It was interesting to see how many commenters believe this. It might have been true back in the 1700-1800s, when America was first developing and it wasn't unusual to have a homestead where you were isolated. And it may even be true in some places in the US today.

It is, however, far from reality. We are an interconnected, inter-dependent global society. If one part fails, then we all do. And if a large chunk fails, we all do. I wish people would stop demonizing the idea that helping one another, whether through the creation of a national program or otherwise, as socialism and realize that it can do so much to encourage people to do more. In the corporate world (and I think of my own company), the balance of life and work, makes harder working employees. Lessen stress and it causes productivity to increase.

Well, by that logic, would the same be true in the country itself? Help the individual to meet basic needs (and based on some of the pictures that Ebon had posted) many people aren't meeting those basic needs (they trade off medication vs food vs rent).

[AtLast]

Saw the Herman Cain interview, too. It will make a great sound bite for Obama's campaign people to use if Cain gets the nomination. I also like to envision a debate between the two. Cain better study-up!

[Cin]

Seems to be going well.

6:38p.m. ET: ABC News' Gregory J. Krieg reports: The march has passed through a narrow corridor along Park Row and back south down Broadway from Foley Square, returning to Zuccotti Park. We've heard reports on crowd size ranging from 2,000 (an officer guessed) and 15,000 (organizers guessed). I'd say it's much closer to the latter. And for every protester, there must be two metal barriers. This is a very tightly-held rage.

[SoNotHer]

Well said, Miss Tick. Well said, indeed. We've watched companies like Enron lead their employees down the garden path. We've watched companies like Walmart lock in employees overnight, ensure that no woman was promoted past a certain point and no union was ever formed. We've watched states like Wisconsin dismantle the collective bargaining rights of workers and other states try. We've watched companies bet for/against sub prime mortgage packages, make and lose more money than most of us can imagine, be bailed out and be more profitable than ever, all while the American worker's salary stagnates or s/he drowns in underwater mortgages, medical bankruptcy, job loss and 401K plans that have been all but wiped out.

When do we stop letting the needs of a few outweigh the needs of many?

Originally Posted by Miss Tick

This is a very tightly-held rage.