Forums:
With the announcement that OccupyWallSt. is creating a newspaper to explain their objectives, intentions, and give an overview of those participating to elucidate the meaning behind their actions of Occupying, we really need to begin consolidating our ideas and gaining a clearer focus. There has yet to be a team dedicated to this purpose, and so I volunteer to assist with organizing all this information. Anyone who wants to help, please do! Anyone who is already attempting this, please contact me!
OccupyWallSt. Newspaper: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/610964639/occupy-wall-street-media
TWO OBJECTIVES:
FIRST - The "Short Route"
Tim, teeemster@gmail.com, is looking for anyone who can contribute concise phrases, for slogans or bumperstickers. I believe an example of this is "People Before Profits." - A very short statement that someone driving by would honk at in agreement. Buzzwords. Some of your sign-ideas may qualify.
I also like - "We are the under-employed and the over-educated."
WIth the above sentiment in mind, next is..
SECOND - The "Long Route:
Aimée, aimee313@gmail.com, is putting out a call to any educated people who have researched corporate corruption, written papers, or know of reliable sources to cite with figures and facts. It is my hope to consolidate all the information into a clear and understandable outline, which can be used to notify and enlighten those in denial, brain-washed by propaganda etc., as well as give us a foundation for the legitimacy of our actions Occupying the city. If you have degrees or concentrations in poly-sci, sociology, business, journalism, anthropology, psychology, statistics, philosophy, etc., please dig through your old notes (the accurate ones, not the lies), compile sources. If you know of anyone personally who excels at reciting statistics regarding the wealth-gap, who can give detailed information about Big Pharma, Monsanto, etc., please speak with them and ask for their input. Importantly - What are our solutions? Also, I know that much of us are conspiracy theorists, and that is totally fine, but unless you have proof and credible resources backing your conspiracies, please do not use them here.
Although, another phrase I enjoy (maybe Tim will too) is:
Lets create Our World Order instead of the New World Order.
Even if you have no formal education, your input is greatly needed - What does your heart say, how has your own personal story been affected by our financial situation and the system? What are your values as a human being?
Please write it down and send it to me. By doing so please know you are giving me, and the team, permission to edit it, but only to integrate and merge the large amount of material. There is no intention to spin any of this - We are expressing our reality, which is completely valid.
first "official" statement from OWS-NYC
Submitted by realleslie on
http://www.getgrounded.tv/2011/10/02/grounded-news-first-‘official’-statement-from-the-occupy-wall-street-movement/
--Leslie
32 hour work week
Submitted by nobody on
32 hour work week to reduce unemployment.
And increase quality of life!
Submitted by artdyke on
And increase quality of life!
Deregulation Act of 1999 that brought us here
Submitted by alhs06 on
The following legislation passed in 1999, opened the heavy steel security doors protecting the world from the "Real Life Pandora's Box". Passed in 1999 & by 2006 we started noticing our retirement funds bobbing more than usual, by 2008 most of us lost most of it, didn't take long did it. We can say the same for our homes, property, personal investment's, businesses & careers.
The Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act (GLB), also known as the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999, (Pub. L. No. 106-102, 113 Stat. 1338, enacted November 12, 1999) is an act of the 106th United States Congress (1999–2001). It was signed into law by President Bill Clinton and it repealed part of the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933, opening up[clarification needed] the market among banking companies, securities companies and insurance companies. The Glass–Steagall Act prohibited any one institution from acting as any combination of an investment bank, a commercial bank, and an insurance company.
The Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act allowed commercial banks, investment banks, securities firms, and insurance companies to consolidate. For example, Citicorp (a commercial bank holding company) merged with Travelers Group (an insurance company) in 1998 to form the conglomerate Citigroup, a corporation combining banking, securities and insurance services under a house of brands that included Citibank, Smith Barney, Primerica, and Travelers. This combination, announced in 1998, would have violated the Glass–Steagall Act and the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 by combining securities, insurance, and banking, if not for a temporary waiver process.[1] The law was passed to legalize these mergers on a permanent basis. GLB also repealed Glass–Steagall's conflict of interest prohibitions "against simultaneous service by any officer, director, or employee of a securities firm as an officer, director, or employee of any member bank.
Changes caused by the ActMany of the largest banks, brokerages, and insurance companies desired the Act at the time. The justification was that individuals usually put more money into investments when the economy is doing well, but they put most of their money into savings accounts when the economy turns bad. With the new Act, they would be able to do both 'savings' and 'investment' at the same financial institution, which would be able to do well in both good and bad economic times.
Prior to the Act, most financial services companies were already offering both saving and investment opportunities to their customers. On the retail/consumer side, a bank called Norwest which would later merge with Wells Fargo Bank led the charge in offering all types of financial services products in 1986. American Express attempted to own almost every field of financial business (although there was little synergy among them). Things culminated in 1998 when Citibank merged with Travelers Insurance creating CitiGroup. The merger violated the Bank Holding Company Act (BHCA), but Citibank was given a two-year forbearance that was based on an assumption that they would be able to force a change in the law. The Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act passed in November 1999, repealing portions of the BHCA and the Glass–Steagall Act, allowing banks, brokerages, and insurance companies to merge, thus making the CitiCorp/Travelers Group merger legal.
Also prior to the passage of the Act, there were many relaxations to the Glass–Steagall Act. For example, a few years earlier, commercial Banks were allowed to pursue investment banking, and before that banks were also allowed to begin stock and insurance brokerage. Insurance underwriting was the only main operation they weren't allowed to do, something rarely done by banks even after the passage of the Act.
Much consolidation occurred in the financial services industry since, but not at the scale some had expected. Retail banks, for example, do not tend to buy insurance underwriters, as they seek to engage in a more profitable business of insurance brokerage by selling products of other insurance companies. Other retail banks were slow to market investments and insurance products and package those products in a convincing way. Brokerage companies had a hard time getting into banking, because they do not have a large branch and backshop footprint. Banks have recently tended to buy other banks, such as the 2004 Bank of America and Fleet Boston merger, yet they have had less success integrating with investment and insurance companies. Many banks have expanded into investment banking, but have found it hard to package it with their banking services, without resorting to questionable tie-ins which caused scandals at Smith Barney.
Who buys Ad time on the radio & TV stations, Friend or Foe?
Submitted by alhs06 on
The press is not our buddies, be careul around them. The companies/corporation's we accuse of greed, buy ad spots on these outlet's.Do you think they may have a certain amount of influence with the media, and do you think the reporter's we talk to are aware of this. Regardng their career's & income compared to us, where do you think their loyalty stands. Be prepared when you speak with them, or don't speak @ all. Better to maintain silence & be thought a fool than to speak & expell all doubt.
The exposure we seek can go downhill fast, here is the fact sheet for Clear Channel & The Katz Media Group for your needed information. Remember that when all is said & done we are a conflict of interest to them.
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. Fact Sheet
Mission:
To provide outstanding entertainment and information products and services to our communities and effective solutions to advertisers.
Founded: 1972
Headquarters: San Antonio, Texas
No. of Countries: 45
Stock Symbol: CCMO (OTCBB)
Operating Divisions
Clear Channel Radio: San Antonio, TX
Clear Channel Outdoor: San Antonio, TX
Management Team
Market Facts
- Reaches more than 154 million people, or 75% of the 18+ U.S. population.
- Operates over 850 radio stations reaching more than 110 million listeners every week.
- With international partners, owns and operates more than 140 radio stations in Australia and New Zealand.
- Premiere Radio Networks syndicates 90 radio programs and services to more than 5,000 radio stations affiliations reaching over 190 million listeners a week.
- The Katz Media Group is the largest media representation firm in the U.S. representing more than 2,600 radio stations and 400 television stations.
- Clear Channel Outdoor operates close to one million displays in 45 countries across 5 continents.
- In the United States, the company operates just under 200,000 advertising displays and has a presence in the top 50 Designated Market Areas
Katz Media Group A subsidiary of Clear Channel CommunicationsAs a subsidiary of radio broadcaster Clear Channel, Katz Media Group is the leading media representative that sells spot advertising on radio and television. It represents about 4,000 radio stations and 500 television stations throughout the US. Its Katz Radio Group (including Christal Radio, Eastman Radio, and Katz Radio) represents such radio broadcasters as Cox Radio, Hubbard Broadcasting, and CBS Radio, while Clear Channel Radio Sales focuses on selling spot ads on Clear Channel stations. Its Katz Television division includes Continental Television Sales, Eagle Television Sales, Katz Direct, and Millennium Sales & Marketing segments. In addition, Katz Media sells ad space on hundreds of online properties.
Stay Focused on a Core Goal
Submitted by eric1 on
I really like the 99% phrase because it focuses on the root cause of the problem---the 1% who control the production and distribution of the currency/wealth in this nation. As such, the focus needs to be and remain on the banksters and their allies and what can be done to diffuse their power. Incorporating too many other ideas into the mix only encourages the group to get off the focus of who is causing the problem. Along these lines, there is a LEGAL means to reign in these despots and that is via an Article V Constitutional Convention which our Constitutional allows. See links for more info on this. Use it or lose it . . . and your standard of living in the process.
http://www.conconcon.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NationalConstitutionalConvention06
God bless you all.
Those with the best information are most likely to succeed.
Evil people rule when good people do nothing.
Wealth, Income, and Power by G. William Domhoff
Submitted by alhs06 on
This is a very informative site, breaking down the wealth structure in america.
An excerpt from the site "Who Rules America", by Professor G. William Donhoff, Sociology Dept. University of California @ Santa Cruz. Link- http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html
A couple of examples of the tables provided.
The Wealth DistributionIn the United States, wealth is highly concentrated in a relatively few hands. As of 2007, the top 1% of households (the upper class) owned 34.6% of all privately held wealth, and the next 19% (the managerial, professional, and small business stratum) had 50.5%, which means that just 20% of the people owned a remarkable 85%, leaving only 15% of the wealth for the bottom 80% (wage and salary workers). In terms of financial wealth (total net worth minus the value of one's home), the top 1% of households had an even greater share: 42.7%. Table 1 and Figure 1 present further details drawn from the careful work of economist Edward N. Wolff at New York University (2010).
<code>Table 1: Distribution of net worth and financial wealth in the United States, 1983-2007 Total Net Worth Top 1 percent Next 19 percent Bottom 80 percent 1983 33.8% 47.5% 18.7% 1989 37.4% 46.2% 16.5% 1992 37.2% 46.6% 16.2% 1995 38.5% 45.4% 16.1% 1998 38.1% 45.3% 16.6% 2001 33.4% 51.0% 15.6% 2004 34.3% 50.3% 15.3% 2007 34.6% 50.5% 15.0% Financial Wealth Top 1 percent Next 19 percent Bottom 80 percent 1983 42.9% 48.4% 8.7% 1989 46.9% 46.5% 6.6% 1992 45.6% 46.7% 7.7% 1995 47.2% 45.9% 7.0% 1998 47.3% 43.6% 9.1% 2001 39.7% 51.5% 8.7% 2004 42.2% 50.3% 7.5% 2007 42.7% 50.3% 7.0%</copde>Total assets are defined as the sum of: (1) the gross value of owner-occupied housing; (2) other real estate owned by the household; (3) cash and demand deposits; (4) time and savings deposits, certificates of deposit, and money market accounts; (5) government bonds, corporate bonds, foreign bonds, and other financial securities; (6) the cash surrender value of life insurance plans; (7) the cash surrender value of pension plans, including IRAs, Keogh, and 401(k) plans; (8) corporate stock and mutual funds; (9) net equity in unincorporated businesses; and (10) equity in trust funds.
Total liabilities are the sum of: (1) mortgage debt; (2) consumer debt, including auto loans; and (3) other debt. From Wolff (2004, 2007, & 2010)
Table 2: Wealth distribution by type of asset, 2007
Investment Assets Top 1 percent Next 9 percent Bottom 90 percent Business equity 62.4% 30.9% 6.7% Financial securities 60.6% 37.9% 1.5% Trusts 38.9% 40.5% 20.6% Stocks and mutual funds 38.3% 42.9% 18.8% Non-home real estate 28.3% 48.6% 23.1% TOTAL investment assets 49.7% 38.1% 12.2% Housing, Liquid Assets, Pension Assets, and Debt Top 1 percent Next 9 percent Bottom 90 percent Deposits 20.2% 37.5% 42.3% Pension accounts 14.4% 44.8% 40.8% Life insurance 22.0% 32.9% 45.1% Principal residence 9.4% 29.2% 61.5% TOTAL other assets 12.0% 33.8% 54.2% Debt 5.4% 21.3% 73.4% From Wolff (2010).Federal poverty formula
Submitted by knyuck on
A new independent report states the federal poverty formula is outdated by 50 years and wrong.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsWh8A9dwbo
How other countries do it: Taxes and universal transfers
Submitted by yelizavetta on
1. Correct the distribution of wealth in the US
If we no longer want to be part of a 99th percentile whose wealth shrinks while the top 1% see their wealth continually rise, we're going to need to tackle the distribution of wealth in this country. I know that sounds scary and socialist to some, but here's a secret: socialist democracies do not have the kind of income inequality we do. For example, income inequality in France actually declined over the past four decades.
2. Increase universal benefits
To ensure the long-term health of a solid and growing middle class, we need to invest in all Americans. Forget your common views about welfare, which is stigmatized as only for the poor in the U.S. Welfare is really about the health and success of our entire society--it should be for all of us. Taxes should benefit everyone, including the rich.
Of course there are many other ways to specifically address the inequality problem in the US, but these are some of the ways that other countries have been able to limit grossly unequal income and wealth distributions.
Oathkeepers: A Potential Friend and a Potential Foe
Submitted by eric1 on
JJust discovered this recent communication from the Oathkeepers group. Some good people there, but a very conservative mindset dominates. They are anti-federal reserve but view much of the left as anti-capitalistic. I think it needs to be stressed that much of the left disdains monopoly capitalism and laissez faire capitalism as oppposed to capitalism in general. Anyway, they are offering help, but at the same token we should refuse to be bullied politically.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LibertyDistricts2008/message/12962
Those with the best information are most likely to succeed.
Evil people rule when good people do nothing.
Time to pull out the Krugman
Submitted by NKlein on
I was a student in poli sci and a political worker. I can tell you things but I have never written an academic paper on corruption in the system. I am a law graduate that has familiarity with campaign finance legislation and the law governing elections and government so I can give you some information on corporate spending, but since Citizens United those figures have been hidden through 503(c) and 527 organizations.
But honestly a short search on opensecrets.org with give a lot of information about that.
The best suggestion I can make as a frequent reader of his column is just let's collect a whole bunch of Paul Krugman columns and mine them for the arguments we should make. He's been stating that this crisis would happen for years.
"But guess what? Deficit spending created an economic boom — and the boom laid the foundation for long-run prosperity. Overall debt in the economy — public plus private — actually fell as a percentage of G.D.P., thanks to economic growth and, yes, some inflation, which reduced the real value of outstanding debts. And after the war, thanks to the improved financial position of the private sector, the economy was able to thrive without continuing deficits.
"The economic moral is clear: when the economy is deeply depressed, the usual rules don’t apply. Austerity is self-defeating: when everyone tries to pay down debt at the same time, the result is depression and deflation, and debt problems grow even worse. And conversely, it is possible — indeed, necessary — for the nation as a whole to spend its way out of debt: a temporary surge of deficit spending, on a sufficient scale, can cure problems brought on by past excesses."
Paul Krugman, NYT, 9/5/10 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/06/opinion/06krugman.html
I say let's mine his columns at places like http://www.pkarchive.org/ and the NYT.
Noah Klein
Co-Founder of the New United States of America
Krugman is the enemy.
Submitted by Scott Mollett on
This protest needs to be against the jew banker/media mafia or it is doomed to fail. Krugman is a member and this jew who posted this has to know it.
If this movement is led by any jews I will work to make sure it fails. Leftist jews murdered 50 million Russians with their ideals and we cannot allow them power. If jews are in charge of the occupy movement that explains why your demands are so unclear. It is simple you people really want an end to debt based currency. The jew mafia has used their control of our money creation scheme to buy up our country. Nepotism with a nations money supply is the only reason jews have ever been pogrommed. The jews trying to gain control of these protests have to know that the USA will never allow comunism so they are trying to get people to be for it because these jews really work for the jew bankers who love the status quo.
Wall St jews want us to be serfs and the rest of organized jews seem to want us to be commies.
The demand is simple. End debt based money or at least take it out of the hands of the jew mob. When WASPS were the Western elite they demanded protection for US workers and businesses. Around 30 years ago the jews in the FED banks loaned themselves so much money created from nothing that they became the new "hostile" elite and have pushed for "free trade" and opened our borders to the 3rd world so they could import cheap labor.
They also got themselves in charge of our education system and brainwashed everyone to think the truth could somehow be wrong. The truth is never wrong. It is time for the US population to re-learn that. The truth is never racist, bigoted, or anti-semitic. It is simply the truth.
Kick all jew leaders out of the movement or watch it die. That is everyones choice.
The jew mob hates the Citizens United decision.
Submitted by Scott Mollett on
The jew mob hates Citizens United because it might take away some of their power to influence elections. Wall St owns the media and the whole media hates Citizens United. That alone should have anyone with a bit of intelligence wondering why? I believe they are afriad it could lead to them losing control of our politicians. Already in some local races it is taking the power away from local media.
I am not sure how I feel about the case yet and am reserving judgement. It sounds like a bad idea but if the jew banker/media mob hates it this much it must do something good for most of us.
there is no room
Submitted by nancy4436 on
There is no room for anti-semitic/racist remarks in our movement. If you want to join us, please leave your bias home.
Careful friends, don't let dogmatic organizations, like Answer hijack the Occupy LA. Let the direction of our future be decided through discussion among all.
there is definitely no room
Submitted by followthemoney on
There is definitely no room for anti-semitc/racist remarks in our movement. Leave your racism far far away from this movement.
folllowthemoney
Then your movement is doomed.
Submitted by Scott Mollett on
I will come and be an agent provacateer. I wrote before that I will work against you if jews lead your movement. They will lead it to rivers of blood if they get the chance. More likely you will just be absorbed in to the democratic party and will accomplish nothing just like the tea party which also started as a movement agians the FED banks. Now it is just about anger according to the jew media.
I wrote nothing racist. Jews through their control of the FED banks control almost 40% of the wealth in the USA, they constitute 2% of the population. Blacks and latinos make up 36% of the population and together they share control of 1% of the wealth. Everyone else has wealth that pretty much equals their population. Only jews have so much and only blacks and latinos are left so far behind. Now who are the racists?
Nancy you are either stupid or a jew.
This is an example of who to watch for
Submitted by Fallout2man on
This is what I would warn of. Be wary of the above like this! Whether this person actually believes anything they say is irrelevant. Whether they were manipulated directly via money or indirectly via social pressures, media is irrelevant. At this point Scott has become, whether he's realized it yet or not, a tool of big business.
This idea that Jews as a race are behind any single problem we face right now is outrageous. If it were actually true then that would be one thing, yet notice how instead he offers no proof, offers no arguments and instead spews a weak rhetorical argument that has in no way identified how an entire race of people would form a singular opinion and collude institutional power to forward some so-called racial agenda.
Beware ANY PERSON like this. We must be strict in only our demand that all who participate be all-inclusive and rationally able to air any grievances. This is how business will break our movement, people who refuse for no good reason to participate, make threats and demands unless we meet their own demands or threats to exclude or alienate ARE THE ENEMY!
They are a part of the same system we are fighting and just as Morpheus warned in the Matrix, these people defend the system for many reasons, many are dependent on needing legitimate institutions of power that support their hatred to maintain feelings of personal self worth, many may not be ready for the real changes we need to bring but we must understand that whatever the reason, whatever the cause that we must be ready to defend ourselves against such people, as they will seek at every turn to infiltrate and destroy us, destroy our solidarity.
But the real Provocateurs are not Scott, the real ones to watch for all speak with a silver tongue and a sly appeal to emotion or appeal to authority. They are the ones there daily, pretending to be your friends and allies and slowly earning your trust until the time they finally decide to act. Whether it is a friend, brother, sister or even your mother do NOT EVER give anyone the benefit of the doubt. Evaluate every claim made, evaluate every argument presented. Be cold and harsh in your logic and unforgiving upon any person who should seek to present falsehoods or nonsense as reasonable. Such people deserve every ounce of our vicious scorn poured upon them. The best weapon, as is often the case is humor.
We must mercilessly mock all who lack facts, who lack reason and we must both make clear their egregious error while also elucidating their hilarious exaggerations expressed.
Scott in conflict
Submitted by alhs06 on
You are wrong on so many level's of your post in regards to those pesky Jew's, who maybe guilty of providing some of my Jewish Heritage, the loathsome vile creatures & their custom made strand's of DNA. LMFAO
Dude, may I call you dude Scott, those stories your Uncle Adolf whispered in your ear as you sat on his lap as an adolescent @ The Villa, were maybe a little skewed.
The Jews never killed 50 million Russian's, they would have hired the French to do that for them.
The Jews are not the media mafia, they hire the Mormon Mafia, who then hire the Media Mafia.
The Jews are not Bankers, all they do is provide shelter for the Banker's ill gotten profit, at a fair "ill gotten profit" rate of interest. Which may seem a bit excessive when compared to the Banker's rate of 18% charged to many of us on our Master Card's. It's the going greedy banker rate, & what the hell, it was the Swiss who set those rates up anyway, not the poor Jewish Bastard's.
How can you accuse the Jew's of Brainwashing, we don't sell any cleaning product that hasn't been cut up enough to triple our supply's, which is then sold to the underground Chinese Laundry Railroad Worker's Industry.
And last. ....St. Jew??? Do I really need to comment on this one Scott, I mean really ...
On a personal note, I gave up my desire to become a Jew when I gave up my Divine Quest through the Palm Spring's area & selected, gated communities of the more affluent zip codes in Southern Florida, for a mystical Rabbi who was supposedly blessing higher end pork product's, namely bacon. As you may not know, Kosher pork is a very rare, elusive & desired product, much more sought after than even large breasted Blond professional pole dancer's, by the wealthier Jewish community, yeah I know, hard to believe and I'll bet even a Ivy League Grad such as yourself didn't know that one, aye Scott?
TWSDWF
Submitted by knyuck on
These will be secondary objectives to our already accomplished higher purpose of unity. A significant step towards peace.
Thank you all.
"...There is no nation on
Submitted by Laura on
"...There is no nation on earth powerful enough to accomplish our overthrow. ... Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter. From the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence. I fear that they may place too implicit a confidence in their public servants, and fail properly to scrutinize their conduct; that in this way they may be made the dupes of designing men, and become the instruments of their own undoing." - Daniel Webster, June 1, 1837
My sign says, "Hey other 99%ers, that "silent majority" thing IS NOT working! Get out, give a shout!I left an outline at the library and I put them in the demands b
Submitted by Deadkip on
Take away corporate "personhood" under the 14th amendment. This is where corporations get their LEAGAL political power, until your reverse SANTA CLARA V. SOUTH PACIFIC RAILROAD (1886), everything you do is useless because what ever change you make will be overturned because corporations are considered a "natural person" aka "human" and are Protected under the bill of rights. So if you make reform they will say it is unconstitutional because it infringes on their "human rights".... So a multi- million dollar business has the same rights as a human being but the power of a god... If you don't know what "corporate personhood" is then look it up.. RIGHT NOW.. go to Wikipedia NOW B4 YOU REPLY TO ME, OPEN A NEW TAB, OR GO TO THE LIBRARY I LEFT COPIES OF AN OUTLINE WITH INFO OCT 9th, say Matt z or Cindy r on it. I will not respond to anyone who dose not know anything about the subject b4 giving their opinion. Don't feel bad if you don't know something, just look it up and then you know all about it. That's how you learn, admit that you have know clue then find out.
1: The public can't vote to
Submitted by Fallout2man on
1: The public can't vote to overturn supreme court decisions.
2: If we merely wrote a law it would go before the same judges as Citizens United, who would probably *gasp* rule in favor of corporations, like they did before.
3: This means we need to work for an amendment to end-run the supreme court.
4: None of what I have said IN ANY WAY CONFLICTS with what you have said. But it underscores HOW to accomplish the above through constitutional amendment.
5: We all need to come together as quickly as we can to call a constitutional convention. Whatever you believe the problem is, whatever you believe the solution is, we can't talk solutions until we are first given the tools with by which we might address the problem. Business has perverted democracy and the only tools left with by which we might reclaim it are the constitutional convention. Once we have secured this then we can figure out a way to remove corporate personhood and fight the corrupting force money exerts on our institutions of power. But if we DO NOT FIRST SEEK AMENDMENT WE SHALL FAIL for those we fight have made their ways into our halls of power and currently are on the precipie of controlling the supreme court, through which they might block any attempts at economic justice.
We will not have justice without an amendment, regardless of what you believe the problem or solution is.
Fallout2man is correct
Submitted by alhs06 on
By repealing the "The Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act (GLB), also known as the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999", it would be a moderate victory for the "Occupy" movement & reclaim some sanity for the 99%.
Take 5 minutes & Google the Act, you will then understand why it should be one of the first targets we aim at.
"Long Live Occupy, Long Live The 99%"!
A Pyrrhic Victory maybe
Submitted by Fallout2man on
It would be a Pyrrhic victory at best. Want to know why? We HAD this EXACT SAME PROBLEM 100 years ago. You know what happened? We instituted economic justice....So what went wrong? Well we were allowed to elect morons who then proceeded to slowly dismantle economic justice. We can't claim any true success as a movement if we have done nothing to address the true problems with which we face.
Primarily in that we do not have adequate means to ensure the integrity of our politicians nor a suitable means for dismissing them mid-term for attrocious on-the-job performance. The problem we're facing right now exists entirely because the wealthy managed to find a way to, through politics, the courts, and the media use money to game our electoral and justice systems to work against the interests of the 99%. Unless we solder shut the avenues through which this happened then any reforms we pass will be about as good as Glass Steagal was after the Great Depression.
Just good enough to last until the next group of morons thought they could ignore history, ignore human nature, and not get bitten in the ass for it.
A vote for a Constitutional Convention
Submitted by Desal on
We are no less than those "Founding Fathers." In fact we have been enriched by our history and our growth as a country, as a people. Enough to create a government that fits our population growth and situtation much better. If in fact we want true change in government, then we must change the way we govern. The only way to do this is a new constitution. We need a new form of government here in Los Angeles, in California and in Federal government. This does not mean that we need to change from a democracy to something else but it does mean that we need to change the way our democracy functions.
It is true, any other change, no less fundamental, will only last a few years at best.
We can keep with the movement as-is but I suggest that we do not leave this topic in the backburner for too long. We have been patient/complacent long enough.
One more thing, a joke: if there were a gene for racism, would we be allowed to annihilate racists?
Make your own statement.
Small Steps my Brother
Submitted by alhs06 on
No victory should be considered pathetic, it is a forward moving action aimed @ growing momentum in the face of our adversaries & wrestling back the support & loyalty, little by little, of our corrupted elected official's. We are not committed to halting our movement @ our first victory, of yet we have not achieved, but to further our righteous act's to reclaiming our captured & wounded Democracy, "For the People & By the People".
Our first victory will be the hardest, the 1% & their corrupt, or more politely, the confused politician's, who by the way were sent to Washington by us, The 99%, under false pretenses I should add, will never admit to wrong doing. So the first victory will be a game of law & great political pressure by a passionate group of voter's known as The 99% , who must maintain 100% Solidarity between our ethnicity & political affiliation's. Or we lose our 1st battle & the war all @ once.
Small steps Brother, Small steps.
"Long Live Occupy, Long Live The 99%"!
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