Occupy Wall Street

Why yes, it was. I'm glad you noticed. I also tried to post about why I thought certain things were emblematic of what OWS stands for but got chased off for attacking green tech. So much for that.

 

OWS shouldn't have combustibles around, if it is against the law. Simple.

There are ways around this, and steps should be taken to make the place safer for the protesters. It should not be used as an excuse to shut down the whole exercise.

 

I've been working a ranch since I was 9 years old, getting up every morning at 6:30. I think I've done my fair share of hard work.

And making smart investments is what people should be doing with their money rather than sticking it in some bank account where it dwindles away on 3% interest.

 

I'm not sure what raising allegations of sexual assaults has to do with green tech, but putting that aside.

The thrust of the OWS movement is focused on the growing income disparity and the lack of accountability of Wall Street and the financial services sector who have been enriching themselves at the expense of the middle class and working poor.

The issue of the growing income inequality is not new. Note a recent CBO report:


http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/124xx/doc12485/WebSummary.pdf

The share of income of every tax bracket has decreased with the exception of the top 1%.

And perhaps folks across the country have reached the point where they are as mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore...further compounded with the lack of "shared sacrifice in recent proposals to balance the budget on the backs of the middle class and working poor.

 

Is that a palm tree trunk and a wooden clapboard floor in the photo with the red gas cans?

Amazing what they've been able to construct at Zuccotti Park. I'm impressed.

 

My point has been, and will remain, that generalized grievances of how unhappy the protesters are with their life-circumstances will not produce meaningful change absent some sort of purpose and direction. I think wholesale revision of the tax-code and removing Wall-Street insiders from high level cabinet positions is in order. But what do I know. I'm just a lawyer.

Re: Green energy--It's just interesting to note that my contributions to this thread are generally considered adverse to OWS's position. As annoyed as I am with the general attitude of the protesters, I'm even more disgusted by government's incestuous relationship with monied insiders. In other words, there *is* something fundamentally wrong with our government, but camping around a park and complaining about everything will not effect much change.

However, I do think it's dangerously populist to blame rich people for the 99%'s ills, though (kind of like, how communists sent rich people to 'reform' camps for being too educated).

Funnily, given my age, education, and lack of earnings, I should be part of the OWS movement--but instead, I'm working for free and racking up experience, and don't really have the time, nor the desire to align myself with such an undefined movement.

 

100% agree! It's so refreshing to see a poster on this board that isn't regurgitating liberal rhetoric.

 

SO you dont like generalized grievances (I will ignore the charged comment about their unhappiness with their life circumstances), yet your post is all generalizations.

No one is blaming the top 1% for the ills of the 99%, but that those on the top have used their power and influence, with the govt turning a blind eye, to enrich themselves while adversely impacting the economy as a whole.

From my perspective, what many who support OWS want is some semblance of shared sacrifice and some sense that abuses of the system by the few at the top will be addressed in a system that will benefit the country as a whole.

 

Actually, I posted an example earlier of the exact type of ills that I thought OWS should have been about--i.e. Solyndra. I have also posted a reform: wiping clear the multi-million dollar lobbied creature that is our tax code. From 2001-2010 the tax code TRIPLED in words, and if you've read the tax code you know how poorly and piece meal it's written. And it permits giant companies to write off many many taxes (see GE's tax return). Would you consider that too generalized?

 

I agree that Solyndra was a bad investment, but I think you are generalizing, given that government investment in small start ups, particularly in emerging technologies, is what helps fuel venture capital to make these companies viable.

And I agree on the need for tax reform, but not a flat tax, which only benefits the top tax payers.

But along with tax reform is the need for real regulation of Wall Street and the financial services industry, which is at the very heart of the OWS movement.

 

lol

 

Agreed, the government should step in and fund certain start ups that they feel will benefit the future of the country. But such companies should be fully vetted. There was some very uncomfortable insider manipulation in the solyndra example--as was the same for the wall street bailouts. Hence my dislike of both examples.

 

All the more reason for greater regulation, demanding that both govt and Wall Street be more accountable, which again, is at the heart of the OWS movement.

And whats wrong with more shared sacrifice..another point of the OWS movement?

 

I think both sides need to stop fucking fighting about how dangerous propane is and the fire hazards and realize that yes, tarps are flammable, yes propane is dangerous and when used improperly will blow up and could hurt innocent people. You need to focus on the message. The bike idea is good, I find it sad that the movement has to put a you tube commercial up almost begging for money to buy the equipment, BUT, maybe this was early on. There was not too many post pages ago reports how the occupy people couldn't figure out where to put all the donated money. Well the bikes and equipment are 2 solid ideas right there.

I do applaud the OWS people who put the YouTube project up, at least if nothing else it shows they were very thorough when looking at what they needed power wise. I don't think as one mentioned above it shows how spoiled they are. These people cannot rely on mainstream media to get their message out, they almost have to use technology to be truly heard. They let the corporate owned media decide what to put out as news and their message is lost. Why should they not be able to have the ways and means to cook food, use technology to get their message out so that people all across the world can hear them through live streaming? Were the people using technology in Egypt and other countries spoiled also? If so then you probably wanted deep down to root for the dictatorships, because how dare they use technology, how spoiled they are. They also needed power supplies for their tech, where do you suppose they got that power?

As for polls this is the f'n internet, you can make your own polls up and/or word the questions in a way to get the responses you so desire or the results of the group commissioning the report want. Gallup/Harris/ Fordham whoever are not going to run and publicize a poll that goes against the desired results of the people paying them for the polling. Just because they took 301 OWS protesters doesn't mean crap to me. There are far more than 301 protesters there. And why 301? why not an even 300 or 250 or 275, why 301? that seems like a strange number to choose. Maybe they polled 500 and out of the 500 the best results they could find to satisfy the group paying them was 301.

My point is polls can and are usually manipulated. I know of no government oversight committee setting the rules down on what people are to be polled or haw polls should be run, should the questions be manipulative or straight on? Again anyone with half a brain can start a poll on the internet.

Did you beat your wife today? NO? So when was the last time you beat her? 99% of men answering said they didn't beat their wife today. Nearly 75% walked away before answering the second question.... results indicate + /- 76% of men beat their wives at some point in time, while 1% beat them today.

 

No. She had my dinner ready on time, for once.

 

Pan...I would challenge you on the validity of polling with proper sampling and correcting for margins of error as opposed to the Fordham poll or internet polls...but that is best left for another discussion.

 

Oh, you don't like the Fordham poll? Gee, I wonder why?