Nationswide protests-will they spread?

[sunny88]

Occupy Wall Street protests, now in their 23rd day, are spreading across the country. Protesters have gathered in more than a dozen U.S. cities, from Boston to Chicago to San Diego.

In less than a month, Occupy Wall Street protests have stretched across the country.

As the movement spreads, it has begun targeting more than just greed and social inequality.

I get the sense that the civil unrest will spread further and eventually result in violence. What do you think?

[CA renter]

No, the protestors are some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. They are dedicated to non-violence.

Of course, there is always the threat of plants, and I have no doubt that some entities will try to make the OWS movement look bad by infiltrating it and attempting to make them look violent, unfocused, and ridiculous.

You can tell the OWS movement is right on target because the financial industry is desperately trying to convince people that Washington is the problem. They are out there in large numbers trying to divert attention away from themselves (like they managed to do with the Tea Party), but the OWS folks are wise to their tactics and will remain on target.

The financial industry needs to be taken out of politics. As it stands, they own Washington. Washington doesn’t control Wall Street; Wall Street controls Washington, which is why the pressure needs to be placed squarely on the financial industry.

This movement is long overdue.

[Jazzman]

It’s spread to Canada and right across the Atlantic …it’s worldwide. Irony is the West has been trying to impose democracy in the middle east, but the Arab Springs has shown us how to reclaim ours. Yes, there will almost certainly be violence as there nearly always is. I don’t think that matters much for as long as it doesn’t become bigger than the cause.

[scaredyclassic]

I can’t make it to the revolution but I’d be happy to mount the bumpersticker.

What’s it say?

[jpinpb]

I was wondering when someone was going to post about OWS on this blog. I was getting ready to do it myself.

I like some of the OWS Demands

LIST OF PROPOSED “DEMANDS FOR CONGRESS

1.CONGRESS PASS HR 1489 (“RETURN TO PRUDENT BANKING ACT” http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-1489 ). THIS REINSTATES MANY PROVISIONS OF THE GLASS-STEAGALL ACT. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass–Steagall_Act — Wiki entry summary: The repeal of provisions of the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933 by the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act in 1999 effectively removed the separation that previously existed between investment banking which issued securities and commercial banks which accepted deposits. The deregulation also removed conflict of interest prohibitions between investment bankers serving as officers of commercial banks. Most economists believe this repeal directly contributed to the severity of the Financial crisis of 2007–2011 by allowing Wall Street investment banking firms to gamble with their depositors’ money that was held in commercial banks owned or created by the investment firms. Here’s detail on repeal in 1999 and how it happened: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass–Steagall_Act#Repeal .

2.USE CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORITY AND OVERSIGHT TO ENSURE APPROPRIATE FEDERAL AGENCIES FULLY INVESTIGATE AND PROSECUTE THE WALL STREET CRIMINALS who clearly broke the law and helped cause the 2008 financial crisis in the following notable cases: (insert list of the most clear cut criminal actions). There is a pretty broad consensus that there is a clear group of people who got away with millions / billions illegally and haven’t been brought to justice. Boy would this be long overdue and cathartic for millions of Americans. It would also be a shot across the bow for the financial industry. If you watch the solidly researched and awared winning documentary film “Inside Job” that was narrated by Matt Damon (pretty brave Matt!) and do other research, it wouldn’t take long to develop the list.

3.CONGRESS ENACT LEGISLATION TO PROTECT OUR DEMOCRACY BY REVERSING THE EFFECTS OF THE CITIZENS UNITED SUPREME COURT DECISION which essentially said corporations can spend as much as they want on elections. The result is that corporations can pretty much buy elections. Corporations should be highly limited in ability to contribute to political campaigns no matter what the election and no matter what the form of media. This legislation should also RE-ESTABLISH THE PUBLIC AIRWAVES IN THE U.S. SO THAT POLITICAL CANDIDATES ARE GIVEN EQUAL TIME FOR FREE AT REASONABLE INTERVALS IN DAILY PROGRAMMING DURING CAMPAIGN SEASON. The same should extend to other media.

4.CONGRESS PASS THE BUFFETT RULE ON FAIR TAXATION SO THE RICH AND CORPORATIONS PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE & CLOSE CORPORATE TAX LOOP HOLES AND ENACT A PROHIBITION ON HIDING FUNDS OFF SHORE. No more GE paying zero or negative taxes. Pass the Buffet Rule on fair taxation so the rich pay their fair share. (If we have a really had a good negotiating position and have the place surrounded, we could actually dial up taxes on millionaires, billionaires and corporations even higher…back to what they once were in the 50’s and 60’s.

5.CONGRESS COMPLETELY REVAMP THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION and staff it at all levels with proven professionals who get the job done protecting the integrity of the marketplace so citizens and investors are both protected. This agency needs a large staff and needs to be well-funded. It’s currently has a joke of a budget and is run by Wall St. insiders who often leave for high ticket cushy jobs with the corporations they were just regulating. Hmmm.

6.CONGRESS PASS SPECIFIC AND EFFECTIVE LAWS LIMITING THE INFLUENCE OF LOBBYISTS AND ELIMINATING THE PRACTICE OF LOBBYISTS WRITING LEGISLATION THAT ENDS UP ON THE FLOOR OF CONGRESS.

7.CONGRESS PASSING “Revolving Door Legislation” LEGISLATION ELIMINATING THE ABILITY OF FORMER GOVERNMENT REGULATORS GOING TO WORK FOR CORPORATIONS THAT THEY ONCE REGULATED. So, you don’t get to work at the FDA for five years playing softball with Pfizer and then go to work for Pfizer making $195,000 a year. While they’re at it, Congress should pass specific and effective laws to enforce strict judicial standards of conduct in matters concerning conflicts of interest. So long as judges are culled from the ranks of corporate attorneys the 1% will retain control.

8.ELIMINATE “PERSONHOOD” LEGAL STATUS FOR CORPORATIONS. The film “The Corporation” has a great section on how corporations won “personhood status”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SuUzmqBewg . Fast-forward to 2:20. It’ll blow your mind. The 14th amendment was supposed to give equal rights to African Americans. It said you “can’t deprive a person of life, liberty or property without due process of law”. Corporation lawyers wanted corporations to have more power so they basically said “corporations are people.” Amazingly, between 1890 and 1910 there were 307 cases brought before the court under the 14th amendment. 288 of these brought by corporations and only 19 by African Americans. 600,000 people were killed to get rights for people and then judges applied those rights to capital and property while stripping them from people. It’s time to set this straight.

[sdrealtor]

Ironically one of my past clients has been sending me this stuff and is going crazy with it. They had refied out a few hundred K to remodel their house and then lost jobs. We tried to sell their house before the bubble popped but werent fast enough. They fell behind by over $100K. One day someone ofrom the bank knocked on their door with an offer about 3 years ago. They wrote off the missed payments and wrote down their loan about $200K so they got over $300K in foregiveness. Its the only case I have heard of like that.

I just dont get what about the system they are unhappy about.

[briansd1]

There is a lot of discontent.

I understand the discontent with a financial system where the elite gets to make money out of money. Most of the time it’s leveraged money thanks to access to a system that provides them credit. And when they lose money, they get a bailout.

People are sick of a trickle down system where money is dumped at the top, with the belief that it eventually trickles down to the average person.

I think that young educated people are at the forefront of social trends and I’m with them.

I supported the anti-war movement at the beginning and I support the Occupy movement now.

To have a better democracy, we need to energize people to vote, especially at the lower social economic levels.

[briansd1]

[quote=walterwhite]I can’t make it to the revolution but I’d be happy to mount the bumpersticker.

What’s it say?[/quote]

I can’t make it to the Revoluatione either. But I’m happy to make a financial contribution.

I will be in NYC next weekend and I’ll stop by lower Manhattan to say hi and feel part of history. I hope the protesters are still there.

http://occupywallst.org/

[ctr70]

Instead they should be marching on the state capitols against the ridiculous pensions and health care benefits paid to Government worker retirees that is bankrupting the state and cities. That is where the real rape & pillage of the tax payer is happening.

[CA renter]

[quote=ctr70]Instead they should be marching on the state capitols against the ridiculous pensions and health care benefits paid to Government worker retirees that is bankrupting the state and cities. That is where the real rape & pillage of the tax payer is happening.[/quote]

No. That fairy tale has been spread by the financial elite to take the heat off of themselves.

Wall Street caused the “pension crisis” via their boom-bust machinations, and is solely responsible for the downfall of our economy.

The OWS movment knows about this fairy tale and how it’s being used to turn working people agains working people. We are the 99%. We are working together for ALL working people against the capitalists (those who do not labor for their money, but skim the value created by the productive class) who have destroyed our contry and the world. Wall Street will not distract us like they did with the Tea Party movment. We are staying on target.

[jstoesz]

Deleted…

I am not going to poke the bear.

Damn the man!

[jpinpb]

[quote=CA renter][quote=ctr70]Instead they should be marching on the state capitols against the ridiculous pensions and health care benefits paid to Government worker retirees that is bankrupting the state and cities. That is where the real rape & pillage of the tax payer is happening.[/quote]

No. That fairy tale has been spread by the financial elite to take the heat off of themselves.

Wall Street caused the “pension crisis” via their boom-bust machinations, and is solely responsible for the downfall of our economy.

The OWS movment knows about this fairy tale and how it’s being used to turn working people agains working people. We are the 99%. We are working together for ALL working people against the capitalists (those who do not labor for their money, but skim the value created by the productive class) who have destroyed our contry and the world. Wall Street will not distract us like they did with the Tea Party movment. We are staying on target.[/quote]

Government kept the interest rates low for a very long time. This forced investors to put their money elsewhere, like real estate. Cities invested their money gambling, rather than putting it in the bank drawing practically zero interest. The city’s financial problems can be traced to the bubble popping and the collapse of the economy. Of course, historically, divide and conquer. Turn people against each other. Blame it on the pensioners.

This is old. I’m so glad OWS gets it. Go to the source of all of this financial crisis mess. The buck stops there.

[Veritas]

Some people think this is just a warm up for 2012.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/video-exposing-occupy-wall-street-was-organized-from-day-one-by-seiu-acorn-front-the-working-family-party-and-how-they-all-tie-to-the-obama-administration-dnc-democratic-socialists-of-america/

[Anonymous]

[quote=jpinpb]Blame it on the pensioners.[/quote]

I think the most likely suspects are those who came out the crisis completely unscathed.

That would be many Wall Street/banker types, but also the “pensioners.”

The pensioners were actually more crafty in their scheme. Some bankers may eventually pay for their crimes, but the law provides absolute protection for anyone receiving a government pension.

[The-Shoveler]

Now for my latest conspiracy theory .
In order to quell this latest OWS movement, look to see the economy suddenly start adding Jobs and the markets to recover in a big way.

WHAT!!

Yea I have more of them.

[Author]

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