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The only people laughing about this are people who are ignorant of our own history. The fact that you keep calling them hippies reveals your own ignorance of fairly recent history. This grassroots movement is spreading across the country and it will continue to grow as they get further organized. :geek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Faldur
"This grassroots movement is spreading across the country and it will continue to grow as they get further organized."
So labor unions and people that work for MSNBC is grassroots now? Also most people are busy working and living a life to sit down on their ass for a month doing nothing but holding signs and yelling.
Agreed.Quote:
Originally Posted by JerseyMike
The subtext to this is that those who snipe from the sidelines tacitly agree that the banks and financial institutions should remain entirely untouched for their primary culpability in the global economic calamity which is threatening to engulf us all for a second time.Quote:
Originally Posted by BigDF
If you truly believe that, you're more foolish than I previously thought.
Those who fetishise capitalism fail to recognise that it's the failure to control and regulate its wilder excesses in the last twenty years that has brought the world economy to its knees. Government shares in that culpability of course, but if you leave organisations whose sole driver is the profit motive and have no moral understanding whatsoever to their own devices, they will screw everyone regardless. That's what happened.
Government at both a national and international level has shown a collective failure of will and courage to take on the banks. "Too big to fail" remains the mantra in Washington, London and elsewhere. Germany is so far the only country to have shown any will, but they cannot act in isolation or the vultures in the US, London and the far east will simply descend and destroy their economy too. The absence of action means that the banks' behaviour hasn't shifted an inch, obscene bonuses and profits continue to be the order of the day, and meantime, the taxpayers who saved them take all the punishment. That's where the frustration of the 99% comes from - if government won't confront the obvious, what else can people do?
Step back for a moment from the (alleged) origins and motivations of the protesters and ask yourself if their cause is really not worth fighting for.
If you disagree, please don't complain when the banks fuck you over again next time. Because they will, you can be absolutely sure of that.
One small point, BigDF - the movement isn't just spreading across your country, it's now a global phenomenon. It's also serving the useful purpose of raising awareness of the ultimate responsibility for the mess.
Just kills you though that those workers (many of which are indeed union members and many of which aren't) are cheering the occupiers on. 1% of Americans have taken possession of 90% of America's wealth. Corporations are making record profits, but can't seem to get motivated to create a single job. Meanwhile half of the goods responsible for their profits are being produced by American workers with their bare hands working at the highest level of productivity in our history__the other half of the goods are being produced overseas by underpaid women and children who are lucky to make dollars a day.Quote:
So labor unions and people that work for MSNBC is grassroots now?
Just because you belong to the top 1% of the wealthy doesn't mean you're a "job creator". Is Paris Hilton a job creator? Does she deserve a tax break for her contributions to our economy? Demand for products is down. Demand for luxury goods is up. Charity giving is down. Donations for opera up. You tell me what's going on here.
While the large corporations are shoveling in the profits, they use public roads, public bridges, communications systems launched with public money, they depend on municipal and state police to keep their products safe from theft. They use the court system to enforce the contracts they make with each other. Without the 99% the 1% are useless. Is the 99% useless without the 1%. I think not.
The odds of you joining the 1% are miniscule. It doesn't just depend on hard work and determination. The most important factors are contingencies over which you have no control. But you can, through elections, take over the government. You can elect officials who promise to regulate the large corporate interests and the big commercial banks. You can elect officials who will appoint judges that understand that the current campaign financing laws are unjust. Corporations are not people. Shouting down your political opponent with money is not freedom of speech. Shouting is anathema to rational discussion.
:iagree::iagree::iagree: with every single word. Well said, Trish.Quote:
Originally Posted by trish
There are some 14 million people out of work in this country according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. I would imagine a good percentage of those people are cheering on the OWS movement and will voice their objections at the ballot box.:geek:Quote:
Originally Posted by JerseyMike
RobertLouis, you are correct as usual. I did forget to observe that this is becoming global. Thanks for reminding us that everyone is in the same boat.:)
i suggest that this campaign does have a bad image if the media film a lot of feral's with dreadlocks and others with green Mohicans and wearing rags the vast majority of people reject these bludger's even though there are valid concerns over this issue
Sorry to disappoint but the only domestics gone wild (definition of feral) on wall street are the carnivorous commercial bankers and brokers. My-oh-my how make their mothers cry!
As usual Trish, you give rational voice to the cause...........Quote:
Originally Posted by trish