Nationalize the Walton Family Wealth on #BlackFriday
Posted 11 years ago on Nov. 24, 2013, 1:37 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
Tags:
walmart,
black friday,
nationalize wealth
The Walton Family is collectively worth over $150 billion USD. Most of us struggle just to keep $150 dollars in our bank account, so it's hard to comprehend how much money that really is! Yet all of that $150 billion is divided amongst just 16 people. What if we distributed that money to the 2,000,000 global employees of Walmart? Is that too radical? If you don't think those people have earned the money, we could nationalize it instead. The Walmart fortune could be divided amongst the twenty seven countries in which they do business, granting each a settlement of $5.5 billion.
Look at the population of ten areas where you can find Walmart stores:
- United States: 314 million
- Argentina: 41 million
- Brazil: 199 million
- Chile: 17 million
- China: 1.3 billion
- Canada: 35 million
- United Kingdom: 63 million
- South Africa: 51 million
- Zambia: 14 million
- India: 1.2 billion
We are talking about redistributing $150 billion from 16 people to a pool of 2.3 billion people. We're serious. The democratic systems we put in place to protect us from people like the Walton Family have failed. It's time to try radical alternatives. We literally believe that the time has come to take from the rich and give to the poor.
Imagine what we could do if the United States had an immediate windfall of $5.5 Billion. Here are some examples:
Recover the $5 Billion Cut in Funding from the Food Stamps Program
With over 70% of the workforce on food stamps, this would immediately put food in the mouths of women and children who are always the hardest hit.
Or we could...
Quadruple spending for the Small Business Administration From $1.4 Billion to $5.6 Billion
One of the biggest problems in the United States is the support needed for people to start new businesses. Instead of loans, why don’t we just give people money to establish new businesses? The secret to building our communities is not sending in a company from outside, but to invest in the people living there, their skills, their talents. And an added bonus? Generational family groups can stay together and give each other the support that is needed, instead of being separated by economics.
Or we could...
Quadruple the Spending for Americorps and other programs that work in our communities from $1.1 Billion to $5.6 Billion
We would finally have the resources to properly take care of our grandparents and treasured elders. We would finally have the resources to support the Americorps volunteer program, and thus, our communities.
Or we could...
Nationalize the Company
What if we just nationalized (in each country that they work) Walmart? Then the only question would be, what would the United States do every year with its share of the $15 Billion in annual profit?
Earlier:
This #BlackFriday Join the #WalmartStrikers on the Front Lines!
Show Your Solidarity While Supporting the #WalmartStrikers
#BlackFriday Practical Protest Techniques: Using Your Body and a Few Simple Tools
Treat capital gains and dividends as regular income, rasise MW to $10/hr and index to inflatition, and apply a %50 tax on all income over $1,000,000/yr and 75% on income over $100,000,000/yr and things would start to change what to do isn't hard to figure out, getting behind the people to get it done that's the hard part.
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The Walton Family is feeling the HEAT:
The One Where A Walmart-Friendly PR Firm Creates An Ad So Full Of Propaganda It's Actually Hilarious
That REALLY was hilarious - but this isn't -
http://www.salon.com/2013/12/03/wal_mart_has_data_on_most_u_s_adults_and_could_sell_it_charges_report/
Never Give Up Exposing Walmart! Occupy The Truth! Solidarity.
“We estimate that Walmart currently has data on more than 145 million Americans,”
Hhmmmm - the half of the population living below at or just above the poverty line?
Become one of the 3.5 % - http://www.nationofchange.org/open-letter-35-1386087186 & thanks for your good point. Never Give Up! Occupy Solidarity!
The sequester was bad news from the start.
These dangerous across-the-board cuts are hurting our families, our children, our seniors. We will lose another 800,000 jobs next year because of the sequester.
Congress can end the cuts by closing corporate tax loopholes and ending tax breaks for the wealthy so that everyone pays their fair share.
Take a stand for working families. Pledge now to make a call on December 12th to pressure your elected leaders to end the sequester and close tax loopholes to raise the revenues needed to protect vital services.
© 2013 Campaign for America's Future Inc. 1825 K Street, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20006
Never Give Up! - Exactly - We Are ALL In This Together - No Choice Is Given - Denying Reality Is Not An Option.
TWEET
DKAtoday @DKAtoday
An Open Letter to the 3.5% | NationofChange http://www.nationofchange.org/open-letter-35-1386087186 … via @nationofchange
This is plainly OBVIOUS Folks.
Nationalize the Walton Family Wealth on #BlackFriday
I am all for that - as long as you mean the monies taken ( with-held ) from employees and monies taken from society to support employees of wallfart that do not receive a living wage - so must depend on government ( state &/or Fed ) welfare.
This is the right thing to do. We should all wealth from product producers and give it to the state. How else are we going to pay for all of our expenditures.
We need to get this conversation going in the right direction - socialism.
Allows legalized theft in the name of redistributing wealth
Encourages sloth instead of productivity
Rewards irresponsibility, laziness, and poor accountability
Encourages self-indulgence instead of self-reliance
Encourages finger pointing and shifting of responsibility to others
Replaces the self-discipline of delayed gratification with the need for instant gratification Undermines the values that are the foundation of the traditional work ethic (i.e. thrift, diligence, self-reliance, self-discipline, responsibility, accountability, deferred gratification, and hard work) and replaces them with an entitlement mentality
Treats those who contribute to the betterment of society the same as those who do not, even when they are capable of doing so
Promotes a get-something-for-nothing mentality that undermines the moral character of the individual and society
Robs people of initiative, drive, and ambition
Undermines the spirit of entrepreneurship, innovation, and competitiveness
Socialism doesn't work
You blew it!
You had everything correct, until you got to your final sentence.
You were describing WallStreet to a T.
Wanna go and get blasted drunk at a tax deductible "business" meeting "lunch" tomorrow afternoon? I got an accountant who figured out to blend in the greens frees too! So we can play a free round of golf too.
All on the tax payers dime, because as Leona once said.
"Taxes are for the little people."
You act like every single aspect of wall street is evil and greedy. Yes there are greedy corporations who sometimes do shady and illegal things, you are never going to stop it, it is the world we live in, greed is an inert trait of man. Committing tax evasion is a hell of a lot more difficult than you think. Socialism is preached as being for the "greater good" but it is a system for people who are not willing to work for themselves and want to suck on the governments tit for everything. It also doesn't work, you can only tax people so much and it undermines any sense of entrepreneurship and accountability.
You act like they're not, and then you toss in what I have to assume to be "production" corporations, that I must also assume are wholly owned by Wallstreet....
Everything you said in your first post on this applies to WallStreet.
perhaps not to every corporation, but it most definitely applies to WallStreet. Which has nothing to do with anything else you've brought up in your last post.
Committing tax evasion is simple as pie for folks like the Koch's.
AND YES~!!!
"business lunches" are paid for on the taxpayers dime. Don't even pretend they're not.
You should read more of what's posted around here.
Instead of playing around with challenging many of them in a single posting.
The proof you need, is all over this web site.
tax is a funny word
it only applies to when the government takes money from people
others taking money from people is not considered tax
That's a taxing statement.
I consider excess profit as a tax, paid to corporations and certain individuals.
and I'm not laughing.
A. It really doesn't describe the Street.
B. Business lunches are not paid for by taxpayers.
C. It's not all owned by Wall Street. Wall Street firms are just some of the many shareholders in Corporate America, albeit big ones.
D. The Kochs are great industrialists. Don't insult them.
A.) Of course it does. They produce absolutely nothing.
B.) Yep....tax deductible. Been that way for years.
C.) That's what I just said, why repeat it?
D.) Now you're just being silly and showing your lack of research skills.
I'll insult them all I want. All I have to do is tell the truth. Their levels of malfeasance are legend.
A. They provide the financing so that things can be produced.
B. Those laws apply to many people, not just Wall Street.
C. Ok then.
D. I have a lot of research experience and research is a big part of what I do. Don't insult me. Regarding the Kochs, they certainly produce a lot. They have advanced society quite a bit for one family and don't deserve your petty insults. As to the malfeasance, those are mostly conspiracy theories, although there is perhaps some grain of truth. Also, they are big philanthropists. Bottom line: they do far more good than harm.
A.) They produce absolutely NOTHING. You didn't disprove it.
B.) Yeah, lots of others get a free lunch on the tax payers dime, but Wallstreet in particular WASTES it 'cause they can.
C.) See above.
D.) Where did you look? CATO? Heritage? AFP? ALEC? The John Birch Society?
Their industries are some of the most polluting on the planet, and their interference in the Democratic process is notorious.
Look again and then get back to me.
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You bring up some great points. Without Wall Street, we couldn't accomplish many of the things we do.
Very well put. You, good sir, understand.
I think my comment below lists some good reasons why that's a BAD idea.
Sorry - but as U R very obviously - mentally deficient - U'r contributions mean nothing - well nothing past a cry for help.
I'd appreciate if you stopped the offensive comments to me. I am not mentally deranged and seeing your trolling, I'd say my contribution is more valuable than yours.
I would appreciate it if you had a brain. Of "coarse" U feel U have a brain - so sorry you sold it out as a shill.
Hypocrite
On Black Friday, workers at 1500 Walmart stores stood up and walked out to demand fair treatment from the nation's largest retailer.
Working Families supporters stood with them, joining them at rallies around the country. And so far, more than 30,000 people have signed our petition to Walmart to pay its workers a fair wage. Will you sign our petition to Walmart to pay their workers $15/hr?
Poverty wages are good for Walmart's bottom line, but they're bad for America. Walmart made more than $15 billion in profit last year. And the Walton family has more than $100 billion in combined wealth -- more than the bottom 40% of Americans combined. That level of inequality is wrong. But a raise at Walmart would help boost the entire economy.
Will you add your name to call on Walmart to pay fairly?
http://action.workingfamiliesparty.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=8905&tag=mo-wal15
Thanks, and happy holidays.
Joe Dinkin Working Families
PS. Below is Jen Kern's message launching this petition the day before Thanksgiving.
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Jen Kern, Working Families reply@workingfamilies.org Date: Wed, Nov 27, 2013 at 10:37 AM Subject: Thanks Walmart?
Friend,
It really hurts on Thanksgiving. When everybody should be spending time with loved ones, some struggling families can barely afford a holiday meal. For some of us, the day after Thanksgiving means shopping but for many, it means waking up before the crack of dawn and going back to work at poverty-level wages. On Black Friday, it becomes startlingly clear: our economy only works for the wealthy at the very top and not at all for the rest of us.
That's why this Friday workers are demonstrating at 1500 Walmarts across the country -- the largest Black Friday protest in history. We can join them by calling on Walmart to pay their workers a living wage. Walmart and big-box CEOs may want to ignore their striking workers, but they can't ignore the call of tens of thousands of protesting customers -- especially not on Black Friday.
Click here to tell Walmart: Pay your workers $15 an hour.
Across the country this year fast food and retail workers have been taking to the streets, going on strike demanding a living wage and the right to organize. And no where is this fight set in its sharpest focus than Black Friday.
Poverty wages are good for Walmart's bottom line but terrible for working families and local communities. Instead of addressing the issue, a Walmart in Ohio recently asked employees to donate food to their fellow employees. It's time Walmart hears us from every angle: workers, activists, families and customers.
Join the fight and stand in solidarity with your friends, family, neighbors and co-workers at Black Friday protest near you. Tell Walmart to pay their workers $15 an hour.
Strength in numbers is how we win. Let's prove it.
Jen Kern Working Families
PS. With demonstrations at over 1500 Walmarts nation-wide there's a definite chance there's a rally in your area. You can check the full list of events at this site: http://blackfridayprotests.org
Five Ways to Support Striking Walmart Workers
Thursday, 28 November 2013 11:11 By Kevin Mathews, Care2 | Opinion
http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/20309-five-ways-to-support-striking-walmart-workers
Wal-Mart strikes are occurring around the country, but you need not be one of the company’s under-compensated employees to participate. Here are five ways you can support Wal-Mart workers in their quest for economic justice:
Nothing demonstrates support for striking workers more than actually showing up yourself. Not only do the workers appreciate your display of solidarity, but also the increased turnout signifies to bystanders that this is a legitimate problem worthy of everyone’s concern. On Black Friday, a record 1,500 protests will take place at Wal-Marts across the country. Though not every location will necessarily have striking workers participating in the event, each protest will educate consumers about the evils of the corporation and show even the workers who stay on shift that citizens support them earning a living wage.
Even if you thought you’d never be caught dead at a Wal-Mart, particularly on the busiest shopping day, it’s always turns out to be much more fun joining the activist crowd outside than fighting the consumer crowd inside. Search BlackFridayProtest.org to find the nearest Walmart strike event near you.
For those daring enough to enter Wal-Mart’s front doors, here’s a clever – and tiny bit sneaky – way to inform customers about the company’s unethical practices. 99 Pickets, a pro-labor blog aligned with the Occupy movement, has created price cards and banners that can easily be slipped in to replace Wal-Mart’s existing signage. In what the blog calls a “rebranding” campaign, rogue protesters can print out the appropriately sized signs at home and then switch them out with more honest slogans. With little effort, a sign that talks about “low prices” now informs shoppers about the store’s “low wages” instead.
While it’d be ridiculous to pretend the signs will remain in place forever, they blend in well enough to go undetected by management for sufficient time to spread the message to patrons and workers who could use your support.
It may seem like a no-brainer suggestion, but don’t do it. Just don’t give your money to a company that underpays and mistreats its employees, no matter what kind of “deal” Wal-Mart advertises. Some people mistakenly believe that the way to support Wal-Mart workers is to shop there more, but your spending will sadly not earn the employees higher wages. As various economists have pointed out, Wal-Mart can afford to give significant raises to all of its employees already without putting much of a dent in its massive profits.
Better yet, don’t just skip shopping at Wal-Mart, shop nowhere on Black Friday. Some organizations have challenged the retail holiday norm by dubbing the day “Buy Nothing Day.” It’s a good opportunity to reject consumer culture altogether.
When employees attempt to unionize or strike for improved wages and working conditions, Wal-Mart is notorious for firing them, not only as punishment, but also as a warning to their colleagues that any talk of unionizing will not be tolerated. Though these illegal actions are then subject to multiple lawsuits, Wal-Mart has gotten away with it often enough to continue the practice.
If you have extra money — you’re not spending it at Wal-Mart after all – consider donating it to former Wal-Mart employees who were terminated for striking. The United Food and Commercial Workers has developed a program that pays these fired Wal-Mart workers to continue attempting to organize workers. These individuals risked – and lost – their jobs and deserve a living wage for their courage to stand up to the corporate giant. Contribute to the cause here.
If you can’t be there to shout your discontent at Wal-Mart in person, make sure your voice is still heard. Care2 has a variety of petitions relating to Wal-Mart that could use your support:
•Demand that Wal-Mart pay their employees fair wages rather than expecting them to accept charity.
•Request that President Barack Obama meet with Wal-Mart workers to hear their concerns.
•Ask Wal-Mart not set up shop in a city where the majority of residents don’t even want it.
•Tell off Wal-Mart for firing a woman who reported that a dog was locked in a hot car.
This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license.
The compararsion above about CEO pay greatly understates the problem, the hiers make CEO's look like associates.
Monarchy is the grearest threat we face as a country.
" The More You Know "
EXACTLY - then - try not to kill the greedy murderous assholes - ( well nice thought anyway ) - the insanity must end - BE ENDED.
It is not a matter of have and have not - it is a matter of live or live not.
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Sung to the tune of Winter Wonderland, with apologies to Richard B. Smith.
WallyWorld, are you listenin',
Your massive greed, is a glistenin'.
Your workers are mad.
They know they've been had,
Workin' in a Walmart wonderland.
My question is this: Realistically-do you think that Wal-Mart will be nationalized?
Realistically, no. US laws would have to change for that to happen. From capitalism to socialism. I don't think the right to own a private business in US will be eliminated any time soon.
What do you think?
I work at WallMart and this scares me.
That means taking 150 billion dollars and dividing it in chunks of 65.22$. I agree WallMart doesn't pay well. And I agree the 1% make too much money. However, I'm not sure what giving 2.3 billion people 65.22$ each would accomplish? Those people will buy a few things then the money will be gone. In the meantime, myself and all the other WallMart employees will lose their jobs. I have three kids. I can't afford to lose my job. I would like Occupy to help us fight for better wages instead.
Please reconsider. At least ask WallMart employees what they want. We should all decide together.
Thanks,
Kariolsen
Redistributing the wealth into programs that support communities - instead of individuals would be the best solution.
I hear there's a new job opening at WallyWorld.......:)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/11/25/walmart-ceo-steps-down/
Don't give up now.
Union YES!
Yes, we want and need a union! Absolutely!
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Stupid autocorrect. Combines wall + mart.
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I'm all for folks paying their fair share (based on the rule of law, not opinion).
But nationalizing it all is just the basest of socialist ideas.
Then what's next? Communism, with Fascism right around the corner.
Completely and thoroughly un-American.
Capitalism is FAR from perfect but it's what has raised the standard of living on Earth for the last couple hundred years more than any other -ism.
Communism on the other hand has failed repeatedly. Turns out individuals don't actually enjoy being viewed as a big grey, faceless mob.
And please don't use China as an example. They are becoming more capitalistic all the time.
Anyway, I'll admit it sounds great...until you run out of other people's money. They you still have to figure out how to go out there and make a go of it yourself.
Close tax loopholes, sure. Make sure companies contribute, by all means. Better yet, initiate a flat tax where everyone HAS to pay and have an incentive to save.
But don't penalize the creative individuals for doing their best in a society just because you're at a loss how to contribute creatively yourself.
That's just a recipe for failure, as history has shown over and over.
I heard at Vons the other day an ad to sell store credit
"we've never known money to go unspent"
I guess the assume the plebs don't know about leverage
the tax need to be based on who has money
a flat tax won't do that
on no, not the socialism ! lol
I'll read the rest after I walk the dog
Taking the money from the rich and distributing it to the poor should be left in the hands of the people responsible for putting it there to start with! We all should take responsibility for what we do! We build these huge corporations with every dime we spend there. Buy local. Seek out those who's lives depend on those dimes and support them instead.
Your name is a conundrum and so is your statement.
Will you be taking responsibility for that?
If you Google "Conservative Liberal" there is a definition that isn't puzzling at all but if you suggest that you don't understand my premise then I will except the part that I am responsible for, if you will open your mind to receive the education.
Only confused definitions on wiki
Anyway.
If it walks like a duck and it talks like a duck.
It's a libe(R)topian, by any other name.
Actually it's a myth that Wikipedia is bad. It's very good. You'll also find sources at the bottom of articles so you can further your research. A study found it to be just as good as Encyclopedia Britannica, and actually ahead in terms of up-to-dateness.
Considering Wikipedia falls in line with Occupy principals (open-source, type of anarchic platform where people from all the world can contribute), I think all occupiers should take note of it. It's a great project that shows it's possible to create something as a community for the community (instead of a big company doing it for us). Extremely Occupyish in nature,
The last guy I can remember strongly defending wiki, is guy you really don't want to be emulating.
Unless you are him, of course, and so can't help it.
Personally?
Anything that Sarah Palin can edit, is off my trusted list, no matter what anyone else has to say about it.
but
whatever.
My statement still stands
intelligence seeks truth by nature
a collective exercise will find most correcting false entries
Except that it's become a fairly common practice for an organization to "ride" wiki, to assure only "their" message gets out, rather than the truth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Conflict_of_interest
LOL it took wiki to define it's own problem.
Like I said, I don't trust a site that Sarah Palin can edit.
hm
would eliminating anonymous editing help?
those riding would become obvious in such a environment
perhaps a profile page each editor would be required to fill out indicating their additions and referenced to when a page is editted
That's for wiki to figure out.
Meanwhile, at least on the subject of politics, I take it with a LARGE grain of salt.
OFF TOPIC
I'm unhappy to hear that twitter is "going private"
to be sold on the stock market
Welcome to libe(R)topia....................................:)
Home of the Atlanta Braves
and
Land of the New England Patriots
You don't support the anarchist principals of Occupy, or you don't think Wikipedia represents those ideals? I don't know, but Iv'e always found Wikipedia articles to be pretty good. The sources are there, the information is usually quite detailed, sometimes in various languages, up-to-date, and, like I said, a scholarly study found it was just as reliable as Encyclopedia Britannica. I don't know, but I think that Occupiers should really support open-source projects where everyone can implicate themselves. I think this is the future. Wikipedia, Linux, etc.... Those are things we should really celebrate. We don't need big businesses to do that for us!
Please don't start accusing me of anything at all.
The next question I'm going to have to ask you, is like your dog naming comments on the Global warming thread.
WTF does wikipedia have to do with underpaid, unrepresented WallyWorld workers?
And why didn't you allow that other fellow to speak for himself?
I don't understand what you're talking about and I have no further envy to discuss with you. Please refrain from replying to my comments. I will refrain from commenting on yours, Thank you.
OK
Go for the Holiday sing along then!
Sung to the tune of Winter Wonderland, with apologies to Richard B. Smith.
WallyWorld, are you listenin',
Your massive greed, is a glistenin'.
Your workers are mad.
They know they've been had,
Workin' in a Walmart wonderland.
Meanwhile, if you don't expect unexpected comments, you should find a completely private forum.
Oh, and store your envy, whatever that was about.
No, I like unexpected comments. The problem is you are stalking me, are very aggressive, negative, and accusatory, but worst of all, extremely boring. I asked you politely to refrain from replying to my comments. You are the definition of a troll. I don't have time for that.
You only want milktoast, unexpected comments that don't challenge you, or your puppets.
yep....that's what a troll do......
So are you the puppet, or the other guy?
Your comments are not intellectually challenging. They are just rude and trollish. You're a forum stalker and bully, not a scholar.
Actually Mr. Troll, it was YOU who trollishly butted in on the wikipedia comment.
Unless, of course that was just YOU in a different puppet costume.
Then YOU accused me of all kinds of things. Like you've been here before.
Hell, I'm still wondering what you are envious of.
Was that supposed to be intellectually challenging?
It's OK though. this is a good thread to bump............:)
thanks.