Forum Post: 3 Demands to Start With
Posted 12 years ago on Dec. 14, 2011, 11:32 a.m. EST by jeivers
(278)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
99%ers need to find and draft other 99%ers who support our demands into the primaries Nation wide to Occupy the Voting booths and then Congress!
First 3 Demands they should swear to support for our support:
These three goals are political goals. I have been trashed on these forums for suggesting that OWS is and should be a political movement.
Many suggest that OWS is a social movement that is simply standing in the street screaming at the walls of Wall Street without any real purpose or reason for bringing together masses of Americans that, as a singular group, represent electoral power.
OWS is/is not trying to change the minds of politicians. Changing the minds of politicians is/is not political.
OWS is a very confused gathering that is frittering away a unique opportunity to effect the change tat it does/does not want.
I am getting very confused and disheartened by the schizophrenia within the OWS movement.
Well said. Take heart, the NGA will happen with or without OWS. OWS is not The Zeitgeist Movement. They need to realize that. #occupy is history without the NGA.
I can see now that it is true that OWS is not going to be involved in anything political and mabe rightly so , but for your information , I agree with those three things you suggested and went to the web site to sign onto the petition. to restore glass-segal
Well forums are just a form of masturbation - I have been out in the streets and many support these goals and we don't have to wait for concensus to act - we need 99%ers to run in all elections especially local ones and for people to form groups to support them and then hold them accountable - make sure they know they running as a 99%er first as a Democrat or Republican second.
I agree. There are many OWS people who will spit in your face for saying it though.
One thing that you can share across the nation is a compilation I have produced of the current members of Congress who, in 1999, voted to repeal Glass-Steagall. there are still 184 members of Congress who caused the collapse of the U.S. economy in 2008.
SEE: The Congress that Crashed America http://home.ptd.net/~aahpat/aandc/congcrash.html
Confronting all members of Congress and candidates for Congress to support restoration of Glass-Steagall is one powerful way to effect the kinds of change that we are talking about. There is information on the web page I posted for this issue.
Yeah I look at that list and see exactly why we need to run our own people - supporting existing politicians is a tough sale to many people - but I would prefer a Third Party but see that as long term - if we could get a 99% caucus across parties it could split and form its own party once it has the numbers to affect change and champion our core Demands -- this is all years away wont magically happen in 2012 but is worth organizing and working for.
that's a great start
but lets not forget - we have massive fraud that has taken place in the banking and investment sector, and this criminal behavior must be addressed.
the credibility of our system of Justice depends on it.
Yes we need serious inv estigations and prison time for any criminal activity to send a message -- fines do squat when they have already pocketed billions!! (I believe that was part of my 3rd demand :-))
Yes
It
Was
so much for speed reading and comprehension.
: /
There is no congressional immunity to insider trading. They are subject to the same laws as the rest of us. There is no 'exemption' written anywhere.
They only thing stopping them from being held accountable is that no one is holding them accountable. We need to Occupy the Justice System.
No, It Is NOT “Legal” For Congress To Insider-Trade — The SEC Should Launch Investigation Immediately http://www.businessinsider.com/congress-insider-trading-investigation-2011-11#ixzz1dnmcxjaG
"Strangely, while insider trading by corporate insiders has long been the white collar crime equivalent of a major felony, the Securities and Exchange Commission has determined that insider trading laws do not apply to members of Congress or their staff. That is because, according to the SEC at least, these public officials do not owe the same legal duty of confidentiality that makes insider trading illegal by nonpoliticians."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203413304577088881987346976.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
The SEC is protecting criminals, not hard to believe really. They are corrupt liars but that does not mean we have to accept it. Learned helplessness is strong in this country.
This is why we need to Occupy the SEC and demand accountability.
While Occupy is surrounding the SEC demanding accountability, there should be signs spelling out very clearly (for the slow minds at the corporate media)...insider trading laws that apply to all Americans.
The SEC needs to be held accountable, but they are too busy going after Kettle Chips Occupy the SEC! Congress is Illegally Insider Trading, but SEC Is too Busy Cracking Down on Kettle Chips http://getsmartnews.com/news/309444
Just like congressmen/women need to be banned from lobbying after they leave SEC people need to be banned from going to work for the firms they monitor after they leave the SEC !!!
Then let's support this so we can get movement politically as well as socially.
http://www.the99declaration.org/
The site is up and running.
Bad link.
It's working on my computer...don't know what to say...
https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/ I think this is the link...
That's the old link,glad to see it's still working. The new site was closed yesterday and using the link for it redirected to the google sites page, today I am able to access the link I posted. Perhaps the server is not able to handle it. As I said, I don't know...just know I can access both pages myself.
Ok - I went and signed up - another Good site is unitedrepublic.org
Then let's get those sites out there so people can peruse them and make decisions.
In my opinion, our tax structure should be somewhat progressive for the lower 98% with very high marginal rates on the top 1%. If multi-million dollar incomes are going to be allowed, then the marginal rates should rise and fall in response to levels of inequality.
I have no desire to rape the 2nd percentile. If they reap a low six figures, I'm OK with that as long as their contribution to society is real and their product isn't misrepresented.
As for that top percentile, I would increase that marginal rate as high as necessary to prevent them from reaping more than 10% of total income in America.
No limit on that marginal rate.
Yes we need to tax the wealthier more - and more importantly we need to count all capital gains and dividend income as actual income for Tax Purposes and a small .03% transaction tax on all sell orders on Wall Street would decrease volatility, raise a few hundred billiom a year and decrease speculation.
Longer term reforming corporate executive pay away from stock insentives would also make the executives care more about long term corporate health instead of this and next years stock valuation - look at corporations currently doing buy backs instead of investing in their future because the executives only care about the current stock value and what they are personally worth.
The shocking truth about the Occupy crackdown
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/nov/25/shocking-truth-about-crackdown-occupy?fb_action_ids=2541913380680&fb_action_types=news.reads&fb_ref=U-1jrgXFg9eK8R4fJCICjQ3I-CFCONX01FRS-33thvXXX&fb_source=other_multiline
"The No 1 agenda item: get the money out of politics. Most often cited was legislation to blunt the effect of the Citizens United ruling, which lets boundless sums enter the campaign process. No 2: reform the banking system to prevent fraud and manipulation, with the most frequent item being to restore the Glass-Steagall Act – the Depression-era law, done away with by President Clinton, that separates investment banks from commercial banks. This law would correct the conditions for the recent crisis, as investment banks could not take risks for profit that create fake derivatives out of thin air, and wipe out the commercial and savings banks.
No 3 was the most clarifying: draft laws against the little-known loophole that currently allows members of Congress to pass legislation affecting Delaware-based corporations in which they themselves are investors."