Forum Post: Can someone please explain it to me?
Posted 13 years ago on Nov. 10, 2011, 7:43 p.m. EST by OutrageouslyAdorable
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I'm 20 years old and I would really like to start getting more politically involved. By trying to read ect. Anyways I really don't understand Occcupy. And I would really like to be able to have my own optinion. So if there is anyway anyone could explain this to me in the most simplified way as possible I'd be very thankful.
Also, even if I end up not agreeing with you I would like to say that I respect you all.
1% buys their representation. 99% are left with the scraps.
Corporations are not people. They should not be buying off our government with their money. I'll believe Corporations are people when I see one get executed in Texas.
Enron. You have to admit that was a massacre.
Enron was a suicide. But I like your way of thinking. Wall Street committed suicide too. But the taxpayers, by way of the government, resucitated them. Corrupted as they are. The banks are worth more alive than dead to our government. They couldn't let their biggest money makers die the painful death that they deserved.
I posted some links on here a day or two ago explaining in simple terms what OWS is about and how it got started...If I can find them I'll try to get back to you with them.
Thank you.
Here's a video, it's from Britain but it explains some stuff, searching my history for other links for you.
http://vimeo.com/31489386
OutrageouslyAdorable.......Its about changing the political conversation from the deficit to the real problem. Lack of jobs, inequality of the wealth that the US economy produces, right now the people do not share in the economy just the 1% does. The Republicans keep calling for deficit reduction (reduction in SS and Medicare all things the common people relay on, the one thing most economist agree on is that you do not focus on deficits during times of recession. Government spending on infrastructure is one means of providing jobs and improving our infrastructure, highways, bridges, electrical grids , mass transit. all these things are vital to business. This is not the total answer but it at least is a start.
As you can see, you will have to take most of what you read on here with a grain of salt. As ZenDog has pointed out, he is very, very bias. He cannot even say Republican. He says repelicans instead.
Read the front page for the demands and you will get a good idea of what OWS stands for. Look at who and what they support, what they call out as news worthy and make up your own mind.
As for political. It is a difference in ideology. Conservatives tend to want a less intrusive government under the pretense that we can govern ourselves. Liberals tend to lean towards more government because the government (right or wrong) will protect the people from greedy corporations.
Most of all, figure out what you believe is right and wrong politically, and then find the group that supports that belief. I know others that listen to the bias news and let that sway them in a political direction.
I think the slogan says it best: "We are the 99%." One percent of the population has more of the wealth than the combined wealth of all of the lower 90% combined. Furthermore, the concentration of wealth is continuing as the top one percent becomes wealthier and more and more of those remaining slide down below the poverty line.
What I have yet to see is a coherent plan of action on what to do about it. I believe the main problem is the tax code, but that needs to be made into a real plan if anything is going to change.
Here's the declaration which explains the issues.
www.the99declaration.org
Income inequality in the United States is at an all-time high, surpassing even levels seen during the Great Depression, according to a recently updated paper by University of California, Berkeley Professor Emmanuel Saez. The paper, which covers data through 2007, points to a staggering, unprecedented disparity in American incomes. On his blog, Nobel prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman called the numbers "truly amazing."
Though income inequality has been growing for some time, the paper paints a stark, disturbing portrait of wealth distribution in America. Saez calculates that in 2007 the top .01 percent of American earners took home 6 percent of total U.S. wages, a figure that has nearly doubled since 2000.
As of 2007, the top decile of American earners, Saez writes, pulled in 49.7 percent of total wages, a level that's "higher than any other year since 1917 and even surpasses 1928, the peak of stock market bubble in the 'roaring" 1920s.'"
Beginning in the economic expansion of the early 1990s, Saez argues, the economy began to favor the top tiers American earners, but much of the country missed was left behind. "The top 1 percent incomes captured half of the overall economic growth over the period 1993-2007," Saes writes.
Despite a rising stock market, largely growing employment and a historic housing boom things were not nearly so rosy for the rest of U.S. workers. This trend, according to Saez, only accelerated during the George W. Bush's tenure as President:
It's the Inequality, Stupid
People are outraged or afraid as a result of the current state of our economy.
A big part of that outrage began to surface as a result of the debt ceiling debate this past summer - where repelicans were seen to persist with the myth that their refusal to compromise had the backing of a majority of 'the people.'
This brinkmanship was unprecedented - and attended by falling jobs numbers in the six weeks leading up to the August deadline, and a wildly oscillating economy.
It's clear the repelicans are content to do what they can to tank the economy for political gain.
Not everyone is clear about all of this, but everyone senses it.
And everyone knows intuitively that corporations are not people - they do not have tongues.
The more outrageous and surreal the statements become from the repelican camp, and the farther away real economic security becomes for average citizens, the angrier we are all liable to become.
Congress is clearly unable to respond to the genuine will of the people, unless the people are willing to articulate their will in a clear and persistent manner.
So.
Here we are.
We, the people, need to get Wall Street Out of Washington. Meaning, we need to get money out of politics. Meaning, we need to let our US Reps and Senators know that we vote and we want money out of politics, NOW! It's a start to keep moving in the right direction.
Oh well that sounds good =] I need to get like a notebook and take notes on this stuff lol
You will most likely get multiple reasons some very good, others just plain stupid. With no leadership, almost everyone has a differant reason, or a differant definition of purpose.
You will most likely be called a Troll at some time, and insulted by someone who believes they are just too cleaver and you are so stupid. If you are searching for truth good luck, there is no absolute truth here.
Most of all you are going to find people here who believe they are changing the world, DO NOT CHALLENGE THEM, being right is all they have. best of luck.
So there are no real damands?
No definitive demands yet but a lot of people have some very good ideas. Check this link, for one: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the99declaration/
I think there are demands, but they are differant depending on who you talk to. Don't get me wrong there are some people here who are very smart and have great points but you have to sift through a ton of idiots to get to them.
I came here seeking the same. I summarized my conclusions thus far for an NYU journalism student at http://occupywallst.org/forum/one-percenter-ready-to-join-if/#comment-295977
By the ay, I ONLY responded because you're "OutrageouslyAdorable," so you BETTER not be deceivin' me !
Occupy Nashville is a citizen-led movement defending Democracy from corporate money and corruption.
Our goals are: 1) Remove money from politics 2) End corporate personhood 3) Support the Occupy Wall Street movement We are the Defenders of Democracy. www.occupynashville.com
Common Americans core issue is getting our corrupt government officials replaced and prosecuted.
http://occupywallst.org/forum/americans-need-protection-against-the-criminals-wi/
Read a book from Ron Lawl instead, you wont learn anything from OWS