Forum Post: Congratulation! You have successfully wasted america's time!
Posted 12 years ago on Dec. 2, 2011, 1:27 p.m. EST by Anonoymous1243
(0)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
What is “Occupy Wall Street”? It’s a collection of unhappy individuals. Understandably you’d want a more specific description, but unfortunately I can’t provide that – and neither can the protestors. Because Occupy Wall Street is less of a protest and more of a destination for people who wish to protest – once they get there, the protestors set up shop and object to whatever they are upset about. Occupy Wall Street is a protest convention, in which people set up booths that have little to do with each other, each with their own fandoms and philosophies. However one can’t discuss Occupy Wall Street without mentioning the discussion about the “one percent”, that the richest one percent of Americans have too much financial control over our country, and that this is “unfair.” How is it unfair that rich people are allowed to use their money how they want? How would you feel if, all of a sudden, you were awarded a million dollars then promptly told that you had to use almost all of it to fund the wants of a hundred other people? Or worse, what if you worked for years and diligently saved up all that money, and then people banged down your door telling you it wasn’t “fair” that you had all that money you worked so hard for? This is the truly unfair way of thinking, and it’s un-American to boot. What happened to the right to the pursuit of happiness? What if happiness is working hard and earning money? Note the word “pursuit.” We are not entitled to happiness. We are not entitled to money if we don’t work for it. This is the mistake that people participating in Occupy Wall Street are making. With all the instant gratification we are used to as citizens, the idea of having to wait to get a job is maddening and causing many to lose sight of how the system is supposed to work. So they got up, “occupied” the symbol of “corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations over the democratic process” (from their website, occupywallst.org), and created an unnecessary media frenzy that has done nothing but annoy hard-working Americans and spawn a few jokes on the Internet.
Everything in here is true. Read it, don't troll. I know this is gonna get tons of dislikes, "butthurt" and "hemad"s, but whatever. You lost. Deal with it.
your comparison is simplistic. and its "occupy" not destroy. people want fairness and the fact that they are organizing and protesting is an indication of the problem, plus the number of people in it is just the tip of the ice berg.
There is a big difference between the hard-working Americans, and the people who sit in their ivory towers with their feet on their desks, smoking imported cigars, and calling all the shots. The difference is that while they are blowing thousands of dollars on luxury vacations and maybe making a few phone calls every once in a while, all the while increasing their insane amounts of capital, Joe and Billy and Bob down on the front lines can barely even afford to feed an shelter their damn kids.
Bitch, I am tired of your presence...DISMISSED!!!
Jimmy's cracks torn, and I don't care
Whether or not you like the people associated with OWS it is indicative we have not seen this kind of wide spread protesting since the Viet Nam war. Are there people with unrealistic expectations? Yes. Are there lazy, pot smoking ... individuals involved. Yes. Does that mean those involved have no valid complaint? NO.
Watch a movie narrated by Matt Damon regarding the whole financial collapse (can't remember the name). I didn't know whether to cry or shoot the TV. How many of the people directly involved in the financial crash have ever been held accountable?? NONE. Why not?? Perhaps OWS can shed enough light on the whole issue that someday, SOMEONE will be held accountable.
Just because you don't like the people doesn't mean they don't have a valid complaint.
Let's call a spade a spade; you all are bunch of pole smoking assholes. How is your OWS project going? What a bunch of fucking assholes. Next up, Occupy My Ass; a cult function for queers, trannies and liberal fudgepackers. What a disgusting disgrace
The mantra of big business is "Privatize profits, socialize losses".
"You, " per your refence to #OWS, didn't lose, WE lost. We all lost, including you anonoymous1243. When the economy goes completely tits up because there are no more ways to temporarily prop it up, I'd ask you to come back to this forum and then tell these people to "Deal with it." Just remember that you were on the wrong side of this when that day comes.
Your claim that #OWS created "...an unnecessary media frenzy" is your whistling past the grave yard. Sad, really. ~ Thunderclap
WOW! You, obviously, don't get it. Life must be great in your little world.
I hear your concerns and you'll be shocked to know - even as an OWS supporter - that I align with most of what you're saying. Unfortunately I do have to add a "however" here.
The "however" stems from a subtly that some anti-OWS folk and people who are just learning about the movement can't quite get to. It's not that millionaires or even billionaires have a poop ton of money. You are right in that many of them worked very hard for their fortunes and to that end I say good for them (Although I think quite a few of them could use some lessons in sufficiency). It is what they DO with that money that has me and - while I can't speak for the movement - the OWS protestors riled.
Here in the United States and most countries around the world, human beings have a "right to pursue happiness". In the United States we are also a country with a government that is supposed to be for the people by the people. This means that the people's voices are heard through their representatives and those representatives are servants of their constituents and should carry out - with few exceptions - the will of the people. If we don't like the way our government is headed or if we feel policies need to be altered we should have the ability to vote in/out representatives and those representatives should be listening to what we the people are saying.
What is now happening is corporations are taking the dollars they earned - inherited, stole or vamboozled depending on your take - and are buying up governments and lawmakers. Here in the U.S. this is directly undermining the right of the American people to participate in the democratic process. Or more to the point is making it futile. A growing number of citizens feel that to go to the poles to vote in either Democrat of Republic is pointless because there is no longer a difference between the two. It is becoming clearer and clearer most take massive payouts from lobbyists and almost without fail are unwilling to cross a party line for the betterment of their country and the welfare of their countrymen. They are however willing to jump to change legislation that allows corporations and banks to continue turning massive profits while the income of the average citizen continues to plummet. Our country has been hijacked by big banking and corporate interests. It's amazing to me that "intelligent" people don't yet see this.
Just because an individual has "earned" their money does not give them the right to buy off my representative and strip me of my right to "pursue happiness." Nor does it give them the right to strip this world of its resources and destroy ecosystems without repercussion. I hear a lot of "Why don't you OWS protesters take some responsibility for your lives and actions?" but I hear very little of that directed towards companies like BP, Wal-mart, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and countless others. Companies who have run our social, economic and environmental systems into the ground causing suffering on a global level that will likely only get worse.
The behavior of corrupt corporations and bankers, the politicians that support them, and this broken debt-based economic system is taxing this planet on an integral level and cannot be sustained for very much longer. We act now, or we fight like dogs for the scraps later. It's as simple as that.
P.S.> Only a very great fool would think this movement is over and anything has been "lost." This is world wide protest and in countries like Spain, Greece and Egypt the protesters would most hardily beg to differ.
Do not listen to what main stream media tells you about the protests. Most have connections back to the very folks who are being protested. Spend your time researching your own news sources - RT, the livestreams and international news agencies are excellent starts although I'm sure you'll find more.
Do yourself credit as an intelligent person - look at many different perspectives. Cross your party line whether you be Republican, Democrat, Independent, Green Party etc. Educate yourself. Ignorance is not bliss, it is oppression.
It is possible, for it happens all the time, for a people of ordinary conscience and morality to create and to operate within an economic system that oppresses other people. The accumulation of great wealth in our economic system is facilitated by our tax laws and our patterns of government spending. Books are written about this, but most people have a sense that it is true, even when they are on the accumulation side of the process. According to our rules of government, the very wealthy do have the resources and thus the power to manipulate it. The remainder of the people in our economy unwittingly permit this because they have focussed on other more personal issues. This has been made very clear in other posts on this FORUM. Indeed this FORUM offers an excellent mine of perspectives for understanding the issues. Education should help the oppressed people regain some control over their government and restore some balance to the system. The 1% are not “bad”, they are just like us in all respects except that they are wealthy, but we do need to change some of the rules. Good suggestions for such changes are also available in this FORUM. Read the posts and comments more carefully, copy the ideas that are useful, and filter out that which is occasionally vitriolic and nonsensical, and then construct a broader understanding beyond hackneyed complaints.
We are so happy you spent so much time, telling us how much you love the great work OWS is doing. its the support from great members such as yourself that has made ows the success it is today. please except my humble thanks for your words of encouragement. training web page http://tinyurl.com/7rvpv43
amen....these people are just too stupid to realize what capitalism is and that they are just not good as playing the game....all they have done is waste our time and taking up news time that we could be spending on other more important topic
The problem isn't capitalism it's the unfettered bastardization of the capitalistic system.
capitalism is working just fine, just because everyone does not have a mansion or a college degree does not mean it is wrong.
Again no one is asking for mansions or to be part of the 1%. What we want is a return of public servants serving the public not just those Americans who can afford lobbyists.
well give me examples that show how you have not benefitted from anything that a president has done. stop bitching and moaning about not getting "what you deserve" you deserve what you earn and if you earn your business and money good for you!
Where did I say anything about "what i deserve"? Put down your Fox News talking points and have a discussion like a grown up. And if you really believe we deserve what we earn then how do people who live off the investments of their grandparents deserve anything they have? Answer is they don't... but they still have it and I don't have any desire to take it from them however I don't believe their money gives them the right to buy our government and exert undue pressure on it for their own personal benefit. Therefore the only sensible answer is to get the money out of politics. Regardless of your political affiliation the one thing most Americans can agree on is that money has corrupted our political system and until the source of that corruption is removed the political system in this country will continue to serve monied interests and not the body politic.
well first off i dont even watch FOX thank you very much....all i know is that FOX is republican.....besides if people get a job and work for a living they who are you to say that they cant become a large business/corporation
I never said that. What I did say is that the corruption of capitalism has ruined this once great country and people like you who support the further bastardization of capitalism will only make it easier for a non capitalist society to take root in this country. Something neither you or I want.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z9WVZddH9w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EewGMBOB4Gg
How would you feel if, all of a sudden, you were awarded a million dollars then promptly told that you had to use almost all of it to fund the wants of a hundred other people?
I would feel fine paying my fair share of taxes. I suppose I would feel just like Warren Buffet feels about paying less taxes than his secretary.
This post is absurd. But it gets one thing right. We lost, as in three decades of class warfare perpetuated by the few big wigs. But you're noticing us now, aren't you.
Really ? You don't think the fact that we, OWS, have spurred a representative to put a bill on the floor banning outside money in politics is a positive change for America ? Heck, I think if that's all OWS accomplishes, then we have accomplished historic change for the betterment of America. See http://occupywallst.org/forum/rep-deutch-introduces-constitutional-amendment-to-/ for details of the bill.
Here is another person living in la la land! Wake up and educate yourself ... PLEASE
There are unhappy people in OWS, just as there are everywhere. There are also very happy people. There are also people happy because of OWS and only because of OWS, because OWS brings a vision of hope where none existed before. The issues are no so much about wealth as they are about power and especially corporate power. As far a a media frenzy goes, until there were mass arrests by the police the media pretty much ignored OWS.
Far from having lost OWS continues to grow. New occupations and GAs are being established everyday. New people are becoming involved in the movement everyday. Certainly the systematic evictions were a blow to OWS, but this is a world wide movement addressing world wide systemic problems that are unlikely to disappear and so long as the problems are with us OWS is likely to be with us also.
How well are the people that helped you "get there" doing these days? Do you even care about those who helped you make it happen? Could you have done it alone?
How about a compromise? I will say it's fair enough that the uber rich can buy our government, because they can do whatever they want with their time and money.. if you say it's fair enough that everyone else (the 99%) can organize themselves to get it back, because we can do whatever we want with our time and money. How's that for fair?
Thank you. I knew i did something.
I don't pick who brings me a landline, I don't get to pick who picks up my garbage, I don't get to pick which hospital I can reach in an emergency, I don't get to pick which prison I could end up in, I don't get to decide if I want to feed my children Frankin Foods and meat raised on Frankin Foods. There are different gas companies but they all colluded and jacked their profits up so there is no real difference in the price beyond TOO HIGH. I am against gravy train industries that should be provided by the government. Its a gravy train, every single dime of profits they have ever made has been stolen from the real hard working tax payers. The banks treated deregulation as a license to commit crimes and steal. Real heroes there. Privatization is THEFT plain and simple. There is nothing wrong with capping, and regulating and busting up Monopolies. Monopolies and virtual monopolies formed by collusion are and always have been the enemy of the American people. I don't care how you spin your might is right and the richest man always wins scenario. Go take lessons in how to deceive those who must really want to be deceived. Its obvious you don't know me or much at all in general and that is quite a feat in and of itself with information freely available everywhere.
The problem isn't that there is a 1%. There will always be a 1%. The problem isn't that the 1% makes over $400,000 a year. The problem is that the bottom 28% of households make less than $25,000 per year.
The aggregate net worth of the top 1% is $19.6 trillion. The net worth of the bottom 50% is $1.5 trillion. This means that a 1%er has on average 650 times the net worth of a 50%er. (source: http://xkcd.com/980/huge/#x=-11320&y=-6488&z=5) I have trouble believing that the 1% are working 650 times harder.
I understand rewarding hard work, but lets be reasonable about it.
should people have salary caps like in certain sports?
No, just a serious progressive pre-Reagan tax rate and no loopholes.
Speak for yourself.
Do not pretend to speak for America!
"what if you worked for years and diligently saved up all that money, and then people banged down your door telling you it wasn’t “fair” that you had all that money you worked so hard for? "
Wallstreet's been doing this to me for years.
How did you miss that?
Now it's the teabaggers raising my taxes 100%!
You need to get out more.
Could not agree more. I posted earlier that the Dow was up 1000 this week, best jobs report in 2 years and consumer confidence best in 3 years. all facts. these OWS's all responded that the numbers were wrong etc etc as if they want to see america fail. When this great country does recover as it has in the past, as it is now and as it will in the future when we have economic turmoil again, then OWS has no place. Pathetic but true; If America does well OWS does not. For OWS to succeed America must fail. What a bunch of assholes.
Take it easy there moron123... not all. Not even most replied to you like that. I for one am happy to see the jobs numbers up and the dow climbing is good however that can all change in a few hours of trading. As for America failing... that is what is needed for the GOP to succeed in 2012. Don't believe? Just ask Mitch McConnell.