Forum Post: Just My Thoughts

I believe Occupy Wall Street has ambiguous goals, not because the movement itself is ambiguous or disorganized, but because the problems to address are spread across so many areas. It's difficult to pin down exactly what the overall effect is to be because so many things must be changed, and not on a small scale, but a massive one.

Democracy is a good idea. Capitalism and free markets are also beneficial, but combine these ideas and you inevitably create a system that gravitates toward profit and the ability to attain it at any cost without regard for social well-being. This negative result is expressed clearly by modern corporations. How many stories have you heard about corporations destroying the environment or displacing large numbers of people for no other reason than to create a slightly better bottom line?

Corporations MUST NOT have ANY influence over the laws of this country because the nature of such entities is profit gain with the ability to chase it at any cost.

If any entity asks to develop a region but it will destroy the environment, the answer MUST BE NO.

If any entity asks to exploit resources to the detriment of local people, the answer MUST BE NO.

If any entity tries to patent biologic material or anything else commonly held to be of the public or a gift of the natural world, the answer MUST BE NO.

If any entity creates a product or method that is even suspected BY THE PEOPLE to be dangerous or harmful to the people or the environment, IT MUST BE BANNED until unbiased research proves it to be safe.

No entity that represents a conflict of interest with a firm providing research of a product or method can be allowed to pay for or otherwise gift that firm by any method whatsoever.

Do you know it's illegal in some states to collect rainwater in a barrel? No one owns this water. It's my right to use it as a human on this planet, and no other human has the right to demand I pay for it. These kinds of laws force me to work for the basic survival that should be my God-given right when instead I should be working for the betterment of our country and its people.

We elect officials to do a job based on the platforms they present during elections. Once elected, they are in a pocket of immunity from the people (in between elections) and proceed to do whatever it takes to insure their longevity. Simply, they abuse the power we grant them by focusing on their own careers and bank accounts instead of the issues we face, and why not? It's profitable, and politicians who learn how to play the game have unlimited upward mobility.

Because corporations are profit machines, and politicians get caught up in our current system, it's easy to see how widespread corruption takes place. Money is not the root of all evil, but rather the LOVE of money.

Therefore, the ability for politicians to profit IN ANY WAY during their terms, outside of the salaries determined by the people, must not be allowed. While you are a public servant, your sole focus and responsibility is to serve the people and the environment, and NO OTHER ENTITY.

A better mechanism to remove elected officials at any time during their term must be put in place, at all levels. If you don't hold to your platform or if you fail to manage the operations for which you are responsible in a way that is transparent and with the good of the people and the environment as your core motivation, you are not for the people and so will not be allowed to continue.

We do need an elected government whose job it is to manage the operations of our country, however our current system is focused on corporations. I believe this is true because our government simply does not have the expertise to deal with many of the issues we push on it and so it looks to outside help. The conflict happens when business sees that request for help as an opportunity to increase profits, and because they are corporations, they have been granted the ability to increase profits at any cost. Corporations exploit our government, and that cannot be allowed to continue.

I love America and believe this really is the greatest country on Earth, but for the sake of everyone, things must change. Our democracy must evolve to match the current paradigms of the people. It is OUR country and OUR government, after all.

I'll be the first to admit I don't have a deep understanding of finance or economics, but then it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that some people are giving a higher priority to green paper than to the longevity of the species.