Forum Post: Nine Demands For The 99%

Nine Demands for the 99%

The Occupy Wall St. Movement has been good at pointing out the problems of this country; inequalities of income, corporate control of the government, benefits for the wealthy and nothing for those who need it are making the rich richer and everyone else poorer. What is needed now are solutions to these problems that will put us in the direction of peace, prosperity, equality and freedom for every one. Here is a list of reforms that I think would solve a lot of these problems.

1. Eliminate all corporate tax deductions.
2. Eliminate all personal tax deductions except for the personal deduction.
3. The personal deduction should be raised $30,000per person, the median income with another $10,000 for each dependent. The graduated income tax is supposed to be a luxury tax on income that is not needed for necessities. That is why it taxes higher income more and there is no tax on low income people. The personal deduction has not kept up with inflation and is much to low for anyone to possibly live on.
4. Raise the minimum wage to $15.00 per hour. These four changes would both balance the budget and increase employment. A recession is a result of lack of demand for goods and purchasing power. Putting more
   money in the hands on consumers increases demand which results in more employment which increases demand further creating more jobs etc. Cutting tax deductions also gives the government more money that it can spend on useful programs therefore increasing employment further.
5. A Constitutional Amendment allowing limitations on all campaign spending including outside and issue support as well as individual donations. Campaign donations from corporations and the wealthy are no more than legalized bribery. Anyone who can pay a Congressman enough can get whatever they want while no one else does. This country is now a democracy of money, not of people. The more money you have the more influence you have.
6. Cut military spending in half. The United States spend more on the military than the rest of the world combined. I hope we don’t try to fight all of the rest of the world at once. If everyone disagrees with us perhaps we should admit we are wrong. Most of it is wasted on useless high tech equipment that no one could ever use, and through corrupt politically influenced contracts. Wages and benefits for soldiers should be increased. Much of the money saved should be spent on aid to impoverished countries for education, healthcare, birth control, agriculture, housing, environmental programs and other economic benefits.
7. Free universal health care for everyone, including dental. If Canada can do it why can’t we.
8. Remove all restrictions on union organizing including so called right to work laws and limitations on collective bargaining , picketing and secondary boycotts. This should be a freedom of speech issue.
9. Much more funding for education, services for children, the elderly and disabled, welfare, the unemployed and the homeless, including housing and food subsidies. What the homeless need is a home. Construction of appropriate housing as well as more rent subsidies would help. This list may seem overly optimistic but it is a set of goals to work towards. In this era of corporate socialism and corporate welfare it is time for people to take control of the government so that it works for us. There are many things that need to be changed in this country, but this list would at least solve our economic problems.