Forum Post: Occupy Together DEMANDS? (I know we vote on this but plz read)

Posted 12 years ago on Oct. 28, 2011, 3:46 p.m. EST by freedomplz (11)
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Eventually people will want something done...and that will be hard because so many people want so many different things. I plan to go to my local general assembly this weekend...and will be heading back up to OWS in two weeks to present a few possible demands to the crowd. These demands are very realistic and a lot of people agree no matter what side you are on:

FIRST:

THE PRESIDENT HAS TO LISTEN AND RESPOND WITH REAL ANSWERS. NO MORE SELECTED MEDIA AT YOUR WHITEHOUSE EVENTS COVERING WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE. YOU MUST ANSWER TO US AS A GROUP...don' use soundbites and select who you want reporting what you talk about.

SECOND:

NO more lobbyists at all...plain and simple NO MORE.

THIRD:

Get PAC'S and corporations out of politics. Everyone needs an equal playing field...every candidate deserves equal time to be heard...not whatever he or she can buy because of their corporate buddies.

FOURTH:

OBEY what this country was founded on...the CONSTITUTION. Stop the lip service and do it or be thrown out of office. There needs to be a rule that you will be thrown out if you violate the constitution...no exceptions. Anything not in the constitution is dealt with at the state level. It is a lot easier to influence at the local level....and if you don't like it move to another state...that's why it is called the united STATES...not the ONE STATE FEDERAL.

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[-] 1 points by bensdad (8977) 12 years ago

another states rightest - if mississippi votes to make the birth control pill illegal ( and they will today) - move to maine.
IF YOU ARE SERIOUS find a change the vast majority want - get rid of CU
There are a huge number of great, well thought out, COMPLICATED ideas that will require a huge amount of "selling" and explanation" and will garner GREAT OPPOSITION.
We need to be realistic & pick an issue that is simple - that is popular -
that 83% of Americans already agree on -
that 56% of TP already agree on -
that will bring together the people in OWS with the people outside of OWS.
Everybody wins!

Our only goal should be to pass a constitutional amendment to counter Supreme Court decisions Citizens United (2010) & Buckley v. Valeo (1976), that enable unlimited amounts of anonymous money to flood into our political system.
“Corporations and organizations are not a persons & have no personhood rights”
and
“money is not free speech”.

We don’t have to explain or persuade people to accept our position – we have to persuade them to ACT based on their own position. Pursuing this goal will prove to the world that we, at OWS, are a serious realistic Movement, with serious realistic goals. Achieving this goal will make virtually every other goal – jobs, taxes, infrastructure, Medicare – much easier to achieve –
by disarming our greatest enemy – GREED.

THE SUCCESS STORY OF THE AMENDING PROCESS The Prohibition movement started as a disjointed effort by conservative teetotalers who thought the consumption of alcohol was immoral. They ransacked saloons and garnered press coverage here and there for a few years. Then they began to gain support from the liberals because many considered alcohol partially responsible for spousal and child abuse, among other social ills. This odd alliance, after many years of failing to influence change consistently across jurisdictions, decided to concentrate on one issue nationally—a constitutional amendment. They pressured all politicians on every level to sign a pledge to support the amendment. Any who did not, they defeated easily at the ballot box since they controlled a huge number of liberal, and conservative and independent swing votes in every election. By being a single-issue constituency attacking from all sides of the political spectrum, they very quickly amassed enough votes (2/3) to pass the amendment in Congress. And, within just 17 months, they were successful in getting ¾ of the state legislatures to ratify the constitutional amendment into law. (Others were ratified even faster: Eight —took less than a year. The 26th, granting 18-year-olds the right to vote, took just three months and eight days.)

If they could tie the left and right into a success -
WHY CAN'T WE??????????

I feel that we should stay with this simple text to overturn CU:
”corporations are not people” and “money is not free speech”
for four simple reasons and one – not so simple:
1
83% of Americans have already opposed CU in the ABC/Washington post poll and the above
IS THEIR POSITION ALREADY.
2
We don’t have to work to convince people on the validity of our position.
3
Simple is almost always better.
4
This simple Amendment is REQUIRED to overturn CU.
And all other electoral reform can be passed through the normal legislative process.

5
OWS and these pages are chock full of ( mostly ) excellent ideas to improve our country.
All of them have strong advocates – and some have strong opposition.
None of them has been “pre-approved” by 83% of Americans !
Pursuing this goal – without additional specifics is exactly what Americans want.
What do we want? Look at that almost endless list of demands – goals - aims.
Tax the rich. End the Fed. Jobs for all, Medicare for all. So easy to state! Can you imagine how hard it would be to formulate a “sales pitch” for any of these to convince your Republican friends to vote for any of them?
83% of Americans have ALREADY “voted” against CU. And 76% of the Rs did too.
All we have to do ask Americans is to pressure their representatives – by letters - emails – petitions.

Wanna take your family on vacation?
Convince the 7 year old and the 10 year old to go to Mt Rushmore.
Then try to convince them to go to Disneyland.
Prioritizing this goal will introduce us to the world – not as a bunch of hippie radical anarchist socialist commie rabblerousers – but as a responsible, mature movement that is fighting for what America wants.

I feel that using the tactics of the NRA, the AARP an the TP – who all represent a minority – who have successfully used their voting power to achieve their minority goals - plus the Prohibition Amendment tactics – bringing all sides together - is a straight path for us to success that cannot fail to enable us to create and complete one MAJORITY task.