Forum Post: Occupy Wall Street is leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%.
Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 18, 2011, 3:09 a.m. EST by HeardofEconomics
(59)
from Chicago, IL
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%.
Warren Buffett: Donated - 30 billion to charity in a single year
Bill Gates: Donated 11 billion to charity in a single year
William Hewlett: Donated 6 billion to charity in a single year
Gordon and Betty Moore: Donated 5 billion to charity in a single year
David and Lucille Packard: Donated 1.65 billion to charity in a single year
The list goes on and on...but you get it...
How much did you donate this year???
I think calling the 1% greedy might not be the most accurate statement to have on the home page....what if we reword it to:
"The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1% except for those of the 1% that donate over a billion dollars or anything over a million cause thats alot too...but definitly not the rest".
although i guess that is not quite as catchy...
What we couldn't tolerate is the political contribution from the corporation that will influence our congress.
http://occupywallst.org/forum/our-1st-demand-needs-to-be/
Philanthropists only got there by standing on the backs of those below them. Bill Gates only got there by swindling other people out of there money.
That's why they get to be philanthropists, and the rest of us get the shaft.
What does this have to do with demands like:
Break up the monopolies. The so-called "Too Big to Fail" financial companies – now sometimes called by the more accurate term "Systemically Dangerous Institutions" – are a direct threat to national security. They are above the law and above market consequence, making them more dangerous and unaccountable than a thousand mafias combined. There are about 20 such firms in America, and they need to be dismantled; a good start would be to repeal the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and mandate the separation of insurance companies, investment banks and commercial banks.
Pay for your own bailouts. A tax of 0.1 percent on all trades of stocks and bonds and a 0.01 percent tax on all trades of derivatives would generate enough revenue to pay us back for the bailouts, and still have plenty left over to fight the deficits the banks claim to be so worried about. It would also deter the endless chase for instant profits through computerized insider-trading schemes like High Frequency Trading, and force Wall Street to go back to the job it's supposed to be doing, i.e., making sober investments in job-creating businesses and watching them grow.
No public money for private lobbying. A company that receives a public bailout should not be allowed to use the taxpayer's own money to lobby against him. You can either suck on the public teat or influence the next presidential race, but you can't do both. Butt out for once and let the people choose the next president and Congress.
Tax hedge-fund gamblers. For starters, we need an immediate repeal of the preposterous and indefensible carried-interest tax break, which allows hedge-fund titans like Stevie Cohen and John Paulson to pay taxes of only 15 percent on their billions in gambling income, while ordinary Americans pay twice that for teaching kids and putting out fires. I defy any politician to stand up and defend that loophole during an election year.
Change the way bankers get paid. We need new laws preventing Wall Street executives from getting bonuses upfront for deals that might blow up in all of our faces later. It should be: You make a deal today, you get company stock you can redeem two or three years from now. That forces everyone to be invested in his own company's long-term health – no more Joe Cassanos pocketing multimillion-dollar bonuses for destroying the AIGs of the world.
Top 10 Heavy Hitters:
ActBlue..... $55,745,059
AT&T Inc..... $47,571,779
American Fedn of State, County & Municipal Employees.... $46,167,658
National Assn of Realtors..... $40,718,176
Service Employees International Union......$37,634,367
National Education Assn.......$37,051,378
Goldman Sachs........ $35,790,579
American Assn for Justice.......$34,715,804
Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers......... $34,292,471
Laborers Union........ $31,876,950
http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/list.php?order=A
http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/index.php
http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/mems.php
HOPE Humans On Planet Earth...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QrDLwSgg24
Donating money does not take pesticides off my food, it doesnt put an air conditioner in a 90 degree classroom in the middle of nowhere, it doesnt rebuild the manufacturing plants, it doesnt bring back the call centers, it doesnt get kids off of drugs, it doesnt help the mentally ill recover. Where does their money get donated? I dont know, but it hasnt done much to make things better in my neck of the woods. You would think that if they donated so much, they could donate something to make jobs.
this is the reason this movement is not focused....
pesticides....not sure how this one has anything with this movement??? did i miss somthing?
air conditioners.....is this an issue...havent heard about it in the US but on this one maybe you have a piont.
manufacturing plans and call cenenters: one of the primary concepts to that when somone has the natural advantage they are the only ones that can do it... labor for manufacturing and call centers is generally cheaper (much much much) overseas....so unless you are willing to work for the same cost as someone in india or vietnam...you would cost the company more money...what does this mean...this means the cost of their goods or services goes up....this is fine if your willing to pay more for american products then imports...guessing you wont do that....would you be happy paying $100 for a shirt made in the USA vs $25 for one made in asia for pennies an hour? i know the rest of the world wouldnt...so we would have to support our own companies...or let them die...then we only have foreign companies which certainly arent employeeing americans...
this is the problem with this mvement....you need to think beyond what is best for individuals....and think about how it is actually possible.....
the answer to the income gaap is education.... the unemployment for college graduates is under 5%.....and their are job opening for technical jobs as well...we need to retrain our workforce not try to revive jobs that will cost american companies any chance at having a cost competitive advantage....
I have a great idea....invite an economics professor from the closest major university to your gatherings....have them explain market forces and competitive advantages to everyone...the figure out a ACTUAL way this can be fixed rather just complaining about things that CAN'T POSSIBLY WORK....this would actually be improving America...or how about finding jobs that are out there (as there are plenty in the classified of most major cities) and train your protesters how to do these jobs....THIS WOULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR AMERICA AS A WHOLE...UNLES YOU ONLY REALLY CARE ABOUT YOURSELF OF COURSE....MY CONCERN EXACTLY ABOUT THIS MOVEMENT...WHY ME...WHY NOT ME...GIVE ME...MAKE SURE I HAVE....I WANT THIS FREE....I DESERVE THAT......JUST STOP AND MAKE AMERICA BETTER THROUGH REALLY UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS POSSIBLE....EDUCATING THOSE THAT CANT FIND A JOB AND REALLY IMPROVE THE WORLD....OR NOT AND JUST SIT IN A PART....HELPFUL...REAL HELPFUL
So lets what if here. What if manufacturing was co-opted by several local small business owners? What if their salaries were capped at $500,000? Do you think there would be enough to pay American employees then? What if the plant operated using renewable energy? How much of the overhead could be avoided? What if we hemp (not weed) became legal and we used it for much of our raw materials? (you would need to research the benefits of hemp over other industrial plants currently produced to understand the relevance of this question)
I am a biochemistry major with a 3.8GPA and five children in my third year of college. Im 27 years old. I understand how important education in the sciences and technical fields are, however, many schools do not foster the type of "love for learning" necessary to excel in these fields. Many times learned helplessness is fostered instead. Could a percentage of profits go directly toward improving local schools? You would be surprised of the state of affairs in many under-financed schools.
What if the companies ran based on unbiased scientific recommendations for efficient operations in regard to waste, energy, and raw materials.
If I only thought of what was possible, I would not be where I am at right now. I would be homeless and hooked on lord knows what. I would try to work any nickle and dime job I could while collecting food stamps. I would sit and complain about how horrible my life is without really researching my options. I am not doing any of those things. I am not doing what is "possible" I am doing what I must to make a decent life for my children. We need to stop thinking about what is "possible" and think about what is necessary and the sacrifices needed to make it happen.
probably more then you my friend.....
How much wealth did you concentrate this year? Anymore stupid questions one percent goon?
You're missing the point. The wealth is horribly concentrated even after you account for all of their fake humanitarian crap. It does not matter how much the filthy rich 'give back'. They still keep way too much.
The rest of you: Don't fall for this psychological crap from any one percent goon. It's an obvious attempt to divert our attention from the obscene, unjust, immoral, and illogical concentration of wealth. Donald Trump went on record the other day telling us to blame the government instead of Wall Street and the richest one percent. His goons are obviously online and on air trying to divert our attention. Don't fall for it. Just keep protesting no matter what the one percent goons say or do. Our message is vital. Below is my two cents:
We have been mislead by Reagan, Bush Sr, Clinton, Bush Jr, Obama, and nearly every other public figure. Economic growth, job creation, and actual prosperity are not necessarily a package deal. In fact, the first two are horribly misunderstood. Economic growth/loss (GDP) is little more than a measure of wealth changing hands. A transfer of currency from one party to another. The rate at which it is traded. This was up until mid ’07′ however, has never been a measure of actual prosperity. Neither has job creation. The phrase itself has been thrown around so often, and in such a generic political manner, that it has come to mean nothing. Of course, we need to have certain things done for the benefit of society as a whole. We need farmers, builders, manufacturers, transporters, teachers, cops, firefighters, soldiers, mechanics, sanitation workers, doctors, managers, and visionaries. Their work is vital. I’ll even go out on a limb and say that we need politicians, attorneys, bankers, investors, and entertainers. In order to keep them productive, we must provide reasonable incentives. We need to compensate each by a fair measure for their actual contributions to society. We need to provide a reasonable scale of income opportunity for every independent adult, every provider, and share responsibility for those who have a legitimate need for aid. In order to achieve and sustain this, we must also address the cost of living and the distribution of wealth. Here, we have failed miserably. The majority have already lost their home equity, their financial security, and their relative buying power. The middle class have actually lost much of their ability to make ends meet, re-pay loans, pay taxes, and support their own economy. The lower class have gone nearly bankrupt. In all, its a multi-trillion dollar loss taken over about 30 years. Millions are under the impression that we need to create more jobs simply to provide more opportunity. as if that would solve the problem. It won’t. Not by a longshot. Jobs don’t necessarily create wealth. In fact, they almost never do. For the mostpart, they only transfer wealth from one party to another. A gain here. A loss there. Appreciation in one community. Depreciation in another. In order to create net wealth, you must harvest a new resource or make more efficient use of one. Either way you must have a reliable and ethical system in place to distribute that newly created wealth in order to benefit society as a whole and prevent a lagging downside. The ‘free market’ just doesn’t cut it. Its a farce. Many of the jobs created are nothing but filler. The promises empty. Sure, unemployment reached an all-time low under Bush. GDP reached an all-time high. But those are both shallow and misleading indicators. In order to gauge actual prosperity, you must consider the economy in human terms. As of ’08′ the average American was working more hours than the previous generation with far less equity to show for it. Consumer debt, forclosure, and bankruptcy were also at all-time highs. As of ’08′, every major American city was riddled with depressed communities, neglected neighborhoods, failing infrastructures, lost revenue, and gang activity. All of this has coincided with massive economic growth and job creation. Meanwhile, the rich have been getting richer and richer and richer even after taxes. Our nation’s wealth has been concentrated. Again, this represents a multi-trillion dollar loss taken by the majority. Its an absolute deal breaker. Bottom line: With or without economic growth or job creation, you must have a system in place to prevent too much wealth from being concentrated at the top. Unfortunately, we don’t. Our economy has become nothing but a giant game of Monopoly. The richest one percent already own nearly 1/2 of all United States wealth. More than double their share before Reagan took office. Still, they want more. They absolutely will not stop. Now, our society as a whole is in serious jeapordy. Greed kills.
well hey at least you were creative enough to add 2 sentences to the top of your copy - paste job...what a waste of space you are...engage don't hide behind your keyboard...debate...dont hide a paste....god help this movement if you represent the 99%...if you do, that percentage won't be dropping anytime soon.
The answer is still no.
you are just not smart