Forum Post: One step at a time, people
Posted 12 years ago on Oct. 4, 2011, 11:30 a.m. EST by tomp
(29)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
First things first - a clear, concise list of your demands / the fundamental and non-derogable economic rights of all U.S. citizens. Amendments and pro-democracy reforms are longer-term.
The reason why this protest is getting bad press is because people aren't seeing anything of substance. Holding up signs and having people talk and marching is not enough. People need to see you mobilizing in a coherent and discernible way.
Where is the clear message?
As Jane Addams, a sociologist and founder of settlement houses put it, “the good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain, is floating in mid-air, until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life.”
There is a common good we all must strive for - everyone won't get everything they desire but all will get what they need.
this is certainly true, but even these precarious and uncertain rights must be articulated, however general they may be
What we're really talking about is Economic Justice -- see some good ideas here:
http://www.cesj.org/about/aboutcesj.htm
Does this mean we can get for free everything we desire if everyone in the world is task with giving so all wealth can be distributed equally?
I am glad to see Michael Moore and Sharon Sarandon supporting us, because I know they support Socialism and they would be willing to pay a 50-75% tax on their money to help the poor like us.
We do need a clear message and I think one of the things we need to work on is getting that out. But at the moment things are growing rapidly and we are an outlet for all the discontent that people have with the way corporations are running the government and our lives.
Yes it is needed - a simple, concise declaration of certain fundamental economic rights which will keep corporations and banks in check with regards to exploiting U.S. citizens. This is the first step
You're absolutely right. The people in this movement come from all political and cultural spectrums yet are united in common purpose; eliminating the staggeringly unequal distribution of wealth that threatens to destroy this country. Leadership is needed to craft a strong, clear message about this problem.
Let's form a message that can not be easily spun by the press as "socialistic." Remove Congress from Wall Street is a clear and simple message.
Of course that will be spun as socialist!
It is a socialist message. The goal should be to find a way to turn capitalism into a dirty word, and I have no idea how to do that.
A truly socialist message will NEVER be supported by the masses. Push for your goals through a message from center. Remove Wall Street from Congress with Term Limits.
1 clear message = CONGRESS OCCUPIES WALL STREET so let's push for CONGRESSIONAL TERM LIMITS through this movement & REMOVE CONGRESS FROM WALL STREET
Nope, that's neither the message, nor clear. Baby steps, people
Remove Congress from Wall Street is a clear and simple message
It's not clear because it begs the question of HOW this is to be done, and that's where you run into trouble. If you say "All U.S. citizens have the right to be free from corporate exploitation", that is less troubling because it only begs hypotheticals at best, akin to the Bill of Rights
the right to be free from corporate exploitation has no teeth / how we accomplish term limits is by adopting it as the goal of this movement / middle America will support term limits / we need the support of middle America
how will term limits solve the problem?
Wall Street's support of the major parties and major candidates sets up an imbalance of power that is prone to abuse. Remove lifetime-party (Wall Street) politicians and it will be harder for a single power base like Wall Street to railroad the people. No more lifetime politicians will yield more team-spirited public servants who serve their time then move on. Serving in congress will be more like serving as an enlisted soldier than the present lifetime of glory and power that serves Wall Street's agenda.
yeah, but politicians can still take money from corporations in their one or two terms in office, and in fact procure certain prestigious positions with these corporations afterwards. Term limits don't solve the problem - look what Reagan did while in office, and there's term limits there
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get in bed*