Forum Post: PROPOSED LIST OF DEMANDS (please help edit/add so this can be submitted for consideration to those maintaining the official list)
Posted 13 years ago on Sept. 28, 2011, 6:54 p.m. EST by GandhiKingMindset
(124)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Admin Note: This is not an official list of demands, it's a user-submitted post on our forum. The user who submitted this post only speaks for her/himself and their supporters, NOT the movement as a whole.
(Please click on this link if you haven't yet read the introduction called "OUR TURN": https://occupywallst.org/forum/our-turn/ . Feel free to share this link with anyone you like).
TACTICS FOR "DEMANDS FOR CONGRESS"
We should make the demands below very publicly at a press conference a few days after arriving in DC. When doing so, we should give a clear deadline of 3 days for a firm written commitment with signatures from at least 60% of members of House and 60% of the members of the Senate to pass these bills by the end of the year. If this commitment on the full slate of demands is not met by midnight on the 3rd day (which it won't be) we should be prepared to non-violently block access to all or part of the Capitol complex the next morning by traditional proven non-violent tactics. The purpose is to bring the leaders of the House and Senate to the negotiating table.
NOTE: There are always entrances because there is always a point where people who work there have to leave the public street and enter secure space. We should focus our non-violent direct action and civil disobedience on those entrances no matter where they move them because these are, by definition, always accessible.
LIST OF PROPOSED "DEMANDS FOR CONGRESS"
CONGRESS PASS HR 1489 ("RETURN TO PRUDENT BANKING ACT" http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-1489 ). THIS REINSTATES MANY PROVISIONS OF THE GLASS-STEAGALL ACT. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass–Steagall_Act --- Wiki entry summary: The repeal of provisions of the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933 by the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act in 1999 effectively removed the separation that previously existed between investment banking which issued securities and commercial banks which accepted deposits. The deregulation also removed conflict of interest prohibitions between investment bankers serving as officers of commercial banks. Most economists believe this repeal directly contributed to the severity of the Financial crisis of 2007–2011 by allowing Wall Street investment banking firms to gamble with their depositors' money that was held in commercial banks owned or created by the investment firms. Here's detail on repeal in 1999 and how it happened: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass–Steagall_Act#Repeal .
USE CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORITY AND OVERSIGHT TO ENSURE APPROPRIATE FEDERAL AGENCIES FULLY INVESTIGATE AND PROSECUTE THE WALL STREET CRIMINALS who clearly broke the law and helped cause the 2008 financial crisis in the following notable cases: (insert list of the most clear cut criminal actions). There is a pretty broad consensus that there is a clear group of people who got away with millions / billions illegally and haven't been brought to justice. Boy would this be long overdue and cathartic for millions of Americans. It would also be a shot across the bow for the financial industry. If you watch the solidly researched and awared winning documentary film "Inside Job" that was narrated by Matt Damon (pretty brave Matt!) and do other research, it wouldn't take long to develop the list.
CONGRESS ENACT LEGISLATION TO PROTECT OUR DEMOCRACY BY REVERSING THE EFFECTS OF THE CITIZENS UNITED SUPREME COURT DECISION which essentially said corporations can spend as much as they want on elections. The result is that corporations can pretty much buy elections. Corporations should be highly limited in ability to contribute to political campaigns no matter what the election and no matter what the form of media. This legislation should also RE-ESTABLISH THE PUBLIC AIRWAVES IN THE U.S. SO THAT POLITICAL CANDIDATES ARE GIVEN EQUAL TIME FOR FREE AT REASONABLE INTERVALS IN DAILY PROGRAMMING DURING CAMPAIGN SEASON. The same should extend to other media.
CONGRESS PASS THE BUFFETT RULE ON FAIR TAXATION SO THE RICH AND CORPORATIONS PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE & CLOSE CORPORATE TAX LOOP HOLES AND ENACT A PROHIBITION ON HIDING FUNDS OFF SHORE. No more GE paying zero or negative taxes. Pass the Buffet Rule on fair taxation so the rich pay their fair share. (If we have a really had a good negotiating position and have the place surrounded, we could actually dial up taxes on millionaires, billionaires and corporations even higher...back to what they once were in the 50's and 60's.
CONGRESS COMPLETELY REVAMP THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION and staff it at all levels with proven professionals who get the job done protecting the integrity of the marketplace so citizens and investors are both protected. This agency needs a large staff and needs to be well-funded. It's currently has a joke of a budget and is run by Wall St. insiders who often leave for high ticket cushy jobs with the corporations they were just regulating. Hmmm.
CONGRESS PASS SPECIFIC AND EFFECTIVE LAWS LIMITING THE INFLUENCE OF LOBBYISTS AND ELIMINATING THE PRACTICE OF LOBBYISTS WRITING LEGISLATION THAT ENDS UP ON THE FLOOR OF CONGRESS.
CONGRESS PASSING "Revolving Door Legislation" LEGISLATION ELIMINATING THE ABILITY OF FORMER GOVERNMENT REGULATORS GOING TO WORK FOR CORPORATIONS THAT THEY ONCE REGULATED. So, you don't get to work at the FDA for five years playing softball with Pfizer and then go to work for Pfizer making $195,000 a year. While they're at it, Congress should pass specific and effective laws to enforce strict judicial standards of conduct in matters concerning conflicts of interest. So long as judges are culled from the ranks of corporate attorneys the 1% will retain control.
ELIMINATE "PERSONHOOD" LEGAL STATUS FOR CORPORATIONS. The film "The Corporation" has a great section on how corporations won "personhood status". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SuUzmqBewg . Fast-forward to 2:20. It'll blow your mind. The 14th amendment was supposed to give equal rights to African Americans. It said you "can't deprive a person of life, liberty or property without due process of law". Corporation lawyers wanted corporations to have more power so they basically said "corporations are people." Amazingly, between 1890 and 1910 there were 307 cases brought before the court under the 14th amendment. 288 of these brought by corporations and only 19 by African Americans. 600,000 people were killed to get rights for people and then judges applied those rights to capital and property while stripping them from people. It's time to set this straight.
NOTE 1: This is from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from the Birmingham Jail":
"Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks to so dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent-resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word "tension." I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood."
"The purpose of our direct-action program is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. I therefore concur with you in your call for negotiation."
Here's the entire "Letter from the Birmingham Jail": http://abacus.bates.edu/admin/offices/dos/mlk/letter.html . It's a treasure and is as timely as ever.
NOTE 2: Here's a short video from BBC to inspire you. It gets pretty extraordinary about halfway through: http://youtu.be/lqN3amj6AcE
NOTE 3: If you haven't seen these 3 award winning documentaries -- INSIDE JOB, THE CORPORATION, and WHY WE FIGHT -- I highly recommend them.
NOTE 4: There needs to be a very well researched and concise addendum that contains a list of the top 50 corporate crimes / harmful actions during the past 15 years. This ought to really blow people away and will help increase support both on the ground in DC and in living rooms across America as the story unfolds. We can't assume everyone knows why these demands are necessary. We must demonstrate.
I would love to see a law/bill passed called The Honesty Act or Nothing Hidden Act (or whatever you want to call it) where it would be illegal for politicians to sneak in laws/bills/ideas into another law/bill that has nothing to do with the original idea being proposed. So in other words, if I was a politician and I was trying to get a bill passed regarding child safety and car seats, I (nor anyone else) could then slip in a line about military spending etc. because that's a tool that they use to get shit passed. After all, whose gonna be against child safety? etc.
It's called a rider. Riders need to be banned.
That is why we need a 4th body of government that is the people. Federal PUBLIC REFERENDUMS or BALLOT INITIATIVES.
Then we can do things like banning riders ourselves without taking to the streets all the time...
https://www.facebook.com/OccupyTheAgenda
THIS IS WHAT WE NEED http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_in_Switzerland
According to those who wrote the constitution, The House was supposed to be the people's voice in government. get involved, talk to your Congressmen(women) and fire them if they dont do what WE want.
This is one of the best comments I've seen on this entire forum. Simple but so true. I worked for a Congressman on Capitol Hill and I know how much of a difference it made when citizens voiced concerns. Call your congress person. It makes a difference. Trust me. I used to be one of the people counting he responses to certain events, legislation, etc and it DEFINITELY mattered to the congressman what the counts were. He obsessed over them.
http://algoxy.com/ows/strategyofamerica.html please check this out for a LEGAL way we can change the government now people NEED to know they have legal options.
Amending the Constitution is a dead letter, no hope of changing things that way. Bear in mind in order for an amendment to be enacted it has to first gain approval by two-thirds of the House, two-thirds of the Senate and then goes to the states and has to be approved by three-fourths of the states. If at any point in that process it fails even by one vote to get the required margins it is rejected. There is literally NO chance of getting any kind of meaningful amendment passed by either the House OR the Senate considering they are both populated by wholly-owned puppets of the elite regardless of whether they have a meaningless "R" or "D" next to their names.
So forget about it. Real change is going to have to come from working outside the established crooked and rigged political framework, not trying to change something from within which has been purposely designed to prevent meaningful change from happening.
Unfortuantely, article V has NEVER been invoked, even though 36 time in the past, more than 3/4 of the state legislatures petitioned.
the need has never been so great..
well if you liked that comment here's another: the financial crisis was NOT caused by wall street. Wall street was a victim. the cause stemmed from inept govy leaders, like Dodd and Frank, who mandated that fannie, freddie, and FHA underwrite mortgages to buyers with incomes at 80% levels to the median income. in other words, to those who couldnt afford the house they were buying and the mortgage they were taking. this perverse force allowed bad mortgages to proliferate and infect balance sheets of many unsuspecting institutions, including the banks themselves. i know i work on wall street. All this followed the flawed left-wing thinking that everyone should own a house, regardless if they could afford one. The same inept politicians that caused the crash devised silly new regulations that attacked the banks (Dodd Frank bill). Hey folks, if you want to go after the bad guys and occcupy something, then please go occupy Washington, DC.
Wall Street is a victim? Oh, you are a piece of work. Have you seen the award winning documentary "Inside Job"? Thanks for giving me my laugh of the day. It's your lie pal. Tell it however you want :)
These clowns speculated with OUR money and BET AGAINST US and then asked us to bail them out. Many of them deserve jail.
Your/our (so called) "Representatives" in Washington, DC LET THEM DO IT!
People we have entrusted to act on our behalf are only acting on their behalf and that of the "1%".
Congressional reform is the key to addressing all these grievances.
So we will continue to discover what we have in common so we can band together and become unified. Then we will be making decisions from a position of unified power rather than making demands from a position of divided weakness. We definitely need forceful nonviolent direct action but first we need to unify.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIcqb9hHQ3E&feature=share
you repeat things you've heard, like a little school boy. tell me, how exactly did wall street bet with your money? how did they bet against you? (and be clear on who bet against you?) and what happened to the bail out money? (hint: it was aall repaid, with a profit! except GM and AIG). get your facts straight if youre going to be an ignorant attack dog
Hi friend. You haven't yet read anything I offered you. It shows me you're not serious. You're just a troll. Sigh. This whole article really explains what's happening here in context. Gen Y, the millennial generation is perfectly poised to completely change the landscape.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/10/17/occupy-wall-street-will-have-seismic-effect-marks-split-with-obama-dems.html
i will look at your link. have a look at this...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIcqb9hHQ3E&feature=share
this video says it all. the occupy wall street movement has force and passion and is rooted in widespread frustration. however its target - -wall street -- is off the mark. look at this you-tube video to see where the OWS efforts would be more appropriately targeted.
I will look at what you sent. Don't miss this too http://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/
article seems interesting, the shift to the left thing... in the 60s, 80s, and today, all for different reasons. lacks a pointed thesis though.
what should the people do with all that frustration? answer: first blame the right people and institutions (government, not wall street), then move to affect change: we need stim economic growth policies, balanced budgets, responsible entitlement programs (that provide temporary safety nets, not lazy life styles), etc.
Are you kidding? Wall St tells us every day that the "market" will work it's magic, but when their firms fail, the threaten to take us all with them unless we cover their losses. What happened to the market?? If it was truly the driving force of our economy, all the bad speculators would have been driven out of business. Markets my eye, handouts is what they want
you're ignorant, sorry i cant help you.
Bullshit
BING! GO!
The corruption in our government and all the harm its causing is simply a symptom of a larger problem. The government for years has been actively trying to free us(and just about every other country has) from the grip of Africa, The Middle East and China with out risking a global market crash. Due to the fact that they all have the power to do so. This is why we have been allowing them to slap us around for so many years. They don't need to cut off our oil supply or goods. They also don't have to go to war with every NATO nation. All three can do it through currency manipulation.
You ever wonder why we ended up in Iraq when they where not our "enemy?" Saddam Hussein was doing every thing he could to push every country besides Israel to start manipulating the dollar by using oil as a leverage against it. This is also the reason NATO jumped at the chance to take out Muammar Gaddafi.
Hussien wanted to make it so that if you wanted to buy oil Iraqi you had to use the Euro. This would have sent the value of the dollar plummeting. Thus setting off a chain reaction that would have resulted in a global market crash.
Gaddafi was working on a global currency, the Gold Dinar and with it a gold-for-oil plan. Meaning that the only currency you could use to buy oil from Libya is gold or Libya's Gold Dinar. The Africa and the Middle East besides Israeli where also keen on this idea and you can bet they are still working on establishing the Gold Dinar and a gold-for-oil plan. We don't have enough gold to keep up with our dependance on oil from the middle east. It would only be a matter of days before Fort Knox is empty and our oil reserve is gone.
All China has to do is demand hard currency like gold or sliver to backup the large amounts of the bonds that make up the debit they have they have against us. The moment out government says no, they will turn around and sell those federal bonds for next to nothing. Due to the fact that our dollars worth is based largely on federal bonds, the value of those bonds would take and dive and they would take the value of our dollar with them. Instant stock market crash that will send shock waive through out the global market. It will be only a matter of days before our stock market crash hits the global market and once it does every country that is invested in the dollar is going to crash also.
They are focusing on those issues above all others due largely that they demand all most 100% of the governments attention. http://youtu.be/hJm5O2dV_RY
i agree with this, if big money no longer runs the show, the people will naturally take their rightful place once again. there is no reason to make things more complicated then they already are by more branches in government. this same thing goes for legislation, much good change can be done by cutting away or changing bad legislation. let only enact new legislation where we absolutely have to. remember, less government is better. put the power back where it was when this country was born, with the states, and the people. states rights, very important!
This is the root cause to address and most fundamental action to take to reclaim our voice, reclaim our rights.
But to elect replacements that will represent us we must overcome the Corporate Funded Campaign Finance "machine."
With our social network and numbers...WE CAN overcome that "machine."
I am very excited for us to overcome this machine. But how do we get from here to there?
finally! something i can agree with on this site.
I hear talk to your congressman all the time and LAUGH!
That is somewhat true, however the senate is there to stop that. It's easier to buy 100 people who are there for 6 years than 435 that are there for 2 years but they are easily corrupted too. By design it is giving the illusion of a democracy. Senate means the assembly of the eldest and wiser members of the society and ruling class, I think there are significantly more of the latter. This all leads to the general distrust for this system to continue to work and represent the people. That is why I think that we need a system that models this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_in_Switzerland
Especially Winona. Has she done any decent projects since Heathers?
This is a great list. I would also include:
1) Abolishing a) Central Banks, i.e. Federal Reserve, b) FIAT Currency, and c) Fractional Banking. The Federal Government should print the money and spend it into circulation without interest. The banks should be forced to keep a good percentage in reserve.
2) Speculative trading on commodities should be limited. It is the speculative trading that is causing the oil prices and food prices to go up. It is another bubble that the big banks are betting against (shorting)... while the poor around the world are starving to death.
3) And what guyfawkestrader said 10 days ago about high frequency trading:
This is a fantastic list. It is exactly what the movement needs to really gain steam. I hope that this becomes the official list of demands fast and that it gets out to the media so the rest of america can get behind it. Bravo, you all are doing a great job.
The only thing I would think to add is a section that revamps speculation. There needs to be some type of law that reforms the way trading occurs. The high frequency trading and over-leveraged speculation is roiling the markets. 80% of the trades on the NYSE and NASDAQ are done by pros who are simply trying to screw the little guy out of a nickel here and a penny there. However, they also cause huge volatility and provide no benefit at all. Its an esoteric subject matter, but former traders such as myself will understand the gist of what I am saying immediately. Perhaps a group of traders could drill down this idea into a more concrete substance.
For the laymen, consider this-- 20 years ago, kids from MIT went to engineering and other types of companies that produced a product. Now they build algorithms to trade. This is a huge problem.
I agree with your additions. I am surprised abolishing the federal reserve is not included.
I totally agree with you!!!
2) Speculative trading - IF you are not going to take possession of product you can not speculate simple effective
That would change the whole game for our markets. I love it. I've spoken to many good people on Wall Street who hate two things: the automatic trading which causes volatility and the speculation which hurts the economy and gives them a bad name.
I agree. The kind of speculation on Commodities I'm taking about is - Food crisis benefits Goldman Sachs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3vpDqzz5mo
The fed can actually be a usefull tool if run by the people. It was created for a good reason but we must re gain controll of all of its activities. Let's not go backwards let's move toward with major reform.
You do know how the FED was created right? And who owns it? Edward Griffin Creature From Jekyll Island A Second Look at the Federal Reserve: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhMacPvc5qc
powertothepeople mentioned ALEC 10 days ago, I think they need to be mentioned again:
Our laws are NOT being written by our Congressional representatives in Washington, but by the corporations!
State legislators from across the country, who are members of ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council, http://www.alec.org/), get wined and dined by corporate lobbyists. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, for an example, invited legislators to a big smoke at their cigar reception on Bourbon Street (their last convention was in New Orleans 08/03/11).
But the meeting is not all fun and games. Legislators sit down with some of the biggest corporations in the world -- Koch Industries, Bayer, Kraft, Coca-Cola, State Farm, AT&T, WalMart, Philip Morris and more -- and behind closed doors, they approve one-size-fits-all changes to the law that ALEC legislators then take home and introduce as their own brilliant policy innovations.
Update: Now I find out that ALEC recommends not putting out a single bill, because the public (us 99%) can build opposition to the bill, but to put out a series of bills all pertaining to a single topic, because it is a lot harder to attack those. (see: Rep. Mark Bocan: http://just-gov.com/politics-politicians-elections/).
Also see: http://www.alecexposed.org
Again we also need to repeal: "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission" ( http://www.just-gov.com/politics-politicians-elections/ ).
Did some of the same Justice's that voted to approve "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, decided that Unions could not use dues money for campaign contributions, because that would force member to contribute to a candidate the didn't approve of. Corporations pass on the cost of their contributions to the consumer, shareholders and taxpayers Just like they pass on all other costs. Thereby forcing us to support candidates we don't approve of.
This particular idea is really a nasty power grab with which many people are not yet acquainted. Whereas parties in all three branches of our government (Executive (at times), Legislative (constantly) and Judicial (increasingly more frequent)) are attempting to eviscerate Unions, they completely look the other way when it comes to requiring churches to live up to their 501(c)3 status, which requires that they DO NOT participate in legislative or political activities and that they not provide funding, resourses, or facilities for political or legislative causes.
This is an outrage because they are attempting silence organizations who are intended to have and who by all rights do and should continue to have a right to speak into the political process, while at the same time, they are allowing those who have no legal right to speak into the process, and who are in fact are legally prevented from speaking into the process lest they lose their tax exempt status, to organize for candidates, sponsor legislation and use their church funds and church facilities as resources for political and legislative efforts.
Through this process, these people in our branches of government (mostly Republicans), hope to eliminate the ligitimate voice of millions of American workers, while at the same time instuting an illegal, theocraic voice in American politics.
The idea that Unions should not have the right to support candidates because it does not represent every member's individual preference is absurd. To say this is the same as saying that every decision the federal government makes must meet the approval of every single individual citizen. Governments do not work like that. They are supposed to govern with an understanding of their constituents and with a sense of utility (creating usefulness and happiness for the greatest number of people).
Unions are a "governing body (i.e., a government)" of workers who petition (request) membership by way of an application. They ASK to become members; it is a privilege, not a right, that is not always granted. If all they want is the pay and benefits of belonging to a Union without actually supporting that Union, they should directly negotiate with the employer themselves. Of course, they already know how far those negotiations with their employer will get them, which is nowhere. Which is why they are in a Union to begin with: because employers were abusing workers, using child labor, denying those children a right to attend school, hiring thugs to shoot and kill workers, allowing workers to die in unsafe working conditions, etc. Think it can't happen again? Look around: think there are any people out there wondering how they can profit from the current economic situation? Think there are some calculating who'll get hungriest first, so they can offer them abusive working conditions, knowing they'll jump at the chance, just to get a consistent bite to eat? I assure you there are those very people making those very calculations. Those people don't think like normal people think, and yet, they are the very people your Union has to negotiate with. Do you get it?! As an alternative, maybe supporting their Union is not such a bad deal after all?
There is a democratic process in unions, nearly identical to that of our various governments, that process is to be worked out within the Union and has nothing to do with federal or state government, as long as the Union operates within the laws of the state and federal government. The big issue is that the the Union's "scope of concern" is the benefit of it's workers.
That governing body makes decisions on behalf of the members. Supporting candidates for office is one of those decisions. It may not meet with someone's particular idealogical stand on other issues but the Union is making the best choice available, that is intended to promote the best outcome for their "scope of concern,"which is employment, pay and benefits for its members.
Churches on the other hand derive their tax-exempt status from their agreement to remain separate from the state. Imagine how polluted churches would become if the government was in our churches stirring things up, legally!
This separation is not intended merely to protect the government from the voice of the church (which any church member may voice on his or her own, as citizens), rather it is also intended to protect the Church from the government! People on either side who wish for this outcome, are either not think the issues through or, they have a theocratic agenda.
"They ASK to become members; it is a privilege"
It is actually forced upon people because of union contracts, I have no choice if I want a job and $50 per month is taken from my pay check to pay SEIU one of the largest unions that I do not like, they do things all the time that I do not agree with, yet every paycheck I pay to support their regime. Recently they testified in the Illinois legislature in favor of repealing parts of the freedom of information act, WHY?
LOOK AT ALL THE UNIONS MEDDLING IN THE ILLINOIS FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT!
SPEAKING AGAINST PUBLIC ACCESS!
http://www.chicagojustice.org/foi/issue-brief-general-assembly-attempts-rollbacks-of-public-access-law
Here is some info about the corrupt ways they pay themselves too.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-10-12/news/ct-met-pensions-double-dip-20111012_1_pension-fund-union-pension-city-pension
You're having an awfully hard time explaining why unions cannot become more democratic and more representative of their rank-and-file members when they endorse candidates.
Unions do represent the interests of their members. I don't know why this is such a difficult concept. It seems perfectly clear to me. So, if you're against unions in general, you're basically against the people. Which means you're against a whole chunk of the population. It would obviously be better to find common ground and embrace one another rather than being so decisive. Once the 99% realize they're the 99% and they have the power, then they'll be making decisions from position of unified power rather than demands from a position of divided weakness. It's the 1% that love to fan the false flames of divisiveness.
LOOK AT ALL THE UNIONS MEDDLING IN THE ILLINOIS FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT!
SPEAKING AGAINST PUBLIC ACCESS!... WHY?
http://www.chicagojustice.org/foi/issue-brief-general-assembly-attempts-rollbacks-of-public-access-law
Here is some info about the corrupt ways they pay themselves too. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-10-12/news/ct-met-pensions-double-dip-20111012_1_pension-fund-union-pension-city-pension
I'm not sure what your point is. What does this have to do with Occupy Wall Street?
No. I am not having a hard time explaining anything; I was very clear. I think you're just having a hard time accepting the narrow scope and role of unions, as they represent their members' interests.
Membership has an obligation to be the union. Membership has a responsibility to attend meetings, to assume leadership office positions. Membership has every opportunity to engage the union whenever those members desire to change the direction of the union. If membership fails in its obligation to its own organization, it has no room to complain about those who assume those roles and make those decisions.
If you are going to make a critique, please be specific and give your reasons.
Im on board for that law to be written. And we do need a third party. Hence, why I am registered independent for many years.
The reason the US has a two-party system is because of the electoral system. In a winner-take-all system, you will always have a maximum of two viable parties per district. If you have two winners per district, you will have a maximum of 3 viable parties, three winners, 4 parties etc. The reason European countries have more than 2 viable political parties is that they have proportional representation, which allows for more than one winner per district. The most extreme example is the Netherlands, where the whole country is one district, with legislative seats are allocated according to the percentage of votes a party gets. This means that voting for "fringe" parties doesn't mean wasting one's vote in the Netherlands. In the US, voting for a third party is ALWAYS a wasted vote, since third parties can't win. If you want a third party, you have to amend the Constitution and replace the winner-take-all system with some sort of proportional representation.
The electorial sysetm is annoquated. I say, if you know who has the winning lottery number every night, why not have the popular vote determine who wins with the same system! There's so much room for fraud with the systems that are in place. It's despicable!
popular vote will be unfair to rural areas, and the less populated western non-coastal states.
I agree. I know this may sound crazy but the system needs more regional representatives with less pay and benefits, but viable pay and benefits. I also think all Senators should be reduced to serving only one 5 year term with the chance at being voted in for an extra 3. Then reduced retirement benefits kick in at the minimum retirement age of 59.5
The electoral system was originally put in place to "protect" America from ignorant people who were uneducated and uninformed. Well I say we are an informed society, all grown-up, and able to make decisions for ourselves - especially who to kick out of office!
The process could be much like it is now, but elminate the winner take all regarding the Electoral Results and eliminate the Electors.
For example, we have 9 Electoral Votes in Colorado,
If Cand 1 has 43% Cand 2 has 27% and Cand 3 has 30% They would get the follwoing Electoral Votes from CO
Cand 1 = 4.23 Cand 2 = 2.43 Cand 3 = 2.7
Add all the States results and the one with the most wins.
That sounds fair to me. But wouldn't all this require that the current congress get it or care?
It is exactly this 'two party system' which is the core problem. Someone who wants to conquer and own this country can never do that by force of arms. It was seen, a long time ago that if you corrupted both parties and took control of them, you, in effect, have subverted the country and conquered it.
OF COURSE the Republican and Democratic leadership don't want the nation to get rid of them or the electoral college. But until this is done and real political parties in profusion are allowed, you will have these two TOTALITARIAN GATEKEEPER parties pushing ever closer to absolute tyranny and corruption.
GET RID OF THE REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC PARTIES' HIDDEN MONOPOLY ON OUR GOVERNMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IRV http://www.fairvote.org/instant-runoff-voting interactive animation http://www.chrisgates.net/irv/
This is an important change that is needed in all world governments. It's a big change and needs a lot of input. So, as a minimum, a change is needed like having the states CALL A CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION to do it. But FIRST, the large corporations have to be taken out of the picture.
we NEED proportional representation. This SHOULD BE A DEMAND in the list above, as the winner-takes all system is the primary thing keeping the status quo in place. Introduce the ability to form viable parties, and the whole political dynamic changes and starts to flow, a la, more representation for the 99%. Without our demands though, this will never be changed, as the Republicans and Democrats obviously have no incentive to change it.
This can happen.The Constitution has been amended many times. A third party is evolving.
Don't like the candidates and what they do for you?? Always picking the candidate that represents the "lesser of two evils"?? Write yourself in at the next election... If everyone that is dissatisfied with the candidates and government voted as a write-in using their own name, then the election results would be the headline story. The clear results would be a message of "no confidence" in the government.
How many elections have had less than majority turnout of voters? Was the smaller turnout a result of lack of confidence in the candidates, or apathy? By simply not voting, does not send a message to those in power. Voting for yourself as a write-in shows you are interested, but not in any of the available candidates. Could you imagine if we had millions of write-in votes for individual citizens at the 2012 election? The results would truly be the "independent" voter voice, and would send a message to those in power that they are not working for the "independent" voter.
ALWAYS VOTE - BUT WRITE-IN VOTE FOR YOURSELF IF YOU DON'T HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE CANDIDATES.
Or, as a minimum, change the voting law to include a box for: NO ACCEPTABLE CANDIDATE.
Gentlemen I concur
i totally agree with the write in voting. but it is also worth mentioning that the lobbying system have made it impossible for average American folks to present themselves as presidential candidates.
My point is not so much to write-in a "third party" type candidate, although I agree with you about this option and its challenges.
My point was that by "self-voting" you show your interest in government, but dissatisfaction with the current power and results. Think of millions of write-in votes each for the individual voter (john Doe, Jane Doe, Bob Doe, etc). Neither party can lay claim to the "dissatisfied independent voters", because the voter has voted for themselves in a "protest vote". The media cannot claim that these votes represent dissatisfaction with one party or the other, because the votes are not party affiliated. The votes are simply an individual citizen voicing a lack of confidence in ANY candidate on the ballot. In other words, get someone on the ballot that will "work for me" the individual citizen, not unions, not corps...me!
write-in votes are never going to win an election. We need proportional representation that will allow for viable third parties, not the winner-takes all system. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_party_(United_States)
Change that, and we can change the world. Everything will flow down from there. I believe this with all my heart.
That seems like a rational solution, but requires a constitutional amendment. Neither of the two parties in power is going to allow this, if they can stop it. What about the short term...what about now?
We have been convinced by the media and the two primary parties that we can only have choice "a" or "b". If we vote third party "c", to send the message that we don't accept "a' or "b", then our vote goes to waste. Like it was said, winner takes all...
Nobody ever counts the "non-votes" and correlates them as dissatisfaction with the current candidates. We need a clear way of sending a proof positive message that we are dissatisfied with the current candidates/elected officials and the way they operate. If you don't like the candidates on the ballot, what do you do?? Today, many people don't vote at all, because they have no one to vote for that truly represents their interest...
If the 99% is comprised a great deal by people that don't vote because they essentially have no one to vote for, then they need an alternative. They need to be encouraged to write in their own personal name. Then the results of an election will show proof positive that candidates "a", "b" and "c" all got a small percentage of votes, but when the majority of votes cast represent individual voter write-in names, it will illustrate that none of the "a, b, c" candidates were accepted by the voters. No one wins the election...
This should force the candidates "a, b, c" to cater a little more toward the needs of the 99%... right?
I do like the proportional representation though...
the fact is that many people have no idea how our election process works. I think by just bringing attention to the fact that we have a winners-take-all system could cause major quakes in public opinion if you know what I mean. This is something that even those on the far right might agree too, as there are numerous conservative third parties as well. Get enough people to demand change, and we might just see a constitutional amendment.
That's just it... many believe that the media and parties can control this message, and dull it down to pointless.
This cause will last only as long as people feel there is progress. Then they will give up the effort, leaving only the "normal" few to fight for the 99%.
What I propose is that every election the only effort required to protest is to go to the polls and then write your own personal name in on the ballot.
The protest is kept alive until action is positive for the true majority. The media and parties cannot curtail the signal that so many are unsatisfied, when the majority of votes counted illustrate a vote of no confidence in ANY of the candidates...
People will not continue to go to the town square to protest. Voting in this manner that I suggest allows them to easily apply their protest.
Interesting idea. But maybe we should focus on changes that are a little more possible, and work with the system we have.
Great idea!
SUCH A BRAINSTORM GENIUS IDEA. That is simply genius and reason to sue and take down the law. If unions can't contribute or compel members to be part of an plan to bring political influence,neither can corporations compel employees,subcontractors or unwitting consumers to do the same. That is perfect grounds for a law suit. We can either sue the companies involved in the original case or sue the government into forcing an amendment that overrides this terrible decision.
We need ourselves an army of smart lawyers.
I don't think I can answer your question. I do know that" Citizens United" does allow Unions to advertise for candidates just like corporations. Sorry.
You are right, The ruling for Citizens United does allow Unions and Corporations to use monies from their general treasuries for advocacy campaigns. But I do not see that it allows direct contributions to the candidates from their general treasuries.
You are correct, but millions of dollars of media exposure will probably be just as effective.
i do not think a court decision can be repealed
Court decisions cannot be repealed, but, Congress can pass a law that would superceed the decision. The Supreme Court can only rule on laws that are currently enacted. It has reversed itself before, but this is extraordinarily rare.
I can't believe they voted for corporations. Have you seen Alan Grayson's response to the ruling, it would be funny if it wasn't so true:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U83iXN9rGI
Thank you for bringing up ALEC! I think there needs to be a much bigger conversation about it. ALEC is basically proof that we have been subjected to a covert corporate "dictatorship".
I agree!!!!
I don't know how you get your arms around such organizations. I just happened upon Alec when a friend of mine was joking about the Koch Brothers and the next thing I know I ran across an article where they are wining and dining our representatives in New Orleans. The representatives pay something like $50.00 to be a member of ALEC. The corporations pay >$7,000.00. The representatives bring their familys to the conferences and treat it as a free paid vacation. Meanwhile the corporations help draft "model" laws that the representatives treat as their own and take back to their state. This is all done at the local level. I devoted a page on my website:
http://www.just-gov.com/politics-politicians-elections/ , but the better site to see what legislation is currently being drafted is: http://www.alecexposed.org.
Reversing Citizens United cannot be done alone by Congress, it will require a constitutional amendment, since the Court held that corporations as "persons" have a 1st Amendment right to free speech and unlimited contributions.
Let's take away their status as persons. They apparently won that unfairly by unfairly using a law designed to protect freed slaves.....they used it to declare themselves persons. Interesting when you dig down and find the root of things is rotten.
I agree. The amendment should specifically say that, maybe conceding that they can be "persons" only for the purpose of suing or being sued.
Good point HM. Thanks for pointing that out.
Thank you. I think the important things we can do is to pass such an amendment and end too big to fail, break up these large financial institutions so that we not only have to bail them out if they fail, but also make them more responsive to their customers and communities, and reduce their power.
It can be done by suing Congress on behalf of the American people,requiring them to legislate and ratify and amendment prohibiting such actions that unfairly skew the political balance in manners negatively affecting the people of the US.
you are talking about seeking a Writ of Mandamus, which requires a government official to perform a duty that is required by law and is ministerial in nature. Unfortunately that will not work. Another means is to seek a Constitutional Convention called by the states and thus bypass congress.
You are right and I had mentioned earlier, the Constitutional Convention is well underway. And how dangerous is that! The TeaBaggers already went to conferences on the subject at Harvard recently with the professor and author of "Republic,Lost" to get a handle on exactly how they are going to call for a Constitutional Convention. And since they were hijacked by big business long ago, we're all in for trouble. They already want a balanced budget amendment and an end to all abortion. But the balanced budget amendment will come at the expense of the 99%, not the corporate grants,tax breaks, or the war-for-profit-industrial complex. They are too simple minded and un-educated to know where the real money is going. It will be amusing to watch them cut the socialist agenda while they cling desperately to their medicare and social security checks. And they still won't get it. A balanced budget amendment is also not a good idea when the government has to do emergency spending, such as job stimulus. It's like writing down in stone that you will never have another problem again, such as several disasters at once, and then making absolutely no plans for such because you have legislated disasters out of the picture.
I do agree that an extreme right wing Constitutional Convention would be a disaster, and the measures you mentioned would be ruinous for our country. However, I also see little chance that the Congress, being in the pockets of corporate interests, would ever agree to barring these interests from campaign finance, and in reality we need a structural reform in our government to a parliamentary system with proportional representation.
I'm opting for taking a ride on the TeaBaggers hard work for bringing into being, a Constitutional Convention, then voting in our own delegates and virtual Congress where we become the Congress, all of the people of the United States. We then vote to control, retain,repeal every single law and control every single dollar. Voting would be a month long review by computer or mail and at the end of the 30 days, the vote is cast directly with no more representative bologna. The special interests would be out of a job and so would any potential Congressmen with a special opportunity to take advantage of his position. We would be the Congress.
Clearly there would need to be efforts to elect true representatives to such a convention. However, it requires 2/3 of the legislatures (34 states) to even call one so we are a bit ahead of ourselves.As much as your idea is admirable, as you mentioned earlier, we sometimes have emergencies, and we can't wait for a month long review and vote to deal with it.
Spain is close to putting in this system right now and parts of Scandinavia already have it. The TeaBaggers descended upon Harvard University a while back to attend special conferences with professor and author of Republic,Lost on how to lobby the states for the Constitutional Convention. They are already in the process and will not stop until it happens. They want their balanced budget amendment and a stop to all reproductive choices. If they get there and we, the much larger majority, are not part of this process, it will be the biggest loss in history to this country. It is going to happen and they won't stop until they make it happen. We must be at least as organized and knowledgeable.
I think someone in Ga is suing congress. As early as last week.
We all need to start suing this government for fraud and misrepresentation. Many of these legislators need to be charged with treason, tried and face long jail terms or execution as enemies of the state. And the state legislators are even more guilty. That is where ALEC gets most of its deals from by way of state amendments to block voters out.
Any update on this?
Dylan Rattigan, The MSNBC pundit has created an online petition called Get The Money Out. it goes some ways in stripping corporations of person hood through a constitutional amendment and already has over 170,000 signatures. Here is a link brother (or sister) http://www.getmoneyout.com/
yes, I've actually signed it. I think it's an excellent starting point.
People have the right to assemble. When they assemble they can form things called corporations. That corporation can be a voice of all those people that have invested in that corporation. If the people within that corporation does not like the speech the corporation is communicating then they can try to change the other members of that corporation or leave that corporation and either say their own opinion themselves or form another corporation to communicate that corporation's opinion.
What I am saying is, if you don't like that Bank of America is using their freedom of speech to get bailouts from the government, then you should form your own corporation that competes with Bank of America. Then lobby the government to not give bailouts to Bank of America.
The founding father's ( Jefferson ) addressed this. While corporations have value, to maintain the "equal vote" principle of democracy, no corporation can be allowed to influence society to a greater extent than a single person. The law must guarantee this. Furthermore, corporate actions, which influence politics must be a democratic voice of the stock holders. The actions cannot represent a decision of one or a small number of executives. Also, any crime related to the action, must be paid for by all those voting for the action. The corporate law protection cannot protect the voters.
You confuse the right to assemble and petition of individuals with the economic right of people to form corporations so that they suffer no personal liability other than the amount of their investment should the venture fail. However, corporations are creatures of the state, unlike persons, and thus have no inalienable rights to speech on their own.
This is right on target. We need to go after this weak spot and exploit it. Perhaps this is how Citizens United gets overturned.
Outstanding observation!
"That corporation can be a voice of all those people that have invested in that corporation."
THAT IS THE PROBLEM
A public corporations duty is to protect stock value so investors can get the maximum possible return for their money.
A public corporations leaders can be sued for actions that harm shareholder value.
That is not an environment where people are making ethical decisions, or opinions, unless it is a PR move.
All decisions made by public corporations are to get more money unless something written into their bylaws.
These "groups of people" if willing can form political action groups if they want to, that is their right, but corporations are a unique entity, and groups related to employment such as employers and unions, are in a unique position of power.
We can't govern ourselves with such powerful entities pushing their opinions on people.
Corporations are a way of hiding liability and pooling income. However this is an interesting idea in some ways.
The biggest problems with corporations is that when they get bigger they tend to move towards nationalizing debt and privatizing profits. They'll externalities pollution, whatever they can to save money
You'll have difficulty competing head to head with large corporations legally or financially. We should not want to wait for that fight to play out. Hit corporations where they'll notice immediately with boycotts. Starve the corporations income, notice how quickly one corp will become agreeable, others will have no choice but to follow.
Not true. The first thing corporations will do is cut jobs and limit output to protect profit margins. They have an obligation to do that for the shareholders. As this happens, they will also lower prices to attract consumer interest. The shareholders (consumers, many which are retired depending on shares for fixed income) lose money, and the general public (us, the consumers) loses money. Effectively, boycotting them will only result in more unemployment and less consumer ability to spend and drive economic growth.
shareholders tend to be younger, while retirees focus their investments on fixed income entities like bonds and cd's. Also, the corporations seem to have as much respect for shareholders as they do for voters as evidenced by the proliferation of obscene golden parachute clauses.
So true. I say boycott everything.Starting with every major retailer until they manufacture every product on the shelves here in the USA.
I completely agree. We need to start this rolling right away with very clear indication of why we are boycotting. And we should focus on really clear cut cases that anyone in America could get on board with.
That is exactly what Sara Parks did in Alabama, with the help of the black community. They walked instead of taking the bus. We can do it if we work together, the corporations need us more than we need them. Without consumers and workers they would wither up and die,
We need a few amendments
1) A 4th body of government by the people that models this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_in_Switzerland
2) Ending corporate personhood, and limiting money as speech relating to mass media.
3) Citizen Jury to replace the authority of the Supreme Court in civil challenges to state and federal laws. Elected supreme court with authority on constitutional issues changed to criminal justice only. Supreme court must hear all death penalty cases, even at the state level.
4) Elected officials for all government agencies
These will be very hard to do but it needs to happen.
I do agree that the Supreme Court has become just another political institution and has nothing to do with law when it comes to constitutional law anymore. I would actually favor the creation of a Constitutional Court like some other countries have to decide those kind of issues, where the appointment is not for life, and is not done in the same manner as the Supreme Court, perhaps by region by the states.
Such a good idea. Lifetime appointment is like royalty you can't throw out. Actually, it comes from that model in Britain and has proven once again to skew the power balance. We need to take out the proxy voting trust and become the Congress and the courts ourselves. And all pending court trials and decisions need to be e-mailed to us virtually so that we can instruct the judges with what to do. The nation's Congress and courts.By the people.For the people.Of the people. And we need to get rid of privately held jails and probation systems. Modern day slavery is not acceptable. Neither is anything ALEC has done over the last 15 years.
Agreed. The Supreme Court has too much power. The current sitting Court needs to be ejected.
Consider the following change. The Supreme Court should be multiple courts. One should be made a functional part of congress, reviewing laws at the time they are voted on by congress. This will eliminate the long delay before we get a constitutionality ruling. However, the Supreme Court's role, should be limited only to ruling on the CONSTITUTIONALITY of each item in the proposed laws. A second Supreme Court should rule on civil challenges to state and federal laws. BUT, they must convene advisory panels of experts, including philosophers, to challenge the logic of what they are saying. All justices should be subject to recall in national elections.
Nice idea and fresh. I haven't heard that one before. I do think that lifetime justices and 6 year terms for senators has been part of our undoing as a nation. These were tie-overs from the imperialism they came out of and have really fed the problem of us having no control over this system. luckily, it can all be changed at the Constitutional Convention that is coming up because the TeaBaggers are going to fight for it until they get it. We need to organize now for that and be every bit as ready so they don't give all of our rights away to corporate powers.
Unfortunately, it is for this very reason that we need to hit the whole system at once. Only a Constitutional amendment and some kind of public counterbalance ( A 4th branch as mentioned above?) can end the problems we're having now.
I do agree with hitting hit hard all at once while we have the momentum and the energy of the majority of Americans behind us. But "all at once" to me means a slate of demands like the one at top of this post with direct action follow up if demands not met and then another slate of demands with follow up direct action etc. I really thing the demands have to be grouped to get consensus and support.
I agree with hitting the whole system at once but I'm not sure we have the man power. We should have an organic scheme of proliferation. By this I mean we should take the office of one city one state at a time (of course more if possible) and govern justly. Our reputation will spread and the results will be undeniable. Populism is rampit in both base of the left and the right and the solutions are easy and well documented we just need to be the people with courage to do the right thing.
This is a very good point. I think it's really both. We should put the big squeeze on corporate power from the top and the bottom. They'll get dizzy after a while and capitulate.
Yes. I am writing a position paper on how to do this very thing. I will present the GA with it on Thanksgiving.
The way the General Assembly works at Occupy Wall Street HQ is the message. It's the process that's important, not some list of demands. TV pundits don't seem to understand this. They say "the movement is too vague". They say this because they haven't seen the process at work. Being able to raise your hand and make politics about what you want and not just go-with-the-flow of politics as usual. Standing up for your own personal interests in the context of a community and arriving at a consensus that everyone agrees on, THAT is the point of Occupy Wall Street. That's what I want from my government. When the government gives us that we can give them our support.
So.... Hypothetically speaking and with all due respect, what if that's not what I want from my government? Do I get to raise my hand and state that, too? Will I be vilified, ridiculed, and lambasted?
The revolving door between Washington and Wall Street has made "Government Street" the reality. Untill some of the controls, that were dismantled by Robert Rubin, Larry Summers, Alan Greenspan, Phil Gramm, etc (1999-2001), are put back into place and Wall Street's gambling mentality is curbed, we are not going to get out of this mess. Wall Street's "Bubble" economy isn't working anymore.
So true. This is huge.
This is why I created http://www.just-gov.com/introduction/ and http://goldmanbanksters.com/home/ . I call these Video Journals, because they put in one place all the Great videos about our Financial Crisis.
Boy I just finished a section on High Frequency Trading and there should be a section in the demands about it. Over 70% of the stock trades are not done by humans.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p40Kpmu60YM
This point and the one made above by GandhiKingMindset are good as a start. But they don't go far enough because they don't address the major problem.
The stock market has been corrupted from the fundamental reason for its creation. It was originally created to help businesses start and grow. What we have now is mostly true GAMBLING, and is very much like a Ponzi scheme. It is a "negative sum" game. Except for the initial investors, people can gain in the market only as long as prices go up. BUT, like a Ponzi scheme, the last one holding a stock when the price falls loses big. And, like a casino, for every trade, the HOUSE takes a cut! We need to stop the GAMBLING.
What should be done is to separate the stock market into a PRIMARY and SECONDARY market. The primary market is the IPO investments. ALL citizens should be able to invest in these as simply as they buy stocks now. The secondary market, where stocks are just traded as gambling, should be controlled by a version of the RICO commission. NO bank or pension funds should be allowed to participate in the secondary market.
This should be added to the list of demands. ( And yes, this is also a WORLD problem. )
As for the commodities market, a similar division should be made. Protecting businesses from climate variations should be handled with insurance. Speculation should be moved to the RICO commission and limits placed on who can invest and which commodities can participate.
I agree. On a related note, those speculating on the up and down swings are amplifying volatility. I recently spoke to high level fellow at one of the big investment banks and he stated a HUGE frustration about this on the part of many traders. Even guys on the inside think this system is $uc$@d up. Would be great to get some of them who recently got out of the biz to tell the truth on camera. There have to be a few credible sources....
I agree with all the above demands plus: 1) Abolish the Federal Reserve (FED), 2) FIAT Currency, 3) Fractional Reserve Banking, 4)Separate Commercial Banks from Investment banks (re-implement Glass Steagall Act), 5) speculative trading on commodities should have limits, 6) Ban Naked Short Selling 7) have honest regulators and enough of them, and 8) if I had all my wishes answered... force the banksters to pay off the 1.4 quadrillion derivatives bubble.
I don't know if the Glass Steagall Act was perfect, but it kept the "peoples" money in commercial banks away from the investment banks and seemed to work for 60-70 years. And back then Investment banks were different. They were partnerships of wealthy people who were playing with their own money. Today Wall Street has a gambling mentality (addiction), always looking for a new product (fix) to gamble on. The more complex the product (derivative) the better... since it seemed to have kept the SEC baffled (or are they complicit... Wall Street alumni). Anyway, the gambling, or bubbles, or commodities speculation, or whatever you want to call it is killing people with starvation all around the world. Naked short selling just seems to be criminal to me.
If you haven't seen these they are quite good:
Matt Taibbi (RollingStone) Interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waL5UxScgUw
Matt Taibbi (RollingStone) "The Great American Bubble Machine" set to video (this is great): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEhQrnKTQk0
The Great American Bubble Machine (article, for video above): http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-great-american-bubble-machine-20100405
Matt Taibbi Explains How Wall Street Works (TALF) [8:15]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9etlLzuMfM
The Real Housewives of Wall Street (article, for video above): http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-real-housewives-of-wall-street-look-whos-cashing-in-on-the-bailout-20110411
Bill Black: Economic Collapse (author of: "Best Way To Rob a Bank is to Own One") Part 1-5 [10:00]: http://goldmanbanksters.com/our-thinking/regulators/
PBS Frontline: The Warning, The Financial Collapse - Brooksley Born Story [56:17]: http://goldmanbanksters.com/our-thinking/regulators/
Shows how hard it will be to change Wall Street (above) . Full of good information.
John Perkins started me on my personal crusade to help save us 99%ers.
John Perkins, Confessions of an Economic Hitman (2004) [53:35] (page down): http://change-gov.com/introduction/
David M. Walker, Comptroller of the United States (GAO): http://just-gov.com/heroes-whistle-blowers/
People I find inspiring
John Perkins "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" http://change-gov.com/whistle-blowers-heros-edu/
Edward Griffin "Creature From Jekyll Island A Second Look at the Federal Reserve" http://change-gov.com/whistle-blowers-heros-edu/
Naomi Klein "Disaster Capitalism (09/18/07) [8:36]" and "The Shock Doctrine 2009... economic "shock" therapy" http://just-gov.com/heroes-whistle-blowers/
David M. Walker, Comptroller of the United States (GAO), his crusade around the country (1/25/10) [1:03:48] http://just-gov.com/heroes-whistle-blowers/ and http://just-gov.com/national-debt/national-debt/
There are two threads on this forum that are virtually the same, one made at 6:45 and one made at 7:08. If you haven't seen the other thread you might want to take look: DETAILED LIST OF DEMANDS [7:08]: http://occupywallst.org/forum/detailed-list-of-demands-overview-of-tactics-for-d/
I'm trying to keep this forum entry at the top of the forum, because I think "GandhiKingMindset" did the best job of listing what needs to be changed on Wall Street and the government. We need to go back to separation between Commercial and Investment Banks, i.e. Glass Steagall Act, and we need Regulators (and laws) that have backbone. We also need to break up the "Too Big To Fail" financial institutions, ban naked short selling and limit commodity speculation... people are dying around the world because they can't afford to eat. We then need to go after the corruption in government, i.e. lobbyst, ALEC type foundations, and Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.
watch "capitalism hits the fan" It's showing on link tv these days. Have your DVR find it. http://capitalismhitsthefan.com/
I saw this and it is definitely worth a look.
YOU might like this even better.
Resource Based Economy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gKX9TWRyfs
Thanks for the heads up. I had Richard Wolff on one of my older sites" http://change-gov.com/money-power-greed-banks/ (toward the bottom). But these were earlier versions of his speech and not as polished. I now have a copy of his newer speech on http://www.just-gov.com/heroes-whistle-blowers/ and http://goldmanbanksters.com/heroes/ (toward the bottom). I will add him to the front page in the next couple of days (I will also bulk up his section). I agree with him, except I think there are three divisions: Wall Street, Corporate Street (Corporatocracy), and Main Street (the little(r) guy). Hopefully, the OWS will make a difference because innately I think they know the above.
I said this elsewhere in the forum, but I think it needs repeating - this doesn't stop at Wall Street, Think IMF, World Bank and BIS.
I don't want to dilute the current OccupyWallSt.org demands, but I do think there is a bigger picture that needs to be passed on. I think Joan Veon’s videos (all 9 parts) details the banking “Take Over” the best: http://just-gov.com/heroes-whistle-blowers/joan-veon/ . She might sound a little conspiratorial, but I think she did her homework and is Right On.
I also like Matt Taibbi (RollingStones) and William K. Black. They tell it like it is: http://just-gov.com/ and http://just-gov.com/heroes-whistle-blowers/ .
If you want a personal perspective of the IMS I liked John Perkins "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" http://change-gov.com/whistle-blowers-heros-edu/ .
Agreed. OWS, even if it succeeds in all of its goals, can only be the beginning of a much bigger push socially and economically. All corruption and control of the corporate/financial plutarchy needs to be completely and permanently removed. This is a huge undertaking requiring a change in the social consciousness.
Nanook are you reading this?
Thanks for your comments. I have been trying to keep track of all the articles and videos I run across, on this topic, on the Internet. Originally I started on paper and then I graduated to a database. I found so many great video documentaries that I decided to create on-line Video Journal(s) so I could find the videos again and refer to them to friends.
If you are interested here are the URLs: http://www.goldmanbanksters.com , http://www.just-gov.com , http://www.change-gov.com. I don't make any money on the documentaries (only my Donate button) and I don't take any credit for their creativity.
4th body of goverment that is the people? Geez, here I thought the whole goverment was "We the People", or are you just talking about the people that agree with you? Isn't that called facism?
While I agree with you in that the House of Representatives is SUPPOSED to be the house most closely tied to the people, and reforming that body is preferable to creating a new 4th branch which will likely just create more gridlock, I suggest you look up the term fascism. It gets thrown around a lot and usually incorrectly.
A little history on Fascism and other misunderstood movements: There was a worldwide infatuation with socialism starting in the late 1800s and continuing through WW II. The social upheaval of the industrial revolution had people seraching for "new" solutions. At all economic levels from day-laborers to university professors socialism attracted followers. Several varities evolved. In northern Europe Marxism dominated, with expectations of a world-wide revolution. In Germany National Socialism (Naziism) gained favor and in Italy Mussolini developed Fascism. The main feature that separated Fascism from other Socialist plans was its relationship to industry and corporations. Instead of requiring government ownership of "the means of production" (to use Marx's term) it settled for government control. Government appointees controled the boards of directors, creating what we call a "corporatist state". After WW I Europe was in a shambles; governments were weak and broke. The varous socialist movements used mobs of disaffected citizens to topple existing regimes and then inserted their own leadership. Jews and financial institutions were primary targets.
In the US the industrial revolution was not as disruptive, we were not devastated by WW I, and our Constitution protected private property in the Bill of Rights. Socialists here separated into two general factions. Hard line Marxists gravitated to the labor movement while academic socialists began to look for ways to introduce socialism gradually and democratically (Progressively). Both political parties had Progressives. Three notable examples are Presidents Teddy Roosevelt(R), Howard Taft(R), and Woodrow Wilson(D).
During the Great Depression the Progressive goal was refined into the concept of corporate contol by government through the use of unelected agencies under the direction of the Executive branch. Franklin Roosevelt had to threaten to "pack the court" to get this idea accepted by the Supreme Court. He created many agencies during his three terms in office (his fourth term was cut short), more have been added since, and the power of these agencies to regulate has expanded (progressively). The concept is remarkably similar to Fascist Corporatism. After WW II when the Soviet Union became regarded as the enemy, Communism went out of fashion in the US, although the trade unions still had many fundamentally hard core Marxists in their leadership.
Contrary to popular belief, large corporations have not generally offered much resistance to the controlling agencies. The regulations imposed act as a barrier to new competition. A startup competitor not only needs to offer a better or cheaper product, but also has to have a compliance department of attorneys, accountants, and procedures writers to deal with agency regulations. All of this creates a fertile environment for corruption, crony capitalism, and all of those other things that Occupy Wall Street wants the government to fix.
I have a paper that explains this in much more detail at http://cedarstrip.wordpress.com/
Whoa. Thanks!
Or it can end gridlock and constant political games that keep parties in power based on social issues. Why would they want to change something that gets them so many guaranteed votes? If they did then they would have nothing left to stand for and be exposed for what they are: Mostly all the same, money hungry political ruling class.
Fascism is probably the most misused and overused word in counterculture. This use along with the misspelling is atrocious. The correct terms are usually Authoritarianism, Totalitarianism and in this case Oligarchy. All would be the wrong word for direct democracy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_in_Switzerland
I think we may not need a 4th body IF we had the EQUAL ACCESS AMENDMENT which provides opportunity for MORE political parties to participate.
They would work well together.
I think no one is listening anymore. If you are not actually in Wall Street in the General Assembly, your thoughts are not included. I know there is no way for them to communicate with Occupy Raleigh. I'm in Occupy Raleigh and I asked them if they had a way to reach Wall street and they don't. I hope we can find a way to communicate with each of the Occupations.
Huge props to you for occupying Raleigh. Stay strong and know that the movement is gaining in strength and power around the country. More and more news stories are popping up from major media outlets showing that middle America is starting to feel a part of the 99%, starting to feel a connection to this movement. Whatever we can do to build connections, communications, community and common ground is going to fuel this puppy. It definitely shifting into 3rd gear now. You can feel it. It has a momentum all its own. People are waking up to realize that they have the power. They're shedding their fear. It's happening. Right here right now. Was are seeing a major and historic shift in power. This is minor article from CBS but worth reading - http://m.cbsnews.com/fullstory.rbml?feed_id=0&catid=20118005&videofeed=36
For Everyone
If you don't think the big banks have gotten "Too Big To Fail", print this graphics and hang it on your refrigerator.
http://goldmanbanksters.com/7Y9H3eW2M8d6Tya/bank-mergers_900.jpg
I just watched "Too Big To Fail" the HBO version. It helps to remember that these guys brought us to the brink of depression and after we helped them they don't want to help us.
The idea behind riders is that legislation that might be beneficial for one state might be detrimental to another. By using riders, states can compromise and have legislation passed that might go against one state's interest but help a different one. In other words, there is a purpose for riders and they should not be banned. That said, we need a method, like a Presidential line item veto to eliminate corrupt riders.
Why not just have a separate bill for each item. The compromise can happen between two bills as opposed to inside ONE bill. The bills are too confusing to read. And stuff often slips through because of it. (Which frankly I think is stupid, if everyone knew that a type-o could become a law they'd go postal on congress) And no, don't send any feds to my house I don't plan on shooting anyone.
I agree. Requiring bills to treat subjects one at a time is a good rule. However, trying to patch up how congress enacts legislation is not something to do one PIECE at a time. ( see my reply to uncommonfilth ).
The U.S. Government is falling apart because it was designed for a simple minded, very small population, homogeneous, agricultural society that needed 2 weeks to send a message from one end to the other. Look at my example on http://a3society.org under the Democracy tab – plural democracy. In short, I suggest that congress has to be reorganized from a "winner takes all" single goal power based model to a service model whereby the objective of every bill is to address as many citizen views as possible within the constraints of sustaining life and happiness on the planet.
And anticipating critics that think this is impossible, go talk to a systems engineer who designs cities. It's done ALL the time.
And speaking of typos, there's that little matter of the Santa Clara v. Southern Pacific court reporter's headnote that needs to be cleared up.
Like button!!
That sounds like we are writing in double standards to federal laws for states, if that is the case then maybe it shouldn't be a federal law at all and the states can decide.
line item vetos by the president are going to be misused to re-craft legislation to appease a party base, not the american people.
Line item vetoes should be left up to the citizens through petitioning. In many occasions petitions have worked. I think every citizen should have a petition vote ability via a computerized network. I also think a vote of no confidence should be placed on all ballots.
I support this as long as we still allow lots of room for leaders, good leaders, to shape consensus by speaking with people and leading people. Can't just be clicking of buttons because I can't specialize in every area as a citizen and not everything can be dumbed down for the likes of me. :)
I would only think of supporting no-confidence options on ballots if we had run-off voting or the equivalent. I.e. we need to break open the two party system before such a move.
3 party system in some cases independents have their own ballot without having to share. I would consider run off voting. I think it would be a risky choice but it would be better than three crappy choices.
Ahhh. Howdy "OccupyTheAgenda". There is an idea for Direct Democracy to become the Fourth House of Congress. Ideally the house where bills get their final pass to become the Law Of The Land. The House Of The Will Of The American People. Not to be subverted or thwarted by any of the other branches of American Government. Needless to say it would become the biggest house of all. Being staffed by the Majority Of Us, as Responsible Citizens. A worthy dream. Much work to realize it.
And YES! Ban "riders". No more inserts, pork or "ear marks".
We must must must remain nonviolent though. Essential.
Wow. This sounds like a dream. But you know what? You have me realizing that it's possible. Suddenly there's light at the end of the tunnel. Humanity is on the cusp of making a great leap forward and up!
I wish Direct Democracy was as easy and effective as it seems. It isn't. Here are two reasons.
Think about it. Why do the presidential elections always come so close to 50 / 50? This isn't an accident. 200+ million people in the country are psychologically herded by the political parties through the media. When a party is behind, it pours money into advertising, most of it deceptive, until enough people get confused and change their position. As soon as the party gains the advantage, they stop that campaign. So, the public gets pulled back and forth around the 50% point. Direct Democracy will not change that. So, political manipulation must still be eliminated.
Second, consider what would happen if we achieve ideas like single issue bills ( which I agree is a MUST ). How effective do we think the American people would be voting on complex issues? For example, establishing operating rules for nuclear power plants? How about chemical factories? How about air traffic control systems? How about weapons procurement or pharmaceutical drug production? Most people don't have a CLUE how complex modern society has become. Unfortunately, most elected representatives are just as clueless! Why? Because the system we developed for governing was never designed to address the modern world. Drastic changes are needed.
One example is an alternative that I call the National Opinion Poll. This new system was designed to FULLY capture EVERY viewpoint in the country, and attempt to implement ALL of those viewpoints into the laws. This may sound impossible to some readers, but that's because our current form of government has brainwashed everyone into believing that we HAVE TO choose only ONE outcome. That, of course is nonsense. There are so many examples otherwise. We all know it. But, due to the brainwashing, and the structure we have set up in government, we keep doing it! We keep banging our heads against the wall.
Good point, some things are very complex, but these politicians are mostly fools too. That is why I think that committees should be filled with publicly elected experts instead of these nimrod politicians. They are put into positions that they were not elected for and then you have most of your laws being written and debated without elected representation.
Half direct democracies seem to be a better idea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_in_Switzerland
Thank you. Here is an example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_in_Switzerland
By the Way- WHERE IS THE EQUAL ACCESS AMENDMENT that I posted? It seems to disappear. I've posted it three times.
Its further down this column. I saw it this afternoon.
I'm having the same problem. I just signed up today and posted 2 things in different places. Can't seem to find either one of them. Weird. But on the other hand, I haven't figured out how to navigate this site yet.
Switzerland has a direct democracy. That would never work here.
Taking to the streets all the time? What planet are you living on? It's about time Americans got off their asses and started CARING about something again and excercising their right of FREE SPEECH. If you don't like public demonstrations I'm sure you would love China or North Korea. Go knock yourself out moron.
The idea was to have control. Don't you see a problem with the fact that we need to take to the streets. It says something about the system itself. We have very little control so street protests is how we get heard. There is nothing wrong with that, and obviously right now we need to, but the fact that we NEED to is something that needs to be addressed.
Learn how to debate without being so rude.
There is a benifit in riders, as long as each item is spelled out, not say..150 million for roads, but which roads and amounts for each road. Much of the "riders, are vague, but if spelled out and each Bill required to be read by each Rep, then no excuses later, if the Rep needs to be "let go".
Sounds like we would need to watch them too much, they can make separate bills for separate issues and appropriate funds without riders
Riders absolutely need to be banned. Well said.
We are the people AND the government. think about how, if many of us are always thinking about ourselves, that would likely translate to those who we've elected. This rationale extends to greed, larceny, violence and all the rest, no? Aren't we what we see in others? I expect delusion or illusion about ourselves comes in here somewhere.
We keep making life more complicated with our laws and our anti-laws, regulation to essentially control 'others' (not ourselves). But, what are we trying to control.... our lack of character or self-control, our ignorance, our fears, our nature?
These are important observations. So? What's the answer? Actually, it's a VERY COMPLEX question. I spent 30 years looking before finally stumbling on a bunch of answers. In short, human nature did not evolve to live in highly populated societies. We evolved to survive in harsh conditions as hunter-gatherers. When we are brought together, our biological instincts get very confused. We fall back into a primitive small clan mentality. As a general rule, we tend to treat each other very badly. The ancient philosophers understood this. They called it the "seven deadly sins". This term has nothing to do with religion. The word "sin" here means "missing the mark" or goal. During good times, in isolated groups, and with good leaders, we may get along OK. But as soon as the environment (physical, economic, or cultural) brings hardship, the party is over. THAT IS WHAT THE WORLD IS NOW FACING.
SO! What's my point? My point is, society needs to understand the behaviors described by the Seven Deadly Sins, and face up to the fact that they are PART of our HUMAN NATURE. We need to face up to how they mold human culture, and what needs to be done to address this nature. It's a much bigger problem than anyone expects. But if we don't do it, we will be solving all the wrong problems about human interactions, and keep coming up with the wrong answers. And to be specific, NONE of the explanations here are related to any religion. This is human psychology.
These are discussed on my website: http://a3society.org under 7 Deadly Sins. You can also read a lot about this in my books. You can download many chapters from the books for free.
Thank you Nanook for taking time to comment. But also thanks for being an inquirying soul. It is obvious that you care and want to understand and want to help. We have this in common.
In my old age I've admittedly sailed past what I used to think were answers and now I'm spending more of my own time observing, pondering the questions. I've slowed up my expectations so it can somewhat accommodate others going at their own speeds. I now like to get ahold of an important question and let it simmer in me without trying to find an answer. I'm just wanting to observe it while it remains alive in me. It often occurs that the question changes or morphs into something else more important or more distilled. It also allows me to talk with others and really listen to them (better than I used to). .... anyway good luck & keep contemplating them 7 deadly sins, as I see the relevance of them.
I like your approach to problem solving. Marination is really helpful. I agree.
Yes the Equal Access Amendment says SINGLE ISSUE BILLS ONLY.
Start by making them read bills before they pass them. Many admit that there is no time to do this. Will that mean fewer laws? Probably. Is that a bad thing? Apparently not given what gets slipped into the ones they do pass.
Excellent post and input
Here are the UN Human Rights, Labor, Environment and Anti-Corruption Principles worth immediate adopting or including in the Bill that will validate what 99% of us are straggling for.
The set of principles is called UN Global Compact. See it at http://unglobalcompact.org
The Ten Principles are the set of core values in the area of human rights, labor standards, the environment and anti-corruption and they enjoy universal consensus. They are derived from The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, The International Labor Organization's Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and The United Nations Convention Against Corruption.
THE TEN PRINCIPLES: Human Rights Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses. Labor Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labor; Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labor; and Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. Environment Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges; Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies. Anti-Corruption Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.
Let me repeat a point I made elsewhere. The goal of our protest is not a short term objective. We want changes that apply for ALL generations in the future, not just for the benefit of people in power now. So, this means we need to add two more DEMANDs to the list:
Congress shall establish a Department of SUSTAINABILITY, with the responsibility for developing a WORLD MODEL that addresses ALL the known and reasonably anticipated factors which significantly affect the welfare of human society. All new laws presented to congress for action must demonstrate that they are not harmful to future life on this planet, EITHER in aggregate or LOCALLY.
The criterion used for social planning related to judging harm shall not be limited to economic indicators, but, rather, must hold PRIMARY, parameters accepted by WORLD populations as contributors to the QUALITY OF LIFE. The WORLD MODEL must EXPLICITLY state the PUBLICLY ACCEPTED BASIS for economic disparity which is used to judge harm. These issues are discussed further at http://a3society.org under Sustainability.
While this is a very important goal, the world lacks workable models to make it happen. The novel "Lord of the Flies" provides a human look into the problem of the human drive to accumulate power which leads to centralization. In short, the human brain has not evolved to understand BROAD decentralization.
Recent discoveries of brain organization and human psychology explain how world-wide human culture has been SIDETRACKED and locked into NON-WORKABLE, FEAR BASED philosophical social beliefs. Because the human race has never understood these islands of stable but erroneous belief structures, workable structures have not been developed to thwart them and aggregation of power is inevitable. These structures are the primary cause behind the establishment of dictatorships, aristocracies and the elitist beliefs at root of the "Wall Street Syndrome" and the slavery mentality of today's Industry Mongols and Robber Barons . If society doesn't make fundamental changes in its cultural beliefs, centralization of power will not go away. And none of the approaches attempted in the past, including all the religious models, understood or addressed the new information. The discoveries are summarized on http://A3society.org under 7 Deadly Sins, Brain Theory, Language and Psychology.
Local communities must look to economic development that assures protection of the environment and workers’ rights; broad citizen participation in planning; and enhancement of our “quality of life.” We support independently owned and operated companies which are socially responsible, as well as co-operatives and public enterprises that distribute resources and control to more people through democratic participation.
To achieve non-violence, it is not sufficient to limit weapons and "promote" non-violent methods. Recent discoveries in brain organization and human psychology explain how world-wide human culture has been SIDETRACKED and locked into philosophical structures of NON-WORKABLE social beliefs. Because the human race has never understood these islands of stable but erroneous violent belief structures, violence was inevitable. These structures are the primary cause behind the establishment of dictatorships, aristocracies and the elitist beliefs at root of the "Wall Street Syndrome" and slavery mentality of today's Industry Mongols and Robber Barons . If society doesn't make fundamental changes in its cultural beliefs, violence will not go away. And none of the approaches attempted in the past, including all the religious models, understood or addressed the new information. The discoveries are summarized on http://A3society.org under 7 Deadly Sins, Brain Theory, Language and Psychology.
I mean do you think this current revolt is sufficient for changing us into our "utopian selves"? or is this just enough to make the political field a little more fair, giving us a chance to mold some things into a more fair experience. Maybe in the future we'll be jumping to the ideal.
Is this the theory expressed in Zeitgeist moving forward?
This comment raises some very key issues: what is the purpose of life? How should people treat each other? A key assumption I keep hearing among the 99% view is that, 'people, through their governments, should build a world that "GUARANTEES" EVERY HUMAN BEING sufficient support to achieve our founding goals of LIFE, LIBERTY and PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. This is not a short term objective either. We want this for ALL generations in the future, not just for the benefit of people in power now. So, this means we need to add two more DEMANDs to the list:
Congress shall establish a Department of SUSTAINABILITY, with the responsibility for developing a WORLD MODEL that addresses ALL the known and reasonably anticipated factors which significantly affect the welfare of human society. All new laws presented to congress for action must demonstrate that they are not harmful to future life on this planet, EITHER in aggregate or LOCALLY.
The criterion used for social planning related to judging harm shall not be limited to economic indicators, but, rather, must hold PRIMARY, parameters accepted by WORLD populations as contributors to the QUALITY OF LIFE. The WORLD MODEL must EXPLICITLY state the PUBLICLY ACCEPTED BASIS for economic disparity which is used to judge harm. These issues are discussed further at http://a3society.org under Sustainability.
Did the U.S. NOT agree to this??? If it has, should we be able to enforce it already? Enforcement is a great feat in the U.S.
right on
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Read_the_Bills_Act
I totally agree with this principle. In fact, I would go a step further and have all bills limited to one issue. Keeps it simple. Perhaps after some time, we will be able to take advantage of existing technology to allow each citizen to vote online on each and every bill. We could do away with the "representative" government that doesn't work by bringing the voting process directly back to the people.
They need to name that that bill you suggested the TOTAL TRANSPARENCY ACT.
Lets elect people who know how to read next time then
Well the first step is to get Congress to actually READ the bills they are voting on.....
wow, thanks guys for the very awesome feedback and brainstorming. exciting and much appreciated.
so, how do we get this thing started? let's make it happen, but what's the next step?
perfect! keep it up!
Yesyesyes clean bills and transparency!!
Here Here!! Great Ideal!! How about it Senate and Congress How about you Mr President.
I'm impressed on all of the topics and viewpoints. I want to point out one thing on the jobs bill that I find a bit wishy washy. The President should be asking the party seats to go into there own states finding out where the most pain is and asking the party officials senate and house of each state to present projects for the best interest of their states well being and job creation and bring it forward for a bill. It is yet one more example of politicians clearly not doing anything proactive for the good of their own constituents. I say create a proactive resolution act to go along with the honesty act.
rider, pork, attachment, whatever it's called it needs to be illegal. I remember when the DREAM act was attached to a troop spending bill, they had nothing to do with each other and left troops and their families without pay for a week while the parties fought it out.
Your fucking retarded
We could use a law like that in Canada as well. They are trying to pass laws right now hidden within a large omni bus bill. Some of the laws are for the protection of children against pedophiles while others are striping away rights of the people to speak openly and freely, others allowing us to be monitored and searched without warrant. Anyone talking out against it is immediately cited as being pro pedophile. Its really getting scary whats going on in the world right now.
push congress to end bush tax cuts , rebuild America bridges and roads , invest in middle class not banking class thats the occupy wall street message
I hear you. And I understand your sentiment. However, think again about jumping into official demands at this point. Here's how I think we can win http://occupywallst.org/forum/how-we-win-one-perspective-on-where-we-go-from-her/
Common Sense Solutions to our Demands (posted on CNN)
Please share with everyone. http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-686666
DownsizeDC already proposed this idea with their "One Subject at a Time Act" several years ago: https://secure.downsizedc.org/etp/one-subject. Not surprisingly, few members of Congress have any interest in something so common-sense.
Agreed.
I agree 100%
I find it interesting that when you post something it appears above sunlover and then some time later, your post is gone and sunlover is first again. I wonder what the policy is. Is it because sunlover has 14 points? How do you get points anyway?
The house must be held to a single issue bill code of ethics. Stop obfuscating the law in other bills no citizen would intend for their representative to vote on. Have all house votes public. You need to know what your representative votes on and as a citizen should have that right.
We The People need to take a dedicated and close look at that new healthcare monstrosity. No bill should be more than a hundred pages long. What has been jammed into it?
Yes we should pass HR676 medicare for all instead. http://medicareforall.org if you need to know what that entails.
Thanks for this information "occupythegreenparty". The "Medicare For All" web site looks like a good clean approach to America's Healthcare needs. I think it is worth contributing to. It could be the best answer to this issue.
Just thinking, no disrespect, but I thought everyone had at least HEARD about HR676, introduced with members like John Conyers and Dennis Kucinich, promoted by the movie SICKO by Michael Moore and part of the Obama platform until he got elected.
You may like this also. T.R.Reid is very balanced in his criticisms. http://fora.tv/2009/09/14/TR_Reid_The_Healing_of_America
We the people need universal healthcare & college education for all. We need to take out profiteers to kill us with care denial and outrages price tags that don't allow people with so called insurance to use it.
It seems a monstrosity because the US is a monstrosity to manage. And to say "Universal healthcare" in this country is akin to saying communism. Combine healthcare lobbyists with the slow erosion of fair representation in the media, and you have the brilliant growth of people voting against their own interests, because monstrosities are too obscure to ever know in clear terms.
Students need to take their visual graphic skills and make posters clearing showing services and costs, benefits and losses to plans from both parties.
NO MORE "ISMS"!
Resource Based Economy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gKX9TWRyfs
I agree....a Medicare for all would solve Two huge issues.... Universal access to affordable healthcare and save the potential monitary shortcomings in Medicare by allowing everyone to pay into the system, not just the elderly.
Good points "kmdlugos". That is unfortunate the hatred and fear that emanates from the word and concept of Communism. We would do well to ask who it is that loathes this social form so much. I do not fear or hate it. I see it as having done some good things and I have never directly suffered because of it...at least as far as I know. The way it became practiced, as a tyranny form, is a terrible thing. I only hope that We The People Of America can learn from it in the name of Our Quest for a Better Nation.
I do not agree that "Universal Healthcare" is akin to Communism, except for the shared interest of fairness of health care for "everybody". Why is that concept such an awful thing? We are capable of "Universal Healthcare", I suppose, but it might be a good idea to regionalize it into manageable sections that specializes in the particular needs of Americans in their regions.
In my opinion, your proposal of what Students should do to help with the details of good healthcare construction, is excellent. A good solid step in the right direction. Good use and application of skills there. Has this process started yet?
Michael Moore in the film "Sicko" does a good job showing how communism is demonized and how universal health care works in many countries. I would love to see us push the agenda of universal health care once we win some of the legislation listed in this post at the top. First need to take care of wall st.
The hatred and fear related to the WORD Communism is easily explained by understanding the psychology of FEAR which has evolved in the human brain. New discoveries related to human brain structure explain this very well. ( See http://A3society.org psychology tab ). When people react with A2 thinking, they respond to words EMOTIONALLY and narrowly. The true meaning of the word is lost. Interest in understanding the word more broadly is lost. Politicians capitalize on this to drive people to vote one way or another. Unfortunately, people in our culture cannot escape this unless they also give up listening to the erroneous psychological models that have pervaded and are enforced by academia and the media. To achieve change, EVERY part of our culture has to change.
As for "Universal Healthcare", the basic problem is not money, but addressing the concept of one human helping another. What society REFUSES to face up to is that a large number of humans are driven by BLIND greed. Sure, we use the term greed a lot. But nothing is done in society to identify "blind greed" and to isolate and restrain those who have it.
Ironically, the same psychology that causes BLIND greed also propels people to public office. The result is that the foxes are running the hen house, and have rigged the laws of the country to line their own pockets and the pockets of those who support them. Restraining this psychological and philosophical viewpoint MUST BE a goal of OWS.
The Honesty Act should make it illegal for people to lie. Ever.
In addition, men should not be allowed to lie to other men. Or with them. Texas might be on to something after all..
Complete Transparency Act.
That would be a good name too. Regardless of the name I think that being an excellent bill. It needs to include or be a separate bill all together that all records of all corporations be public. Just as the public is videotaped the records of all companies must be made public to ensure no behind the back actions. I'm sure there are more talented people than myself to make this more official. Thank you.
Yes, open transparency....this is one reason there is a huge push for privatization, there is no recorse to view the dealings of private businesses even when they are paid public funds. Look at the no-bid contract growth over the past several years.
This is a good idea "generalLee". It would be difficult to enforce it without a lot of True Citizens to provide the eyes, 24/7, on the books of these corporations...and bureaus for that matter.
Maybe an "Eyes Of The People" organization could be started, that would perform this important duty, along with many others. It could be one of the True Citizenship requirements that earns one their fair share of the "American Earned Guaranteed Income". This could all be a part of American Direct Democracy. Of course The People would decide.
WE have Public Citizen, and Consumer Watchdog
Yes. I like Public Citizen. But I bet they could use a lot eyes to cover all that needs covering. Haven't been in there in a while. Better check up on them.
You honestly believe that privacy is wrong? Wow, you're a dedicated one.
I think that privacy has it's place in the private sector - i.e. in business and personal life, but in political life there should be total transparency. After all, politicians are making decisions and passing laws on behalf of We the People. They are accountable to us and it should be open and clear how the will of the people is being served - as long as we live in a democracy, which is true, in namesake at least.
total transparency only encourages the use of shell-politicians. Politicians who are selected & chosen by their image and not by their integrity and intelligence. Does it matter if Bill Clinton inhaled or not? Transparency would encourage even more witch hunts against otherwise qualified candidates.
I think We should not expect "perfection" from Our Leaders. We should focus on what they say they want and will do and see that that happens. I could care less how many lovers a politician has, as long as he or she does what they say they are going to do. However, I do care about the bribery from lobbyists. I don't like that kind of influence.
I hear what you're saying here and agree they can't be perfect. The big question then is where do we find these leaders that are not bought and sold and are not afraid to stand up? Who wants to take the abuse you incur when you run? It seems like this Jeffrey Sachsen fellow who spoke today at Liberty park has some very good ideas on that http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8svbm4WYmU&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I believe we live in a Republic. So with absolute transparency in the political arena does that mean divulging our national defense capabilities to just anyone as Obama has done?
The Republic has become very sick. It has been infected from within.
I agree it has been infected and corrupted by the socialist Demo(n)cratic party with its never dying thirst to steal and spend other people's money. This rally or movement will only codify people's resolve to stamp out the communism and terrorism it represents. Lawless hippies are about to get a real dose of reality. They are going to be seriously bummed.
You are so wrong. And you are threatening people who disagree with your craze ideas. You would like our protesters to be treated like in Syria I guess?
Technically, you're right, according to our constitution we do live in a republic. The problem is, our politicians stopped representing its citizens. Why would politicians do 'riders' if they didn't have something to hide from citizens? Are these bills really in our best interest? The fact that we live in a republic doesn't discredit the need for transparency. There cannot be accountability without transparency. But as you point out, the issue is more nuanced. I'm reminded of the whole wikileaks issue - Assange being blamed for putting soldiers lives at risk. To my knowledge wikileaks has not been responsible for the death of anyone, while nearly 8000 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in the last 10 years in wars that the majority of americans do not support or understand why we are there in the first place. The issue of transparency - to what degree should it apply and where, isn't always so transparent. You're right to call into question my blanket statements. I could see, under certain circumstances of public safety, withholding information for a short period of time before making it transparent.
We The People must look at these things on a case by case basis. Maybe, eventually, a formula will emerge from this People's Work, that could become a sort of guide in these matters.
definitely - that guide you are talking about is 'precedent'. And, while a lot of negative precedent has been set by court rulings in corporate cases (probably should be reversed), a lot is fair and reusable, so no need to start exactly from zero.
Well how long is a short period of time? National security does matter, right? We aren't the ones who are privy to the really big problems and the solutions that are necessary to protect all of America. Enforcing existing laws for border protection rather than flubbing new laws that makes all illegal residents a brand new citizen with amnesty is no solution to me. It only makes politicians think they are gaining new voters.
Well said "All FractUp" Just to clarify, do you support the "existing border laws" over "new laws".
What do you think about bringing Our Military Home to secure Our Borders?
I would have to read what the current and new laws specifically state before simply saying one way or the other. My overall general opinion is the American borders must be defended against all illegal traffic into our nation's interior. Those who violate those borders must be apprehended, detained, and treated as the criminals that they are. The use of our military to guard those border territories is not necessary as law abiding citizens right here in the U.S.A. can fulfill that task quite readily.
Does this give you the sort of answer you were seeking?
Well thank you for taking the time to thoughtfully reply. I do take a different view of the wars against global terrorism. I do not believe there is a majority of anyone in America that has stated they are against the wars. Perhaps the majority of the people in the circles with which you hang around feel that way. I'm not condoning the deaths of our soldiers, but looking back at the wars we have fought there are far fewer losses for our men and women in service than there used to be. Taking out a shit load of money from China as a loan to pay for it was a huge mistake in my opinion. But then so is spending every penny in sight, printing more money to hide the fact the Obama economy has tanked, and then stealing budgetary monies from the military makes zero sense to me. Damn if I did things like that I'd be arrested eventually and hounded to the ends of America by the credit card companies.
Polls are so hard to take seriously because they seldom tell readers or listeners what parameters were used for their issuance, data collection, how and by whom it was analyzed. If the christian science monitor put out a poll that favors something christian that does not necessarily mean it is true. Ditto for any of the polling organizations that are founded by, staffed by, or typically favor one particular topic or group versus another.
The whole wikileaks thing is rather hard to imagine that someone so low on the totem pole would have access to those types of files without the aide of someone with real clout. I would be suspect of the "information" it represents as a form of honey pot. Fling some shit around and see who comes sniffing is more like it. It is also a useful way to root out traitors within the ranks.
"The OBAMA" economy? Give me a BREAK! This ECONOMY has been on this train since the first ship sailed from Europe. Each act stacked on top of the next is what got us here, that includes the economics AND the social justice. If ANY of the things that happened in our past had been different we wouldn't be here. Take something as simple as paying people the wage their work was valued. That would have cut into people's profits. Don't try to blame this on Obama. He's just trying to play the capitalist game with restrictions.
If we're going to fix the system then we need to address it's mechanisms.
Okay let us discuss the mechanics of this conquered nation, still under occupation. The native peoples of what is now called United States of America may want their nation back. Which of course would mean that everyone who isn't "one of them" has to get out of the country. They may also demand that the land be restored to its former prestine glory too. Exactly how far do you want to swing the pendulum of "social justice" with your arguments? Of course that ain't ever going to happen.
Very well stated. I do so very agree.
As far as the Obama economy I was quoting the Demo(n)crats as stating this is their economy. So take it up with them.
'...I do not believe there is a majority of anyone in America that has stated they are against the wars..'
I think most people, IF they caught all the details of the deception while it was being told, were afraid, afraid, afraid. Remember? It was trumped up with Shock & Awe, it was REMARKABLE! Remember?
You'll have to be more specific than that. Shock and Awe was a tactic the terrorists used to gain control of the airplanes that were flown into the world trade towers and also into the side of the Pentagon. That doesn't sound trumped up to me.
Specifically, 'Shock & Awe' was created by the U.S. government/TPTB. They are the terrorists AND they legalized the 1,000 page Patriot Act which was composed by insider attorneys well before 9/11. The 99% are the Adversary: 'Shock and awe is most consistently used by Ullman and Wade as the effect that rapid dominance seeks to impose upon an adversary. It is the desired state of helplessness and lack of will. It can be induced, they write, by direct force applied to command and control centers, selective denial of information and dissemination of disinformation, overwhelming combat force, and rapidity of action.' Read more here: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Shock_and_awe
I had posters ripped down from my property, told by family and friends to stop watching the news because it was too much stress, better not to know (?, people wonder how we got here??? Damn!!!) and told not to talk so loud. Am I on one of their lists? More than likely, because I traveled, I spoke out, even if I've had background checks before this all started.
I was very scared and told everyone that mattered that if I disappeared that TPTB were most likely the reason why I wouldn't be found. Almost no one then knew about the secret prisons, let a lone the prisons in New York and else where in the U.S. Practically no one knew that it was legal to do such things to U.S. citizens because they didn't read the Patriot Act. And things still continue down this dark road. Now, Obama says its ok to kill U.S. citizens if they can't capture them or if its less effort to do so.
I too think WikiLeaks is a false front. How did he get all these files? Perhaps they did. BUT, most of the information was already public information prior to the leak. I think WikiLeaks is another Distraction.
And, now, there is another False Flag that Iran tried to hire the Mexican Drug Cartel to kill a Saudi King? Both the Cartel and Saudi are best buds of the U.S. Why would Clinton let someone access her buds and utilize their services? The Cartel is the best game going for under-the-table income to fund TPTB wars and profits.
I agree with your remarks, basically. Thanks for taking the time to review the comments and adding your $0.02 USD to the 99%!
Best Regards!
Howdy "AllFractUp". Perhaps We should give some thought about the degree of privacy in relation to what. Maybe privacy can be forfeited through doing evil. Should be looked at on a case by case incidence, I think.
Do you mean when felons lose their rights as punishment for committing crimes? A definition of the word "evil" is too loose and subjective to be useful. Rather privacy laws already exist that protect every American citizen. If it ain't broke don't "fix" it.
Yeah, Make the fomula for Coke public. How about make Steven Speilberg videotape the videotaping of all his movies. Wait? We he have to videotape the videotaping of the videotape?
Shit man just make stealing legal. Nobody should have any expectations of privacy, or private property, or any form of personal ownership of any sort. That's the feel I get from these types. Damn why not go totally nuts and make everything illegal legal. There now we don't need a police force to maintain equity, fairness, or keep assholes from breaking the law.
Great Idea ;)
YES!
I think #8 is of utter importance. If corporations lost their "personhood" status, then that would immediately take care of # 3, because if corporations are not given the same rights and liberties as citizens, then they will not have the right to contribute to political campaigns without restriction. I also feel that it's crucial to organize individuals in their local states and have them protest and demand locally as part of the same movement; if we are to change any part of the system I fear it'll have to be individually through each state rather than nationally all at once because of how our government is set up (every state has its own laws), but I'm not going to lose hope!
Hey number 8, No more for profit employee unions supporting candidaites. Right On!!!!
I hope someday We learn to build no profit Unions. Run by the Workers Themselves and not by "Bosses". But the unions owe their beginning to these "Bosses", who had the dedication and power to do the hard job. Starting a union is no easy thing. We should learn well the ways of the bosses and make them Our Ways. We should be so strong that We do not need these ruthless men to do for Us what We should do Ourselves. But...We fear for Our Families. Our weakness in this hard world of Capitalism.
Ah yes! The UNIONS. The "problem" with the unions is actually similar to the problem we have with corporations, colleges, the military, public education and government itself. And that problem is ISOLATION! I.e. IVORY TOWERS! Whenever society "solves" any problem in isolation ( what system engineers call OPTIMIZATION ), then they cause other problems elsewhere (sub-optimization). What humans are failing to understand and acknowledge is that the world has reached a level of complexity and interconnectedness that can no longer be solved one piece at a time. And that's what's wrong with our government. It was developed for a simple minded, very small population, homogeneous, agricultural society that needed 2 weeks just to send a message from one end to the other. Today, if an earthquake hits Japan, car repairs stop in Boston and NY in a matter of days.
The Union model originated at least as early as the Roman "collegia" around 400 BC. It was all about protecting a "group" of workers from pay or working conditions dictated by a small number of overseers. Fast forward to American industrialization all the way through the post WWII period. We still had the same simple approach. What humanity now has to wake up to is that the modern world has irreversibly changed! We are no longer able to view a coal mine disaster at Upper Big Branch Mine as just sloppy safety practices. The U.S. Government "TOOK" responsibility for "insuring" mine safety. U.S. regulators then "overlooked" 68,000 safety violations with no serious legal actions against the mine company OR against the regulators for failing to do their job? The unions went along with this! The politicians ignored it saying "we can't stop mining coal. We need POWER to run industry."
ENOUGH! The unions, industry, and the country as a whole, are all in such a disaster because people are in denial about the sophistication needed to manage the complexity of the modern world. No small number of demands will fix this. But to get started with limited resources, OWS should include a DEMAND that will get the government to start addressing the much bigger organizational problem. And, NOTE WELL, this sophistication can't be implemented by politicians who are just "good speakers". They have to have the ability to understand the complexity or they won't be able to do the job.
Then all the influence buying would be by unions. Here's an example of how it works: 1) Teachers union gives politician lots of campaign money. 2) politician shortens their hours, raises their pay (taxpayer pays), makes law allowing the union to force all teachers to join and pay dues. 3)union gives lots more money to politician's campaign 4)politician gives them more of the same along with lucrative retirement. 5)union gives lots more money to politician's campaign - this loop repeats until taxpayer money dries up, then 6)politician raises taxes. 7)the process repeats until the taxpayer can't survive.
Works the same with nonprofits and other groups....
Then we need not to need money for elections
I like this idea. Why do elections and politics have to be about money? Lets make the whole shebang a function of Volunteerism. But this is probably hard for Americans to get behind.
They might be willing to accept some finance reform.
i think #8 is great to hope for, but the law would need something to replace it with. right now with washington the way it is, corporations would likely wind up with much more power than they have now.
3 is therefore very important.
i would advocate going further find a way to end the idea that money is speech. this belief and the decisions that support it, means the wealthy and corporate interests own our campaigns and our candidates.
Agreed, see my post above. Lack of corporate personhood removes the right to lobby the government as well.
Right on. #8
capitalism is dead. it's nuts is to try to restore capitalism to a functioning system, when it clearly needs to be overcome.Why are the following demands not on the table?
Yeah, great, that's just what Mugabe came around and offered. And what a failed experiment that has been!!! I would fight you if you attempted such a thing.
Why fight me ? Because I want freedom ? Real freedom ? The kind we never had before ?
“To be GOVERNED is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, regulated, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, checked, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by creatures who have neither the right nor the wisdom nor the virtue to do so. To be GOVERNED is to be at every operation, at every transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. It is, under pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be place[d] under contribution, drilled, fleeced, exploited, monopolized, extorted from, squeezed, hoaxed, robbed; then, at the slightest resistance, the first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined, vilified, harassed, hunted down, abused, clubbed, disarmed, bound, choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed; and to crown all, mocked, ridiculed, derided, outraged, dishonored. That is government; that is its justice; that is its morality.”
Yep. Well put indeed! Can't see where you left out any of the negative side of government. That has been government so far.
That's how it has come down so far and you survived it.
Lets build a government that does none or very little of these things.
Oops! You left out a word: RESPONSIBILITY! ( I think another follow-up to your post used the word "immaturity" ) NONE of the controls you listed would be needed if humans took the "responsibility" to follow the "rules". And why do we need rules, you might ask? Simple. To COORDINATE the actions of MANY PEOPLE using the same resources. And why do we need coordination, you might ask? Because life is complex. For example, you can't just drive a car anywhere, anyway you want. If you did, you'd conflict with the "freedom" of other people by crashing into them and end up hurting both them and you.
There are some important observations, however, that can be drawn from your list.
Human culture has always followed an AUTHORITARIAN model. Even with the democratic addition of majority voting, once the vote is taken, there is only ONE path people all have to follow. And many people in government are power hungry and apply the laws as if they were police with unlimited power. It doesn't have to be that way.
I used to live in the quiet, well to do town of Weston Massachusetts. I was amazed one day after being pulled over by a police car. The officer came to the car and asked for the usual - license and registration – which I provided. He then said, "I APOLOGIZE for the inconvenience of pulling you over. First, I want to say, seeing you are a Weston resident, that the Weston police see themselves as public servants. So please try to see my actions that way. The reason I pulled you over is that you have a tail light out. I'm not going to give you a ticket for this. You do understand that this could be dangerous for you, right?"
I was totally flabbergasted! But consider how all your concerns: watched, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, regulated, etc. would change if people cooperated with the rules to begin with and government employees really tried to be helpers, rather than rulers and punishers? ( The reason humans abuse power is discussed on A3society.org under 7 Deadly Sins )
You also brought up whether the government has the RIGHT to do this. They do! Why? Because, collectively, as a society of people, we have given them that right, in return for creating order and a better society for all of us. The big question now is, with government using their power to create a new set of aristocrats, should we take the power back like the people of Europe had to do from all their aristocrats?
True, responsibility is the key. And regarding your driving exemple: there have been some experiments where laws were dropped entirely: http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,448747,00.html
And your police officer it's an exception to the rule. You also admit this: I was totally flabbergasted! Which means that my list of government actions against the people is correct. And I do not agree that it has the rights you mentioned. When were you asked if you want to participate in all this ? And you agreed ? Can you opt out if you no longer want it ?
That's the difference between a state and a free association. Associations also have rules that need to be followed by those that agree to participate. But you cand join and leave at will without sacrificing your entire life. You are not forced into them just because you were born in a certain location.
Do you believe that "Real Freedom" can be established by Individuals acting alone and not in cooperation with others?
No, I do not believe that you can achieve freedom without cooperation. But I also believe that you cannot achive freedom by forcing others into cooperation.
Good Morning "flavian". Thanks for replying. I agree with your viewpoint about "forcing cooperation". That is really not cooperation at all. An oxymoron I believe.
But what can We do about those that will not join Us in building a Better America? Maybe let them have their own social form zones and leave them alone as long as they do not interfere with what We are trying to achieve? I think this might work to some extent...as long as this sub-group kept its word about "Live and Let Live".
But there are elements in American Society who would not be content with that arrangement. They would work at undoing the achievements of Direct Democracy. Wouldn't that leave Us no choice, at some point, but to employ force in self-defense? Please, what are your thoughts about this?
Dan. I discuss a method to provide a lot of the freedom that flavian is striving for at http://A3society.org under the Democracy Tab – plural democracy. A longer discussion is in the books referenced on the Books tab. If you don't have the time to read the books, send me an email and I'll send you the appropriate chapters.
You got it. "Live and Let Live". If those that are not content would work against you, then of course you are entitled to self-defense.
Be careful though: do not consider self-defense in the sense white people considered interactions whit the native americans after they stole theyr lands, enslaved theyr brothers, brainwashed theyr children and sent them into so-called "reservations".
ahh....Proudhon I do believe. And in these times of electronic surveillance and data collection....wow.
First, I'm not from US, I'm from eastern europe. And here we've seen them all. We've been trough "revolution" and "change" some 20 years ago. We've seen communism and capitalism. We've seen dictatorship transformed into democracy, with people manipulated to elect new communists instead of the old ones. The system remained the same: the 1% controlling the 99% with the help of the state. The state that makes you use money but starts printing them when it runs out, the state that makes laws only to break or change them when it suits the few, the same f. state. Comunism, capitalism, monarchy, dictatorship, same shit.
It doesn't matter what system it is it's the PEOPLE. Somewhere there will be someone who wants to break the rules, get more than they're supposed to, feels their rights are being abused. Our constitution is not bad at all. It just needs an access amendment to the election system so that our different ideas can be shared and chosen.
I know there was a lot of discussion preceding this. But I think this statement got carried away. Our Constitution is a disaster. It is filled with inconsistencies and misuse of words. Let me just use one case: the first amendment.
Most people believe that the first amendment "guarantees" the right of FREEDOM OF RELIGION. The problem is, people have an idealized image of the word "freedom". They believe such a thing can actually exist. It can't. (See my previous discussion about that.) As soon as one religion establishes a "thou shalt" which doesn't agree with a "thou shalt not" of another religion, the possibility of freedom in society breaks down. For example, if one religion believes all those who do not believe their doctrine are "heathens" and must be killed, then there is NO possibility of Freedom for anyone as soon as there is one other religion in the society. Or, if a religion believes that ALL the people in a society must say one of THEIR prayers to their god, every day or they will be subject to punishment from their god, then freedom is again lost for any part of the society not in their clan. The fact that our country is home to over a thousand religious doctrines brings this problem to a head very quickly.
I've also heard it stated many times, "can't each person just keep their religion to themselves?" This sounds logical at first, but again, falls apart in practice. The reason is that most religious beliefs require "social action" in some form. So people might hold some beliefs inside themselves. But any of those beliefs that require outside action create a conflict with others who don't hold the same belief.
This same problem comes up over and over in the constitution. See http://A3society.org under the Democracy tab.
Uh. Whuts uh..."access amendment to the election system... so that our different ideas can be shared and chosen." Could you share more about this concept "occupythegreenparty"?
I've been thinking about our election system. I know there are many groups working on different things Like getting Corporations to not be people. And lowering the signature count to gain ballot access. I think we must do something to elevate the voting system to our most paramount activity in the country. So here is what I have in mind it's just a start, not fleshed out but...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/152631684794770/doc/216291868428751/
EQUAL ACCESS AMENDMENT
Whereas Voting is the most important activity in a civilized society. Whereas the Declaration of Independence states we are all equal. Whereas the substance of life can cause us to be unequal such as our location, finances, education, it is necessary to set in motion boundaries to keep our elections equal for all citizens.
Candidates may use powerpoint or some such device to illustrate their answers. All powerpoint sources must be identified. After the question is placed on the screen candidates may answer. The order of the answerer will not be as important because all answers will be recorded. The candidate may speak as long as they like but they will be using their own 90 minutes. Any time a candidate speaks they must turn on their timer to turn on their mic. If they run out of time before the debate is over they will no longer be able to speak.
In-Kind donations will have their value determined at the board of elections not to exceed the value of $960. (so basically if someone wants to let you use their room the rental cost would be listed as a donation) A business may make an IN-Kind donation by going to the board of elections office of the county where the item will be used. (a certificate will be issued verifying what was registered for use and the value) A business may not make cash donations.
Well this is just the start. What do you all think?
I like it, except I would suggest that a petition of a certain number of names should be required to get on the ballot. If Everyone with 10-20 supporters could get on, then you might end up with 1,500 candidates in a state-wide or national election, and that would be completely infeasible.
I think people shouldn't be afraid of several parties. The goal of the party is to run a candidate and win. If you are saying the same thing as someone else, you're going to lose as people are trying to decide whether to follow you or the other party. Also I've seen brochures and test booklets that have LOTS of choices on them. We have the ability to accommodate hundreds of choices. We need to think of this as so important it has to be done.
I agree with most of this. It would work good in conjunction with a half direct democracy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_in_Switzerland
Well, write what you would rework, I'm still trying to get this in front of Wall Street but I may go straight to the media if I have to.
I think it is a great start "occupythegreenparty". I have copied it for study and constructive commentary. I would like to help with more people seeing this if it is ok with you.
That constitution was a failure from the beginning. It promised freedoms and the right to choose. Except for the women that had no right to vote. And the negros. And the indians. And those that didn't wanted a government in the first place.
I believe the "American Constitution" was step in the right direction. It should be "improved" upon.
Yes and we passed amendments to correct that. I think an Equal Access Amendment will make rich and poor equal as well. The poor will have more opportunity to be represented. And those that didn't want a government were under one before the constitution.
It's like taking the elephant in the porcelain store to the gym in order to loose a few pounds.. maybe it'll fit..
Well "flavian" you have learned to recognize certain Truths about social and political forms. If only most of the Romanian People can see this too, then a new path could be sought or designed. "Mutualism" anyone?
While the comment providing details of an "Equal Access Amendment" presents some good approaches to addressing some known issues, I think a much different view needs discussion. I don't think the initial assumption: "voting is the most important activity in a civilized society," is as clear as it appears. While voting is the most visible activity, it has serious problems as well:
It is easy for people with power and money to influence votes;
Political maneuvers can be used to affect who is allowed to vote;
But most problematic, the use of "majority" or "plurality" or "representative" or other measure to select ONE outcome creates a situation where all those on the losing side do not get what they want.
In the case of representatives, who can be influenced by money, just a handful can dictate the outcome for millions of citizens. Where "rights" are concerned, a lynch mob can produce an almost unanimous vote, while an innocent person is killed, LAWFULLY, but WRONGLY.
The problem with conventional voting is that it maintains an AUTHORITARIAN outcome for each vote. While this works in simple cases where most people agree on outcomes, in a modern, complex world, it fails miserably at achieving the choices of most people. It is time for the world to move to more egalitarian forms of decision. One of these is called PROPORTIONAL voting. Another is called Plural Democracy.
Proportional voting is a method of representation whereby the makeup of a representational body is made up of a mix of people who represent the view of the people in proportion to voter interests. The problem with this method is it only works when there are a large number of representatives for any single body of voters. When there are only 2 senators, for example, the best that can be done is one from each "major" party. It is not possible to represent 2 major plus 5 minor parties proportionally with only 2 members.
Plural Democracy is a new form of Direct Democracy in which issues are decided, not on an overall bill basis, but based on many small details. For example, let's say a new jobs bill is proposed. In the bill, there are elements proposed for: length of work week, work hours per day, work hour flexibility, child care, vacation, holidays, etc. With a Plural Democracy vote, citizens would vote on each issue. But here is where Plural Democracy really becomes different. Once the vote is taken, a law development group creates the law to match the statistics of the vote. For example, if the population voted that the length of the work week should be 30% 4 days, 60% 5 days, 10% 6 days, then the law should include provisions to allow that. For example, it would adjust vacation time and social security differently for each length of work week.
As for election of individuals to positions, the major change under Plural Democracy is a strong credentialing requirement for the committees that a person will serve on. The idea of state senators and representatives voting on bills no longer would exist.
This approach is discussed further at http://A3society.org under the Democracy tab – plural democracy.
"One man with a gun can rule 100 people that do not have one." - Lenin There will always be that one man. Anarchists commonly overlook this fact.
Pacifists also commonly overlook this fact.
Indians were anarchists. Americans that stole their land, enslaved them and still benefit from the biggest genocide known to man... commonly overlook this fact.
"flavian"? Why do you say that "Indians were anarchists"? I see them as having strong tribal obligations. Does anarchy mean every man for himself? No government?
No, anarchism does not mean every man for himself. Anarchism as a concept suffered a lot from mass-media manipulation. "You don't wan to be an anarchist, to take down the governing powers, to fight police and break the law"
Ok, really ? First of all, OWS is exactly that. Second, try this definition of anarchism:
ANARCHISM (from the Gr. αν, and αρχη, contrary to authority), the name given to a principle or theory of life and conduct under which society is conceived without government - harmony in such a society being obtained, not by submission to law, or by obedience to any authority, but by free agreements concluded between the various groups, territorial and professional, freely constituted for the sake of production and consumption, as also for the satisfaction of the infinite variety of needs and aspirations of a civilized being.
In a society developed on these lines, the voluntary associations which already now begin to cover all the fields of human activity would take a still greater extension so as to substitute themselves for the state in all its functions. They would represent an interwoven network, composed of an infinite variety of groups and federations of all sizes and degrees, local, regional, national and international temporary or more or less permanent - for all possible purposes: production, consumption and exchange, communications, sanitary arrangements, education, mutual protection, defence of the territory, and so on; and, on the other side, for the satisfaction of an ever-increasing number of scientific, artistic, literary and sociable needs.
I fail to see how your reply is applicable to my statement. If anything it supports it. The Indians, outgunned, were subjugated by the Americans. My point is that the people must be disarmed for communism, socialism, and anarchism to have a chance.
Not really. People do not have to be disarmed. They only must have weapons of the same size. Be that zero size or nuclear size. The bigger the weapons, the worst for the planet.
And this brings me to my second point. The original ideea was also this: this country was rich and prospered back then when indians were living according to natural laws. Now you could of course do what we did in the last centuries: get a bigger gun and take theyr land, dig for oil and coal, pollute the air and rivers, overfish and cut forests.. but that's actually suicidal stuff... and now we see the results of this insane run for profit and consumption... the 1% got us very close to a dead end for our civilisation.
People have forgotten that each of us lives in a social and economic nexus, one that is very oppressive and requires a good deal of conditioning in order to make us adaptable to it. The "sane" people are the ones who have been able to adapt and become hardcore sociopaths to a good degree, while the "insane" ones are those who have not been able to adapt to a very insane system.
Of course, without this insane run, we would't be here today: using internet to talk on computers, having a chat, you from US, me from Romania. Could we use this kick in the ass to make a step forward instead of falling on our face ? Then all would not be lost. Still, one also wonders: living in nature ways and not pursuing this technology run would we have learned to communicate with the world around us by other means ? Maybe in these last few centuries telepathy or levitation would have become as common as email and airplanes today...
I agree. We must also be disarmed for almost any form of tyranny to have a chance.
That's not freedom, that's immaturity. That's not anarchy that's a straight road into a despotism. LIke I said check out what Mugabe's agenda was in Rwanda and look to see what they have now. And it wouldn't be a fight against 'you', I along with the majority of americans would fight your hair-brained, naive, ill thought out sophomoric idea.
Oh, and who are you to come into my house and tell me I'm not free ? That I have to pay some protection fee also called "TAX" in order to be able to mind my own business. This is not freedom, my friend. THIS is the illusion, not the ideea that we could have a world without government. Like Stuart Wilde said, try not paying your property taxes, and you'll see who owns your house.
Flavian I think I understand you -philisophically, but practically things have to be paid for. Roads, vehicles, houses, schools... This stuff has to be chipped in to buy. That's taxes.
And when did you asked us if we want roads or vehicles or houses or schools ? You are asuming we do ? Like the christians asumed that native americans needed theyr "lessons", religion and that "civilisation" they had ?
Those things aren't paid for by income tax. Income tax was first created to pay for WW1 then raised to pay for WW2. The tax was supposed to go away after WW2 but our tast for world power got the best of us.
So if we want tax reform, we need to elect into office a person who promotes the tax reform we believe in. It still means we need more access to our eletion system.
We are in agreement about access to the election system. Especially for third party candidates.
My comment was in response to demand #4, the call for higher taxes. It's inconsistent with non-violent principals. This is a very important issue for so many people to get so completely wrong.
Why is having the wealthy pay their fair share a violation of non-violent principles??
Tax is violent because of the implied threat.... Even if a person says they love paying taxes and it makes them feel patriotic, how they feel is irrelevant because of the implied threat which compels their action. This 4 min explains well if you are really interested. http://youtu.be/PGMQZEIXBMs
This comment brings up the principle of FREEDOM. A lot of people truly misunderstand it, and actually believe they can have it and are ENTITLED to it. While the concept of freedom can be used as a goal, actual freedom does not, and can not exist. It's just an idealized concept. As long as there are two or more people who are restricted in some way to use a common resource – air, water, land, roads, buildings etc. – then freedom is impossible. And even if a person goes off to live alone, freedom of action is still limited by the environment and material reality. GET OVER IT!
There is a discussion of this at http://A3society.org on the Democracy tab.
Your freedom begins where my freedom ends. We all know that. Problem appears when some would like to extend theyr "freedom" at the expense of others. Stuff like laws for everyone to follow and mandatory taxation is where I draw the line. I believe others accept this as freedom only because they have been brainwashed into it.
Flavian. While there are limits to freedom, I think there are ways that ALL of us can have more of it. I don't want my freedom to come at your expense. I want to find a way that maintaining your freedom also provides more freedom for me. We have been living in a world that evolved from a win-lose model. It was called "biological evolution". But SOME humans have moved a step up from that. They understand how to achieve win-win, and can help the others move up as well. That's what "pluralistic democracy" shows us how to do.
Mugabe, while terrible, never had an agenda in Rwanda that I know of. He's the dictator of Zimbabwe.
That's the idea "flavian"...what you said above: "...I along with the majority of americans..."
We don't want to trash our car immediately. Let's get some repairs done to bring it in working condition. After a year or so, we can trash this old inefficient car and build a brand new Custom built car. How about that ?
Good trend of thought "littleg". I hope We have time to do this. But...it may work against Us to wait. It might not be good to put off what can be done today to do it tomorrow. But then again maybe your right. Patience is one of the virtues here. How would waiting a year or so help?
The slight repairs that we do is what is crucial to enable us to change the system drastically. The reason we have to do it step by step is, people as always are hesitant to change.
Again good points "littleg". Very reasonable. That People are hesitant to change is what I have noticed too. I believe that is fear at work. I find myself appreciating the angry Individuals that demand all change now. They are the nudges that get the populace moving in the right direction. Whenever We can, We should reinforce these emotional ones with Our Reasonable approach. I believ that can make a pretty powerful social formula.
Once the cement is wet, real change can happen. I believe there are roles for all to play. The agitators get the cement wet. And the organizational folks work to put something in place that is equitable. I think we have a real shot at a revolution here if we stay non-violent and continue to work on the General Assemby model.
The problem with this approach is that people are not looking widely enough at the crisis we are in. While the protests are called "Occupy Wall Street", this is NOT only an economic problem. We have entered a new era in human – environment development. We will NOT get out of the current recession "because", in the past, we always have. The past had advantages that the present doesn't have. Specifically:
Human population is now 7B. The sustainable carrying capacity of the earth, by the best current estimates, is about 2 to 3 B MAXIMUM.
We have mined the easy resources. This is no longer about projections of shortages for a hundred years from now. We have reached the time when the shortages were forecast to start and they are occurring – drinkable water, aquifers for irrigation, many minerals, wood ( even China is out of wood ), soils are depleted, ocean fish have collapsed by 90%, oil production is falling etc.
We have polluted the earth, oceans and sky. Global warming is moving the weather bands and causing severe draughts. The ice caps are melting. Insect pests are moving into new areas already resistant to every known insecticide. Medical supplies are now showing shortages across the globe and severe plague diseases once thought eradicated are coming back resistant to every known form of antibiotic.
Automation has replaced human labor. Western society is overflowing with STUFF! People have filled their houses and now fill rented storage building. Our culture does not know how to employ people. The cry for MORE EDUCATION is dead on arrival. Most occupational sectors can not employ more people because they have higher education levels. And when they do hire someone because of higher education, they have to let someone else go. Its a losing game.
And, there is the new pressure of the 3rd world wanting the high standard of living we have in the western world. Because of the western world's aristocratic attitude, this will just lead to exploitation of the 3rd world. That will lead to rebellion and increase the demand for weapons – which is a big NET LOSS of productivity for society. Why? Weapons explode and destroy infrastructure. That means all the labor and material used to build the weapons just explode - a total loss. The world then has to rebuild all the infrastructure just to get back to where we already were.
The world is NOT in good shape. It is not going to take just a year or so to see how any changes we introduce will work. AND, the warning time we were given in the 70's and 80's has already run out.
He is correct actually. Here is historically what happens in a revolution. The full fury of the people is unleashed. The old institutions are smashed to bits. Cant have a little bit of revolution. A little bit of anger...and make no mistake...people are pissed off. When you can no longer feed your child, and you have played by the rules your whole life, swallowed the American tale since childhood, only to find yourself trapped while you watch a very few profit....
If FDR and others hadn't provided the new deal, there would already have been a revolution in US by now. People have poor memory and they forget quickly.
Also, if there is a lesson I've learn from our own (Romania 89) revolution is this: do not give up until you finish the job. Otherwise the revolution will be stealed and you are only replacing some faces in the 1% club.
Oh, i get it. Let's change some stuff but actually keep it the same way.... :)
The money are the root of the problem. The money that FED prints and the state MAKES all of us use them. The money the corporations use to controll all of us: the politics, the policemen, the army, the media, the resources. Take the money out of this game if you really want to have some change done.
correction - money is NOT the root problem. The ROOT problems are:
1) Greed and Laziness (characteristics in every single one of us, just at different levels), 2) the system itself is fundamentally flawed (i.e. Republic form of Government, which the U.S. is, good for small homogeneous countries like Sweeden or Denmark, not melting pots of the world).
Change to an Open Source form of government and "Eliminate the Middle Man" (i.e. all politicians) - EXACTLY what is going on here, where citizens decide amongst themselves what they want openly and transparently through the internet, with a government framework only working to enforce these decisions. But keep in mind, the Achilles heel of Direct Democracies (ancient Greece, Rome) is 'mob rule' - this needs to be reduced by mitigating voting powers to 'armchair coaches' (i.e. put in two cents, then vote limited to 2 cents) while increasing it to those who know issues well and put in the time to present citizens with balanced pros and cons.
I've been working for "direct" democracy for 22 years. Most all of us who've been in this fight for awhile actually want what the Swiss have and call "co-determination" in which both the people AND Parliament make laws. This is the ultimate "check and balance". It keeps Parliament more humble and representative. AND it curbs "mob rule."
By far the best project for this in the US is led by famed former Senator Mike Gravel: http://VOTE.org It's the main reason he ran for President in 2008, but the media hardly let him talk about it. As Noam Chomsky says, "They hate democracy more than anything."
Senator Mike Gravel has good ideas about Direct Democracy and another good source to check out would be "NI4D", a web site dedicated to an orderly beginning for the establishment of Direct Democracy. They have worked hard on a bill to help this happen.
Ooops! There's that dirty word again. "Mob rule". The best way to not have mob rule is to not have mob mentality. It is the responsibility of We The People to rise above and stay above this inferior mental state. The Will Of The People should be benign and productive and fulfilling of Our Nations Potential Destiny. Of course it is the minority rulers who most fear mob rule. They know deep in their hearts that they do wrong. I have every confidence that The People will attain a benign attitude and skill when they have practiced Direct Democracy for a while.
The "dirty word" "Mob" keeps coming up over and over because there are so many instances of it in our history. What's your solution: "responsibility". Unfortunately, history also has a lot to say about that - and most of it is poor. These two factors are small examples of the HUMAN PSYCHOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS that made BOTH socialism and capitalism fail.
Socialism fails because of laziness, greed and centralization of power in government. Humans are innately lazy and won't work hard without incentives. Centralization of power is inefficient and, because of greed, leads to aristocratic control. Capitalism solves the laziness problem, but fails massively due to greed. Power is still concentrated in the leaders of industry, education, military and government.
I believe Direct Democracy offers PART of a solution. But it needs SUBSTANTIAL structure to control human psychology or it will quickly fall prey to emotionally driven short term (mob) decisions and irresponsibility driven by greed. If a SMART structure is put in place, ALL of the problems we have seen in history can be solved, AND we can come pretty close to our ideals for freedom. BUT! This structure doesn't look at all like any of the government ideas floating around. So, making small adjustments to existing elements of existing constitutions will just bandaid the problem AT BEST!
What is our alternative? I present one of them in my books. There are summaries on my website http://a3society.org . I'm sure I'm not the only one who has spent 20+ years working on this. There must be other good models. Let's find them and try to pull together a workable approach from all of them. But patching what we have is going to fail.
I think people are unduly worried about mob rule. The idea/faith behind democracy is that the majority will take common sense decision which is in the interest of all the citizens (majority and minority). In fact this is the highlight of democracy. It is also the responsibility of the minority to engage in discussions with majority and convince them to take the right decision. Majority of people are inherently good and will take the right decision. Mob rule is very very unlikely even in Direct democracy. The key word is trust in every human that others are same as them.
Good points "littleg". Also, We can correct mistakes we make as we go. I think We would be more likely to do this than the politicians.
Hi "EvanFromHeaven". Ol Dan here. Looks like the suggestion to put Direct Democracy on the Occupy Wall Street list got bumped off it. But that is ok. We still know a good thing when We see it. Thanks for suggesting it. Looks like it has stimulated some discussion. Great. I'll see what i can do to help.
Dan and Evan: In my previous comments listing the serious problems with Direct Democracy (DD), remember, I also said it was a KEY element to a new government. So, let me briefly describe some key additions that I think are needed to make it work.
First, people have to face up to the complexity of the modern world and their human limitations. There are many complex subjects that government has to regulate that most people aren't qualified to pass judgment on. An example I gave was the laws regulating the operation of nuclear power plants. Sure, people SHOULD have a say whether the world has nuclear power or not, but they don't have the background to get into the details. This point is important because none of the discussions about DD address how the "system" would be set up to decide who gets a say on what.
Second, where will individuals get their information about issues? From the press? Fox News maybe? My issue here is that there is currently NO reliable source of information for people to use to make decisions. Even PBS and NPR are failing at this. And now that they have to scramble for funding, they will succumb to financial models driven by survival. What about the internet? I'm sure you realize what a disaster it has become. It's a garbage heap, with key diamonds in it somewhere. Good luck!
Solving this problem was the basis, in my proposed new government system, for an agency, watched over carefully by the public, to MANAGE available information in a tightly structured way to guarantee both OPEN ACCESS to ideas, and COMPREHENSIVE coverage of ideas. I still believe that humans can get it right. But they need a lot of help to overcome some serious psychological limitations.
Again, these issues are discussed in more detail on my website http://a3society.org under the democracy tab.
Dan, it just moved down the list as newer "demands" were submitted. It's still there.. Thanks!
It's not direct democracy if a majority dictates for a minority. And some times it's not even a majority. It's 51% out of those 40-50% voting-age that manipulated into participating at this game. That's one quarter.
And another thing: why should I be oblidged to participate ? Why not make the participation voluntary and not mandatory ? Same like an association.
"The will of the majority, the natural law of every society, is the only sure guardian of the rights of man. Perhaps even this may sometimes err; but its errors are honest, solitary and short-lived." -Thomas Jefferson
100% consensus is impossible except in small groups. The meaning of direct democracy is all who want participate in discussion and voting, not just representatives. If you want to talk about consensus, call it that.
Nobody requires you to participate in voting on ballot initiatives or on candidates.
Well, regarding those small groups, you now see my point: small groups is what we need. A descentralised economy instead of a global one or a "new world order". If you want to eliminate the 1% you have to take the 99% out of that pyramidal system that supports them. You need horizontal networks instead of pyramidal ones. And to use P2P networking instead of centralised systems if you understand how sharing resources in a torrent or dc++ application works.
I'm all about local and decentralization. I lived with indigenous people in Taos, NM, Mexico and Guatemala. But, as the saying goes, you have to start where you are. Large nations are an unfortunate fact. If we break up into small groups, big groups walk all over us, and enslave us if they can. Torrent, etc. works because large groups (like ICANN) keep the internet working. SOME things need to be done by large groups. If a large group tries to use 100% consensus, a single uncooperative person can thwart the entire group. That's why Jefferson, Gandhi and other leaders of large groups knew that majority rule was the key.
You are trying very hard to explain me that my freedom is actually as big or small as some group of people want it to be.
All society has rules, starting with "Thou shalt not kill." The question is: WHO makes the rules, all of us, or a few of them? If you want no rules, you're free to go off into the wilderness yourself. I've done that for 4 months this year.
Problem is: wilderness used to be this entire continent.. then it got smaller and smaller... and now even the deepest amazonian jungle is not safe anymore from this "civilisation" virus... but then again.. why should we move ? Why don't you move to the forest and apply those laws that you hold dear over there ? Why make the one that does not care about them move ?
If you don't care about fair rules like "Don't murder" then I and others won't take you seriously. Over and out.
How did we end up talking about murder ? I never said anything about that.
And what's fair ? If you don't care about fair rules like pay the taxes and obey the "laws" that lobbyst write.. bankers won't take you seriously either.. ;)
I agree with "decentralized economy" and I am definitely against "globalization" and the "new world order". Direct Democracy can help take the 99% out of the pyramidal system, so long as it is The Will Of The People. Could you explain more about "horizontal networks" and "P2P"?
Small groups are the beginning of Direct Democracy. No better way to practice and master the art of Government Of The People, For The People and BY The People than in you own community.
This reply applies flavian's point about Direct Democracy (DD) and about 16 interactions below it that didn't have reply buttons.
My first observation is that this discussion is a perfect example of my repeated claim that complex topics can't be addressed one issue at a time. It takes a lot of background to sort this topic out. So, let's look at it in light of a number of pieces of information:
The claim made by Jefferson in the quote, that the "will of the majority… is the only sure GUARDIAN of the rights of man, to begin with, is commonly misunderstood. How does the concept behind the Bill of Rights fit into this? The bill of rights lays out "rules" that limit the majority from interfering with specific practices of individuals. The right of free speech, for example, is protecting a handful of OWS protestors, even if 200 million people in the country think they should be put in jail. So, what was Jefferson telling us? He was saying, that in times of cooler heads, a majority came together, and enacted a law to LIMIT THEMSELVES from action, to protect a higher good - individual FREEDOM - but ONLY in some cases. To do that, they had to raise their ideas above looking at any individual protester, and see the higher value of the right to individual speech.
The starting comment confuses Direct Democracy, a process of counting individual citizen votes vs. Representative votes, with the method chosen to decide the outcome, as in voting majority, total majority, two-thirds vote, unanimous vote etc.
The starting comment also incorrectly assumes that participation in voting is an obligation. It isn't.
Another comment brings in the concept of small groups. But it then falsely assumes that since obtaining 100% consensus is easier in small groups, that creating small groups will solve the problems that the overall protest is addressing. That is far from obvious. Small groups, while minimizing the number of chances for a single holdout, also make each individual stand out more clearly. For example, the whole issue of GANGS in society revolves around the ability of one strong leader to easily ENFORCE conformity in the gang. Or, consider the case of the smallest group, a husband and wife. How often does that lead to 100% consensus? The dominant factor isn't group size. It's other things.
Many activities need large organizations and broad acceptance to be successful. Traffic laws are a good example. People very broadly accept ( consensus ) to drive on the right and stop at lights colored red.
The issue of FREEDOM is raised again. I've previously discussed how the basic understanding of FREEDOM in our society is so drastically misunderstood. It's a fairy-tail of myths. But let me add one point here. Recent psychological discoveries explain why some people are so driven by this concept, that it becomes an anxiety disorder or paranoia - not unlike claustrophobia. These discoveries will open new approaches for treatment.
The point raised which casts the "new world order" as a negative, I think, is similar to the stigma we now associate with other words like mob, communism, socialism etc. The issue here is the emotional response, the psychological problem, which blinds us from dealing with the elements of the concepts realistically.
Again, all of these issues are discussed further at http://a3society.org
Hi "flavian" I have to disagree. It IS Direct Democracy when a Majority decides for the whole...including minorities. The ideal would be for the good heart and mind participation of the Minorities too. It is also Ideal for the Majority to be 99% when We all get together in the Fourth House to govern Our Nation. But We have to work with what We can get. 51% percent, if that is all We can start with, will be good beginning for Direct Democracy. You don't have to participate. You can just sit in a quiet corner and keep yourself out of the equation if that's what you want to do. But the Ideal would be for you to add your good heart and mind to the process. Participation is not mandatory.
The whole population is made up of Minorities which are made up of Individuals. Majoritism is an ideal that should include most of Our Country's population. Without it We have what We have now; the dictatorship of a minority...which, by the way, also dictates to other minorities. Rulers tend to serve themselves at the expense of others. It is part of my vision that We The People will learn to rule lovingly and wisely and inclusively, in order to enable the best good for The Many. Surely this should be part of the New American Vision?
Me again "flavian". You wrote: "It's 51% out of those 40-50% voting-age that manipulated into participating at this game." Manipulated seems like a strange word here. I tend to think of Citizens voting as an ideal activity of social responsibility. I think it is the idea that voting replaces shooting and the personal honor is in complying with what the voting decided. But this gets messed up when We allow middle men to make the final decisions and votes for Us. Representatives, for the most part, betray Us. They serve themselves like their semi-secret masters. They become part of the ruling minority. If We all became part of the ruling minority, it would no longer be that...it would become the ruling majority...a Better thing for Our Nation.
You are trying very hard to explain me that my freedom is actually as big or small as some group of people want it to be.
Hmmm. That's interesting "flavian". It looks like you will have your idea of how big your Freedom is, which is the right of the Individual, and you think it will be different from ideas about the size of your Freedom decided upon by a Majority. Of course there are some abuses of Freedom that will not be tolerated. This is the right of the Social Group of cooperating Individuals.
Because you are a "Golden Rule" Man, I really don't think that your ideas of Freedom will be interfered with by an enlightened, (also Golden Rule), Direct Democracy Majority.
What do you think about this notion?
I would reccoment you to find the ending of this story, use google:
As you may recall, we last left Jonathan Gullible on a remote Pacific island after his boat was tossed about by a terrific storm. One day ...
Jonathan didn't have time to say hello. Someone screamed, "It's them! The Democracy Gang! Run for cover!"
"Run, run," shouted a kid, who sprinted past Jonathan.
Alisa's face lost its color. "We've got to get out of here -- fast!"
First came the police. The crowd scattered in all directions -- many of them shedding their back braces to run faster. Three whole families, with children in tow, raced down the stairs of BLOCK B and tossed belongings out the windows to friends below. All gathered what they could and dashed up the street.
Moments later the street was nearly empty. Only the slowest, their arms laden with bundles or children, could still be seen heading away from the approaching threat. A structure at the far end of the street burst into flames. Frozen with fear, Jonathan grabbed Alisa's arm demanding, "What's going on? Why's everyone so scared?"
Tugging wildly against his grip, Alisa yanked Jonathan to his feet and cried out, "It's the Democracy Gang! We've gotta get out of here quick!"
Hi "michaelfinko". Good observations about those old Democracies, but they were not the ideal Direct Democracy form. They were merely historical steps in the right direction.
You wrote: "...mitigating voting powers to 'armchair coaches' (i.e. put in two cents, then vote limited to 2 cents) while increasing it to those who know issues well and put in the time to present citizens with balanced pros and cons." Could you explain more about this please. It sounds like another insertion of a minority that can thwart The Will Of The People. Advisers I can understand, but they should not have more governmental decision power than the American Majority.
well, basically, if an organized system of some type is set up, such as on many websites (points, ratings, stars, thumbs up/down, history of comments, etc.), it would be unfair to give the same 100% equal voting weight to a person who's history of comments only includes rants on every topic possible but no constructive criticism/suggestions as to a person who clearly has demonstrated strong knowledge and constructive recommendations on only a few topics in their history of comments. Citizens choose these people by giving them a higher ranking - which can also go down if it becomes clear the person became biased, so much better than term limits, because they have to continually earn trust, openly on the internet.
I'm not saying a huge weighting difference, but it would not encourage those with strong, balanced knowledge of a topic to step up and contribute. So, no, they could never earn an advantage that it would come down to 535 voters with the most weighting trumping all the rest (or equivalent of the 535 senators/reps we have now).
To be honest, I would be happy never voting and trusting a group of 'advisors' who have demonstrated their balanced presentation of issues. Kind of like I trust the team at Canonical who make sure all contributions to Ubuntu are positive and moving it forward, not backward (although that has happened, too, for which they quickly backdated the version, then improved).
To add to your response above -
"The best way to not have mob rule is to not have mob mentality. It is the responsibility of We The People to rise above and stay above this inferior mental state. The Will Of The People should be benign and productive and fulfilling of Our Nations Potential Destiny"
Hoping, wishing, thinking, dreaming, praying, assuming, etc. that people will be good, decent, fair, honest, etc. will result in failure.
We are all humans with various levels of failing points. On the one end you have someone like Mother Teresa on the other Madoff, and everywhere in between. Many realistic assumptions need to be built into any model to make it genuinely sustainable (kind of like the rule of law - it's there not just to keep the honest people honest, but, also as a big stick when people get out of line, so things don't slide into chaos).
For more, see "Truisms' page on OSPF: http://ospoliticalframework.wordpress.com/truisms/truisms-solutions/
br, Michael
The first demand should be PUBLIC REFERENDUMS so the PUBLIC can MAKE/CHANGE LAWS, and AMEND THE CONSTITUTION.
http://OccupyTheAgenda.wordpress.com https://www.facebook.com/OccupyTheAgenda
The idea behind referendums is a great one. It does, in fact, happen on a state and local level. Listen to what Ron Paul has been saying about severely reducing the size of the Federal govt as a whole, eliminating 25% of federal taxes on your paycheck, and letting the states handle the issues (all the while eliminating corporate welfare and ending war). Referendums have a greater chance of positive success the more power the states and localities have over the Federal govt.
Not a fan of states handling things themselves. They tend to discriminate in their little corners of the world when no one is watching them. Some things should be the same for all of us no matter what state we live in. For example getting on the ballot.
I've been thinking about our election system. I know there are many groups working on different things Like getting Corporations to not be people. And lowering the signature count to gain ballot access. I think we must do something to elevate the voting system to our most paramount activity in the country. So here is what I have in mind it's just a start, not fleshed out but...
EQUAL ACCESS AMENDMENT
Whereas Voting is the most important activity in a civilized society. Whereas the Declaration of Independence states we are all equal. Whereas the substance of life can cause us to be unequal such as our location, finances, education, it is necessary to set in motion boundaries to keep our elections equal for all citizens.
Candidates may use powerpoint or some such device to illustrate their answers. All powerpoint sources must be identified. After the question is placed on the screen candidates may answer. The order of the answerer will not be as important because all answers will be recorded. The candidate may speak as long as they like but they will be using their own 90 minutes. Any time a candidate speaks they must turn on their timer to turn on their mic. If they run out of time before the debate is over they will no longer be able to speak.
In-Kind donations will have their value determined at the board of elections not to exceed the value of $960. (so basically if someone wants to let you use their room the rental cost would be listed as a donation) A business may make an IN-Kind donation by going to the board of elections office of the county where the item will be used. (a certificate will be issued verifying what was registered for use and the value) A business may not make cash donations.
REPEAT
Ahhh. There it is. I thank you for this work "occupythegreenparty". It has a lot of merit and is worthy of consideration.
May I copy it for study? For sharing with others?
Yes I keep posting it here and it keeps disappearing. I met with someone from the "working group" in DC and they said they would be bringing it back to Wall Street. I haven't heard from them yet.
This is a great example of what I mean http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_in_Switzerland
Ideally this might be better, but I would settle for each "party" or "philosophy" having a chance to speak their views and havre people choose what they like. I think that would give us a schmorgesborg(sp) of laws to match the melting pot of our country. I mean the conservatives can't really defend that people in different states have different requirements to participate but they could mount a crazy defense that we want to be Switzerland that's the next step to communism.
That is disappointing, sad and true that trying to be a peaceful democratic society might be construed that way.
In our fear culture, communism and other terms will always will be loosely thrown around.
I just watched Zeitgeist Moving Forward talking about global resource sharing or whatever they termed it. It's a beautiful thing but we can't even pry a few dollars of taxes from these people you think they will trust people who are not American to cooperate with them over global resourcing? But we might be able to work toward it if other thinking could reach the election spectrum. Equal Access Amendment someone take to the NYCGA my connection fell through.
And what gives you the right to impose those laws onto me ?
Nothing. Government is about relinquishing some power for the greater good. There is always government, once there is more than one person involved. Once you have two people there have to be some rules. Who's going to do what, what are the boundaries, what will we do when we disagree?
I don't thing you will find too much disagreement on relinquishing "some power for the greater good".
Rather the whole issue is on exactly HOW MUCH power, or taxes.
My opinion is that running a government in Open Source format, i.e. were everyone can contribute if they like, will solve a lot of tough issues a lot faster and a lot more balanced then 535 heavily biased senators and reps can.
I don't know, I think Flavian would agree. Are you suggesting we dump our congress for a consensus?
exactly what I am suggesting. Open Source code for IT works very well (not perfect, but the closest to perfect) Apply it to politics as well, for a Separation of State and Politics. I describe it as an Open Source Political Framework, you can read about it here - www.ospoliticalframework.wordpress.com
You might want to try responding to things on here in a way that would show how OSPF would work in this or that particular situation. That would tease people into wanting to find out more. Honestly I got to the site and said "I don't want to read all of this."
thanks for the constructive criticism, I agree, the much better strategy, of course, is to draw people in rather than beat them over the head. Short attention span needs to be solved with lots of pictures and video - I'm thinking of putting some hot chicks in bikinis on ever page :-)
After your comments, I went back at the site with a machete and reduced text to short phrases in bullet point format!! Check out - 'About' - http://ospoliticalframework.wordpress.com/about2/about/ 'Voter Knowledge Issues' - http://ospoliticalframework.wordpress.com/issues/voter-knowledge-level/ 'Why Open Source?' - http://ospoliticalframework.wordpress.com/about2/why-open-source/ 'Guidelines' - http://ospoliticalframework.wordpress.com/123-2/
And, many others. But, lots of work to do yet.
br, Michael
Well I hope we all aspire to better than that but it's hard. Everybody has a link to more info. But if you said "well if we had OSPF then that wouldn't have happened - THIS would have happened" Then people will naturally inquire for more if they like the results.
Hey I'm just learning what consensus is. Is this a derivative or something completely different?
Nothing, I said we the PEOPLE.
Isn't that better than big money imposing their laws on you?
If you feel that no one has any right to impose any laws over you ever, then you should go find a secluded place in the world far away from civilization.
There is no difference between big money and we the people.
Big money means a big group of people. Your ideology is blinding you to the facts.
ridiculous. big money does not inherintly mean a big group of people, it just means an instition (either private or public) with large sums of money. Money buys influence, and that can be either good or bad.
I think the question at hand is whether or not the bad scenarios are worth the risk of allowing that sort of influence to pervade our system.
Most of We The People don't have the "big money". They are of the "Middle Class" and "Worker Class".
My friend, the only law I will ever agree to respect FREELY is the golden rule: one should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself.
All the rest is temporary bullshit and I'm not the one that needs to find a secluded place because I'm not the one that wants to impose onto others his own beliefs.
What if someone decided that he wouldn't mind if you killed him, so he decided to kill you?
If the semantics bother you, the golden rule is also known like: one should treat others as they want to be treated if one would like others to treat oneself as he likes to be treated.
I definitely agree with you , flavian. But I also agree with some of DAN1's ideas.
Really, a lot of this can be solved (i.e. middle ground) by technology. Today we have the increasing ability to offer cost effective FLEXIBILITY through technology. While assuming there is a minimum criteria on certain things like you can't go and kill others, really, on many issues, particularly financial, there are many options available. Here's an example - universal health care (but this not to start a debate on this particular subject, that will just polarize) I do not want it, just my personal opinion. So given that it is a financial issue, it would be relatively simple to let each citizen choose who wants to pay into the government health care system and who doesn't. Rapidly advancing technology could make this practically paperless (i.e. low cost), easy to use (most people have access to computers), low cost to the government (if open source is employed), etc.
Of course, I am oversimplifying the costs involved, but the main point is why should the 'majority' dictate personal choices to the minority, particularly when they impact other financially AND it is completely unecessary?
Today, everyone should be allowed to pay up to 100% in taxes if they like to get up to 100% government provided services. Keep the basic tax extremely minimal (say, 5% flat tax) for the very minimal and basic but necessary government services (infrastructure, critical defense, emergency services, etc.) see "Taxation" http://ospoliticalframework.wordpress.com/ospf-sections/issues/taxation/
Fact: Large government = citizens less in control Small government = citizens more in control
br, Michael
Even so, you should not impose on those that do not want a state that provides "defense" and emergency services. These can be taken care of local associations so easy.
Technology, I know what you mean. And here energy is the key. Tesla, Andrea Rossi, Stan Meyer, Bob Boyce and others. Imagine the freedom if you wouldn't have to work more than half the time in order to pay for gas, electricity, transportation, heating. Imagine these would be as free as air and water and everything else would cost a fraction because they would be cheaper to produce.
Yeah, Screw money. Everybody just take what you want when you want it.
put in honest politicians and the money will not buy them. Money is not a problem - crappy people are.
Yes, but the honest people would rather work for nonprofits than be corralled by politicians. Politics is no place for an honest person, so we have to make rules to keep our politicians in line.
No point in being idealist my friend. This world isnt ideal.
Wrong. It's the pursuit of the ideal that leads us to better places. Without it, we wind up mired in mediocrity. looks around oh yeah...exactly where we are now.....
Well said "packrat"!
There is a lot of difference between good and ideal. Don't make perfect enemy of the good.
Right, like i said..the pursuit of the one leads to the other....
Hi again "littleg". Could you throw some more light on the differences between "good" and "ideal"? I am experiencing difficulty in differentiating between the two.
I can think that "Good" is "Ideal" and that "Ideal" is "Good". But I am sure my old brain is missing nuances of difference. Maybe the differences become apparent in the specific applications of these terms? Help please?
Good is like your best effort. Ideal is the like the Genius Person's best effort. Both are relative/comparative terms and have no definite measurement.
Usually, what happens is people are searching for that ideal partner, ideal home, ideal job and sometimes they let go of a good partner, good home and a good job. So they say don't make perfect the enemy of the good.
Sorry for boring you! :)
No boredom "littleg". Your viewpoint is interesting. It makes sense. I understand better now about what you said. Thanks.
Uh...does this mean that "perfect" is the same as "ideal"? Ah...wait. Perfect is never achievable, but ideal is. Even God is striving toward perfection...but this is just my belief about this.
More just hit me. Something can be "Good" and still not be "Ideal". "Good" can be a step in the direction of "Ideal".
Then why bother ? Only ho have some "change" that will last a few years or maybe not even that ? Only to go back to same old stuff after the "revolution" ends ?
I would really like to see a Z3MF ending to all of this.
Hopefully We will have learned enough to prevent Us from going back to the same old stuff.
This world ain't no video game. It will never end, civilizations will end.
Capitalism should be used as a means to an end. Civilizations cannot act in the same manner as a virus forever without destroying the host....(in a manner of speaking).
The basic fundamental issues that plague our world at this point, ultimately is the development and abuse of Power. That being said, we can therefore look at avenues that power is derived from in our current system. The main way, today, is through Money. Cash. etc. So at a point, I agree with what Flavian is saying. Quote Mayer Amschel Bauer Rothschild : "Give me control of a country's currency, and I care not who makes the laws." If we are going to fix some of these issues without flying too far off into the idealistic, one other thing that should be added, is the destruction of the federal income tax. A direct un-apportioned tax on your wages as a citizen of the US is completely and utterly unconstitutional, and it's creation is 100% suspect.
Also, I think conditioning is a big gear in the mechanism of oppressive power. The Selective Service for instance is an outdated and unjust law. Where if a young man chooses not to sign into this, he has his right to obtain government aid, grants, and loans to better his education denied to him. He is denied government job opportunities. He runs the risk of being charged as a felon and fined up to 250,000 dollars if he does anything to warrant the government to prosecute him (such as bring up the issue at all). There should be rewards for servitude rather than threats of becoming a criminal and loss of rights. I know its low on the totem but since we were talking of unjust power over rights I thought I would give this a mention.
Senator Mike Gravel filibustered the Senate until the military agreed to wind down the draft (Selective Service) in 1971. Many people, including me, didn't have to go to Vietnam because of that! Unfortunately, it was re-instated much later, though nobody's being drafted, yet. As part of the filibuster, Gravel read the Pentagon Papers, which revealed the deceit and betrayal that got us mired in Vietnam and killed 58,000 Americans and millions of Vietnamese, Cambodians and Laotians.
So, take him seriously. He's the guy behind the National ballot Initiative, which is the best plan for direct democracy, in which we ALL participate in making laws, not just the representatives who mostly prostitute themselves to corporations. Website: http://Vote.org
Agreed.
"The few who understand the system, will either be so interested from it's profits or so dependant on it's favors, that there will be no opposition from that class." — Rothschild Brothers of London, 1863
The capitalism will end, not the world. And Z3MF it's not a video game, it's a movie. You should watch it. Google: moving forward official
That is why we need federal PUBLIC REFERENDUMS
A 4th body of government that is the people.
Then we can do things like this ourselves without taking to the streets all the time.
maybe because not everyone agrees with that.
^^^^^ Wack Job^^^^^
A social contract without money? Fascinating. What on Earth would We Humans attach Our Greed to without money? Hmmm. Maybe We could become "greedy" for Love and fairness to all. I would like that. We could even become "greedy" about establishing this moneyless world.
slow down, crazy.
Flavian, unless you are 98 years old or older, you've never seen true capitalism. That was the time where you actually had capital and not government corrupted fiat debt for money. For serious.
Yeah, 98 years ago. That's what we need, no more of these stupid regulations, like child labor. Get them kids to work.
Yeah! Back to the good ol robber baron days.
Wow 2 idiots
Yep, there was a bit more fairness when gold was used as money instead of the toilet paper we have now. But the problem with capital remains the same: it can be used to corrupt people, it can be stolen, it can be inherited. That is regardless if the new owner is a lazy, stupid, greedy or plain evil person. He gets the power to decide over the lives of thousands or millions just because his grandfather was a visionary. That is capitalism. Where people are not people, they are just human resorces. Where nature is not life, is just exploitable assets.
Even in an indigenous society, there is a power structure.
I think you are confusing corporatism with capitalism.
Aren't the corporations a phenomena produced by Capitalism?
I thin one cannot exist without the other.
I don't think you understand what a state is. You can't really dismantle a state. It's institutions maybe, but not the state.
Why can't you?
Oh, but I do. And I dare you to consider the difference between a state and an association. I am not against FREE associations of people that you can join or leave without having to change the country you live in, leaving behind your family, your friends and your home. Why FORCE me to join and pay taxes only because I was born and raised in a specific country ?
Replace the mandatory taxation with voluntary contributions. Transform the state into an association and I'm in. That is if you offer me good enough reasons. Otherwise I might join the french association or the canadian one, even if I live and work in US. They might offer me better insurance, health benefits and retirement conditions for the fees that I FREELY agreed to pay them.
Voluntary contributions is worth a try. Is there any examples of this being successful?
Think open source. Think wikipedia. Or linux. Or "let's do it" cleaning campaigns. Think pirate bay. Or anonymous.
no. no no no no no no no. that's not how it works. you're being selfish, and that's exactly the kind of attitude that we're trying to protest.
no no no no. I'm not selfish. I want to cooperate. But freely. In an association. Not forced. Not taxed. Not being told what I have to learn. Or to speak. Or to think. Or to obey. Do you not see the difference ?
Flavian I don't think as many people want to go down the road you're pointing toward. We like the devil we know rather than the devil we don't.
I think this list should be much more widely publicized. The protests got people's attention. They seem to be listening. Now the question is, what will they hear as "the message", here... Much of what's coming through so far, seems a little out there.. This list is coherent and sounds like it will actually fix the system. My local paper today had quoted some protesters as having an ultimate goal of some sort of robin hood communism, which I think many of those now listening, it turns off...
Agreed.
It might help to take copies of this list, or part of it, to local newspapers...to give them an opportunity to publish and distribute.
This list has already been "publicized" enough to almost completely sideline the (great) movement. You must be in your late teens or early 20s. I'm sorry to have to break it to you but this list (as a whole) is uninformed, and dangerous to the middle class. It is also (particularly #4) exactly what the financial "elite" are promoting. Does that tell you anything?
I disagree that, "...this list (as a whole) is uninformed, and dangerous to the middle class."
I agree. It appears that the list of 13 demands which includes immediate debt forgiveness and guaranteed income is getting a lot more publicity, presumably because it is more alienating to a lot of people and easier to discredit. I would like to see this one getting more attention!
Exactly. In talking to friends, the stuff they are hearing is too easy to dismiss and discredit, as it lacks a productive message for reform and restoring health to the system.
I'm not sure We can "restore health to the system".
The above is a list of reforms to the current system. If you believe it cannot be saved, then we have to propose a cohesive alternative to that system. That has not been done.
Somehow we need to spread the word on this.
Numbers two and four (investigating Wall Street and getting support for the Buffet Rule) are easily achievable in the near future. Call your congressional representatives tomorrow (I know I will!) and tell them that you want them that if they do not take these actions, you will not vote for them in the next election cycle.
http://www.contactingthecongress.org/
Voting is rigged so the oligarch's puppets stay in power and it is naive to put trust in those same government puppets that have created this kleptocracy. We need to get them out of power as soon as possible because innocent people are killed with each passing day. There are many changes that need to be made but it is my firm opinion that our demands should include things we know most People want:
Ending the wars/bombing and covert ops would free up a lot of money for things like education and single-payer healthcare, so throw those in too.
We could have excellent candidates but the oligarchs will remain in power if they continue to rig the elections; I think paper ballots w/verifiable receipt would make an enormous difference and those systems already exist. The Electoral College is archaic and needs to go (Hillary Clinton agrees). We do not elect federal lawmakers as things are today, the federal lawmakers are selected by the oligarchs. Democracy will only happen if WE can elect the decent humans (or run ourselves) that will implement the real solutions to the many problems caused by corruption (there are more than most people realize).
See testimony of rigged voting in the latest post, 'Unified Demand Occupation FOR the People, BY the People', http://saynotocorporateamerica.blogspot.com/2011/10/unified-demand-occupation-for-people-by.html
The time is now, else the time is never, PEACE
Now this is wonderful law! 'Bolivia Set to Pass Historic 'Law of Mother Earth' Which Will Grant Nature Equal Rights to Humans', http://www.pvpulse.com/en/news/world-news/bolivia-set-to-pass-historic-law-of-mother-earth-which-will-grant-nature-equal-rights-to-humans?sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4dac752471470adf%2C0
The Second Bill of Rights!
The Second Bill of Rights was a list of rights proposed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, the then President of the United States, during his State of the Union Address on January 11, 1944. In his address Roosevelt suggested that the nation had come to recognize, and should now implement, a second "bill of rights". Roosevelt's argument was that the "political rights" guaranteed by the constitution and the Bill of Rights had "proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness." Roosevelt's remedy was to declare an "economic bill of rights".
Excerpt from President Roosevelt's January 11, 1944 message to the Congress of the United States on the State of the Union:
“It is our duty now to begin to lay the plans and determine the strategy for the winning of a lasting peace and the establishment of an American standard of living higher than ever before known. We cannot be content, no matter how high that general standard of living may be, if some fraction of our people—whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth—is ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill-housed, and insecure.
This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its present strength, under the protection of certain inalienable political rights—among them the right of free speech, free press, free worship, trial by jury, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. They were our rights to life and liberty.
As our nation has grown in size and stature, however—as our industrial economy expanded—these political rights proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness.
We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. “Necessitous men are not free men.” People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.
In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all—regardless of station, race, or creed.
Among these are:
The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;
The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;
The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;
The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;
The right of every family to a decent home;
The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;
The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;
The right to a good education.
All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.
America's own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for all our citizens.
For unless there is security here at home there cannot be lasting peace in the world."
In this time and age, is there anything more profound or true?
We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. "Necessitous men are not free men." People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.
In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all regardless of station, race, or creed.
Among these are:
The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the Nation;
The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;
The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;
The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;
The right of every family to a decent home;
The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;
The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;
The right to a good education.
All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.
courtesy of: http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/archives/address_text.html
Looks better than the last time. I believe that You guys need a legal professionals to formulate and summarize all this. Stay focused on corruption ! Other issues can be fixed once we have the government that serves people.
Add #3a Prohibit any gov't employee or department from accepting or benefiting directly from any unscheduled gift, payment, gratis service, or sponsorship from any organization or individual. Big money regularly buys politicians and government agencies like the FDA and the FCC and they do it through gifting as much if not more than campaigning. The JP Chase buyout of the NYPD is a drop in the bucket. One could only hope that if this were to be adopted at the Fed, states might follow.
I love this list! I have been passing it along at every opportunity. I like that it has specific steps that can be achieved in the relatively short term. It addresses the fundamental problems of corporate control over our elections and our legislative process that must be reduced before we can address all our many grievances. It is my hope that these demands will restore the interests of people to the primary place in our government, and once we have done that, we can address issues of economic and environmental rights. We can't enact a living wage or environmental protections with a congress that is bought by Walmart and Monsanto!
For sure a good start.
End Drug War End the Prison Industrial Complex End Mandatory Minimums
And I would make a law....that would end all wars. Simply Stated: In the event that the President declares war, we immediately draft every citizen of wealth from ages 18-30, starting at the very top wage earning families, and work our way all the way down....no exceptions...all combat..no paper pushing. Watch how fast diplomacy and negotiations become the norm.
The Draft idea would get their attention. lol. Better than none of their kids, basically, not being in the service as it is now.
The draft version that I saw had a HUGE OMISSION: Namely - the protection of the planet we live on.
That is the single biggest issue there is. It's more important in the long term than any other issue, and it's also more urgent than most other issues, because the destruction is vast and ongoing.
So how about something like this:
"They have raped the Earth of its precious resources, and trashed and poisoned the seas and the waterways, the land and the air. They have destroyed vast tracts of forest and the despoiled the wilderness, wreaked havoc on crucial ecological niches, and driven hundreds of important species of plants and animals to the brink of extinction."
Come on, everyone, get some PERSPECTIVE here: As important as the economy is at times like this, it is NOT the economy that ultimately gives us our lives. It is NATURE and the Earth that gives us our lives. There is NOTHING - including the economy - that is more important to protect and defend than planet Earth.
Just a little footnote posted as an afterthought, saying "These grievances are not all-inclusive" is insufficient. If this whole big grab-bag of issues is laid out for all to see, then the single most important issue of all - the protection and restoration of the health of the Earth - should be there, and it should be right up front and center, in bold letters.
I totally agree that the environment comes first. No society, no economy without one! I believe, though, that the proposals here are aimed at getting corporate interests out of our government and this is a necessary first step. We can't have laws protecting the environment, and meaningful enforcement of those laws, until we have a congress and an election system that is concerned with protecting people (and life itself) before profit. I think you are referring to the statement issued by the NY General Assembly rather than the list under discussion here; I think this list is a great first step to addressind environmental issues.
People need to come first. And since people need a healthy environment, then that will follow, right?
When you put environment before people, then people suffer.
I see no separation.
I can see where that would be True if there were too many people. We have to stay in balance with Our Natural World.
relax, we will eventually go on to compete with other alien life forms in raping the resources of other planets!!! We could name the first intergalactic exploratory ship, armed with rockets from Raytheon the 'Delta5' :-)))
In all seriousness, though, I don't agree that the environment should be THE top issue. It should be among a top 5 or 7 issues - each contributing in genuine stability of the overall, as no one issue can be done without sustainability of the others.
One of those 5 to 7 needs to be a strong financial 'foundation to our building', or Economics. More specifically, if we don't have a genuinely sustainable financial budget, there can be no talk of a sustainable environment or foreign policy, cultural development, etc.
A country is like building a house. You start with a strong foundation, add the walls, the roof, interior electricity/water, etc. Logically I would think financial sustainability would most likely be the 'foundation' (or maybe core ethical and moral behavior - just they are difficult to quantify due to their highly subjective nature) with Environment squarely being an exterior load bearing wall. br, Michael
I agree. we need to write a National Resource Defense Amendment to protect the environment and keep it as clean as possible.
I also agree, corporations are trashing rivers, lakes and tropical forests with just small monetary consequences that they see as "the cost of doing business trashing water, air and soil"
Among the demands there should be something that protects the vital natural resources from corporations.
I take it you support a "carbon tax"?
If we have a true democracy, we can do these things We need to OCCUPY THE AGENDA
The first demand should be PUBLIC REFERENDUMS so the PUBLIC can MAKE/CHANGE LAWS, and AMEND THE CONSTITUTION.
http://OccupyTheAgenda.wordpress.com https://www.facebook.com/OccupyTheAgenda
In what way would you change the constitution?
Bring an improved Social Security Program into its protective "embrace". Do this to make this program stronger and less assailable by its enemies.
I don't matter. How would WE the PEOPLE change the constitution.
There are already some demands that require an amendment, start there.
Looks great. To summarize: (1) Regulate markets. (2) Tax the rich. (3) Hold Wall Street accountable. (4) Restore democracy.
That's a program even the MSM can understand.
Yeah, Restore Democracy get rid of cronies like Barrack Obama, Herry Reid and that Pelosi broad. Who needs elected officials who agree with you? Get them out of there.
Just curious? If the leaders of the Senate and the President agree with you, who are you protesting against? I mean serious, Reid, Pelosi and Obama all came out in support of this protest. If the leaders agree, is it a protest, or is this masterbation?
Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men; therefore, the people alone have an incontestable, unalienable, and indefeasible right to institute government; and to reform, alter, or totally change the same, when their protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness require it.
John Adams, Thoughts on Government, 1776
No more earmark bills. A bill needs to be concise and only cover one (or very similar) issues. This is where the lobbyists perform their voodoo. No politician will vote against a bill, for instance, that continues to provide supply for our troops, even though it had a bit or pork barrel spending, or corporate tax breaks.
I don't know why no one has brought this up yet:
Implement Congressional Term Limits.
I think a HUGE part of the problem is the fact that Congressional incumbents have a 95% re-election rate in recent years, and that many of the current members in place are in the corporate pocket.
It would take some time, but eventually all the old faces will be replaced with new, non-corporate sponsored faces, if the other things on the list get implemented as well.
You know what? You're right. It is kind of odd that the topic of term limits hasn't really come up. Maybe this could be added tithe demands list above since it would help get corporate influence out of politics.
Why do Congressional incumbents have a 95% re-election rate if that's not what their represented want? Their districts can easily throw them out in 4/6 years, yet the incumbent is elected most of the time anyway. Could it possibly be that in a representative democracy, the people actually want the guy that they just voted for 4/6 years ago? Could it be that you are banking on the fact that those who disagree with you yet win a Congressional seat will change their mind with term limits?
Remember, people have a vote. Incumbents don't get automatically sworn back in. You're asking for a mechanism that already exists.
There are presidential term limits already for a good reason- people tend to stick with the familiar, but that is not always good for the system. Circulating new blood decreases cronyism and corruption, and limits systemic stagnation. It encourages local political parties to re-think who best represents the current constituents instead of who is the safe bet.
I think this is a very good idea. Term limits would keep it fresh and keep people from becoming career politicians. They need to be in there at least 8 years though to get anything done. Don't make the terms too short.
My main suggestion is to keep to the demands/appeals which are focused to directly activate political and economic change(I think #1, #3, #6 and #8 are definitely in this category) Please avoid the path of blaming individuals or agencies, this will only serve to waste time, energy and more money. Use any momentum gained from this protest to directly influence votes for positive change.
I agree with this sentiment. #2 hurts the movement because it paints the movement as blood thirsty. The us-vs-them vitriol will distract from the positive changes we can demand. Unfortunately, most (not all) of what happened on Wall Street that led to the financial crisis was not illegal - it was unethical, for sure, but not illegal. The crooks on Wall Street exploited loop holes and too advantage of weak regulation. Let's focus on strengthening regulation. In other words, let's make what they did illegal! Then they can't do it again, and if they do, then they can be punished.
If you want to speak to the concerns of the population, call for things that address the MATERIAL CRISES that we experience:
1) Stop all house foreclosures, 2) Forgive student loan and credit card debt 3) Create free and universal healthcare 4) Establish a free education system 5) End the war on drugs and the criminalization of black and latino youth 6) Legalization for all immigrants 7) Etc.
I think that instead of forgiving student loans there needs to be a way to control the rising costs of college education, if not to bring it back down.
I also disagree with the student loan debt. I have my own, and while I'd love a genie to magically make it disappear, I knowingly and willingly accepted it. I think the mortgages are a totally different story. There was certainly deceptive practices going on there.
I knowingly, but certainly not willingly accepted my loans. I was forced into them, if I wanted to be able to retire someday.
I must disagree with forgiving student loan debt as a blanket response. I have a hefty student loan debt (about $80,000.00) but I knowingly and willingly acquired it. If you mean the student loan debt that many people are experiencing through the apparently misrepresentation of some community colleges and online colleges regrading likelihood of getting a job with their degree and average paycheck they could expect (Phoenix, etc), then those institutions should be investigated for fraud and they should pay back the loan money of hustled students. But that is very different than wiping all student loans. If we want Wall Street and others held accountable, we must also hold ourselves accountable for the decisions we have made financially as individuals.
I agree. I'm accruing a sizable student loan dept but I see no just cause in seeking forgiveness for a debt that I willingly agreed to accept.
Credit card debt is also subject to personal responsibility. Personally, I refuse to use them but, if you have a massive cc debt, it's your own fault for being irresponsible with the terms you knowingly agreed to.
Free education system sounds great in theory but I have to wonder as to the quality of such if exclusively offered by the government. It would just be yet another aspect to exploit.
Kudos on the "Free universal health care" point. With some decent oversight, it would work. Again, though, it's the quality in delivery of the service that I'm concerned about if exclusively granted by the government.
"End war on drugs", "continue war on drugs"... all futile attempts at control of something that's better dealt with through higher standards of living and higher standards in education. Urban poverty is the issue to go to war against.
I'd also have to disagree with stopping all home foreclosures. I understand that, in times like in 2008, it's a tragedy to see so many lose their homes when unemployment strikes. I was among them. However, I agreed to terms that inevitably lead to my own downfall. A loan should carry with it default penalties else people would take advantage of the system. I don't agree with banking strategies that seek to manipulate people out of their assets but I also don't believe that we, as recipients of service, should be irresponsible as well.
Yes, I also "knowingly and willingly accepted" student loans. I did so because I don´t have wealthy parents who could have afforded the tens of thousands of dollars that higher education costs in the United States. This is the case with everyone who "knowingly and willingly accepted" student loans. In many other countries, higher education is either free or or very affordable. (In some european countries, one pays 300 Euros per semester). And there are many foundations which offer grants, rather than loans, which often cover tuition fees as well as living expenses. This is the case in one of the most successful economies, such as Germany, proving the myth of state indebtedness false. The rotten economy that most university graduates find themselves in following graduation has placed them in the position of having the choose between repaying their student loans, or buying groceries; repaying student loans or paying their rent; repaying student loans or purchasing necessary items for their children; etc. You will see this repeatedly expressed in the testimonials on the website "We are the 99%!" (http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/). Indebtedness and poverty is not the result of bad personal decisions. To rise out of poverty, one seeks higher education. If one doesn't go through college, one's chances of earning more than poverty wages, is very low. And it is also not the mere result of deception. There is a structure of indebtedness, all done according to legal practices, which has been built up as a form of profit-making. It is that which we need to target.
Understandably, I agree that education should be free-based. We shouldn't have to go into debt into the tens or hundreds of thousands to prepare ourselves to inevitably become pillars of this nation. We are left with limited options that force us to gamble the stability of our own futures on hope.
It's not really that people make poor decisions. It's merely a matter of having poor options with which to choose. The playing field could use some leveling indeed.
Wiping out loans and thus responsibility reduces the credibility of reform. Would review of repayment terms for student loans be more feasible? For example - for exisiting loans the interest )could be removed or reduced to improve parity or even offer "public good" credits so that a student entering the workforce as a lawyer for a women's rights non-profit group or a underserved medical area versus a lawyer or doctor who chooses to work solely for personal profit (which is ok but would not offer these credits) could have their loan amounts reduced. New workers' choices to work for positive community-minded companies or organizations are rewarded directly. Also - rather than broadly absolving people for their past choices to live beyond their means - credit card debt interest rates should be capped. People don't need a free ticket but instead a real and viable opportunity to pay what they owe. Just a couple of thoughts...
I knowingly accepted my student loan debts. I was 20 and young and naive and nobody told me that signing on the dotted line was selling my soul to corporate America.
I borrowed $40k and now owe over $110k. It has been sold so many times unbeknownst to me. They have "lost" payments which threw me into default where they could do whatever the fuck they please.
I can't file bankruptcy. My transcripts have been held hostage so my dream of being a teacher dissipated with that. Now I just have a black hole of debt that will surely put me in my grave early.
How about forgiving all the bullshit fees that were tacked onto my debt? How about allowing me to pay back what I borrowed and call it a day? Or change bankruptcy laws so that people being suffocated by SLD can start over. It's available to all other forms of debt. Why not student loans?
Student Loan Debt surpasses credit card debt.
I'm not sure about forgiving credit card debt though. There's all kinds of reasons people have that debt. Not sure that should be encouraged. I paid mine down, I don't think we want our tax money paying down others' credit cards, who knows what some of those purchases were...
agree
There are certain things that government should involved in an certain things it shouldn't. Government should focus on "public goods". These are things that can be used by anybody that needs them and you can't exclude anybody from using it in a reasonable way (like a lighthouse or free medical care for all). Public goods generally benefit everyone in society once they are created. Free science education, for instance, benefits society as a whole because smarter people can innovate and create things that society as a whole can use. Anything that isn't a public good, e.g. something that only a few people get the benefit from, like loan forgiveness or farm subsidies should not get money from the government.
GKM: be sure to post this on the General Assembly principles of solidarity draft link: http://nycga.cc/2011/09/24/principles-of-solidarity-working-draft/
This is so much stronger and more to the point than the nebulous, if well-intentioned, statement that they've got posted.
This should be at the top of the forum
Love the Demands, you guys hit the nail on the head.
ERISA law is so full of holes that corporations routinely raid workers' pension funds to boost their profits (and CEO and exec salaries). We need to strengthen ERISA by absolutely forbidding employers to raid employee pension funds and to give more clarity to employees when they propose lump sum "deals" that usually grossly lower the amounts employees are really entitled to receive.
KILL THE FILLIBUSTER! It must be democracy of the majority and not the minority.
CONGRESS PASS HR 1489
Full Criminal Investigation of the Fraud that almost brought down our economy in 2008 along with prosecution. Heads should roll.
Elimination of corporate tax incentives to ship jobs offshore and tax benefits for corporations providing full healthcare for their workers.
Many of these demands are great and I agree with most of them. However, #3, namely some sort of campaign finance reform is the true underlying issue. The rest are reactions to a the oligarchy we call American Democracy. please comment on this idea for a single issue that all of Occupy Wall Street could get behind. http://occupywallst.org/forum/one-concise-demand-prohibit-private-spending-for-p/
I think all you people need to get jobs. The communist socialist ideas listed above can all be found, plus some news ones, enacted in China, Cuba, North Korea, the EU, and in Russia. Please go there asap and restart a happy life. You FOOLS.
We should also demand term limits for Congress; demand a cut in their benefits; deny their ability to vote their own pay increases and force them to pay for their own medical coverage. They must be held to the same standard as all Americans and not be the privileged sector they have made themselves. These demands must become part of Occupy Wall Street. It will greatly assist in forcing change.
I ask the OWS to consider the proposals at Revolution 2.0 - Their idea restructures the government to where the people oversee the actions of the government – even overturn governments’ decisions when the majority deem it necessary - true representation. We just have to want it badly enough! http://www.osixs.org/Rev2_menu_intro.aspx Overview: Welcome to the beginning of the second American Revolution. The purpose is to educate and to move the United States and the rest of the world forward. We all know that something is terribly wrong with our country but we don't have a clue what to do about it. But we do know we cannot continue to sit around and do nothing. We are so confused, we don't realize how dangerous it is to continue voting for democrats and republicans. We've become mentally crippled and dependent on two parties and our current form of government. They can't help you. The best people to help the people are the people. Until you figure that out, you will remain lost. Welcome to the Revolution. Revolution 2.0 is a revolution in ideas and technology along with a vision to move this country forward. Read common sense 3.1 and the rest of the pages on the menu. This will give you a clear understanding of what the problems are, what we need to do about them and most important, how to proceed by taking real action. Our government didn't create itself and it can't fix itself. Problems never solve themselves… Common sense 3.1 is a call to action to address the problems of the nation. http://www.osixs.org/Rev2_menu_commonsense.aspx The second bill of rights are the baseline expectations and goals for Revolution 2.0 http://www.osixs.org/Rev2_menu_billofrights.aspx The Declaration of Dissolution and Termination (DDT) is a formal and legal declaration of grievances prepared by the people of the United States to be served to the government of the Untied States. The declaration is also a formal and legal order by the people to the government of the United States to cease and desist specific government operations in accordance with instructions laid down by the Execution of Dissolution and Termination. http://www.osixs.org/Rev2_menu_Intro_DT.aspx The Execution of Dissolution and Termination (EDT) is the formal process and rules for dissolving parts or all of the old government and then terminating the old government after the new government has been fully implemented. http://www.osixs.org/Rev2_menu_Execution.aspx Yes, you guessed it - this ain't no tea party. What I do like about this movement, is that it gets the job done without violence. If violence breaks out; the government can and will impose martial law and the rest of your rights will be stripped from you. With your rights gone; your vote; your signature; and your opinion are irrelevant. With the frustration that is building in America; I can envision this possibility. Revolution 2.0 sidesteps this pitfall. If you like what you see at this site; please vote here and let them know of your support: http://www.osixs.org/Vote.aspx When the representative body have lost the confidence of their constituents, when they have notoriously made sale of their most valuable rights, when they have assumed to themselves powers which the people never put into their hands, then indeed their continuing in office becomes dangerous to the State, and calls for an exercise of the power of dissolution.
Demands are good but let's save em for later dude. Now is the time for just getting to know each other and helping people discover what they have in common. Later we will unify behind demands. Maybe even some of these. Who knows. But right now if we go beyond discussion, we'll be dividing and that's exactly what we don't want to do right now. That's the whole problem man. They have us all thinking we're all so different and we're at each others throats. That's how throughout history the 1% have been able to dominate the 99% in what are allegedly free societies. So let's do it different this time. Put on some Jack Johnson, grab a beer and chill out for an evening. Talk to your neighbors. Talk on this forum. Just try to talk about what you have in common with people man. That's how this party will kick into overdrive. We can do this. We are the 99% and nothin can stop us.
You make a good point. Focusing too much on specific demands this early in the process, increases the likelihood that the entire movement will get pigeonholed into a much too narrow political agenda. In any case, no list is likely to satisfy everyone. I would suggest focusing more on developing a clear set of underlying principles that can later be used as a guide in the development of specific policy or legislative proposals.
Great idea!
Here's a general idea of what I mean. First, focus on the foundational-level principles, such as, for example:
(1) Curtailing the influence of money in our elections/political system; (2) Restoration of a robust regulatory framework for our financial system; (3) Restoring legal accountability and the rule of law to the financial sector; (4) Re-establishing judicial ethics and political independence (most particularly for the Supreme Court justices)
...etc.
Once a set of foundational principles is developed, then go back and, within each category, develop specific proposals. For example, under (1) above ("Curtailing the influence of money in our elections/political system"), eventual policy/legislative proposals might include things such as (a) campaign finance reform, (b) finding a way to reverse the Citizens United decision and (c) limiting corporate contributions to political campaigns, etc. Under (2) above might be things like reinstating Glass-Steagall, revamping the SEC, etc. Under (3) would be things like investigating and holding the architects of the financial collapse legally accountable. Under (4) would be something like extending the Judicial Code of Conduct to cover Supreme Court Justices (currently, they are exempt from the code, but all other federal judges are bound by it). You get the idea. But the important thing, first, is to develop the foundational principles, and then to develop the specific proposals based on those.
Yes. Yes. Yes!! That's exactly what we need as far as a progression. You should put that together and post as an idea. It makes total sense. Big you do, be sure to include something explaining why now is not the time for demands. Please feel free to borrow if there's anything of value in what I wrote.
We really need to return to a true capitalist society where people lose money when they destroy companies. No more of this crap where a CEO runs a company into the ground and makes 40 million that year. Cap executive compensation at 10 times what the average employee for that company makes. All additional profit should be returned to the shareholders who actually lose money if the company fails. This is the current practice in Japan. Is anyone worth three hundred times what the average employee makes?
Please check the conclusions of the "Contra Congress of Culture" at http://contracongreso.com.ar/conclusiones/
It s conclusions goes in the same way that your points, and you can find a loot of arguments and ideas there.
We support your cause from Argentina!!
Here is link for translation into English: http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fcontracongreso.com.ar%2Fconclusiones%2F
Seems there are a lot of points that may be incorporated into Demands. I especially like the points of CULTURE. TPTB are trying to eliminate Culture from all places. Culture is essential to People and this unique aspect of individuals is very important to me and others. CULTURE should be Preserved!!
Term limits for congress and senate same as president,two terms and your out.Lobbiest and the money they bring to wash should be regulated.No outside money for election.Keep the money out of the hands of people that is making the decisions in wash. and we will have a different country.
Pass a law that each bill put through congress have only one purpose. Any secondary measures must be directly related to the one purpose.
If the bill is an appropriations bill, all appropriations for states must also be listed by State, District, current representative/senator.
How about a Nuremberg Trial for those responsible for the crisis in the banking sector? Nazi Reichsbank president Hjalmar Schacht was tried in Nuremberg.
Sorry, these keep popping into my head...
4) - Require all candidates and justices to publish their psychometric profile to the electorate.
H.R.1098 - Free Competition in Currency Act of 2011 Quite beating around the bush. Get to the heart of the problem. It's the monetary system.
Can HR 1098 be found online?
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-1098
Why not sign into law Roosevelts Second Bill of Rights and give the country back to the people.
End the Fed!!!!
Here is a simplified draft of the flyer I created that am distributing at the occupy Jacksonville event on saturday. I wanted to keep it one page and direct. And addendums or editing suggestions are welcome. Thank you.
We are Gathered.
A general assembly declaration of demands and common purpose.
We are gathered in direct defiance of tyranny.
We are gathered to restore our democracy from the grips of plutocratic reign.
We are gathered to demand the rights and privileges of free universal education and health care that are social quality of life standards among all industrialized nations.
We are gathered to demand the establishments of universal unionized employment, a living wage standard in all employment, and full workers rights and benefits that are social quality of life standards among all industrialized nations.
We are gathered to demand increased protection and conservation of our natural resources from financial exploitation and the establishment of universalized clean energy standards that environmental integrity standards among all industrialized nationas
We are gathered to demand increased protections and regulation of our food supply from financial exploitation.
We are gathered to demand the end of perpetual warfare and the dismantling of the military industrial complex and the reconstruction of our domestic infrastructure.
We are gathered to demand the enforcement of social justice through due process protections to end discrimination based on race, religion, age, gender, and sexual orientation.
We are gathered to demand increased regulations to end the erosion and commoditization of our individual privacy.
We are gathered to declare that corporate entities are not human beings and deserve no recognized legal rights and privileges based upon humanistic premise.
We are gathered to declare that we will not further tolerate a concentration of wealth and power intent to bring forth a new world order of globalized neo-feudalistic serfdom.
We are gathered for the generations which stood before us and those that shall stand after us.
We are gathered to declare that we do not exist to serve the 1% that exploit through means of wealth, production, and political power.
We are gathered to declare that we are the 99% not of wealth but of mass.
And so we are gathered…. And so we shall Occupy.
One of the most concise, coherent, practical and sane postings I have seen. Good Job. (Although I don't know about universal unionization.)
So the assertion here is that some corporations have committed crimes, but that the government hasn't investigated these crimes?
If you have evidence of such crimes, why haven't you contacted the appropriate legal entity?
Well, you did say investigate. I was thinking giving Penalty on par with the Crime. That's a long, long list. You can start with Chiquita, the Dow, how about a new one, BP, back to old ones: Shell (genocide too)...These corps have never made amends...moving on now.
3 and 8 need to go farther: AMEND THE CONSTITUTION OR APPOINT SUPREME COURT JUSTICES TO HOLD THAT SPENDING MONEY DOES NOT EQUAL FREE SPEECH UNDER THE 1ST AMENDMENT. The 5-4 Citizens United Supreme Court Decision that allowed corporations to donate unlimited funds to support or oppose candidates was bad, but it only made an already bad system of campaign finance worse. The roots are an earlier 1970's supreme court decision in Buckley v. Valeo that held that money equals speech under the 1st Amendment and it is therefore unconstitutional to restrict the amount of money individuals can spend supporting or opposing political candidates. Until this is overturned, big money will continue to dominate politics. A good place to start is with the Get Money Out proposal from MSNBC anchor Dylan Ratigan. (getmoneyout.com). His proposed should be adopted as one of the demands of #Occupy Wall Street.
It reads: "No person, corporation or business entity of any type, domestic or foreign, shall be allowed to contribute money, directly or indirectly, to any candidate for Federal office or to contribute money on behalf of or opposed to any type of campaign for Federal office. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, campaign contributions to candidates for Federal office shall not constitute speech of any kind as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution or any amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Congress shall set forth a federal holiday for the purposes of voting for candidates for Federal office."
This should be number one objective of occupywallst protests!!!!!!!! amend the constitution where clearly states that corporation are not people, therefore they do not have a right of speech, money is not speech.
3 and #8 have to happen first or you will not have a legitimate congress or government to make anything else happen. Another thought. Why does any President get to appoint Supreme Court Judges just so they can vote to adopt political party agendas with a one person majority (like the Citizens United Fraud=How Dare They Even Call It That?) Talk about attempts to brainwash the citizenry like something great is happening to us! We the people should elect them just like anybody else since we are actually THE CITIZENS UNITED and they are messing with our constitution and democracy!!! We are perfectly capable of determining whether a judge has a record of representing the people in an honest and equitable manner. Our forefathers had too much faith in honesty and integrity in elected officials to look out for the countries best interest and intended democracy. They seemed to think that since they offered their lives for the people that future elected and appointed officials would feel the same sense of integrity towards the people and the constitution!! More power to the phrase that "innocence kills"!!!
Passage of a Law similar to to the Canadian Truth in Journalism act forbidding the use of public spectrum (radio/tv) for broadcasting false, fictitious or misleading information under the guise of News. The idea that you can ban Lying in the news media should not be as shocking to the american mindset as it is.
.#3 brings up a very disconcerting issue, which is that our government is one not chosen by the people for our public good, but rather one that has been bought by corporations to oversee their best interests and oppress any opposition to them being able to do as they please. No government official should be able to use money towards buying their way in, and its bad enough that they are able to profit more from their positions.
Back when our government was officially founded, no member of congress was given any wage that was considered 'exorbitant or unreasonable.' [ http://www.thecapitol.net/FAQ/payandperqs.htm ]
Basically, we have people who worked for big business supposedly regulating it, when it has been proven they have the corporations' interests in mind rather than that of the public good as their position implies they do.
3 is more of a multi-tiered system that needs to be addressed, but taking away corporations' right to contribute to the political process more than any other singular person in the nation certainly will be a big step in the right direction.
3 and 8 need to go farther: AMEND THE CONSTITUTION OR APPOINT SUPREME COURT JUSTICES TO HOLD THAT SPENDING MONEY DOES NOT EQUAL FREE SPEECH UNDER THE 1ST AMENDMENT. The 5-4 Citizens United Supreme Court Decision that allowed corporations to donate unlimited funds to support or oppose candidates was bad, but it only made an already bad system of campaign finance worse. The roots are an earlier 1970's supreme court decision in Buckley v. Valeo that held that money equals speech under the 1st Amendment and it is therefore unconstitutional to restrict the amount of money individuals can spend supporting or opposing political candidates. Until this is overturned, big money will continue to dominate politics. A good place to start is with the Get Money Out proposal from MSNBC anchor Dylan Ratigan. (getmoneyout.com). His proposed should be adopted as one of the demands of #Occupy Wall Street.
It reads: "No person, corporation or business entity of any type, domestic or foreign, shall be allowed to contribute money, directly or indirectly, to any candidate for Federal office or to contribute money on behalf of or opposed to any type of campaign for Federal office. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, campaign contributions to candidates for Federal office shall not constitute speech of any kind as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution or any amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Congress shall set forth a federal holiday for the purposes of voting for candidates for Federal office."
We're not a democracy, we are a republic. And the more people spit this return to democracy crap the more marginalized you look in the eyes of the world. I like many of the proposals put forth, but it is not wise to try and change a system you don't fully understand (read my other numerous posts countering the Buffett tax, it taxes income not capital gains). Just because it's broken doesn't mean we can change it all, the new system isn't guaranteed to be better and there are always unintended consequences.
Anyways, since we are not a democracy and never have been, can we stop calling for it?
Well, you've got it half right. We are a Democratic Republic, as opposed to say, Plato's Republic. In other words, rather than Philosopher Kings ruling on behalf of everyone, using their wisdom alone (Plato's Republic), we participate in the process by democratically electing the representatives who serve at our will. That is what makes it a democracy (Representative or Republican Democracy). It is not a direct democracy like the ancient Athenian Democracy, where everyone voted on everything, rather it is a Democratic Republic where we vote for those, who in turn vote on things, in our stead.
The argument now is: will we have more democracy or less democracy? For instance, prior to 1913, we did not vote directly for our federal senatorial representatives. These Senators were elected by the individual state assemblies. People were upset about this for about 85 years before it finally became an amendment to the US Constitution (the 17th amendment). When polled, nearly everyone wants to continue electing their senatorial representatives; it is nearly unanimous.
The problems we face now are a direct result of our system of government becoming so corrupted by corporations that most people reason that we must have more controls on the system so this does not happen again. To my way of thinking that can most probably be done with solid regulation. However, the solid regulation that provided us economic security for 50 years (1933 - 1983: FDIC, Securities and Exchange Act, Glass-Steagall, and others) was systematically dismantled over the ensuing 17 years (1983 - 2000) and we wound up in this mess.
So, people want more control over the legislation and they are going to want laws that are not easily removable, as they were over the past 30 years. I think this is what people are referring to now, when they say the want more democracy.
I agree with you completely.
However, after reading numerous posts here I feel there is a wide span of what people actually mean when they use the word democracy. Unfortunately there are not enough who put forth longer explanations, like you have done and which I failed to do, which define what their word choice means. So there is a massive disconnect between what some say and what others hear.
Again, I like your post and the points you made. Keep up the good work.
These conversations become difficult when economic reality becomes as harsh as it has become. Each of us has our understanding of things but regardless of one's background, the experience of loss and suffering is something we all understand. Who would ever have thought we would be in this situation, after the promising momentum of our history over the past 70 years? Who would ever have thought I'd be typing these words? Certainly not I, my friend.
We all suffer these times, in material need or in the spirit of angst, or in both. However, Human Dignity is not negotiable in my opinion and I am trying my level best to remember that one very important fact, each time I consider this situation.
I appreciate your perspective and the hope that rises from your response. Thank you. Let's keep working toward that higher ground.
I think OWS needs to push a secure online voting system and true campaign finance reform. Any proof of acceptance of funds from ANY source should be considered equivalent to bribery. Any candidate for public office gets a free website for the duration of the election. This measures will effectively reform or do away with the primary/two party system; with adequate campaign finance reform and secure online voting, the parties will become functionally irrelevant.
The most important one listed here is #8 - it's one of the primary reasons that we're in the mess that we're in.
Also of primary importance is reforming or disbanding the Federal Reserve System. The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 took the power to create money out of the hands of government and put it into the hands of bankers in a quasi-governmental institution. The Fed creates money when they buy Treasuries, which are issued as debt by the US Treasury. The government then pays the Fed interest on those Treasuries that the Fed holds.
The rest of the demands seem minor or partisan to me. I don't think they will have real, lasting impact even if they are met.
I also think it's important for all of us to go through the mental exercise of considering what the unintended consequences of the fulfillment of each of these demands might be. For instance, if corporate personhood were completely abolished immediately, the country would likely be swimming in lawsuits. While most would be justified, it's important to consider who would benefit from them, who would gain power as a result, what would happen to the economy, etc. I'm still strongly in favor of abolishing corporate personhood. I just want each of us to envision the future if we get what we want and be prepared to address criticisms.
A lot of people just aren't buying the end the fed thing. Is this really necessary? Seems so unrealistic and will reduce chances of actually getting the other things dine on the list. Why does this keep coming up?
I can't speak for why others are bringing it up, but the issue is central because the power to create money in our system rests with the banks and with the Fed, which is also a group of private bankers. And in our system, money = power. I wrote a longer explanation of how the system works, with less editorial, here: http://occupywallst.org/forum/monetary-system-basics/ .
But I think whether or not you personally view it as important depends on what you would like to see happen as a result of these protests. If you would like to see some reform bills pass Congress but feel that apart from this the system works pretty well for you as-is, then you might not need to worry about it. Or if you just want someone to hire you so that you can get a job to pay off your loans, and you're happy with that scenario, then you don't need to worry about it.
If, however, you are concerned about the erosion of the middle class in this country, that most of us are slaves to our wages and our debts, if you're concerned about environmental problems, if you believe in 'one person, one vote', then you really have to address the way money is created and distributed. The monetary system at present is not fair, and this is a central reason why wealth is distributed so unevenly in this country. Never mind the bailouts, which were supposedly a onetime affair; on a regular basis, part of your taxes go to pay interest on the national debt, and part of that interest is paid to a group of bankers who had the privilege of creating the money. That's a great position for them to be in, but it sucks for the rest of us.
As far as it being realistic: by that measure, undoing corporate personhood ain't all that realistic either. Think about all the moneyed interests that will fight that one. It's still necessary if we really want a fair system, though.
If you prefer to work within the system, we could at least start by pushing our Congresspeople to support the bill to audit the Fed. Ron Paul (who I am otherwise not a huge fan of) has a bill out, HR 459, and it has bipartisan support, including my former rep Pete Stark, who is very liberal and who used to be a banker.
Thanks for the thoughtful response. I guess I just need to study this more so I fully understand the pros and cons.
i would think twice about the buffet act. according to wall street journal:
The middle-class bait-and-switch.
Like Mr. Obama, Mr. Buffett speaks about raising taxes only on the rich. But somehow he ignores that the President's tax increase starts at $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for couples. Mr. Obama ought to call them "thousandaires," but that probably doesn't poll as well...
...Mr. Buffett says it's only "fair" to raise his taxes, but he's lending his credibility to raising taxes on millions of middle-class earners for whom a few extra thousand dollars in after-tax income is a big deal. Unlike Mr. Buffett, those middle-class earners aren't rich and may earn $250,000 for only a few years of their working lives. How is that fair?
i think we should review the actual proposed act before we include it in our list of demands. this is a potentially dangerous thing that we could be demanding. this applies to all acts that we include in our list of demands. to demand such actions without properly reviewing them is absolutely madness. please reconsider this proposal.
We need to undo the Patriot Act which dismantles our civil liberties. Preemptive surveillance (tapping our cell phones and reading our emails before we are even suspect) is not acceptable in a free society.
An income tax is the most degrading and totalitarian of all possible taxes.
Its implementation wrongly suggests that the government owns the lives and labor of the citizens it is supposed to represent.
There are other ways for the government to get money. Like taxing luxury goods, ending corporate loopholes, capital gains tax, sales tax, tariffs, etc.
On May 7, 2001, Ron Paul wrote the following:
The Case Against the Income Tax
Could America exist without an income tax? The idea seems radical, yet in truth America did just fine without a federal income tax for the first 126 years of its history. Prior to 1913, the government operated with revenues raised through tariffs, excise taxes, and property taxes, without ever touching a worker’s paycheck. In the late 1800s, when Congress first attempted to impose an income tax, the notion of taxing a citizen’s hard work was considered radical! Public outcry ensued; more importantly, the Supreme Court ruled the income tax unconstitutional. Only with passage of the 16th Amendment did Congress gain the ability to tax the productive endeavors of its citizens.
We should enact a carbon tax to tax our usage of fossil fuels instead of the income tax.
Sure, if ending subsidy, and tax loopholes isn't enough.
"Carbon Tax" implies anything other than carbon is OK, there should be a pollution tax.
I think this list is great. However, there needs to be some inclusion of mechanisms that would incorporate citizen power, control over decision-making, and monitoring over financial markets. This proposal as it stands is very helpful in tightening the regulatory framework, but with all of its emphasis on legal and regulatory structures. It needs to incorporate some form of deliberative democratic mechanisms, in which ordinary citizens, can continually actively engage in political-decision making that are more than simply voting on an electoral ballot.
CONGRESS ENACT LEGISLATION TO PROTECT OUR DEMOCRACY BY REVERSING THE EFFECTS OF THE CITIZENS UNITED SUPREME COURT DECISION which essentially said corporations can spend as much as they want on elections. The result is that corporations can pretty much buy elections. Corporations should be highly limited in ability to contribute to political campaigns no matter what the election and no matter what the form of media.
Then all the influence buying would be by unions. Here's an example of how it works: 1) Teachers union gives politician lots of campaign money. 2) politician shortens their hours, raises their pay (taxpayer pays), makes law allowing the union to force all teachers to join and pay dues. 3)union gives lots more money to politician's campaign 4)politician gives them more of the same along with lucrative retirement. 5)union gives lots more money to politician's campaign - this loop repeats until taxpayer money dries up, then 6)politician raises taxes. 7)the process repeats until the taxpayer can't survive.
i personally would love to see teachers have lucrative retirements. if anybody deserves to retire in style, they do.
that said, you're right in that, it's not just about corporate entities but also wealthy ceos, pacs, and possibly some unions ( although, at least in a union you can vote, as a worker in a corporation, you cannot ).
somehow disentangling the concept that money is speech, and limiting how much a campaign can raise and spend seems key to reform. without going for that core, there will always be loopholes.
For me this citizens united thing was the straw that broke the camel's back. I can't believe the supreme court had the nerve to make this decision. It's ridiculous. Anti-democratic. Hig treason.
Please be more specific about food. Americans are the largest pool of Guinea Pigs on the face of the industrialized planet. US companies have successfully cut the life of a cow from approx 30 months to 15 months from birth to slaughter while increasing the body weight over 30%. Similar feats have been achieved with pigs and chickens, all with the use of large doses of growth hormones combined with large doses of antibiotics to fight the diseases the animals own immune system could not possibly accomplish under such circumstances. In addition they are fed genetically modified chemically infused "food" to further speed the process. The "industry" pays university research departments millions of dollars to consistently "prove" these hormones / chemicals are not entering and affecting the human food chain. They are wrong. Just look around, look at the statistics.
The US has almost NO regulation on the way animals are raised, what they are fed and how they are processed.
Also, over 50% of the food that reaches the "market" (over 70% that reaches consumers through corporate restaurant chains) is irradiated. This is another whole issue that gets NO attention in America.
Once again, the FIRST piece of legislation EVER to be considered on how animal farming is done in America is in the House now (House Bill 1813 or Senate Bill 5487) and it sets "voluntary" limits on the number of egg laying hens that can be kept in a pen that is approx 18"x24" (currently some egg companies put as many as 10 hens in this tiny cage, each hen having less then 48 square inches of room) and whether they can use sleep deprivation etc to force the hens to lay more eggs. The milk industry uses as cruel tactics to drain more milk from cows in this country.
We need to call for a top down total review of all of the practices that bring Americans all foods. Some look into European standards / practices would be a start.
Anyway, don't be shy or vague. Americans are Guinea Pigs to Industrial Food companies in a big way. This has to stop NOW.
Thanks again for your work.
While all these points seem quite sensible to me, are they not chiefly - with the exception of point 8 (removing the 'person-hood' of corporations) - attempts to patch up the system? If a system (corporatism and consumerism with a debt based money supply) requires a heavy patchwork of legislation to squeeze it into a shape where people do not feel compelled to revolt, what does that say about the system?
Also, given that the banking and corporate interests in charge of policy have successfully adjusted the laws to suit them more with each generation, what's to say that wont happen again? Do we really want to repeat the same struggle, do we really have no choice other than to do that? I'm not convinced.
I think it would be worthwhile exploring the following concepts:
A debt-free money supply. (Without interest constantly accruing on every unit of currency, there would be far less -if any- drive for the continuous and very unevenly distributed economic growth, which is trashing the world. Also is it not sheer madness that a government has to borrow money from private businesses in order to spent it for the public good, thus creating a national debt - as if the public owe the exercise of their own labour to those with wealth, and then have to pay interest for the use of their own time and resources)
Abolition of a central bank. (Less opportunity for the country to be held to economic ransom. Countries got on just fine – arguably better - without them before.)
Local currencies, good for payment of taxes. (This may help communities to become more robust and self-sufficient. It would make it harder to nation wide power to accumulate in the hands of just a few people.)
Deeper distribution of political power, beyond just voting for a representative. (Perhaps 1 or 2 extra levels of political organization down from state or city representative, which everyone has a right and opportunity to act as, perhaps in the form of a council.)
Abolition of privately owned media empires. (Part of why positive change is so hard in society is because of the deluge of mass media messages that encourage people to be ignorant, indifferent or hopeless. With more widely distribution control of media, this unhappy situation would not so easily arise.)
Legal framework for favouring access to resources over ownership - in the general case. (There is so much wastage and inefficient usage of resources because people feel driven to own the things they use, when in fact simply having ready access to them would be perfectly sufficient and even preferable - less storage space, security, or capital required. Shifting to this paradigm would shut down one of the big engines of consumerism - the false need to accumulate possessions.)
Universal access to healthcare and education recognised as being at the heart of the public interest - with a cap on the size of any service providers to prevent overpricing. (Everyone benefits when a society is more equal in these respects)
The list could go on, but this is what sprang to mind right now.
simply by the way money works, I'm not sure if it's possible to have a debt-free money supply that doesn't accrue interest. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Oh? why would it not be possible to have a debt free money supply? where do you see the problem?
Here's a simple model: government creates money free of debt -> spends it into economy to fund infrastructure, health services, education and such like -> people get paid wages and spend it on things they need -> people pay taxes to take money back out of system to prevent perpetual inflation (i.e. money gets recycled, rather than perpetually being created).
Right now they print Federal Reserve Notes which is Debt. I think the links I have above address currency systems in particular. Here are the links again: http://maxkeiser.com/2011/10/09/ote126-on-the-edge-with-david-morgan/ http://maxkeiser.com/2011/10/08/kr194-keiser-report-price-propaganda/
how does the government create money free of debt?
what happens right now is that we sell treasury bonds to private investors ( regular people, banks, foreign governments ) and that generates cash for the government to use to pay billls.
but it's debt. the bond holder will want their money back with interest.
the argument goes: the government can just print money when it needs, no need to "sell debt". ( we also have this weird thing where banks can essentially print money in the form of loans. so there's a lot of money sources in play in our economy. )
i am not an economist so i don't know the ramifications of getting rid of the fed and debt. my suspicion is every other country does it the same way we do, and there's probably a good reason for that.
banks don't print money. they take 90% of the money people deposit and loan it to others and double-record it. On the books it makes it look like money is being created, but it's really the same amount in circulation at any point in time, because even when the Fed prints new money they destroy old bills to avoid inflation.
What you are saying is misleading. Banks effectively create money. Most of the money that is in circulation in our economy was created as loans.
That 90% that you mention is loaned out to others, and is then deposited somewhere else, then 90% of that amount is loaned out, and so on, allowing banks to ultimately loan out 9 times the money that was originally deposited.
sorry. what I'm TRYING to get at is that simply printing money doesn't do shit.
NUMBER FIVE (5) SHOULD BE....edited to ensure that the NEW Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) ALSO retains the appropriate punitive power (like the FBI) to criminalize those who allegedly commit financial crimes against humanity ( i.e., "using influence, status and/or position to illegally absorb money from those citizens who are dependent on, or vulnerable to their financial creations, actions and/or gambles." ---just my humble opinion...Mary Kay (Montana).
We need a New Deal sized entitlements/spending/jobs program to get the economy back on track, and we need to pay for it with the revenues from the m/billionaires tax.
Corrections to the legislative process. If committees are required they should be publicly elected experts in their field. Committees should be required to act on all bills they recieve and output results for all bills in a reasonable time frame Bills should not expire before they are voted on. No riders tucking and hiding legislation into other legislation. End maximum debate time. All representatives must vote.
Citizen Jury to decide constitutionality of laws. Citizen Jury to replace the authority of the Supreme Court in civil challenges to state and federal laws. Possibly be randomly selected like jury duty for 2 weeks to 1 month and be highly guarded and sequestered Supreme court authority on constitutional issues changed to criminal justice only. Supreme court must hear all death penalty cases, even at the state level.
I like this concept.
Elected Cabinet Officials. All branches of government under the control of the executive branch should become independently operating agencies with elected leaders. All government agencies should be audited for their constitutionality and for financial waste and efficacy. Federal agencies should only exercise powers granted to the federal government in the constitution. The president should be back to the constitutional role of a president, and Americans could elect leaders of organizations such as the Department of Education, SEC, FTC, FCC, EPA, DEA, etc. to determine their course of action separately from picking a president.
I think leaders should have experience and minimum requirements for departments, perhaps even priority given to those who have risen in the ranks within the Agency or related to the field? For example, how about all those Judges without years of experience, or Sheriffs, or Educational Supervisors...I'm sure we could all name a few. Its really scary who is running some of these Agencies...yikes. How about TImmy Geitner who doesn't remember to pay the IRS? Its no wonder we are at this stage of decline.
I would really like to see election reform on this list. Publicly funded campaigns, secure voting booths, & voter rights all need to be secured before we can even trust our elected officials are actually even elected by the majority.
http://www.brennancenter.org/content/section/category/voting_rights_elections/
I find these truths to be self evident and agree with your main premise that Corporation have to much control of our government and create a conflict of interest. I suggest that the reverse is also possibly true. The award winning documentary film " Inside Job" sheds light on the financial meltdown and why it happened (Greed). The main point is that Government has no business being involved in Corporations and Corporations have no business being involved in Government. Our government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth (Not a government of corporations, by corporation, for corporations). Just as we found there was no place for Government involvement with Religion and visa versa, we have the 1st Amendment "Separation of Church and State". Therefore we should move for another Amendment of "SEPARATION OF CORPORATIONS AND STATE"! There is no room for one meddling in the other. The governments role is to create laws to protect the people from Greedy Corporations that steal our money and livelihood
Political & News Media Rules. Require advertising to be sold based on demographics and scale, then evenly distributed to the desired demographics. This would avoid advertiser blackouts. (ie: Air America advertiser blackout). Bring back the Fairness in Reporting Act to all news agencies & programs, not political talk shows. Political talk shows are not news, they should label themselves as such and receive 1st amendment protection. All other rules still apply to political talk shows. Independent rating agency for the possibility of corruption of corporate ownership and directorship based on affiliation, and business structure (ie: Tenured reporters, or controlled?) Independent rating agency for news bias and omissions. All news must be labeled what organization it comes from and who wrote it. (ie: “Associated Press provided the content for this telecast” which is an umbrella group off all mainstream media organizations.) More public news media for different viewpoints – funding for these organizations can be demographics and scale based advertising, or underwriting, and by donors limited by the “Money as Speech” idea of $1 per person (per month? adjusted for inflation?). A fair and formula based subsidy followed by a fair and formula based closure process is needed so no one can pick and choose winners.
Public Awareness and Involvement Act that establishes websites and monthly newsletters nationwide detailing all bills at the federal level voted on the month before; the votes of politicians relevant to the region listed with each bill; and all bills to be voted on within 1 month. To be delivered to every occupied residential and commercial property in the country and placed in convenience stores and gas stations.
with the option to take deliver via emailed pdf files to save paper costs and waste.
What a positive for the Postal Service which the government is obligated per The Constitution.
I would like to see an amendment to the constitution for a public referendum mechanism so the people can change laws and amend the constitution.
LEGISLATION TAKING WAR GRADE WEAPONS MANUFACTURING OUT OF THE CORPORATE SECTOR AND MAKING IT THE JOB OF THE STATE: as long as the Lockheed Martins of the world need to sell their weapons there will be endless war
Is there any way to get this thread to stick to the top of the forums so people can realize this is pretty much the definitive list?
seriously. this is the problem with being leaderless. I like the idea of a movement of the people, but eventually someone is going to have to step up to the plate and drive this where it needs to go.
The leaderless statement is symbolic. General council is held daily I believe. Anyone who shows up to those is a leader and no singular person involved with those is OUR leader.
This sounds like the way of the Rainbow People.
general council? where? when? can we show this to everyone there?
The first demand should be PUBLIC REFERENDUMS so the PUBLIC can MAKE/CHANGE LAWS, and AMEND THE CONSTITUTION.
http://OccupyTheAgenda.wordpress.com https://www.facebook.com/OccupyTheAgenda
if i could add any single thing to this list it would be: institute a tax on all wall street financial transactions.
the EU is considering doing this right now, but the Brits and the US are unlikely to without significant public support.
there is already a bill in congress for this: H.R. 4191: Let Wall Street Pay for the Restoration of Main Street Bill ( http://bit.ly/mRHqiY )
some more information on the EU's version here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15148590
It's hard to name specific corporate "crimes" when the real problem is so insidious, but here are some ideas:
I think these are a great start. I haven't been able to digest ALL of the comments below - the degeneration into name-calling, and off-point arguing are a bit much to weed through. That said, forgive me if someone else has already suggested this addition.
I think one of the most important things we need to demand is a repeal of every law Congress and/or the Senate have passed that gives them benefits that are denied to the rest of the country. Their retirement with full pay, for instance; their exemption from the new healthcare laws, their annual pay raises, etc... I'm no lawyer and not good with the legalese needed to word it well, but I hope those of you who are will include a Constitutional Amendment that says something like "Congress shall pass no laws that relieve its members from responsibilities, duties, or liabilities that other citizens are required to carry. Likewise, Congress will award themselves no benefits which are not also freely and equally available to ALL individual human citizens." So - no special healthcare, no special retirement accounts, no exemptions from tax or insurance or traffic or real estate or any other kinds of laws to which the rest of us are subject.
You have my 2-cents. Keep up the fight! Kathi unemployed for 15 months paid more in taxes last year than most corporations I am one of the 99%
you have a great starting point, but only the unemployed can contribute (I'm a hard working entreprenueur, just very little time) as there are just too many subjects, themes, threads, etc. Get some IT people involved, set it up like the Open Source Canadian page (editable Wiki), http://openpolitics.ca/tiki-index.php
But, until citizens get direct voting power by 'eliminating the middle man' (i.e. 535 senators and reps), it's still all well contained 'within the box' - ospoliticalframework.wordpress.com
Right On -'...until citizens get direct voting power by 'eliminating the middle man' (i.e. 535 senators and reps), it's still all well contained 'within the box''
I think it's a good idea to reform or get rid of the carried interest loophole. It allows hedgefund managers to entirely avoid taxes on huge amounts of personal gains. Ending or reforming this would help close the gap between the top and the bottom, and provide much-needed government funds.
Sources: http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/07/06/261268/closing-hedge-fund-manager-loophole-billions/ http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2010/03/15/100315ta_talk_surowiecki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carried_interest
Why we are at it...repeal NAFTA as well as all other trade deals that have decimated the middle class and eliminated our ability to be a net exporting country.
Post a link on your website to all in Note 3. I have seen all and they are vital for everyone to see to understand the danger we are now in! I shaped my opinions from a conservative to an activist. Incidentally, WHY WE FIGHT was produced by the Eisenhower Foundation, and has some excellent extra features at the end of the DVD. Watch them, they will blow your mind too. Here is a Conservative President in the 50's who foretold what was going to happen and tried to warn us. Unfortunately, we did not listen.
War is the ultimate expression of capitalism. It is striking that there is no mention of the multiple wars the US is waging in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan. Billions are spent on those wars a year instead of spending this money on health care, education and other social programs. The pentagon and the financing of those wars are allocated more than 50% of the US budget. We must demand the immediate end of those wars and the closing of all military bases around the world.
I feel the same. Spread this message.
As I said, I think those are good places to start, but just a starting point.
To get where we need to be I think more changes are needed. A federal living automatically adjusted living wage law. Changing contract law so that the consent of both parties is required before any contract can be changed. Requiring the state to first purchase all shares of stock from any company broken up by anti-trust laws, and forbidding any of the previous holders form re-purchasing said stock shares. Placing the Federal Reserve under direct control of congress, the executive branch of government and direct voter referendum if necessarily. Making it illegal for federal legislators to own shares of stock in, or participate in the governance of any for-profit corporation, to eliminate conflict of interest (the separation of corporation and state). Creating incentives to vote and participate in government, such as making, local, state and federal election days holidays, and/or a fines for not voting. Requiring all nationally broadcast channels, network or cable, to give equal air time for every candidate on the national ballot, irregardless of political party, and that "third party" or "independent" candidates also be included if they make the national ballot, and that same standard should apply for state and local level candidates as well. That voters should also be given the option of preferential voting for candidates, giving them not just one choice but allowing them to pick second and further choices. That ultimately citizens should be able to challenge or initiate laws though simple initiative, with sufficient signatures creating a national referendum.
I think they are a good start.
I think #6 should also specifically forbid businesses that provide products and/or services directly to the government to have lobbyists at all. If Boeing has a contract to make 100 jets for the US Air Force, that the government then pays them for, they should not be able to sent lobbyists to congress to get contracts for more jets that will cost more money.
I think #7 should be two-way as well. Someone shouldn't be able to work for Pfizer then go over and then get a job at the FDA where they are supposed to regulate their former employer, that just creates the same potential conflict of interest.
For #8 I think it should be established that legally "limited liability" or "perpetual lifetime" and "personhood" are mutually exclusive. Also any business with foreign shareholders should not be able to make political contributions, and if any contributions are discovered they must be immediately returned.
For all these measures I think a provision that overturn of these laws can only be initiated by public referendum, and not by congress or executive action.
Great Great list!!!
Or like Dennis Kucinich said it: "It is not about left or right. It is about right or wrong. It is about up (1%) or down (99%)."
The left and right paradigm is now not helpful in finding ways out of this mess. And most importantly it divides us and does not break the back of the corrupted camel.
Also interesting is that Ralph Nader suggested the following list of four demands, whereupon a 99% coalition can be based upon:
1) Bring our troops home.
2) Repeal of the patriot act. (and restore descent elections)
3) No deficit spending for reckless adventurism by the government
4) Restore the monetary powers to congress (end or audit the FED )
The video can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLdcB0ln9t8
It also features the last sincere and honest politicians on Capitol Hill: Dennis Kucinich (D Ohio) and Ron Paul (R Texas). They have been friends for decades, and cooperate politically against the corrupted establishment, despite they are diametrically positioned in the left-right paradigm.
Their friendship should be an example for us! United we stand!
For the ones who want to be inspired by their friendship, see: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=kucinich+and+paul&aq=f
Personally I think the following issues are also important to address or interesting to consider:
5) Accountability and prosecution of the crimes on Wall street and Washington DC
6) Disentanglement of big business and campain contributions
7) Blockade the revolving doors between the regulatory bodies and big business
8) Find a way to discourage lobbying, perhaps through taxing
9) National Investment program in Green energy, Education and infrastructure (instead of wars, bail outs and socialism for the rich)
I suggest to get Luther King, Nader, Kucinich & Paul to New York and form a coalition of the bottom 99%. As now the media attention rises, also the scrutiny on your message increases. But this above list is great!!!
I don't like how foreign companies (and governments) can donate to elected officials to do their bidding.
It should be illegal for companies and politicians to scratching each others' backs (exchanging money for policies in their favor).
There has to be a solid way for an independent to gain electoral votes.
There should be funding caps on elections, there's no way for a non-wealthy qualified intelligent individual to win elections.
There should definitely be something there about congresses inability to get work done. If you or I didn't get work done at work we could be fired and we absolutely wouldn't get raises. There is no incentive for congress to agree, they are both cutting off their noses to spite their face. How can they cut jobs of the middle and lower class while having their jobs untouched (and spending absorptive amounts of money on travel for their families or baked goods) Congress should post their budgets and make everything transparent. After all, we pay their paychecks. Certainly, since the budget is not balanced and we have a special committee to reach an agreement in congress, they individually need to take one for the team and cut their own spending (including in the form of wages)
Unfortunately, I am not familiar with law but hopefully it can be translated or assimilated into the more accurate topic sections in the list of demands.
Oh and last but not least, voting needs to be held online. If we can all file taxes online with our own unique social security codes, we can all vote online. It can be secure just like the irs tax files are secure (or at least as secure) Everyone knows they're just making excuses cause they don't want young peoples' votes to affect the poles.
thanks for listening @yosteve
Yes. The electoral college is antiquated and unneeded, and you will never be rid of a two-party system as long as it is in place. Two party systems do nothing but streamline the process of corruption, allowing wealthy individuals and corporations the ability to easily manipulate the system and get elected officials who are in their pocket. For every candidate to have a chance, every vote must count. The popular vote is the only way to go.
We need to stop the fillibuster 60% it not fair elections! We have good representation but its stolen on everything that is good for the public with this crap! One senator from farm ville with 300,000 brainwashed nra members can block anything they dont like! This has destroyed fairness, and majority rules in America. Lets stop the Filibuster rule!
I think we need to do something about the Patriot Act and it's dismantling of our Civil Liberties and Privacy. Legislated preemptive surveillance including email and cell phone tapping is unacceptable in a free society.
Another vote for Auditing the Federal Reserve, Eliminating the borrowing of debt based currency based on Fractional reserve banking, and creating debt free currency both in national and local forms. The people who control the quantity of currency are at the root of many of these problems.
AUDIT THE FED. I think that would be one of the biggest steps we could take.
Another huge step would be ending our global occupation and our ongoing wars. They make us broke and give the world a reason to hate us. They don't attack us because of our freedom's, they make it very clear they attack us because of our occupation. The Swiss have a great model to follow.
I'd also like to see our privacy regained and us do away with the Patriot act like Obama once promised he would repeal. But of course went 180 on his word.
As for the buffet tax, I believe that would split support. I would emphasize closing the tax loopholes, buffet tax second. Or just supporting a true open discussion on realistic ways to fix it; buffet tax, progressive tax, fair tax, flat tax, etc... The worst thing to do is knock off a huge section of would be supporters.
I would like to add one suggestion to your list:
NO immunity for alleged crimes committed by banks that haven't been investigated yet.
In addition to including this with "Demands For Congress", you can also contact your state's Office Of The Attorney General and ask that they join California's Attorney General Kamala Harris, who announced on 9-30-2011 that she's opposing a proposed 50-state deal with Wall Street banks giving the banks immunity for alleged crimes that haven't been investigated yet.
Excellent start, but, IMHO you have omitted the 2 most important. 1)Serious Election Reform, 1 vote=$1 dollar 2)Lobby Reform with severe criminal penalties. These 2 simple changes would restore our government to the people of the people for the people
Excellent start, but, IMHO you have omitted the 2 most important. 1)Serious Election Reform, 1 vote=$1 dollar 2)Lobby Reform with severe criminal penalties. These 2 simple changes would restore our government to the people of the people for the people, and I believe our newly elected officials would begin correcting the multitude of issues that need fixed.
I think that there should also be a point to try and repeal the Federal Reserve act and the 16th amendment. We owe interest to the federal reserve for each dollar they "print" FOR US. The US Treasury prints a bond for the amount of Federal Reserve Notes they need and the Fed prints it and LOANS it to us at interest. IF THE US TREASURY CAN PRINT A DOLLAR BOND THEY CAN PRINT A DOLLAR NOTE INTEREST FREE!!!! WE NEED TO BE IN CONTROL OF OUR OWN MONEY SUPPLY NOT A PRIVATE BANK WHICH IS WHAT THE FED IS!!!! Learn more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swkq2E8mswI
I think that public media deserves its own demand. We have to roll back the deregulation that took place in the FCC in the past 2 decades or we will never have a "Free" press. The corporations which seek to protect their interests in government simply cannot be expected to report objectively or fairly. Democracy REQUIRES a free press.
::: CONGRATULATIONS ON THE SECOND DEMAND which IS ... USE CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORITY AND OVERSIGHT TO ENSURE APPROPRIATE FEDERAL AGENCIES FULLY INVESTIGATE AND PROSECUTE THE WALL STREET CRIMINALS ::: good JOB on that . DO NOT LET ANYONE TO TAKE YOUR ATTENTION AWAY FROM THOSE WHO CREATED THIS FINANCIAL CRISIS ! Here is a list of few ...
James E. "Jimmy" Cayne (born February 14, 1934) is an American businessman, a former CEO of Bear Stearns
Richard Severin "Dick" Fuld, Jr. (born April 26, 1946) is an American investment banker and business executive best known as the final Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lehman Brothers
John J. Mack (born on November 17, 1944) is the current Chairman of the Board at Morgan Stanley, the New York-based investment bank and brokerage firm.
Henry Merritt "Hank" Paulson, Jr. (born March 28, 1946) is an American banker who served as the 74th United States Secretary of the Treasury. He previously served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs.
John Alexander Thain (born May 26, 1955) is an American businessman, investment banker, and currently the Chairman & CEO, of the CIT Group. Thain was the last chairman and chief executive officer of Merrill Lynch before its merger with Bank of America
Lloyd Craig Blankfein (born September 20, 1954) is the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Goldman Sachs. He has been in this position since the May 31, 2006, nomination of former CEO Henry Paulson as Secretary of the Treasury under George W. Bush.
Alan Greenspan (born March 6, 1926) is an American economist who served as Chairman of the Federal Reserve of the United States from 1987 to 2006. He currently works as a private advisor and provides consulting for firms through his company, Greenspan Associates LLC.
James "Jamie" Dimon (born March 13, 1956) is the current CEO and chairman of JPMorgan Chase & Co, and previously served as a Class A director of the Board of Directors of the New York Federal Reserve, a three year term which started January 2007.
THERE IS MORE PERHAPS ... Watch this documentary ...made by CBC Radio Canada FOR Al jazeera " http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/meltdown/2011/09/2011914105518615434.html
But ... be careful because those people are NOT the only one ! They might want to cut off few people !
So much dirty laundry...
The original post of this thread, though what is presented may very well move in forward and productive directions I suspect there is plenty more of the existing system having need of correction. It may very well be, and probably is, easier and potentially more effective to instead establish a document of integrity "Declaration of Fully Integrated Integrity" if you will, by which all existing facets of the current system can be tested against and as in such time that each facet comes up, be it today or tomorrow, or some time in the future.
Nobody wants to waste this opportunity to a small set of corrections or changes that will likely be overruled or gotten around some time in the future, as has much of what the founding fathers established, been overruled and gotten around.
The biggest problem is having rules/laws that provide incentive to do the wrong things. Anything new established needs to be of such nature to remove incentive to do wrong. But this probably won't be enough because of the limits of language itself, how it is easy and a skill to create double speak, triple speak, bla bla bla deceive. i.e. we must protect the U.S. by stripping US citizens rights... double speak meaning protection of the few not the whole nation.
We have a language problem! No matter what words you put together, someone will try to apply distortion of the meaning. Perhaps the best test bed is to pass such words to trolls to see what they will do.
Trolls can be helpful, those who find reason for war can be helpful to, for they know best what motivates them and knowing what motivates them is to know what is needed to remove the motivation. Same goes for all other motivations of doing wrong.
Ultimately, the question to ask, does the language, the words strung together actually get you from where you are (point A) to where you want to be (point B)? If not then you are being deceived.
So where do you want to go?
And how many ways does it need to be said and written so that it is more difficult or impossible to distort the meaning of?
We certainly know how to test it!
Most people supporting the protest don't have the resources to dig into all the facets of what our system has become, for that mater most lawyers probably don't either but instead focus on a specific area of law.
Does anyone see the big fully integrated picture of what we have today? I Seriously doubt it!!!
And this is why it would be more productive to establish a document that current facets of our system either need to get in line with or be removed.
To many facets to deal with all at once. And if I were to cheat, I'd know this an use it by demanding you all present me with your demands.
But I sure would not be expecting anything like a "Declaration of Fully Integrated Integrity"
by which all the facets can and eventually will be tested against.
And even more so, if it is well done, it would be exposing of my cheating to say no to it.
You got a good point. I think we need your document, now or in the future. I like the test it against your doc and if it doesn't meet the guideline/declaration, then it doesn't move forward.
This should be developed, in my opinion.
I recently finished an undergraduate course in which this movement was the topic of my final assignment. Here is the link to my (very new) blog: http://wp.me/s1RMLx-the99 on which you can read the majority of my paper. I also had formulated a list of recommended legislative changes, which seems quite pertinent on this thread.
There should never be any bank or other money lending corporation "too big to fail". Contain the greed that will always exist by holding those who gamble culpable for their actions.
10: Ending the Federal Reserve - Under the Constitution, private organizations do NOT have the right to have their own currency printed (that is counterfeiting). Private organizations also do not have the right to set interest rates or to sit in cabinet meetings with the President.
Since the Federal Reserve was founded by a group of Banks, it exists as a private organization. As that organization is engaged in illegal activities (i.e., counterfeiting) its assets (including the assets of the banks who select its executive officers) should be immediately seized and, where necessary, have any legal activities turned into part of a national public utility.
These additional assets will enable the US Government to back its new currency by silver.
Let's make some changes in NYC right now. Why should the police be able to pepper spray citizens, and then have NYPD spokesman Paul Brown lie about it? http://t.co/lgwdIKzr Let's Demand that Paul Brown Must Resign
I'd suggest letting that one ride. You'll see later that it will much easier to roast the NYPD for less than professional actions if/when the roasting begins higher up.
For now, let them continue to create their martyrs and continue to attract media attention for what appears to be an order to squash a non-violent protest. Someone behind the scenes is intimidated by the potential of this movement; someone with enough connections to influence middle management to jeopardize their careers. Brown seems like the kind of guy who'd roll in an indictment to save face and his career.
HEAR HEAR!
Here's one to add:
Reestablish the Civil Conservation Corps and as soon as practicable hire and put our people back to work preserving our parks and natural resources.
This is certainly a good idea for jobs creation...just as revamping the entire infrastructure of the USA with smart roads, smart bridges and broadband wifi is.
We might also think about paying for these things by slashing our military budget in half (which means we'll only be spending a bit more than Russia and the UK combined are)...and of course, collecting on all of the unpaid taxes on the billions of offshore profits corporations have been allowed to "Defer" since about the 1950's.
Oh yeah...and while we're at it...we should shut down that private organization known as the Federal Reserve. If memory serves, it is illegal for any private organization to have money printed which has THEIR NAME ON IT.
What is it called when you are engaged in having money printed which has your name on it ? oh yeah...Counterfeiting. In all other cases, since only congress has the power to print money...the Feds swoop in and arrest EVERYbody that is engaged in supporting the criminal organization...and they routinely sieze ALL of the assets of ALL of the supportive organizations that are involved. Lets see... how many banks would become national banks ...? at least a half dozen, I think.
I'd say doing all that could easily result in creating about 10 million jobs...and thats just on the federal side... it doesn't count the millions more jobs that would be created from supportive organizations like cement creation companies, diners, etc. etc.
It does include, however, workers who upgrade all of our schools, our parks, our backroads biking paths, our firefighters etc. etc.
smart bridges won't bring the texas railroad commission back from the grave. before you shut down the FED consider how it has preserved american hegemony and purchasing power in the global economy well past our time. Get ready for a discontinuity in the growth fxn.
This is a good idea.
Maybe in the list of demands have one demand be to pass a jobs bill of our choosing. Start our own clean page with what we think would re-start jobs in this country. to summarize: A separate list for job creation.
let me clarify again. In the list of demands-simplify
simplify the main list then explain in detail elsewhere.
This is a fantastic list. It is exactly what the movement needs to really gain steam. I hope that this becomes the official list of demands fast and that it gets out to the media so the rest of america can get behind it. Bravo, you all are doing a great job.
The only thing I would think to add is a section that revamps speculation. There needs to be some type of law that reforms the way trading occurs. The high frequency trading and over-leveraged speculation is roiling the markets. 80% of the trades on the NYSE and NASDAQ are done by pros who are simply trying to screw the little guy out of a nickel here and a penny there. However, they also cause huge volatility and provide no benefit at all. Its an esoteric subject matter, but former traders such as myself will understand the gist of what I am saying immediately. Perhaps a group of traders could drill down this idea into a more concrete substance.
For the laymen, consider this-- 20 years ago, kids from MIT went to engineering and other types of companies that produced a product. Now they build algorithms to trade. This is a huge problem.
Please help spread the word by sending out the following if you are so inclined:
HERE'S SOMETHING WE CAN DO TODAY. Please spread the word about this specific LIST OF PROPOSED DEMANDS FOR CONGRESS
It's time for a change in this country. We can all feel it. But sometimes it's hard to know what to do next. Here's a suggestion on what we can do next. All 3 of these things can be done today. It'll only take 5 minutes and it will make a real difference.
Read this list and comment on it: https://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/ . The more people who comment, the more clear, convincing and contagious the list will get. Your suggestion matter.
Take 2 minutes, call your congressional office and advocate for numbers 2 and 4 on the list.
Calling your congressional office may seem like a small thing but it actually has a big impact. Any congressional staffer will tell you that careful records are kept of the phone calls that come in and it has a real impact on how the congress person votes and what legislation they support or propose.
Please help make this message go viral and forward it to people who are as concerned about our country's future as you are.
Completely agree. Is there any way you and a few of your friends who were/are traders could suggest some short language for a law. Just talking about 5 sentences here. I'd be glad to add that because I have spoken with some high level investment banking types and some accomplished traders who have told me exactly the same thing. The good traders are thoroughly annoyed by this crap. Please help spread link to this list. Thanks https://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/
Glass Steagall - a good place to start. Keep other demands "in" as things the movement supports but use the reinstate Glass-Steagall bill as a focal point to begin with. Begin to formulate a clear coherent message without going all over the place. The list of demands that all pertain to finance & corporate personhood is good - since this started as Occupy Wall Street, you don't want to go all over the place with abolish the death penalty, etc etc that can come later.
I completely agree with everything you're saying here. Will figure out how to formulate that. Please help spread the link to this list. Thanks. https://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/
nice list, add -regulate and or move HFT to a seperate exchange not intermixed with daily regular stock trades -ban inside pricing IPO's isnt fair for the common investor. -bring back market floor specialist to control price movements so swings aren't so wild. -lower and cap trade commisions and taxes on gains. If one can trade and make a profit, it isn't fair to give the profits to the brokers and the government.
HERE'S SOMETHING WE CAN DO TODAY. It only takes 5 minutes and it will make a difference.
It's time for a change in this country. We can all feel it. But sometimes it's hard to know what to do next. Here's a suggestion on what we can do next. All 3 of these things can be done today. It'll only take 5 minutes and it will make a real difference.
Read this list and comment on it: www.occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/ . The more people who comment, the more clear, convincing and contagious the list will get. Your suggestions matter. Note: We're not just talking about empty demands here. We're talking about active non-violent resistance that will force House and Senate members to the negotiating table.
Take 2 minutes, call your congressional office and advocate for numbers 2 and 4 on the list. Calling your congressional office may seem like a small thing but it actually has a big impact. Any congressional staffer will tell you that careful records are kept of the phone calls that come in and it has a real impact on how the congress person votes and what legislation they support or propose.
Please help make this message go viral and forward it to people who are as concerned about our country's future as you are.
Also: add a derivatives exchange - end at least that part of the shadow banking system.
man, if you could get with guyfawkestrader below and exchange ideas, maybe we could advocate for a very specific law that covers a couple of these things. For now it would have to be limited to 4 or 5 sentences but could be expanded later of course.
Yes, you are on the right track with coming up with actual wording for proposed laws. That is what corporate lobbyists do, we must fight fire with fire. See ALEC - http://alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed
Pls help spread the word: https://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/
If you agree with this list and are so inclined, please send out the following message to those who are restless for change:
SUBJECT LINE: HERE'S SOMETHING WE CAN DO TODAY. Please spread the word about this specific LIST OF PROPOSED DEMANDS FOR CONGRESS
BODY OF MESSAGE: It's time for a change in this country. We can all feel it. But sometimes it's hard to know what to do next. Here's a suggestion on what we can do next. All 3 of these things can be done today. It'll only take 5 minutes and it will make a real difference.
Read this list and comment on it: https://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/ . The more people who comment, the more clear, convincing and contagious the list will get. Your suggestion matter.
Take 2 minutes, call your congressional office and advocate for numbers 2 and 4 on the list. Calling your congressional office may seem like a small thing but it actually has a big impact. Any congressional staffer will tell you that careful records are kept of the phone calls that come in and it has a real impact on how the congress person votes and what legislation they support or propose.
Please help make this message go viral and forward it to people who are as concerned about our country's future as you are.
I agree about getting specific and you're right, the lobbyist write legislation all the time. Short term though, all I'm thinking about here is having list of demands that is reasonably actionable by congress. So, or example, having Glass-Steagall reinstatement bill already on deck is awesome. Because congressmen can't give as many excuses for why it can't be done. Much easier for average American to support us to because they see what we're demanding as "reasonable" or doable, at least from a practical standpoint. It's much easier to argue the policy side with would-be supporters and the opposition if the practical side of having the bill in place is taken care of. I think this is REALLY helpful.
Please help spread this link far and wide so we can keep working on honing this list and submit it to organizers / keepers of the official list. The more people who can review it, the more we can edit it and the more convincing the list becomes as a rallying cry and effective tool for change.
I'm not just talking here you see. I actually want us to DO THIS https://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/
Demand #9 is perfect GandhiKing. What granito is commenting below is a valid point concerning Congress. This can be REMEDIED by demanding LIMITED TERMS for Washington Bureaucrats at all levels. NO MORE lifelong terms in ANY capacity in Washington D.C. This will keep the bastards from accumulating wealth, power and influence by establishing long-term relationships with Lobbyists and Corporations.
I think we need a Constitutional amendment forever banning private money from elections, and stipulating that government will pay for the candidacy of anyone able to get a specific number of validated signatures, and that former representitives get a permanent pension to cover a reasonable standard of living, while preventing them from working for any business that involved any legislation they worked on while in Congress; the same for the presidency.
If we think this would be expensive, just compare it to the expense of the mess we have now. Also, Corporate personhood must end, and the corporate charter must be reformed so that corporate interests are bound to pay for all negative environmental and humanitarian effects of their operations, rather then externalizing these costs to the population at large.
Finally, there must be a permanent and binding Constitutional ammendment that creates an anti-monopoly firewall to preserve a free-market economic system from unfair, super-aggragated wealth.
I'm in. I ready for ACTION
The Puzzler
I think all eight are great, just not sure about seizing Washington, don't know if we might lose support.
Congress can't be expected to do anything the average person wants it to. It doesn't answer to us. We The People have no real control over it. You need to see the Repubs and Dems for what they truly are: the "good cop/bad cop" routine played by the billionaire elite against the rest of us. The Republican "bad cop" comes in, slams his fist on the table, makes threats and tries to scare the hell out of us. Then the Dem "good cop" comes in and says 'hey, don't pay any attention to that guy, he doesn't want what's best for you, but I do. Just cooperate with us, do what I am saying and nothing that mean old bad cop threatens will come to pass.' Neither are working for the average person's interests.
Thinking Congress is going to pass ANYTHING that serves anybody's interests besides their billionaire puppetmasters doesn't even rise to the level of being a forlorn hope, but a fantasy. The game is rigged. The entire American political framework needs to be torn down from the outside and rebuilt. Pinning our hopes on beating the pseudo-democracy at its own game and changing the system from within is not rooted in reality. We will get nothing by playing within the rules that have been established for the purpose of keeping any meaningful change from happening. Ever been to a casino? If you have you should know that the casino wins in the end every single time as long as you play by the casino's rules.
We will only succeed not by trying to influence the elite's own dog-and-pony show political framework but by operating outside of it. Remember, the Tunisians and the Egyptians didn't get rid of their unrepresentative government by voting it out of office or by supporting this or that bill in their parliament. Neither will we. If this movement is truly patterned after or inspired by the Arab Spring movements, well, it needs to get a hell o a lot more ballsy and start ACTING like the Egyptians and Tunisians. Meaning not just "occupying" public parks and other places you're allowed to occupy. But first, before a campaign of civil disobedience designed to shut this country's economy down can begin we have to build a popular movement for RADICAL change, not timid, incremental reformism.
check out www.peoplescongress.org
Do these demands exist in the form of an on-line petition that can be signed by thousands (millions) and sent to Congress and the President? If so, where do I sign? If not why not?
Nice list, I agree with most of it, but I think it could benefit from more rigorous legal input. I mean, Citizens United is NOT a for-profit corporation, the decision NEVER mentions corporate personhood, and the only case actually establishing this concept was an 1819 case that only dealt with the freedom to enter into and enforce contracts (there's another case that mentions it, but only in dicta).
Also, we should understand how corporatism in politics (particularly at the federal level) really works. We need a law that prohibits members of congress from meeting with lobbyists privately (the corruption happens behind closed doors), instead, requiring members of congress to hold regular public meetings (this would end lobbying, I mean, actually END lobbying).
Another problem is federal regulatory schemes, which do not grant citizens the right to sue corporations in state courts under established common law principles. If, for example, there was no liability cap on suits against oil companies, then companies like British Petroleum would not be able to have the influence over government they enjoy today. As it stands now, all companies need to do is lobby congress, or guarantee members of congress, their staffers, or federal agency employees cushy jobs after they leave federal service, and they control the entire regulatory process. Passing a law that ends the revolving door is a dubious idea, because asking people to spend years of their careers gaining a specialty in a particular area, and then requiring that they either remain in federal service until they retire, or leave that area altogether upon leaving federal service, seems like it would result in government only being able to recruit the bottom of the barrel--in terms of talent.
If, instead, we changed regulatory schemes to allow for lawsuits at the state level, then every lawyer in the country, every judge, every state level politician, etc., becomes a potential regulator, and regulatory control is no longer centralized (making it impossible for companies to hijack our political and legal system). I think this would be far more effective, and all of this could be done through legislation.
The other stuff, particularly restoring Glass Steagall, is perfect.
If big business runs the Congress (which it does) then the first thing that has to happen is to change whose who sit in Congress. Until that happens none of these demands stands much chance of becoming reality. Support of and participation in The 99% Declaration is THE KEY MECHANISM for these demands to become reality.
While it's unlikely that those who read this thread haven't seen The 99% Declaration, I'll include the link for any who may not have:
https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/
Admin Note: This is not an official list of demands, it's a user-submitted post on our forum. The user who submitted this post only speaks for her/himself and their supporters, NOT the movement as a whole.
Only the unelected handful of people that facilitate the NYCGA which includes this website speaks for the movement. This forum is theirs. You may resume protesting.
Who on Gods' green earth taught you that the world will give you hand-outs? Pack up your tents and start trying. All you protestors have done is give up.
WOW!!!! this is a lot to look at!
Looks great on paper but would never be taken seriously without a gigantic turnout, like one million or more!
Time for humanity to rise and shine.
To this list, I would add that we should abolish the FED.
Number 4 really needs to be a complete revision of the tax code. The words, tax increases has lots of negative connotations. Tax reform is something that almost ALL Americans can agree on.
Members of both parties are liars and crooks. They all took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. When they are caught in lies that can be easily proven, there should be a procedure to remove them from office. Anyone who tries to pass an unconstitutional law should also be banned .
After reading through the other posts on this page, and then considering the issue for the last several weeks, I've decided to turn this dime on its head.... Listen up people, because if you just take a moment to think about it, you'll see what I see. This is all a power play. We owe trillions (that's with a "T") of dollars to primarily one other country in the world, and the only thing backing our currency is the good faith and credit of the American Dollar; a dollar that is steadily falling in value. Don't even try to tell me that none of the financial advisors for the United States haven't voiced the idea of "What happens if we decide we can't or won't pay?"
Consider what has already happened, and also what will happen in the future, once the United States turns the printing presses on high and pays off all its creditors with the then worthless American dollar. Sure, there will be a struggle to sell off our treasury bonds to any sucker willing to buy them, but by that time it will be too late. It will be like hitting the "reset" button on the global economy. Maybe that's good, or maybe that's bad, but millions or maybe even billions will feel this coming collapse. The United States, however, will come out on top. It's almost like financial warfare, and we are poised to win.
Think hard, this economic collapse has been an orchestrated chain of events. Lehman was allowed to bankrupt without notice to other countries, especially our allies in Europe, why? Because, we had to ensure that the European Countries would collapsed as well. After all, we can't have Saudi Oil being purchased with the Euro, that would mean hyper inflation too soon....right? In the middle of it, you also have to be able to look your creditors in the eye while you say sorry...right? To do otherwise might unwittingly trigger a real war. You can't say something like " The United States government gridlock was used to control when and how we would move into bankruptcy." That sounds ridiculous.
I'd like to see an end to Human Trafficking, girls and children should not be bought and sold as sex slaves, that's just sick. It must end! Also, we are due for free health care, it's now or never.
A recent example of inserting an unrelated item into bills was the inclusion (in a recent budget bill) of the delisting from the Endangered Species Act the wolf of the Northern Rockies. This was done to "sweeten" the bill for some members of Congress. This was the first time in history that anything was removed from endangered species status solely for political rather than scientific reasons. That's how bad it's gotten in Congress. The general public is usually unaware of such riders to bills.
Great list. Number 3 and number 8 are pretty much the same thing, though. As for #2, I think most of what they did was technically legal, right? It may have been inethical, but still legal. I think a demand for Instant Run-off Voting also belongs on this list. This is the way that people can vote for their true, preferred candidate without fear of "throwing away" their vote. It will also pave the way for additional parties to gain representatives and power in Congress and break up the corrupt, two-party love/hate fest we have now.
Great list. Number 3 and number 8 are pretty much the same thing, though. As for #2, I think most of what they did was technically legal, right? It may have been inethical, but still legal. I think a demand for Instant Run-off Voting also belongs on this list. This is the way that people can vote for their true, preferred candidate without fear of "throwing away" their vote. It will also pave the way for additional parties to gain representatives and power in Congress and break up the corrupt, two-party love/hate fest we have now.
General Assemblies,Community, State, National ,with Referendums on Key issues, Let the people Decide, not some stodgy criminals,doing back room deals..Create The Peoples Forest Service,and eliminate corporations in our protected forests..Eliminate The Federal Reserve Counterfeitors Association..Cancel The Debt.. Fake Money, Fake Debt.. Return to gold backed currency, Abolish speculation on commodities and food supplies,selling on futures is also like selling something you don't have..Naked shorting stock is another fine example..Ban Short Sales..Cut D.O.D. budget, change focus to humanitarian and Earth Restoration Projects..
Accountability, present and past administrations, too many atrocities,and crimes against humanity involved,printing 20 trillion dollars,backed by no goods or services, is counterfeitng,bailing out corporations and banks worldwide,giving bonuses to the very people who bankrupted the world economy..Stick U.S. taxpayers with the bill at 5% interest..High Treason is the charge,noone knows where the money went, The Pentagon lost 3 trillion,700 billion restructuring Iraq funds disappeared..Now 20 Trillion is gone and Noone Knows where the money went? Traitors and Master manipulators of info,and statistics..Problem is computers track every move,electronically recording every transaction..
Congress will never pass these laws or will take forever to do so. We need to start the "Occupy Wall Street" Political party and send our candidates to congress and the presidency. (if we are really the 99%, then it should be easy) Our candidates would not need $$ to finance campaigns because they already have our votes. Lets put completely new people (qualified offcourse) in congress. Also, #9. CONGRESS SHOULD ENACT LAWS TO ALLOW EASIER WAY TO ADD NAMES TO BALLOTS (PRESIDENTIAL & CONGRESS IN STATE AND FEDERAL)
These are my thoughts... Occupy Wall Street means nothing if the people do not have a clear message. I appreciate what they're trying to do, but nothing is ever going to get done if we don't start getting specific. To that end, lets start by focusing in on the investment banking and securities firm Goldman Sachs; a company that shoulders a huge amount of culpability in the financial ruin of this country. When we finish with Goldman Sachs we can move on to the other mirror image financial criminals, but we have to start somewhere. Although Goldman Sachs has positioned itself to be unbound by the rule of law, this will mark the beginning of the healing process, so I'm not afraid to say it. Goldman Sachs is an organized crime syndicate that operates outside the rule of law. They are gaining control of the United States Government by injecting their personnel into the positions that MAKE THE RULES. After all, there is no need to lobby for what you want when you can make all the rules to benefit you, right? Goldman Sachs is a criminal enterprise that has engaged in the truest form of racketeering; by participating in the sale or solution to a problem that the institution itself perpetuated, with the specific intent to engender continual patronage.
Goldman Sachs sold junk CDO's (Collateralized Debt Obligations) (that they often created) to unsuspecting investors, by convincing them that they had a triple A credit rating (from a ratings system they helped to corrupt) even though they knew that in their own words, they were "crap" investments that they intended to bet against. I need to say that again to pound it in... Goldman Sachs built a racket, by using deception to trick investors (like your local pension fund) into purchasing CDO bundles that they knew would fail and by paying ratings companies to promote the illusion that these CDOs were worth investing in. Then because they knew the investments they had just passed off as triple A were going to fail, they took out insurance against the CDO's from the insurance company AIG. Goldman Sachs knew that these CDOs were going to fail, but they only became concerned when they considered AIG financially incapable of paying off the hundreds of billions of dollars that it was going to steal from it with insurance fraud. The bottom line is that Goldman Sachs knew!
Goldman Sachs is the head of this evil snake. Goldman Sachs KNEW these CDOs would fail. Goldman Sachs KNEW that AIG would fail. Goldman Sachs KNEW that this country would be brought to it's knees, and it didn't care. They were making money, even though they had to lie and cheat to get it; because they didn't care about anyone other than themselves and that's where the evil part comes in. They were in the business of screwing people over, so it was Goldman Sachs who devised a plan for securing their investment, by putting the burden on someone other than themselves; the American People. Goldman Sachs KNEW that the only way out of the chaos that THEY CAUSED would be to have a trusted man on the inside (Henry Paulson) who would then "dream up" a way to put this problem squarely on the backs of the American People. Who cares if everyone is screwed, as long as the people at Goldman Sachs stay rich, right? Then, when the "axe is going to fall" bailout was "dreamed up" by Henry Paulson, it was the United States Government, a subsidiary of Goldman Sachs, who agreed to bail out AIG, but only if AIG agreed to pay Goldman Sachs 100 cents on the dollar, and also agreed not to file criminal or civil charges against the CEO or employees of Goldman Sachs.
So, am I angry? YA, I'M ANGRY! I think those stupid lookin bald heads of Henry Paulson and Lloyd Blankfein would look better on the end of a stick than on their shoulders. No man should be above the law. Every person who participated in this racket needs to be brought to justice. I don't mean slap them on the wrist justice either, I mean at the very minimum they need to be stripped of their wealth and put in prison for the rest of their lives. People have rioted in the streets and died over this. Millions of people have suffered financial ruin, and some have committed suicide over this. Don't even try to tell me that the only thing that should happen is that these men should be held civilly liable. This is also a plea to both Henry Paulson and Lloyd Blankfein to understand that neither one of their lives is worth any more or less than the lives lost in relation to this continuing wrong; stand up and become a patriot in spite of your wealth; no one lives forever; history will remember you as either the men who caused the ruin of millions, or the man or men who ensured it would never happen again.
To all those who took the time to read this... Check out the RICO Act ( Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act). I believe it's a federal law that had these guys in mind. Occupy Goldman Sachs and the subsidiary of Goldman Sachs until these people are prosecuted.
God Bless America!
Occupy Wall Street means nothing if the people do not have a clear message. I appreciate what they're trying to do, but nothing is ever going to get done if we don't start getting specific. To that end, lets start by focusing in on the investment banking and securities firm Goldman Sachs; a company that shoulders a huge amount of culpability in the financial ruin of this country. When we finish with Goldman Sachs we can move on to the other mirror image financial criminals, but we have to start somewhere. Although Goldman Sachs has positioned itself to be unbound by the rule of law, this will mark the beginning of the healing process, so I'm not afraid to say it. Goldman Sachs is an organized crime syndicate that operates outside the rule of law. They are gaining control of the United States Government by injecting their personnel into the positions that MAKE THE RULES. After all, there is no need to lobby for what you want when you can make all the rules to benefit you, right? Goldman Sachs is a criminal enterprise that has engaged in the truest form of racketeering; by participating in the sale or solution to a problem that the institution itself perpetuated, with the specific intent to engender continual patronage.
Goldman Sachs sold junk CDO's (Collateralized Debt Obligations) (that they often created) to unsuspecting investors, by convincing them that they had a triple A credit rating (from a ratings system they helped to corrupt) even though they knew that in their own words, they were "crap" investments that they intended to bet against. I need to say that again to pound it in... Goldman Sachs built a racket, by using deception to trick investors (like your local pension fund) into purchasing CDO bundles that they knew would fail and by paying ratings companies to promote the illusion that these CDOs were worth investing in. Then because they knew the investments they had just passed off as triple A were going to fail, they took out insurance against the CDO's from the insurance company AIG. Goldman Sachs knew that these CDOs were going to fail, but they only became concerned when they considered AIG financially incapable of paying off the hundreds of billions of dollars that it was going to steal from it with insurance fraud. The bottom line is that Goldman Sachs knew!
Goldman Sachs is the head of this evil snake. Goldman Sachs KNEW these CDOs would fail. Goldman Sachs KNEW that AIG would fail. Goldman Sachs KNEW that this country would be brought to it's knees, and it didn't care. They were making money, even though they had to lie and cheat to get it; because they didn't care about anyone other than themselves and that's where the evil part comes in. They were in the business of screwing people over, so it was Goldman Sachs who devised a plan for securing their investment, by putting the burden on someone other than themselves; the American People. Goldman Sachs KNEW that the only way out of the chaos that THEY CAUSED would be to have a trusted man on the inside (Henry Paulson) who would then "dream up" a way to put this problem squarely on the backs of the American People. Who cares if everyone is screwed, as long as the people at Goldman Sachs stay rich, right? Then, when the "axe is going to fall" bailout was "dreamed up" by Henry Paulson, it was the United States Government, a subsidiary of Goldman Sachs, who agreed to bail out AIG, but only if AIG agreed to pay Goldman Sachs 100 cents on the dollar, and also agreed not to file criminal or civil charges against the CEO or employees of Goldman Sachs.
So, am I angry? YA, I'M ANGRY! I think those stupid lookin bald heads of Henry Paulson and Lloyd Blankfein would look better on the end of a stick than on their shoulders. No man should be above of law. Every person who participated in this racket needs to be brought to justice. I don't mean slap them on the wrist justice either, I mean at the very minimum they need to be stripped of their wealth and put in prison for the rest of their lives. People have rioted in the streets and died over this. Millions of people have suffered financial ruin, and some have committed suicide over this. Don't even try to tell me that the only thing that should happen is that these men should be held civilly liable. This is also a plea to both Henry Paulson and Lloyd Blankfein to understand that neither one of their lives is worth any more or less than the lives lost in relation to this continuing wrong; stand up and become a patriot in spite of your wealth; no one lives forever; history will remember you as either the men who caused the ruin of millions, or the man or men who ensured it would never happen again.
To all those who took the time to read this... Check out the RICO Act ( Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act). I believe it's a federal law that had these guys in mind. Occupy Goldman Sachs and the subsidiary of Goldman Sachs until these people are prosecuted.
God Bless America!
That Mandatory Term Limits be applied to ALL Elected Positions.
Create sign and send petitions. The more inputs we have the better. http://occupywallst.org/forum/create-sign-and-send-petitions/
A site to submit issues have them collected, collated and submitted. www.lobbydemocracy.com
OUR BANNER/OUR CAUSE
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. July 4, 1776
Don't know if any of you have seen this.. They have a list, and knock it all.. http://blog.heritage.org/2011/10/26/the-conservatives-guide-to-the-occupy-wall-street-protests/
I would love to see ANYTHING done...This list of demands are great! Maybe GandhiKingMindset should be running things...what's next?
these are good requests but some of them will take forever to execute. they may just be re-written before they get implemented.
as much as many people think that a no-money economy (aka resource-based economy, RBE) is imaginative, a demand to fix the current monetary system is even more unreal. capitalism just doesn't work. it's either we are for capitalism or not. the 1% and our politicians will just passify us with a lip job (which some are already doing) but then you'll see that down the road we'll be back to square one again. how many more revolutions do we need before we come to a reconciliation that capitalism is not the right way to solve our problems? this is our moment, people! let's go for RBE!!!
liking this
Why not demand something to end politics as a whole? Do we really need laws passed to tell us what is right and wrong? We have the resources and technology to raise the standard of living for everyone on the planet far above what the 1% have now. This momentum should be used for something more than new laws (that the rich will end up finding loopholes in anyways). Money is not necessary and in fact actually hinders advancement in our society. I am not talking about socialism.....actually just take a look here:
http://zeitgeistmovie.com/ http://thevenusproject.com/
Why is it NOT OWS adminstration demands ?? If these demands are not adopted then the admin of OWS had better come up with some that are even better or the entire movement will fizzle out over a cold NYC winter and American interest in the OWS movement will die. These are all very well thought out and will resonate with the American public.
A lot of good ideas getting kicked around here. It's a good start.
But.. if we continue to allow the corporation called the Federal Reserve to sell us Debt Based Money we'll never really get out of the rut we're stuck in.
And that's just a starting point. Much more "extreme" measures need to be taken if we're serious about creating a sustainable economic system.
Anything short of ending the Federal Reserve corporation is pointless. We're on Wall Street. We've got the Math right. We know it's the Bankers (and the politicians the buy). America has closed these type of corporate central banks before, Repeatedly.
WE can do what those brave protesters of the past did.
Why we ended the Central Bank system in America last time..
• It concentrated the nation's financial strength in a single institution.
• It exposed the government to control by foreign interests.
• It served mainly to make the rich richer.
• It exercised too much control over members of Congress.
• Banks are controlled by a few select families.
• Banks have a long history of instigating wars between nations, forcing them to borrow funding to pay for them.
All the same reasons we should do it again.
An article 5 convention is the first and only Demand everything the people want after that they have a real shot at making possible. If you care about OWS and you want to know what LEGAL options we have look at this website http://algoxy.com/ows/strategyofamerica.html
dont nuke our imaginations brah
The American people are not in control. The days where the mob shook the foundations of political thought and shaped the agenda of justice no longer exist. Crowds marching for a "purpose" no longer carry the efficacy they once did. The voice of the "masses" is a waste of time. The future lies in personal improvement in order to better your own situation. Yelling with signs will not drive the engine of your own success. Cultivate your minds, read books, study mathematics, for only in the acquisition of knowledge will improve your life (libraries are free). Bankers and politicians control the money and the power and there is nothing anyone can do about it. The only way anything will be accomplished within the realm of the occupy movement is if tens of millions of americans march on the capital to evoke change. This will never happen. Instead of everyone marching and yelling with signs, everyone should march to a library and start reading books and trying to better their lives in some constructive way other than demanding money and justice from men who will never ever give it to them. This country can rise to greatness only if the people induce a change in themselves, not yelling at others to change.
For the sake of human rights, please mention Student loans- (At least private loans). Our educational system has been turned into a commodity by the banks. This is how it works: When a student is in college, they are only allowed to borrow a certain amount of Stafford (govt) Loans. They often have no choice but to borrow Private (commercial) student loans to pay their tuition. That is where the nightmare begins.
Private (commercial) lenders have been ripping off students for years. They were lending at rates as high as 8 to 12%. THESE ARE PRIVATE LOANS- NOT STAFFORD. Private lenders are corporate GIANTS. These loans have now ballooned, and no one can discharge them. Due to the current job prospects, many of us are not able to pay off these loans- regardless of what we majored in. I know someone that committed suicide due to his private student loan debt- he was 45 years old.
Forcing people to pay for something that they can no longer afford is cruel. It is a human rights issue. These loans should be dischargeable.
I really hope OWS can move toward a concise focus directed at the root of so many 99%'s grievances - money in politics. I'm advocating the single demand of prohibiting private spending on public campaigns. I think this issue will have the most wide reaching impact, gain the broadest support, and will allow the 99% to participate meaningfully as both candidates and voters. Right now I can only think of two ways to get there www.lobbydemocracy.com and www.getmoneyout.com
Awesome stuff guys :-)
As this is now A GLOBAL MOVEMENT and for people outside the USA to all form a united voice then a clear set of GLOBAL goals also needs to be discussed. These goals are not policies but VALUES and from them policies can be formed by any nation or any person. They must be SUPER SIMPLE, universal ideas, that appeal to the 99% and difficult for the 1% to deny. Our “policies” will be dissected and attacked by the 1% so that why it's important to have a VALUE set of goals that are non negotiable...
1: Equality: Reduce the gap between the rich and poor nationally and internationally [Change the GFS and Banking]
2: Economy: Move from a economy based on Consumerism to one based on Sustainability [Change what we subsidies]
3: Democracy: Ensure everyone has an equal right to vote AND to be voted for [No longer the same couple of near identical parties backed by the same richest 1% - Real grass roots democracy]
We don’t care how it’s done, or who it is done by, as long as in a year’s time: ALL economic indices show the rich poor gap is decreasing. A list of all government subsidies is published and a shift is clear. There are new parties and faces in government. The mantra is this “We will never vote for a politician who does not follow the 3 targets of, equality, sustainability and true democracy”
Send this to your friends and your MP/Senator/Governor... and let the change begin...
Yes, all your suggestions are great. I have three more suggestions. The 99 percent need to run for local, state, and national office. So Occupy Wall Street can be the headquarters of a national political movement of independents. Eventually it needs to transform itself into a political party but for the coming presidential election, this may only serve to splinter the democratic vote. Democrats are not blameless, only more supportive of workers than Republicans. Campaigning can be done mostly on the Internet.
Second, we each need to make purchasing and investing decisions that will hurt large companies that manufacture overseas and support small and medium-sized companies that hire locally. What would happen if we systematically identified companies that have off-shored services and manufacturing?
Some will argue that there is no way that the American worker can compete against the Chinese, but there is a different manufacturing model. It can be employee-owned with a thin layer of management. If the company caters to regional customers, it can rely on Internet advertising and word of mouth. Does it really make sense for the U.S. to sell timber to China for Chinese workers to manufacture cheap furniture to sell back to the U.S.? No, because the number one priority of every government is to see that its citizens are productive.
American companies shifted production abroad partly because the U.S. has more stringent environmental protection laws. Companies shifted manufacturing of consumer electronics, textiles, and most everything abroad. But what did German companies do? They worked to clean up their manufacturing processes and kept factories at home. Now they have the cutting edge plants.
I live in Taiwan. Here, German and Swedish appliances are competitive with Japanese products. The Germans and Swedes did not give up on their consumer electronics industries. I suspect, though, that their governments have helped their industries along whenever possible.
The only government in the world that professes to have a free market is that of the U.S., but the reality is that the American government toes the free market line only because it is convenient for large corporations.
Henry Ford paid his workers well so that they would one day be able to afford to buy the company's automobiles. The large U.S. corporations have not realized that, in off-shoring jobs overseas, the unemployed American consumers are not able to buy anything.
My final suggestion, then, is that state governments should be diverting funds for unemployment benefits to help fund nonprofit or for-profit organizations that train and employ workers in making apparel, furniture, toys, consumer electronics, and so on.
these are my ideas. i do see change coming. but i can only hope it is a change for the good.
Great ideas. And if continue of with this fight they might even pass something. But we would have to be all over what ever they pass, because in the true tradition of the congress, they would definitely riddle the thing with loop holes that would allow them to conduct business as usual.
We need to force change, then we need to monitor it.
But great stuff here.
Dear Occupy Wall Street, I am a Ph.D. student and have studied the topic for some time. Taking Money out of politics is actually very simple. Money becomes a problem in any government when power is concentrated on X number of individuals. The fewer individuals, the more effect money has. The more individuals the less effect money has. Our government is a representative democracy. The members of congress are supposed to represent the people. However, with representative democracy comes political parties. These parties are formed along general guidelines and secure spots in congress to legislate according to the guidelines. Parties help party members become elected, and require monetary resources. These resources are given by corporations that benefit from the party’s guidelines. Regardless of what an individual representative may believe, at times they are required to fall in line with the party’s guidelines. This is because if they don’t then the party may not help them get reelected next term. Essentially then, this country’s legislative power is concentrated in two entities, the republican and democratic parties.
The solution is a form of direct democracy. This is where every citizen of a country votes on legislation, no representatives. This virtually removes the connection between money and politics, since every person has the power. In order to influence votes in a direct democracy, corporations would have to buy off a majority of the citizens, which becomes improbable. In the past direct democracy was impossible due to logistics. However with the internet, there have been movements to implement forms of direct democracy. Switzerland is one example. However, for this to occur in the US a revolution becomes necessary.
There is a compromise. In Hungary there is a political party called “The Party of Internet Democracy.” This party has no political guidelines. Instead they have a very interesting system. Once you register to the party you can vote on any legislation on their website. Those that are from this party in Congress do not vote on their own; they vote according to the proportion voted on the website. For example, if the party had 10 seats, and on the website the vote by regular people who signed up on the website was split 60%-40% on a particular piece of legislation, then the elected party members vote 6-4 on that legislation. This party has been functioning since 2004 and Canada has just created their own version of this party. This system actually makes the representatives represent the people.
I believe that power should be returned once again to the people. Not political parties, not representatives. If someone sees this who has the know-how to begin a political movement, please look into this.
You can add a forced ratification of the 16th amendment in every state. Since it is only few states have fully ratified the 16th amendment. Its another backdoor that HAS to be closed.
http://www.thelawthatneverwas.com/defects.aspx
reword and rewrite as a bill that gives the people authority over the government through voting directly on policies and issues. Discussions here
http://occupywallst.org/forum/i-demand-informed-direct-democracy-online-whos-wit/
what about something like this: Informed Direct Democracy, the process by which the average well informed real public opinion is brought to the attention of all, directly, is now obviously made possible by the internet. Just as we have secure online banking, shopping, chat, forums, libraries, dictionaries, and many other types of large online services and gathering places of opinions and facts, we can have direct voting on ISSUES that affect everyone, accompanied by direct FACTUAL open sourced information available to all so we can KNOW what the issues are and how the issues affect people. The idea that most people are incapable of making direct decisions in their communities, governments, and international affairs because of lack of abilities, information, and lack of a practical method, is no longer tolerable. Most people on Earth, are perfectly capable of making sound decisions about any political, environmental, social issue, IF the people are provided with factual free open sourced information about the issues. Most people have enough common sense and reasoning abilities to understand and reach very reasonable solutions to all the issues we, the people of Earth, face today on local levels as well as global levels. Having poor education, as the 1% have turned our public education system into their consumer-worker brainwashing, is not the same as being stupid; and being trusting, as most people are, is not the same as being gullible, and is a virtue, not a weakness to be exploited by the greedy 1%. Most people should trust each other to share control over society together, not give up our liberties to a system of greed made by the 1% that's causing famine, wars financial desperation, poor education, and the destruction of our planet, all for MORE PROFIT FOR THE 1%. The internet already offers EVERYTHING that is needed to have Informed Direct Democratic voting on issues everywhere. All that is needed is for people to organize a system. This system should be started by the 99% Occupy International Movement right NOW, while there is still time. In a few short years, the PEOPLE OF EARTH could be voting on local politics and local issues, and on issues that affect their country, and global issues that affect everyone. Let's not allow the 1% to make us out to be a petty and shallow and selfish and cowardly poor VS rich movement. It's not about taking down rich people, it's about taking down GREED itself; most rich people have the same capacity for being reasonable as most poor people do. A real economic recovery is not accomplished by restoring the health of the financial institutions, because they measure their recovery in profit; we need to eliminate GREED from the financial system, because too-big-to-fail corporations reporting record profits does not equal healthy fair economy. The people can come up with MUCH better solutions together online NOW! It's time to stop handing over our control and trusting our representatives to make policies that reflect the will of the people, which they never do. We now have a system of greed running all governments and societies on Earth. Having the ability to vote AND BE INFORMED WITH THE FACTS about the issues directly as a people can FORCE our corrupt and greedy leaders to make the will of the people a reality. After all, in a Democratic society, the government's job is simply to administrate the process by which the will of the people is formulated into a body of laws and policies, which MOST people agree with, and then protect the peoples' rights to have such a Democracy. The government is sort of the secretary and the bodyguard of the people, not the authority for the people to be forced to follow even when most people disagree with its policies and decisions. In a true Democracy, the PEOPLE are the authority of the government.
MOST PEOPLE ARE REASONABLE, give all people the power of direct voting on issues, and we will have very REASONABLE policies, everywhere. Remember, the key is the FREE OPEN SOURCED INFORMATION (kind of like wikipedia) accompanying the voting sites on the internet.
So when reporters come to ask protesters on the streets what we are protesting for, what do we want, what are your demands (as if we were robbing a bank or something) we can say:
"WE THE PEOPLE OF EARTH DEMAND DIRECT INFORMED DEMOCRACY ENABLED BY OUR CURRENT COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY, WE DEMAND VOTING ON ISSUES THAT AFFECT PEOPLE DIRECTLY THROUGH THE INTERNET AND WE DEMAND THAT WE HAVE AN OFFICIAL OPEN SOURCED ONLINE LIBRARY OF FACTS ABOUT ALL THE ISSUES WE ARE VOTING FOR."
Modest reform when radical action is necessary, at least in regards to the majority of the global population. Yes, appease a few, neutralize the greater threat, and all will be well. Yes, all will be well, for a short period of time.
audit the federal reserve. demand truth about rockefeller/rothschild connection. demand NWO-supporters and elitist federal factions disband. DEMAND THE CONSTITUTION to be protected. demand financial reparations & in the form of the United States Dollar by abolishing the Federal Reserve Note. demand the truth about U.S. tax dollars and why they went into these projects: HAARP, DARPA, Nazi Bell Experiment, Lockheed Martin Aviation and Interstellar Prototypes. (for information, visit Youtube.com and type in Project Camelot - Michael Schratt)
Loved everyone of your proposals, let's hope that we get together a full list of demands that we not only want but demand! The people in power only understand when the American people start to demonstrate in the streets that we want change! We need to make a declaration like Declaration of Independence that starts like something like this, WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA DO HEREBY GIVE NOTICE to Wall Street, Banks, Corporations, Politicians all over America that we demand...........etc.etc. and it be signed by millions of people all over America via internet and on paper and be delivered to the halls of Congress. We should also start a voter drive to sign up millions of Americans to vote in the upcoming 2012 elections and I assure you that they will be trembling in their knees when they find out the power behind OccupyWallStreet and OccupyTogether here in the United States and all over the world! Our voices will be heard in Washington and all the state capitals all over the country. We need to demonstrate in our state capitals and march on Washington by the millions from now on until the elections in 2012 and beyond until we are heard and changes come forth all across America and in Washington!
I challenge OWS to focus on being less divisive and more united. I personally felt alienated in ODC, because I was told the 1% is the institution of the white man. I was told now that white males are out of jobs they feel our pain. I am a white man who has a job, but is not happy about how the to big to fail corporations have treated the Americans of all races and beliefs. I am unhappy that many of brothers and sisters have lost their jobs to unfair trade practices the top 1% has imposed. I am unhappy that American Small business is no longer getting investment from the top 1% in the Wall Street banking and finance industry. We need to unite on stop getting brainwashed by the top 1% marketing strategies that make us a consumer nation. We need to become a saving nation.
How about:
*Congress can only pass one clear easy to understand bill at a time?
*Congressmen/women can no longer stand in an empty hall and talk and then say s/he spoke before Congress.
*Our food much be clearly labeled as to if the food is genetically altered, contains addictive flavor enhancements, is irradiated, etc.
*All three time losers in jail for life are kept in the same prison with costs shared by all states.
*Each elected official can only receive a pension equal to the average pension of their community or in the case of an elected representative their state.
*Strict term limits
*A viable third party and our candidate for president will be able to run in the next presidential election.
*Our elected officials will be held to a higher standard of moral, legal, etc. behavior. They are to be examples to our children.
*Make murder of a child while they are being sexually molested or beaten a automatic capital crime.
*ALL government budgets must be balanced EVERY year - no exceptions.
*Our teachers are hired by the government. Pay teachers top dollar in wages, demand the best are hired, and they must maintain a moral/legal standard. These are the people who spend the most time with our children. They mold the minds of our children. Our education system is not even close to No.1 in the world. Let's get it back on top.
How To Create A Better America. A New Vision For OWS!
Article V of the Constitution provides for a Constitutional Convention when the needs and desires of the states and populace are not being met, and specifically when the federal branch of government is the source of the problem.
"No person, corporation or business entity of any type, domestic or foreign, shall be allowed to contribute money, directly or indirectly, to any candidate for Federal office or to contribute money on behalf of or opposed to any type of campaign for Federal office. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, campaign contributions to candidates for Federal office shall not constitute speech of any kind as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution or any amendment to the U. S. Constitution. Congress shall set forth a federal holiday for the purposes of voting for candidates for Federal office."
Get a law passed for total public campaign financing to all federal candidates who obtain sufficient petition signatures and/or votes to get on the ballot and participate in the primaries and/or electoral process.
Require new FCC regulations granting free air time to all federal candidates for elected office.
Get a law passed where members of the United States House of Representatives shall be limited to serving no more than four two-year terms in their lifetime. Members of the United States Senate shall be limited to serving no more than two six-year terms in their lifetime.
Get a law passed that bans politicians from becoming lobbyists for 10 years after they leave office.
Adopt California's Proposition 20 nationwide and end gerrymandering by politicians and turn the drawing of congressional districts over to citizen committees.
Create a fair and progressive tax code. The marginal tax rate ought to be raised to 50 percent on income between $500,000 and $5 million, 60 percent on income between $5 million and $15 million, and 70 percent on income over $15 million. There should be a 2 percent annual surtax on all fortunes over $7 million. Eliminate loopholes in the federal tax code, unfair tax breaks, exemptions and deductions, subsidies (e.g. oil, gas and farm) and end all tax havens. Taxing financial transactions at one percent raises $400 billion a year in revenue alone.
End too big to fail. Break up the biggest banks. Ban derivatives trading. Immediate reenactment of the Glass-Steagall Act.
Leave Afghanistan immediately. Reduce the military budget by half.
Medicare For All. Allow Medicare to purchase drugs directly. Give MEDPAC greater authority to drive down medical costs.
Create a federal government/business "Manhattan Project" to develop clean energy.
Keep Social Security solvent for generations by raising the ceiling on income subject to the Social Security tax to $200,000. Currently, $106,800.
To increase opportunity and upward social mobility for future generations offer free public education through 6 years of college.
In the short term, to get demand back into the economy, we need a new government sponsored WPA and CCC to create millions of jobs rebuilding America so business can start investing and hiring again.
Too much to be repeated here. www.listofdemands.org
3rd PROPOSAL for Demands list: Repeal of the UNCONSTITUTIONAL Federal Reserve Act of 1913: restoring of the CONSTITUTIONAL decree that only CONGRESS issue and regulate money in perpetuity, restoring of the CONSTITUTIONAL decree that INCOME CANNOT BE TAXED in perpetuity, passage of law clearly illegalizing the UNCONSTITUTIONAL borrowing by federal government of money from private institutions and individuals in perpetuity.
2nd PROPOSAL for Demands list: CONGRESSIONAL Investigation of The Attacks of September 11, 2001, open to all 9/11 victims’ families and national media, on live national television, with full subpoena and legal power. The 9/11 Commission Report states “This is not an investigation; it is an accounting of what happened.” For what the 9/11 Commission concluded was “the worst intelligence failure in U.S. history,” no officials were charged legally or disciplined. A petition signed by over 1,000 architects and engineers citing evidence of explosive demolition of World Trade Center buildings 1, 2, and 7, and calling for a CONGRESSIONAL Investigation into who caused the demolitions was sent to EVERY MEMBER OF CONGRESS in February, 2010 (http://www2.ae911truth.org/signpetition.php), which must be included. Same petition signed by over 1,200 architects and engineers (over 1,000 of which are U.S. citizens) was handed to staff of EVERY MEMBER OF CONGRESS in September, 2010. Now over 1,600 architects and engineers have signed said petition. Some MEMBERS OF CONGRESS have called for investigation into the money trail, particularly the extraordinary number of "put options” betting that only American Airlines and United Airlines stock price would fall (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/09/19/eveningnews/main311834.shtml), with leads to the U.S. stock exchanges and banking system which must be included. Many 9/11 victims’ families and survivors have filed lawsuits challenging the official version of events; their claims must be heard legally and included. We will provide expert witnesses—including Pentagon survivors, air traffic controllers involved on that day, steel-frame architects, structural engineers, physicists, U.S. Air Force interceptor pilots, U.S. commercial pilots, N.Y.F.D. and N.Y.P.D. survivors, and others in relevant fields. This CONGRESSIONAL Investigation must commence within one year of deliverance of these Demands, and conclude within one year of commencement.
PROPOSAL for Demands list: Outlaw “fractional reserve banking” (in Federal Reserve guidelines on money creation) which allows banks to loan out 10 times as much money as they have in reserve. It is legalized counterfeiting by which banks own over 90% of U.S. Total Money Supply (“M3”) by creating money out of thin air (mortgages, commercial loans, etc.) & the Federal Reserve private bank cartel uses to create (loan to government, interest paid back by Income Tax) all increases of national debt & inflationary infusions into M3. We must pay back principal + interest in real money (which banks then loan out 10 more times, in an infinite cycle) on loans for which banks never actually provided the principal (when we can no longer pay, our homes are taken), amounting to legalized slavery.
"Iguana Project", an essay by Hunter S. Thompson, roughly lays out a plan to organize a high number of disenchanted potential voters into a cohesive group with a clear message to be used as a bargaining tool with the presidential candidates running in 1972, and leaving the option open to run a candidate under a new party banner in 1976. Forty years later, the United States has again created a large amount of disenchanted people who have the potential to deconstruct and rebuild the whole thing. He notes: "The potential of this thing is so vast that we can't possibly define the ends - so all we can talk about for now is the "potential," the "goals," the possibility of massive "leverage," and the entirely reasonable idea that any body or bloc who can speak for 20 million voters will emerge - by mathematical definition - as a primary force in American politics."
Hunter points out that the most difficult part of running a campaign would be the massive amount of money necessary to put a serious candidate directly into the Democratic or Republican primaries, and running an independent candidate would be unlikely to secure a national victory. The most immediate effect could be made by consolidating the voting block of 20-30 million people into a promissory vote for whichever "serious" candidate took their demands seriously. Presuming that the supported candidate wins the election - also presuming this "victory" to be more substantial than the election of the last "hope-full" candidate - it could be a fantastic way to generate enough attention to start a new independent party for the following election cycle and fully take on the wretched system.
Here's a thought on campaign finance reform: If Congress won't reverse the unlimited contributions ruling, then create a law that forces contributions to be made in $100 increments, electronically, for the record.
Here is a reasonable demand for tax reform: Make each firm's corporate tax rate inversely proportional to it's median wage for all non-executive employees working in the US. Higher paying employers get a lower tax rate, lower paying employers pay higher rate to cover costs of services required to support those employees (police, medical, education, housing subsidies). Right now communities, states, and the federal government pick up the tab for the social costs of an underpaid workforce. Seems fair that low-wage employers pay their fair share towards dealing with problems their compensation policies create (plus, it puts them in direct control over their taxes--removes all that "uncertainty" Wall Street complains about).
Thank you God - finally a group of people with good common sense ideas. Now anyone got any ideas on Health Care?
Thank you God - finally a group of people with good common sense ideas. Now anyone got any ideas on Health Care?
Overall, I agree with what you are calling for. I do, however, think that the most important first step is to get the money out of politics. In my opinion, I think that will be the only way we will be able to enact positive change.
Here is another message. Repeat often. – As citizens, we have the right to discuss all the options and make fully informed decisions about our future. We have the right to vote on this. Until such time, we demand a halt to neoliberal economic policies. We demand a halt to any further consolidation of capital in the global banking system. Also, an immediate halt to any more banking and finance fixes that name American citizens as lenders or borrowers as we refuse to be liable for any more of this activity. Until such time as we can establish true liability as argued in a court of law The People of the United States vs the Banking System. And we demand a halt to all negative and divisive anti-social marketing media campaigns; for example, anti-climate change campaigns, promoting the idea that people who want renewable energy hate coal miners and the promotion of lies and encouragement of hate that has saturated corporate media. And, we demand that our press again take up the task of investigation, research and providing information to the public in a non partisan, genuine and democratic manner.
Our knowledge is our power. Show them what we know! Show them that anger is just a stage, a symptom of a problem. You move on. You get to acceptance. You deal with the problem. That’s where many of us on the Left are at. Not so much against, as for.
So, say to the press: These are our issues at this time. We are always open to more.
These are the solutions that need to be discussed. Here are the people you need to can talk to.
Do we need a procedure for this? The question to put to the General Assembly or committee might be:
And to all non-profits out there, and green businesses I say, prepare yourselves to conduct this national discussion on your issues. This is it. Let’s move out!
In 1985 I decided to stop being a political activist. I decided I would not be involved again until I could be for something. Since that time many progressive have put much time and thought, and devoted careers to creating a world- an economy- that we could all live in. Indeed, most of our energy has not been apparent because it has been devoted to caring for our fellow passengers and creating good works that have been repressed for decades. I don’t think the Left has failed. I think we have been doing exactly what needs to be done. We have solutions!
One thought (amongst many), I had is that we have leaders everywhere. And, we are already organized. We have non profit groups and churches etc. from sea to shining sea. When the press comes saying what are your demands, who are your leaders we must take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to say- “Well, here is the list so far and here is the contact person of an organization that has been working on this issue for the last 25 years. They can tell you everything you want to know.”
I want to encourage non profits to offer these issue spokespeople to the Wall Street folks. We want to start a national discussion. We want to bring back Democracy. We have to get the press to start talking about our issues! You know how much they love to avoid that! This is a way to do it.
Stop saying- “We don’t know what the answers are”. That plays right into their need not to talk about solutions. Start saying- “Yes, there are solutions and we need to start talking about them as a nation. Right now.” That’s a message, repeat it often.
We have solutions like: • Adopting a legal mandate for a Triple Bottom Line for all businesses.
• Grounding Capital. An Investment Portfolio Adjustment mandate that requires proportional investments in local and regional areas as well as in national or international areas with a focus on businesses and activities that we need for a green economy. We have the list, think Van Jones, David Korten, Hawken and Lovins.
• Local Living Economies • Slow Money • Living Wage + 30% as minimum wage • Shorter work week.
• REAL Tax relief for those who really need it. • Revenue to meet all our social needs. • Local Currency and Time Dollar systems • Fair Trade, and Fair Foreign Economic Policies, including global labor rights. • Abolishment of certain global trade and finance institutions. • Reform of national banking institutions like the Federal Reserve- making it public (again) and not private.
• Making currency exchange a non-profit enterprise. • Active Peacemaking • Election finance reform and lobby reforms • Healing Climate Change. • And clarity about our National Debt. All nations debt! Where did it come from? Who holds it? Who did the money go to? They always say “we”, but we need to ask, “Who is ‘we’ exactly?” We must raise the big question about what our individual liability is towards debt incurred by private entities in our name without our permission. I think WE need a good lawyer! • National War Rebate from companies that profited from putting Iraq and Afghan citizens to the sword. You know like, oil, telecommunications, mining and construction companies.
• One of my favorites, use of quality of life indicators, not GDP and measurable outcomes requirements for all policies, not just social service.
• And we have ethics and values that underlie our visions. There are folks out there who can speak to that also.
• To name a few! See, there is so much that we already know. It is enough to overwhelm all this TINA (there is no alternative) thinking. So let them have it.
Climate Change was left out of the OccupyWallStreet list of demands. Why? Because big banks and banksters and the UN want to let the corporation's CARBON TRADING MARKETS ruled by politicians, manage the planet's temperature. We demand responsible stewardship of the planet, not the CO2 mistake. Meanwhile, the UN had allowed carbon trading to trump 3rd world fresh water relief, starvation rescue and 3rd world education for just over 25 years of INSANE attempts at climate CONTROL.
There should be a list of 1 to 3 things, with more to come later. It's better to focus on just a few things than a whole bunch of stuff which will cause division and needless drama.
If it’s one thing, I say it’s the issue of big money corrupting our whole political system. This covers banking, campaign finance, lobbying, and the citizen’s united ruling
It’s also an issue that is impossible to debate. It’s an issue that has to keep being brought up, and stuck to when some fake media shill tries to change the subject.
Here's a good list of reforms:
http://scipiosforum.com/vital-reforms.html
The banks got their bailout- I think one of our demands should be the middle/lower class bailout. Many middle class people are suffering w/ student loan debt. Can we please make one of the demands relief from private (commercial) student loans (we should be allowed to ischarge them). Many of us are drowning in student loan debt. PRIVATE student loans are a big problem- they are offered at high interest rates, and they have a lot of fees. Predatory lenders lent out millions of dollars several years ago- and they were poorly regulated.
Can we please make one of the demands relief from private (commercial) student loans (we should be allowed to discharge them). Many of us are drowning in student loan debt. PRIVATE student loans are a big problem- they are offered at high interest rates, and they have a lot of fees. Predatory lenders lent out millions of dollars several years ago- and they were poorly regulated.
Why have we not added abolished the Federal Reserve?
Lets END THE FEDERAL RESERVE - it helped cause the recession and is made up of 1/3 of the banks in America and they control our taxes and all the money in the US govt., we need to add this to the clause and get back our government.
They have bought our government and taken our tax dollars hostage.
Lets stop political funding for candidates and buy them from the people
the federal reserve is the one that is stealing money from us, and they helped cause the 2008 financial crisis when they didn't loan money to the lehman brothers when they went bankrupt, but lent money to banks in other countries instead
You should just use this one its much better
www.the99dclaration.org
Monsanto: Die-it
limited terms in congress,the people should vote on pay raises,monopolies should be watched and broken up this includes everything from banks to electric service,wall street is gambling and should be treated as such, just to name a few.
A few things that would be great to see, but I view as pipe dreams are:
There are many good ideas here, but let's focus on the major one...TAKING THE MONEY OUT OF POLITICS AND REFORMING OUR PATHETIC DEMOCRATIC FRAMEWORK. The rest will follow if the ideas are agreeable to the majority, which they should be.
It appears as though this isn't the best way to go about this...Like it was stated in the initial post, we have to remember why this movement came about. So leaving the demand discussion open for editing is not a smart choice. Why not get a sample of about 50 occupiers in each major city and use them to design a potential list of demands? Once this list is complete, post it online so that people can view it and vote "for it" or "against it". If you leave the door open for editing there could be some completely ridiculous ideas. The 9 that are already mentioned up top I am totally for. I do believe that there are more needed so that all of the original aspects of the movement are covered though.
Instead of looking at the government and corporations as some monster to ove
I like it.
Don't get lost in the details. Our current system of elected government has been corrupted by Wall Street and its money. Its time to make a change which will re-establish democracy and give the people more say.
The constitution was written in a time when it would take months to prepare for and execute a popular vote, so we had to rely on our elected politicians to make decisions for us. We now have the internet technology to have national plebiscites on important decisions like health care, taxes, term limits, gay marriage, social security, marijuana--the list goes on and on.
Once the people have spoken, a decision reached by plebiscite should have the force of constitutional law, and not be able to be overturned by politicians, bureaucrats, or judges.
Its time to take our country back.
Nice!
Great list... best I've seen so far.
I think thought this might be effective initially, after the media appeal wheres off, the politicians won't be affected by this.
In order to get our grievances met, we have to hit these politicians where it hurts... and I believe it's their job security. We should take a page from the Tea Party... Maybe have a "Occupy Wall St. Express"... we should be heavy in the Democratic Primaries... and nominate candidates who are aligned with us.
Get red of our versions of "DINOs" (Democrat in name only.)
What about the original suggestion from Adbusters that: "we demand that Barack Obama ordain a Presidential Commission tasked with ending the influence money has over our representatives in Washington" ?
this is much better than the first list. Don't forget HR-676 - Single Payer Medicare for All. That would save billions and stimulate the economy by taking a huge burden off many individuals and small businesses.
While I 110% support Campaign Finance Reform, Fair Taxes, and the many other serious issues being presented I would like to ask that we not loose site of the everyday injustices that directly effect so many of us. Below are only SOME examples of what I mean:
Example #1: "Unaffordable Justice": In many cities it costs more to fight (for instance) a parking ticket than it costs to pay the fine. While this item may seem trivial as a single issue; it is the collective sum of these TYPES of injustices that breed passiveness. (If you lose either-way, then why fight it?)
Example #2: "Self Important Government": In my city an (illegal) ordnance was passed that made it illegal to drive a car while using a cell phone. The ordnance made an exclusion for Police Officers and Government Officials that cited they needed to be able to use a cell-phone while driving as part of their job. However, last time I checked Police Officers and Government Officials are human and subject to the same "distractions" that people of other professions. But for some reason Government too often feels like it is the only thing contributing to society as a whole, and as-such, often passes laws that apply to everyone but them.
Example #3: "Rewarding Bad Behavior": All too often men are deceived into fathering a child. (Take note: If the man was "deceived" he was clearly taking precautions to NOT father a child) In these cases not only is the obviously untrustworthy mother not punished for her deception, but is, in-a-way, rewarded with child support. (I could go on)
I honestly have no idea how to address these items individually as there are NUMEROUS similar injustices that happen daily. But until these types of injustices are recognized and properly dealt with I believe our government will continue to breed more injustice and passiveness towards it.
One Point Program for OWS should be Tax reform.
++Make Profiting from War Illegal
++Make For-Profit Health Insurance Illegal
++Restore and Expand EPA regulations regarding Fracking
People, this is now a perfect opportunity to promote open source free software and operating systems which has been developed through programmers working voluntarily. These free, open source programs and operating systems are offered to you and every one else free of charge and are better than the paid for Microsoft Operating Systems and Softwares such as Microsoft Windows 7, Windows Vista, etc... The problem with these Microsoft Operating Systems is that Microsoft, a Multi BILLIONAIRE corporation charges an exhorbitant amount of fee to let you use their operating systems. Windows 7 Home Premium can end up costing you more than $200.00 and I think this is very ridiculous. I urge every one to dump Microsoft based operating system and switch to Linux based free operating systems, not only is it impossible to get a virus through the most popular virus entry points (your web browser + Java/Java Script, etc) but it will offer you better stability and security for you data. The best linux distribution you can use is Ubuntu (ubuntu.com) and if you are coming straight from Microsoft's world and you like how Windows 7 looks like, you can download a linux distribution called "Zorin OS" as of this writing, they are up to version 5.1 and you can download it by going to www.zorin-os.com/free.html If you are not sure what type of system you have, you can get the 32 bit version, it is guaranteed to work on any computer system type you might have whether its 32 bits or 64 bits, if you are sure you have a 64 bits based computer system, then get and install the 64 bit version. I am a professional computer technician and I am willing to donate some of my time to help the most needy install Linux on their computers...
Declaration of Grievances
Focus on the repeal of Citizen's United and reforming campaign financing. Make all contributions to a campaign go into a shared fund that is divided among candidates based on % registered by party and/or % of votes for party candidate in previous election. If you prevent the rich from buying politicians thru campaign contributions, you'll be able to solve pretty much the rest of the agenda that represents the 99%.
Declaration of Grievances
SPECIFIC POINTS TO EXPAND ON BUT MANY COVERED ABOVE: A Legal System that favors Justice over Resources and Connections. A Healthcare system concerned with The People, not profits. Replace Corporate Funded Elections with Public Funded Elections. Eliminate tax loop-holes that send jobs overseas. EPA regulations restored on Fracking and Polluters. End the Wars of Aggression and make Profiting from War illegal. Start rebuilding American Infrastructure for the 21st Century. Invest in an Energy Plan that does not lead to Death and War. Fund the Education of ALL our children. End Trickle Down and Start Bubble Up. Stop Speculating on OUR future for your profits NOW. Hold the Supreme Court Accountable for Unconstitutional Behavior. Stop Disenfranchizing Voters and Start Listening to them Stop Borrowing from OUR Social Security. Get the money flowing from the Banks to Small Business. Start making things in America again. Stop abusing Executive Powers and Parlimentary Procedure. Make the Federal Reserve “Federal” and “a Reserve.” Reverse the Citizens United ruling for the benefit of The Citizens. Stop trying to Legislate Morality.
Declaration of Grievances
SPECIFIC POINTS TO EXPAND ON BUT MANY COVERED ABOVE: A Legal System that favors Justice over Resources and Connections. A Healthcare system concerned with The People, not profits. Replace Corporate Funded Elections with Public Funded Elections. Eliminate tax loop-holes that send jobs overseas. EPA regulations restored on Fracking and Polluters. End the Wars of Aggression and make Profiting from War illegal. Start rebuilding American Infrastructure for the 21st Century. Invest in an Energy Plan that does not lead to Death and War. Fund the Education of ALL our children. End Trickle Down and Start Bubble Up. Stop Speculating on OUR future for your profits NOW. Hold the Supreme Court Accountable for Unconstitutional Behavior. Stop Disenfranchizing Voters and Start Listening to them Stop Borrowing from OUR Social Security. Get the money flowing from the Banks to Small Business. Start making things in America again. Stop abusing Executive Powers and Parlimentary Procedure. Make the Federal Reserve “Federal” and “a Reserve.” Reverse the Citizens United ruling for the benefit of The Citizens. Stop trying to Legislate Morality.
http://wh.gov/2zR
My attempt at using the 800 word petition site "we the people" the Obama administration set up. This is more a bump for this thread but still, shameless self promotion sounds better than saying bump :P
Over 300,000 people have been working on the Contract for the American Dream (http://contract.rebuildthedream.com/). One of the most popular demands is to Strengthen Democracy. From the Contract:
"We need clean, fair elections -- where no one's right to vote can be taken away, and where money doesn't buy you your own member of Congress. We must ban anonymous political influence, slam shut the lobbyists' revolving door in D.C., and publicly finance elections.... We must stop giving corporations the rights of people when it comes to our elections."
We the people, shall demand that, all publicly traded Corporations, that have conspired to make our lives worse, corrupted our elected officials, and infringed on our pursuit of happiness, be handed over control to the American Public! Enslave these Corporations! The American People (not the American government) shall be equal shareholders these Corporations. We shall set up a website for which to vote, in a Direct Democracy style, on how to operate these Corporations, and allocate the profits that they generate. Fight Fire With Fire! Or ya know, we could buy them legally. heh heh
There ought to be a nod to the environment in there. This biosphere, our home, doesn't have much more fight left in it, and things are going to get bad for all humans, no matter their percentile, unless something drastic happens soon to address it. Air, water, and soil should give life to people, not leach it away slowly and painfully with exotic carcinogens. Life forms, incidentally, should not even come close to being patentable.
Also, in reference to the SEC demand: don't forget the CFTC, or "Commodity Futures Trading Commission." It's essentially the SEC for futures, and is hopelessly corrupt. It matters because the farcical non-regulation of the over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives market was one of the main culprits in the financial crisis.
You already covered much of my Christmas list.
I would only add
1- PUBLICLY financed campaigns. Its critical to getting the corporate money out of politics. Also limiting the election cycle to 6-8 weeks.
2- The repeal of the Patriot act.
3- Rebalance branches of government. No more ghost departments like the NSA which only answers to the executive. this will make it more difficult for corruption to take foot.
Also, please re-write the final version of this. Try not to say things like " which essentially said corporations..." this sounds like you don't know what your talking about. don't "essentially" say anything. be clear and concise.
thank you all that you've done and are doing.
solidarity from the west coast.
How about Making it illegal for campaign funds to come from corporations?
This list is very concise, but someone is always going to be at the bottom in a Capitalist system. It's not about trying to patch over a few holes in a sinking boat. More holes will form and eventually, you'll run out of patches. It's time for a total redesign of our culture today. A resource-based system is the only way to prevent people from being manipulated for profit. It will allow people to live a healthier, more fulfilled life in equality while taking care of the planet in the best way possible. The Venus Project has plans to implement this. Check their website out.
we need to include more protections for all of the Earth's species who have been raped, plundered and kicked out of their homes for the relentless pursuit of profits. The Earth's species are fellow travellers with humans, not "resources" which is a capitalist term. Collectively, the Earth's species evolve ecosystems. Ecosystems are our global life support system. Without them, we all die. Greed cannot be allowed to murder our global life support system. This is a necessary demand.
If you want to fix things going forward you must understand the mechanics of what caused things to go wrong in the first place. After the Anti Trust legislation at the turn of the century passed, banks and corporations needed to ensure they would control government going forward. The first step in this process was the 17th Amendment in which they were able to fundamentally change the balance of power within the Federal Government by making Senators no longer accountable to the States, and thereby the people of the State. Senators were now much easier to bribe as they could not be recalled by the State legislature. The second step was the installation of the Federal Reserve, which the 17th amendment made possible. The Federal Reserve took the power to control the money supply from the Congress, and therefore from the control of the citizens. This control of the money supply allowed the Federal Reserve to allocate the power to create money to their member banks, calling it "fractional banking". The process of fractional banking is what instituted inflation and the debt that both the people and the Federal Government found they could not exist without. We are now all indebted, and in fact to some degree or another, slaves to the Federal Reserve and the system of inflation that insures the money you earn and save today will be worth less in 2 years when you spend it.
It is exactly this 'two party system' which is the core problem. Someone who wants to conquer and own this country can never do that by force of arms. It was seen, a long time ago that if you corrupted both parties and took control of them, you, in effect, have subverted the country and conquered it.
OF COURSE the Republican and Democratic leadership don't want the nation to get rid of them or the electoral college. But until this is done and real political parties in profusion are allowed, you will have these two TOTALITARIAN GATEKEEPER parties pushing ever closer to absolute tyranny and corruption.
GET RID OF THE REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC PARTIES' HIDDEN MONOPOLY ON OUR GOVERNMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and don't forget to Close the Enron Loophole!
Furthermore Congree, we also want you to CHANGE the Commodities Future Modernization Act of 2000 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodity_Futures_Modernization_Act_of_2000 BACK to where it was before 2000, which since has deregulated energy markets and consequently allowed for such scams as The Enron Loophole; whereas in the early 2000's Enron Corp. was charging 250 bucks plus for a kilowatt hour...They all when to jail for this. But, the Enron loophole is still not closed, for example, allowing speculators to resell barrels of oil over and over again before it reaches the gas station owner. It's basically, legal gambling at our expense. What were those lawmakers thinking then? What are you thinking now? Either do the right think, or you're part of the 1%."
Why are oil prices high? The Enron Loophole
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbdtTGYQBMU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNp0y0SjOkY&feature=related
Read the following article regarding why Wall Street is broken and so disconnected from mainstreet:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/299918-occupy-wall-street-thoughts-on-an-agenda?ifp=0&source=email_authors_alerts
These Demands are GREAT Let's do all we can to get them implemented. Can you do more to publicize them and increase support to get them implemented.
These Demands are GREAT.
Let's do all we can to get them implemented.
Can you do more to publicize them and increase support to get them implemented.
These Demands are GREAT.
Let's do all we can to get them implemented.
Can you do more to publicize them and increase support to get them implemented.
"Making sure that the task which will to be worked on is crystal clear."
I think you folks should do this soon before things get ugly! As far as the powers that be, this movement is just rabble. Focus on something quick for now. Paying some one millions to fail is my pet peeve.
Here's how we can easily Reform Wall Street: Take away their powers "once again." And a Million People March on The Hill will help get it done!
For example, "We are here Congress because we want to bring REINSTATE the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 http://www.investopedia.com/articles/03/071603.asp#axzz1aPEc3wX which help saved our country from the Great Depression by preventing investment companies, banks, and insurance companies from merging and becoming large brokerage firms; instead of just being Banks and Insurance companies--why can't we learn a history lesson here Congress? Btw, why did most of you vote for its final repeal in 1999? http://www.counterpunch.org/2008/09/19/shattering-the-glass-steagall-act
Think about where we are now, it all started in 1999 with the subprime loans Senator Phil Gramm was peaching on Senate floor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKQOxr2wBZQ&feature=related
Furthermore, we also want you to CHANGE the Commodities Future Modernization Act of 2000 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodity_Futures_Modernization_Act_of_2000 BACK to where it was before 2000, which since has deregulated energy markets and consequently allowed for such scams as The Enron Loophole; whereas in the early 2000's Enron Corp. was charging 250 bucks plus for a kilowatt hour...They all when to jail for this. But, the Enron loophole is still not closed, for example, allowing speculators to resell barrels of oil over and over again before it reaches the gas station owner. It's basically, legal gambling at our expense. What were those lawmakers thinking then? What are you thinking now? Either do the right think, or you're part of the 1%."
Why are oil prices high? The Enron Loophole
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbdtTGYQBMU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNp0y0SjOkY&feature=related
Rolling Stones Reporter: Truth about Goldman Sachs--how they have cornered the markets--basically, The Enron Loophole and the Repeal of Glass-Steagall Act in 1999. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waL5UxScgUw
Let's get focused and bring back Glass-Steagall Act of 1933, they got it right 1933, we don't need to REINVENT the wheel because bringing this Act back will create an even playing field once again....and let's finally Close the Enron Loophole, which allowed Enron to charge what they wanted for energy; they went to jail for this; but no one closed the loophole, why? Re-election Monies from the banks and oil companies! The writing is on the wall.
ban "derivatives"
OWS should compose a document, have it written up with a list of stipulations and make it legal, put a name to it then expose it to the public. Find an intelligent and suitable candidate to run for office on that invariable charter who will step up, sign it, campaign on it and they will, most definitely, have the backing of the masses.
In addition to repealing selected, existing laws listed in the document, new legislation will be composed with appropriated laws to be amended to the Constitution.
This binding contract will begin the enactment process into law through our judicial system, immediately upon election of this candidate! If those in Congress are against it they will, in essence, loose their seat, because the majority of the American people will stand behind it and no amount of money will stop it!
I recommend William K. Black, a lawyer, academic, former bank regulator and author of The Best Way to Rob a Bank is to Own One.
This has been a great forum for folks to pin up their ideas, but there's no easy way for us to vote on the concepts, and they're all bundled in together here. I suggest that we start breaking out some of this discussion into separate forums - like separate working groups - for those who are passionate about a particular issue to help to define our specific request for change.
Here's a poll on draft language for an electoral reform Constitutional Amendment: http://occupywallst.org/forum/poll-what-do-you-want-in-a-money-out-of-politics-a/
This is Excellent. I agree with someone who said we need an army of lawyers. I think and hope that if something like this is out there, it will receive the support it will require.I hope that Occupy Wall Street takes notice and utilizes your proposal. Nice work. Thank you!
I think it's important to point out that it's not bad to have businesses or corporations. If used in a socially responsible way, business can accomplish far more than government. The problems that we have today are due to the fact that corporations have superceeded individual citizens in representation within our government. This needs to STOP. I agree with your demands, except, I think you should reconsider #4, the Buffet rule. The last thing we want is to discourage business in the US. The goal is to keep corporations from moving business abroad where they can take advantage of low wages and sub-standard living conditions and get out of paying taxes, but, more taxes means more government. I am a government contractor, I see the waste everyday, and it is tragic. I'm also not convinced that making it illegal to move funds overseas and raising taxes would accomplish this. Please descirbe the "Buffet Rule" in more detail on your webstie. I think this issue needs more consideration so that the legislation accomplishes the goal..
We need faster recall elections. If our voted for official isn't representing us or misrepresents him/herself, that individual should be ejected without the chance for re-election at a later date.
1 and done.
Our country cannot continue to give trillions of dollars a year to Insurance Carriers and barley enough back to cover drugs. An average person spends 300.00 per month (per person), on a 500.00 deductible plan . You want me to do the math………..? 300,000,000 billion live in our country, times 300 per month = 90,000,000,000 billion, times 12 months = 1,080,000,000,000.…….is that’s a trillion? Come on wake up America, are we asleep or just plain stupid. That money would help cover the national debt. Believe me that number is not correct because most are paying much more than that, my costs alone for me only are 657.00 per month and I am a retired State Worker………..Hey, I served the public for 30 years to hand over my retirement check to the insurance companies. While employed I paid 100,00 while the State paid 500 for their share for one worker.
Medicare NOT free, fixed income senior citizens have out of pocket and monthly premiums to cover.
The problem is there are those that get free health care and don’t pay a dime for anything ….. Who’s getting FREE HEALTH CARE ARE, The Military, Congress, Federal Workers and the very poor on social programs. I hope I got everyone.
Your tax dollars at work……….I overheard a 49 year old retired sailor brag about all the benefits he was getting and he was working on his 4th retirement pension, one from the military, two from civil service and hopefully he bragged if Social Security is still around he will collect 4 pensions. But he proudly boasted (I earned them because I served my country). Do we honestly want them to live free while we slave to make ends meet? WAKE UP………………….49 years old living free off your tax dollars. We are all serving this country and we all deserve to live free.
Forgot to say.. Yes, excellent documentaries - I also suggest a book: "Winner-Take-All Politics" by Jacob Hacker & Paul Pierson - spelled it out so even I could understand. ;~)
Ok, I admit I'm not too good with complicated ideas... just want to make sure somewhere in here is a "too big to fail - too big to exist" clause. - Please.
FIRST GET THE ATTENTION OF "OUR" LEGISLATORS
Voters in the United States do not have the right / ability to recall either a Congressman or a Senator. Changing the Constitution to allow this should refocus the attention of these Officials on the voters that they were actually elected to represent. The threshold for allowing a recall vote to be called should be kept low. A petition signed by 10% to 15% of the constitucency should allow maximum responsiveness. This should also cure the type of deadlocks that our legislators have been giving us lately. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that sizable crowds screaming in the streets across the nation demanding this right would have an immediate galvanizing effect all by itself.
Take a ganders at this. Federal Reserve Audit by the US General Accounting Office.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLLMnY-2d08
http://sanders.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/GAO%20Fed%20Investigation.pdf
Modern-day Pecora Commission chaired by Bill Black.
All the guilty scoundrels to be hung from the mizzen yardarm like dogs.
The SEC is only part of the problem we to shut down the Federal Reserve Bank.
Congress should not be exempt from the laws they pass. Strict limits on what can be spent on a campaign and no ads from organizations supporting candidates. TV networks all have to carry debates including ALL of the candidates. Congress should not be paid and their staff only get minimum wage. No back ground checks when applying for a job. Legalize Pot.
You need to add "Capitalism: A Love Story" to your list of highly recommended documentaries.
Also, there is a great clip on moveon.org called "What if Everyone Saw This Clip of Robert Reich Exposing 7 GOP lies?" It talks about 7 things that could be done to fix our economy. His presentation made it very easy to understand.
1. Invest in Every American: $500,000 real estate, this would actually create a shortage of homes and demand for construction again which would create jobs, no loans, no credit , no banks. #2. $380,000 investment to each American to start a small business with the guidance of professionals or for investment’s guided by advisors. #3.20 years pre paid health insurance which equates to roughly $500 a month. Total for this absolute way to fix our economy and create jobs would only cost $310 million(our population $1 million invested into each person)pennies considering corporate bail out’s and stimulus. 158 Billion from Bush right before he left office-787 billion in the Stimulus from Obama and another purposed 400 billion for the Jobs bill. The people do not see any of the$ benefits because corruption intervenes and organizations, companies, utility, oil, fake training, non profit and corporations grabbed the money before it reached the American public.
That would save our government more than 360 billion , and if we would have acted on this before the stimulus and Bush bail outs were put into place we would have saved over a trillion dollars. The 3 top solutions listed above need to get out to all the protester's with clear language and understanding of what has already been spent. what is purposed to be spent, and how this solution is simple and very inexpensive where every American will benefit. Please, Please ,Please get this out to Protester's everywhere. There is no clear cut demand/solution which is a sure fix coming across to politicians/media only anger towards banks...We need to overcome that and have these solutions to negotiate, overcome and fix America!!
The best idea I have heard so far to create jobs is to subsidize workers instead of companies. In other words, the government gives tax credits to companies for each new person they HIRE, so every penny goes towards an American job. An explanation can be found here: http://occupywallstreetblog.wordpress.com/demands/
Totally agree with reinstating Glass-Steagall and with increasing the carried interest tax from 15% to 30%.
"Personhood" of corporations can be wiped away simply by reforming election finance law and not allowing any private financing of campaigns, so no corporation can ever donate to an individual campaign. We need all future campaigns to be publicly funded.
A lot of the ideas proposed above are great and are also proposed by Matt Tiabbi of Rolling Stone.
A great analysis of a potential list of demands for Occupy Wall Street is here:
http://occupywallstreetblog.wordpress.com/2011/10/14/list-of-demands-part-ii/
I am in finance. I think you have mostly great demands here (unsure about the SEC bullet point but get the point). There are two things that I would add-Eliminate, or severely regulate the credit default market. This market was eliminated after the crash of 1929 and reinstated in the 1980's. Main cause of the last crash and currently has 62 billion in it, another crash coming. It is highly complicated and Frank Dodd doesn't even touch it. It needs to be dealt with. Also, corporate boards currently have a tenure of 18 months to 2 years, leading to no commitment or investment in the long term growth, stability or righteousness of the companies they supposedly over see and govern. I woudl propose at least 5 year tenures.
“The Occupy Movement from an Insider’s Perspective: What Is Our Cause?” https://www.facebook.com/notes/beth-isbell/the-occupy-movement-from-an-insiders-perspective-what-is-our-cause/10150362178477351
“Focusing The Occupy Movement: What Are Our Options?” https://www.facebook.com/notes/beth-isbell/focusing-the-occupy-movement-what-are-our-options/10150362182527351
While I support the "demands" you have listed so far ... the reality is that NONE of these are going to get through Congress under the present system - particularly with the GOP voting as a block against all of these demands ... PLEASE READ THE ARTICLE I POSTED ON FOCUSING OUR MOVEMENT ... The only real solution for the Occupy movement is to call for a Constitutional Convention to reform the political process and campaign financing - that is the FIRST step - the unifying step - all of these other "demands" will follow if we can get that FIRST step to happen.
Campaign finance REFORM will probably never live up to our satisfaction. What we need, in my opinion, is Campaign Finance ERADICATION. What I mean by this is this: What if we tried to remove financing from elections altogether? Make a law: No public, private or personal finances can help promote one candidate over another. The goal: Limit corporate influence via lobbyists and allow anyone to run for office regardless of socioeconomic status, education, occupation, race, gender, religion or lack of religion.
There would have to be certain qualifications one would need to meet in order to qualify. This would limit the number of people who run for election, but I assume that there would still be a substantial amount of candidates. However, this number ceases to be a problem if the stance that each person takes can be clearly illustrated and available to everyone. Computer programs can easily sort candidates by criteria. Let's say for example we only want a pro-life candidate. If all candidates were required to answer yes, no or maybe, then you simply put a check mark next to that criteria. The more you select, the more that are filtered out, and you would end up only looking at the candidates that match closest to your ideals. Each candidate could sign up for a free page linked to this proposed publically funded site (like signing up for a free email address) and would get a certain amount of space to explain why they answered the way they did. This idea could be improved and expanded upon, but you get the idea. What is also cool about this idea, is it gives us a more concrete way of holding our candidates accountable to what they say.
The end result is clear, we don't want money/power corrupting our democratic process and making it unfair by giving certain candidates more publicity than others. However, we can't restrict the media from doing whatever their wealthy owners want them to do because of freedom of speech. We also can't prevent powerful unions from threatening their employees and forcing them to get out on the street and hold signs for certain candidates. This would all require a limitation to the freedom of speech (and we don't want to start taking away rights from anyone). I am open to ideas or suggestions. But I have some ideas that can help somewhat: Make a law that says that it is illegal for a person in a position of power within any corporation or union to instruct, put pressure upon or suggest how their constituents should vote. Also, since we can't restrict media tycoons from controlling what we see, we need to somehow increase their competition. We need some media (on TV) that balances what they say, so the American Public isn't being spoon-fed what the 1% want us to do.
Also, another, semi-related topic. No more career politicians! Limits for terms, and limits on # of years someone can be in public office, period! I don't care how qualified someone is or how much experience they have, after a certain amount of time, they will spoil. We need constant cycling of new blood. There also has to be put into place some checks and balances which prevent conflicts of interest. For example, someone who comes from a business that is regulated by the FDA shouldn't be elected into a position within the FDA (regardless of whether they personally still hold stock in the company or not). There are still loopholes to these ideas, but that's why I would like to meet with someone else who is interested in this topic, to try to iron out those details. If you are interested, email me: recoveryjunkie83@gmail.com.
Cutoff corporations from congress (no lobbyists or campaign funds) until unemployment is under 7%.
This will motivate both Congress and corporations to solve the issue while giving small business and individuals a stronger voice while unemployment is so high.
I would really love to see the leadership of this movement concentrate on a few realistic points so we can unite the entire Political Spectrum of believers.We do not need to create chaos.We need Unity of all 99%' ers. I hope the organizers look at my little message.Try to just take on the Corruption. End the Marriage of Big Money to Washington, DC End Money Lobbying End Large Money Donations to Political Parties/Politicians End Large Money Donations to PAC Groups End The Corruption
Now if you all concentrate on this issue then you will change the system.On the other hand if you make to many demands all at once you will get nothing.I am 55 years old.I have gone to protests since 1969 when I was 13 against the Vietnam War.I have been around for years.I used to hang out in NYC often and would crash at the old YIPPIE Headquaters on Bleeker St.The things that I wrote down will fix a big problem we have and then I feel things will in fact get better.You must take one step at a time.If you make this movement to "LEFT or to RIGHT" it will only turn into chaos and you will lose out.I know this because we already tried to fight this battle and that was over 3 decades ago.If you on the other hand just deal with the Corruption issue you will get a lot more Angry People and they will be Liberals and Conservatives together.WE MUST ALL STAND TOGETHER. We love our Country.Do not lose direction and make the same mistakes my generation did.It took us over 10 years of protesting to get us all out of Vietnam.Us olde guys have a good memory and we have good knowledge. My original post from a 55 year old protestor and veteran of protesting
http://occupywallst.org/forum/this-movement-needs-a-spearpoint-effect-please-rea/#comment-126841
I propose we focus first on these:
1.) Congress pass HR 1489
2.) Congress enforce transparent limits on the influence of lobbyists
3.) Congress pass "Revolving Door Legislation" legislation
4.) Congress eliminate corporate personhood.
Other demands wander into a more political contentious zone. The demand concerning "criminals" is problematic because the worst offender of all (Magnetar Capital) broke no existing law.
Enact an online voting system for national elections. By making voting as simple as logging onto your bank account, the voice of the 99% will drown out big money, corporations, unions, and lobbyists!
Wall St. has turned their back and smack the movement right on its face. While the people lose sleep protesting, Wall St. continues to ramp up the stock market as if nothing was happening. Why? Because they have no fear. They know the powers of washington are there to protect them. Do you want your efforts to pay dividends?" Then be prepared to do either or two things or both:
1) Go to Washington and start the protest there. These Wall St. goons are nothing without the Facilitators of which all are in Washington. Go put the pressure on congress and drag them out of their offices through the power of the voices and your vote.
2) Go right now and move all your 401K and individual investments into govenment protected bonds. Let's see how fast the stock market declines as a result of starving the market for cash. Let the banks short each other out untilt he die. Then once down do what these thieves do and put it back in repeating the cycle as they normally do.
Wall St. has turned their back and smack the movement right on its face. While the people lose sleep protesting, Wall St. continues to ramp up the stock market as if nothing was happening. Why? Because they have no fear. They know the powers of washington are there to protect them. Do you want your efforts to pay dividends?" Then be prepared to do either or two things or both:
1) Go to Washington and start the protest there. These Wall St. goons are nothing without the Facilitators of which all are in Washington. Go put the pressure on congress and drag them out of their offices through the power of the voices and your vote.
2) Go right now and move all your 401K and individual investments into govenment protected bonds. Let's see how fast the stock market declines as a result of starving the market for cash. Let the banks short each other out untilt he die. Then once down do what these thieves do and put it back in repeating the cycle as they normally do.
Great list, but political TERM LIMITS and CAMPAIGN FINANCE are missing here, and are at the root of most of our problems. We must (1) Demand term limits for our elected representatives both at the Federal and State levels and Supreme Court. We must also (2) Implement Campaign Finance Reform.
TERM LIMITS: Currently, there are no term limits for Senators or Representatives in the House at the federal level. The Supreme Court voted against States setting term limits for their representatives. The Supreme Court justices themselves have no term limits. If it's good enough for the president, it's good enough for our representatives and top judges.Senators should be limited to two 6-year term limits and Representatives in the House to four 2-year terms. Supreme Court justices should be similarly limited to no more than 12 years. States should set similar limits. No elected representative should remain in office for over 12 years.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM: Campaigns should be run from a pool of public funds allowed for any candidate. No private money should be allowed in campaigns.
Today it is Wall Street and Defense Contractors, tomorrow, who knows. Unless we strike at the heart of the problem, our symptoms will arise again and take another form. Our problems are structural, we need to fix the foundation before we can begin building.
Thank you for listening.
Here is one suggestion for a demand that could go a long way in cutting corporate political influence:
Demand:
Say Yes to “One person, one vote” and No to “One dollar one vote” political systems! Level the political playing field! Squeeze money out of undue political influence!
All persons, natural or corporate citizens of voting age should have the right for one political voice, but no person, natural or legal, should exercise excessive spending to unduly influence political or legal decisions!
Specifics of demand:
Only a natural person with voting right, a citizen, should hold political office. All persons, natural or legal (such as a citizen or a corporation) of age 18 years or older should have equal vote in political affairs.
No natural or legal person with voting right should be limited in its political speech, and in its righ Specifically:
Each politically active natural person, each citizen with voting rights, should personally represent his or her political interests without financial contribution to others or otherwise should be limited to make financial contributions to holders or candidates of elected political or legal law enforcement office or interest groups supporting holders or candidates of political or legal law enforcement office no more than 10% of the citizenry’s average yearly income. Any contribution beyond that should be made public and be taxed at the 500% rate and such taxes be payed by the individual into funds designated to alleviate outstanding public debt.
Each non-natural legal person with voting right should be required to designate a single natural person as its sole political representative for the representation of its political interests and any such political representative can contribute on its clients’ behalf no more than 10% of the citizenry’s average yearly income to holders or candidates of elected political or legal office or interest groups supporting holders or candidates of political or legal office. Any contribution beyond that should be made public and be taxed at the 500% rate and the tax be payed by the designated individual political representative into funds designated to alleviate outstanding public debt.
Any holders or candidates for elected political or legal or law enforcement office, or any legal persons declared as political interest groups supporting holders or candidates for elected political or legal or law enforcement office, could receive tax free unlimited fully disclosed monetary contributions observing the requirements above. Non-disclosed contributions should be returned to the donor. Violation of these rules should constitute the violation of public interest, should constitute a felony, resulting in criminal procedures against the natural person at fault or dissolution of the legal person at fault, and any funds given in violations of these requirements should be taxed at the 500% rate and the tax be payed by the person or its political representative into funds designated to alleviate outstanding public debt. t to vote, but all natural or legal persons should be limited in their financial contribution to holders or candidates of elected political or legal or law enforcement office.
The message that is being sent by this movement is confusing to people. It is hard for people in the USA to understand "What is wrong with companies to make a profit?" The issue should not be about "Profit" it should be about jobs and the trade deficit. Businesses, stock holders, and the government must understand that policies that encourage the rampant exodus of jobs sent to other countries is putting the USA in jeopardy. The message of “Occupy Wall Street” should be more focused. Bring jobs back to the US would be a topic that the vast majority of US citizens would understand and be willing to push to businesses, their stock holders and our government.
The 99% of the United States actually have all the power. It is just like 1,000 slaves being controlled by 5 soldiers. They can easily overthrow the 1% if they wanted to. The way to change the world is to stop giving the money to the corporations. Stall the economy and the wealth will be redistributed. Change the rules. Stop buying unnecessary items from stores, stop eating out, stop buying gas. It may sound impossible, but I doubt it would take long. Have an economist figure out exactly how many people it would take and for how long they would need to stop spending their money. We are already on a precipice with all the unemployment. How much more would it take to offset the balance? The change would cause everyone to go through some rough times, but then the US would be in a better position. Give the people a specific goal to achieve and people will follow. Most of us are sitting back saying that we wish we could do something, but we don’t know what to do or we know what to do and realize it would take more than just us. Why put all the work into something if it won’t make a difference? Someone needs to do the figures and show the rest of the country exactly what it would take to cause a financial revolution. Put together a petition and have people pledge to follow it. Make sure you have enough people. If the economist recommends one million people…double it. Force a change and see what happens. If people keep following the same processes that we have always followed, there will be no change. Isn’t the definition of insanity trying the same thing over and over again knowing the result. I applaud the protesters on stepping up to the plate and making a difference. Let us continue this statement and move into really thinking outside of the box! If there needs to be a leader and no one wants the job, I’ll take it. Stop talking about change and create action!
The 99% of the United States actually have all the power. It is just like 1,000 slaves being controlled by 5 soldiers. They can easily overthrow the 1% if they wanted to. The way to change the world is to stop giving the money to the corporations. Stall the economy and the wealth will be redistributed. Change the rules. Stop buying unnecessary items from stores, stop eating out, stop buying gas. It may sound impossible, but I doubt it would take long. Have an economist figure out exactly how many people it would take and for how long they would need to stop spending their money. We are already on a precipice with all the unemployment. How much more would it take to offset the balance? The change would cause everyone to go through some rough times, but then the US would be in a better position. Give the people a specific goal to achieve and people will follow. Most of us are sitting back saying that we wish we could do something, but we don’t know what to do or we know what to do and realize it would take more than just us. Why put all the work into something if it won’t make a difference? Someone needs to do the figures and show the rest of the country exactly what it would take to cause a financial revolution. Put together a petition and have people pledge to follow it. Make sure you have enough people. If the economist recommends one million people…double it. Force a change and see what happens. If people keep following the same processes that we have always followed, there will be no change. Isn’t the definition of insanity trying the same thing over and over again knowing the result. I applaud the protesters on stepping up to the plate and making a difference. Let us continue this statement and move into really thinking outside of the box! If there needs to be a leader and no one wants the job, I’ll take it. Stop talking about change and create action!
The 99% of the United States actually have all the power. It is just like 1,000 slaves being controlled by 5 soldiers. They can easily overthrow the 1% if they wanted to. The way to change the world is to stop giving the money to the corporations. Stall the economy and the wealth will be redistributed. Change the rules. Stop buying unnecessary items from stores, stop eating out, stop buying gas. It may sound impossible, but I doubt it would take long. Have an economist figure out exactly how many people it would take and for how long they would need to stop spending their money. We are already on a precipice with all the unemployment. How much more would it take to offset the balance? The change would cause everyone to go through some rough times, but then the US would be in a better position. Give the people a specific goal to achieve and people will follow. Most of us are sitting back saying that we wish we could do something, but we don’t know what to do or we know what to do and realize it would take more than just us. Why put all the work into something if it won’t make a difference? Someone needs to do the figures and show the rest of the country exactly what it would take to cause a financial revolution. Put together a petition and have people pledge to follow it. Make sure you have enough people. If the economist recommends one million people…double it. Force a change and see what happens. If people keep following the same processes that we have always followed, there will be no change. Isn’t the definition of insanity trying the same thing over and over again knowing the result. I applaud the protesters on stepping up to the plate and making a difference. Let us continue this statement and move into really thinking outside of the box! If there needs to be a leader and no one wants the job, I’ll take it. Stop talking about change and create action!
I agree that the 99% have the power and it will take continued leadership to raise awareness of this. Once we the 99% realize we have more things in common than we have separating us, we'll be in a position to make decisions based on unified strength rather than demands based on divided weakness.
Those demands needs to get passed or else the world will collapse
we have the teknology now to vote directly on each proposed measure before the house this would not eliminate the representatives but would make those they represent ...the people more empowered...a committe formed to make this direct referrendum type of representation possible would be evolution in action
Here is my suggested list of demands
I am proud of you guys, keep this up the message is being heard, but please, please do not let ANY political party take advantage of our message, the democrats, the republicans and even Obama are tangled up in wallstreet and have helped bail them out while selling us out. The democrats want to take advantage of this movement for more political power while the republicans want to denoune it for the same reason, stay pure, stay focused, god bless you guys!! Pantherg08 out!!
I am proud of you guys, keep this up the message is being heard, but please, please do not let ANY political party take advantage of our message, the democrats, the republicans and even Obama are tangled up in wallstreet and have helped bail them out while selling us out. The democrats want to take advantage of this movement for more political power while the republicans want to denoune it for the same reason, stay pure, stay focused, god bless you guys!! Pantherg08 out!!
The first demand is a beginning, but completely insufficient. Glass-Steagall was not designed for current financial instruments/derivatives. Hedging and investment instruments must be regulated based on risk (e.g., most risky are instruments with no asset backing). It doesn't matter how esoteric an instrument is if the exposure to the bank is not large. However, beyond TBD risk thresholds, banks and investment banks must both be prevented from putting themselves, investors, and the economy at unclear risk of failure. Credit Default Swaps and Collateralized Debt Obligations are perfect examples of instruments that were horribly abused and expressly NOT regulated. True financial weapons of mass destruction!
The first demand is a beginning, but completely insufficient. Glass-Steagall was not designed for current financial instruments/derivatives. Hedging and investment instruments must be regulated based on risk (e.g., most risky are instruments with no asset backing). It doesn't matter how esoteric an instrument is if the exposure to the bank is not large. However, beyond TBD risk thresholds, banks and investment banks must both be prevented from putting themselves, investors, and the economy at unclear risk of failure. Credit Default Swaps and Collateralized Debt Obligations are perfect examples of instruments that were horribly abused and expressly NOT regulated. True financial weapons of mass destruction!
The first demand is a beginning, but completely insufficient. Glass-Steagall was not designed for current financial instruments/derivatives. Hedging and investment instruments must be regulated based on risk (e.g., most risky are instruments with no asset backing). It doesn't matter how esoteric an instrument is if the exposure to the bank is not large. However, beyond TBD risk thresholds, banks and investment banks must both be prevented from putting themselves, investors, and the economy at unclear risk of failure. Credit Default Swaps and Collateralized Debt Obligations are perfect examples of instruments that were horribly abused and expressly NOT regulated. True financial weapons of mass destruction!
The first demand is a beginning, but completely insufficient. Glass-Steagall was not designed for current financial instruments/derivatives. Hedging and investment instruments must be regulated based on risk (e.g., most risky are instruments with no asset backing). It doesn't matter how esoteric an instrument is if the exposure to the bank is not large. However, beyond TBD risk thresholds, banks and investment banks must both be prevented from putting themselves, investors, and the economy at unclear risk of failure. Credit Default Swaps and Collateralized Debt Obligations are perfect examples of instruments that were horribly abused and expressly NOT regulated. True financial weapons of mass destruction!
We need your help and the help of your banking friends and corporate lawyer friends. How do we do the modern equivalent of Glass-Steagall?
Okay I can't put the entire website on this comments page but I am asking you to please read it and tell me it isn't a start of FAIRNESS for everyone if managed by people who genuinely care about other people (I'm talking about honest politicians) It makes everyone who is working contribute, It makes businesses and Corporations take note of what is going on in common peoples lives and contribute instead of asking they have to give to share responsibility, It makes everyone from the retired to S.S benefactors contribute. It puts everyone on the same page that we are in this together Rich, Poor, Middle Class. Its a partial cure until laws are changed to combat corruption and fiscal responsibility is restored I know its an American website but there would be no reason other countries couldn't do the same thing Over 80 countries lost citizens on 9/11/2001.www.nationalday911.org
Great list. . . .it concentrates on financial/corporate issues -- and it calls for direct action in Washington, D.C. Now that is the right direction. I would say have demonstrations there and around the nation to support Congressional action, but provoking the police will only give you negative publicity.
Revoke the Corporate charter altogther and go back to straightforward business ownership. The act of incorporation was intended simply to allow business to avoid accountability to the public at large!
Intriguing idea
Corn makes me sick. And there's no getting around it. They can't just leave it off the label and think that my body won't know. I try very hard not to be sick every day (it would be chronic given how much corn is in everything). There's a commercial cornsugar.com or something that says that your body can't tell...total BS...my body knows and violently objects. I've even found it in Vitamin C. not on the label, but i got sick, chased it to the manufacturer (it had a trader joes label) and it was corn. But, i can't have it. It makes me sick EVERY time. I shouldn't have to get sick to find out what's in my food. (could be from citizens united also...that they don't have to label things)
Student loans were bundled with risky debt along with the housing industry.
Can they do anything about the interest rates on student loans? I consolidated and lost benefits because of that. I am not allowed to go to a lower interest rate. I need that. I found a lump and lost my job right when this thing crashed. I didn't die, but student loans added over $11,000 to my student loan in the time that i was unemployed and my hands are tied. They don't budge. (more like there's no front door...doesn't exist. my credit counselor at the bank said she can't get anywhere with them. attorneys have told me the same.) I'm scared to look at it now (still unemployed). I would go back to school, but who can trust that now? I need relief. I can't afford to be alive anymore. I at least need a way to lower the interest rate. They're killing me over here.
I've heard that they are lowering interest rates on housing, and it's not costing them anything because the interest has been lowered, but why can't we do that to consolidated student loans also?
In addition to what already said (return to a prudent banking, reintroduce the Glass–Steagall Act, or other similar regulations):
• Strengthen the antitrust tools for fighting the abuse of monopoly power or abuse of dominant position. This should be enforced in the whole supply chain verifying the control over prices imposed by corporations (for example vs farmers). Antitrsut should check companies’ acquisitions to avoid the formation of actual monopolies or controlled markets.
• Rebuild the broken link between salary and responsibility. Ceil the higher salary to a maximum amount that depends upon the minimum paid salary. Bigger salary is for bigger responsibilities, if a CEO messes up or act in its own interest at expenses of the company interest, he should be responsible in fist person with his/her personal belongings. If the company does not enforce that, it is an “abuse of dominant position” of the individual over the company, over the salaries of the 99% other employees. It should be a matter of antitrust to investigate why the company did not pursue its interests.
• Corporations’ net revenues that exceed a given amount should be redistributed to the low-paid employees. That amount should be proportional to lowest salary. This would mean that a company cannot make 10 billions by underpaying its employees, or it could be investigated by antitrust. In a bad economy, job offering can present a condition of abuse of dominant position.
Can we get the foreign agents acting in the best interest of another country over ours to register with Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) with the Department of Justice? (Including Israel Lobby who has evidently managed to stay exempt. legal, but not sure that's good for the country. And are there other foreign lobby groups that should be registered?) The purpose of FARA is to insure that the U.S. Government and the people of the United States are informed of the source of information (propaganda) and the identity of persons attempting to influence U.S. public opinion, policy, and laws. In 1938, FARA was Congress' response to the large number of German propaganda agents in the pre-WWII U.S..
http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/488 The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy.
That said, what about the Dept of Energy? Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), formerly the Minerals Management Service (MMS)? How many foreign agents are working in the best interest of another country over ours over there? Media? Dept of Education? Let's update it, fund it, implement it, enforce it.
You have some possibly interesting requests which are MUCH better than the ones I heard about Friday! They were absolutely ridiculous at the level of a 3rd-grader. These are more thoughtful. Demanding will get you nowhere but picking one or two related items of importance and gathering support for it can be useful to make positive change instead of just change for change sake. Tried that in 2008 remember?
One problem asking Congress to do these things. They are the ones who made many of the mistakes that led to the sub-prime mortgage crisis, collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac and the trillion dollar we-are-still-waiting-for-the-jobs bill! And now Mr. Obama wants to reward his associates and supporters again with a second porkulous bill. Heavens to Betsy Ross ......
I say let us start another movement protesting Congress! -Press 4 Truth
change "DEMANDS" to something more palatable like "Initiatives" or "proposals" or "Actions". be more constructive.
All political campaign funding should be provided by gov't, and/or severely limited to $5.00 per person. Corporations excluded. In addition, all funded lobbying should be outlawed. Furthermore, the days of Congress and the Senate being a millionaires/billionaires club, with a revolving door between gov't and corporate interests - must come to an end, with proportionate representation of all income classes.
My list of demands:
(1) Moratorium on Foreclosures of Single-Family, Residential Property for Five Years;
(2) Student Loan Amnesty; and
(3) Financial Services Transaction Tax
Major Media should also be required to give equal time to economic, social and environmental concerns, because a sustained quality of life requires a balance of these interests. Currently, the economic environment - specifically regarding the income and wealth of the rich, is an over-emphasized value, promoted by a biased Media - owned by Big Capital (which twists and shapes out values to support their interests).
Campaign Finance Reform and Corporate Lobbying. Please add these to the list, otherwise nothing really changes over the long term.
Major media should be required (by law) to give equal response time to reps of all income classes in their reporting of the news. They should also be required to report the wealth and size of each income class, and how the size and income of each income class has changed, and is changing over time.
I propose a progressive income tax, that reaches 100% at 100 times minimum wage. Currently, this would be approx. $2 million - which is enough for anyone to live very comfortably. This approach would still provide incentives for creativity and hard work, but it give the richest the incentive to care about the poorest. If they shared the pie and doubled min wage, they could then make $4 million. With such a system, the corrosive values of materialism and individualism may give way to values of compassion and community.
stop attacking criticizing and bitching. the proposed demands are a good start but the word "DEMAND" is a non starter; try "proposals" or something until they become viable and acceptable to those who are on the the fence about support to OWS. form some small action groups and quietly contact high visibility people and enlist their support, get real and stop giving OWS opponents silly stuff to be used as ammuntion.
Posted once before but it seems to have disappeared??
MAKE CREDIT RATING AGENCIES LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING THEY ARE IMPARTIAL AND FOLLOW GOOD PRACTICE
Credit rating agencies perform a critical role in the running of the economy, yet they sit outside of the law, behind the shield of it being purely a subjective opinion and should not be relied upon. In reality, they are relied upon, with deals set up with triggers based on what rating the agencies give.
The SEC has already requested that the agencies submit way in which they can reform (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/business/sec-finds-problems-at-credit-rating-agencies.html)
but I think there needs to be legal consequences for not having processes in place to ensure (as much as possible) impartiality.
I have a few legislative bills I would like to submit for comment and suggestions. Here's the first.
The 2011 Corporate Job Creation Tax Act: (A) All Corporations doing business in the United States, both foreign and domestic, shall pay out 50% of their gross profits as wages to a non-executive domestic American Citizen workforce and or be a charged 60% tax on any profits not so used.
Asset Tracking: (B)
All Corporations so described in part (A) shall maintain complete, current, bookkeeping records in an electronic database of all known or anticipated transactions including but not limited to any transactions involving (a) assets (b) anticipated forward receipts, or any (c) debts and/or liabilities. Such database shall be updated and delivered to the IRS on a daily basis.
Asset Description (C)
Any receipt or liability, obtained or anticipated, in any form, tangible, intangible or by agreement of any form, including but not limited to (a) cash, (b) investments, (c) real property (d) any form of commercial paper that is collateralized in any way whether readily or not readily convertible to legal tender liability or asset, (e) obtained by subsidiary, (f) joint venture, (g) profit sharing , investment or (h) derivative means; as defined by common law shall be listed in (A) and described by value
Capital Gains (D)
From the date of the introduction of this Act, all Capital Gains taxation laws are hereby repealed, the use of "Capital Gains" in any form is hereby null and void and such term shall be removed from all United States Tax Codes sections. All PERSONS shall be subjected tax rates as so enacted by Congress and signed into law and there shall be one sliding scale for all forms of income with no exception for any particular means of obtaining it.
Use of Tax Receipts: (B)
All taxes or funds from assets liquidated under this act shall be deposited in the Social Security Trust Fund.
Penalties: If discovered, any assets as described in this Act not so listed as required within one week shall be forfeited to the IRS for liquidation. No corporate entity may purchase any such liquidated asset. ...................................................................................................
I would appreciate your input.
Who is maintaining the official list? Will the real slim shady please stand up?
Dont forget to publically expose the Illuminati Please!!!
Provide inventory of all companies who qualify as Too Big To Fail
I demand that an inventory of all companies who qualify as Too Big To Fail are made public.
I demand that Anti-Trust laws be modified to make this illegal, with severe penalties imposed. Corporations under personhood cover or not should be criminally punished as this is a crime.
MAKE CREDIT RATING AGENCIES LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING THEY ARE IMPARTIAL AND FOLLOW GOOD PRACTICE
Credit rating agencies perform a critical role in the running of the economy, yet they sit outside of the law, behind the shield of it all being purely a subjective opinion and should not be relied upon. In reality, they are relied upon, with deals set up with triggers based on what rating th agencies give.
The SEC has already requested that the agencies submit ways in which they can reform (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/business/sec-finds-problems-at-credit-rating-agencies.html)
but I think there needs to be legal consequences for not having processes in place to ensure (as much as possible) impartiality. This will also require the SEC to perform a tighter role of overseeing the agencies.
“I have been following and supporting the "Occupy" movement(s) and am so very proud to live in a nation where people are still willing to stand together for their (our) rights. I agree that now is the time to present a specific list of demands, but disagree on blocking the Capitol complex. even if there are other entrances/exits available, this is INVITING the cops to arrest all those involved. I believe that the movement should continue non-violent, publicly visible tactics and saturate the media with the message/demands continuously. As for timetable, I don't think ANYTHING is really going to change until #1 happens:
It is time to GET THE MONEY OUT OF POLITICS, altogether. True and complete campaign finance reform. Publicly funded elections. Each candidate gets the same amount. Wall Street has occupied our nation's houses of leadership for wayyyyy too long and NOTHING will change until that changes. Voter awareness will help (and I think we are on the road to that, especially with the movement getting as large as it is), but we can all be as aware as we want, each politician will essentially be as bought as the next until we can accomplish this. Honestly, I think this should be the ONE demand, YES there is plenty to fix in the financial sector, housing, education, health care, wars. . . etc. . . . . But until we stop our politicians (our "elected leaders") from serving the corporations that bought them INSTEAD of serving us, our country will continue along the same dark and twisted road it is already headed down.
To enact MEANINGFUL changes to the tax structure and close the loopholes that billionaires/large corporations are using to evade paying taxes. Repeal the Bush tax cuts immediately. Our Government has a Revenue problem, not just a spending problem. Those who want to whittle the Government away to nothing other than a war machine have no place as our leaders. Those who deny we have a revenue problem are actively putting their blinders on. They have been effectively starving our treasury of revenue for years now while increasing spending in the areas THEY see fit, mainly defense spending and subsidies to corporations that don't need them - big oil, "Faith Based" initiative groups etc, their buddies essentially. They are keeping their money and asking us to pay ours to their friends, and this has got to stop. Even now Republicans are doing this big hand-wringing act saying that if defense spending is cut (along with the other deep and painful cuts they have asked the rest of the country to endure), "there might be risks to our security" and we shouldn't even bring it up as an option. BS. Spend what you collect and spend it more wisely than you are now, Washington.
Overhaul our nation's system of regulation for all corporations, from banks to farms. No I am not suggesting a "Socialist" country, I am suggesting COMMON SENSE rules to keep corporate conglomerates from skinning us common folk unnecessarily, making us sick with their tainted food and products, completely destroying our environment beyond repair, and so on. Which is what they are currently doing. Capitalism is great, capitalism is good. It allows for the best product at the best price IN A FAIR SYSTEM. But we are no longer functioning in a fair system and haven't been for a very, very long time. I am all for corporations turning a profit. Heck, a good one if they have the best product and marketing and so on. but what is happening right now re: Big Banks, Big Oil, Huge health care conglomerates etc. is nothing short of highway robbery. Our "leaders" have voted in and voted out exactly those laws that benefit the largest corporations and make us and our earth the losers. A critical look should be given to all regulations and tweaks (or massive changes) applied where needed. Oh wait, we need to do #1 before any of that can happen, since as the system stands, corporate money is what stands between our leaders and common sense. Well let's push with all our might for #1 then. We will get a LOT of resistance to change, and be forewarned, the big corporations are not prepared to lose their "personhood" status and let us back into the game. . . they will fight it tooth and nail. But what we have now is unacceptable.
End "riders" on Bills, period. The Bill that is debated, should be the bill that is voted on, word for word.
Thank you all for your time, effort, blood, sweat and tears. Please give my support and love to those in the movement, rock on people!! We stand behind you!! Stay strong, keep it peaceful! Beware of infiltrators sent by certain groups who will become violent and try to make the movement look bad. I wish you all safety. "When the power of love becomes stronger than the love of power, we will have peace." • Jimi Hendrix
Baloney, jorgaba, I was just there looking and there are plenty of other commentors suggesting other things. Go ahead and post it if you like that particular list, but you sure as hell should say very clearly when you post it "This is NOT an AGREED UPON list from the occupy movement, but it is one proposed list that I like." OTHERWISE, YOU ARE NOT HELPING. Many of us think several items on that list are stupid, and the Occupy Movement has not agreed to this list.
Having a list of demands is great, but we also need to attack these root cause of this inequality. One way we can do this in theory is to collect rent through land taxation in orde to redistribute surplus wealth among the people. The theory of economic rent has been around for some time, but land taxation has seldom been implemented throughout history. It is well known that the factors of production are composed of land, labor and capital. Land, in the economic sense, can be explained as anything with a productive capacity that has not been created by men or women, but has value created by the community. Labor is any human energy spent , whether by the mind or through brute force, that contributes to a means of production. Capital is mainly what is spent from savings for future production. Under the current system, mainly labor and capital are taxed, while the landed elite make out like bandits with the rents that are created by the community! It is no surprise that civilizations have suffered from vast inequalities since the founding of the first governments. What we need to fight for is a redistribution of these economic rents for the sake of the people, while at the same time reducing the tax rates on labor and capital. These rents from land are the source of all wealth and are presently held by a small number of wealthy people who will speculate and slow there productive capacity in order to increase profits. This demand goes out to the people of OWS! If there is one thing we need to change in order to promote equality, environmental protection and job creation through increased productive capacity, this is the solution we need. Please read about economic rent and land taxation in order to fully grasp the concept. This is something proven in theory and not based on anyone's personal opinion or ideology. While we are divided on many things, it's time to come together with some real demands to benefit the majority of unrepresented individuals of the world. Lets show the top 1% that we know where their unearned wealth is coming from and that we know exactly what is needed in order to bring them back to the real world!
Having a list of demands is great, but we also need to attack these root cause of this inequality. One way we can do this in theory is to collect rent through land taxation in orde to redistribute surplus wealth among the people. The theory of economic rent has been around for some time, but land taxation has seldom been implemented throughout history. It is well known that the factors of production are composed of land, labor and capital. Land, in the economic sense, can be explained as anything with a productive capacity that has not been created by men or women, but has value created by the community. Labor is any human energy spent , whether by the mind or through brute force, that contributes to a means of production. Capital is mainly what is spent from savings for future production. Under the current system, mainly labor and capital are taxed, while the landed elite make out like bandits with the rents that are created by the community! It is no surprise that civilizations have suffered from vast inequalities since the founding of the first governments. What we need to fight for is a redistribution of these economic rents for the sake of the people, while at the same time reducing the tax rates on labor and capital. These rents from land are the source of all wealth and are presently held by a small number of wealthy people who will speculate and slow there productive capacity in order to increase profits. This demand goes out to the people of OWS! If there is one thing we need to change in order to promote equality, environmental protection and job creation through increased productive capacity, this is the solution we need. Please read about economic rent and land taxation in order to fully grasp the concept. This is something proven in theory and not based on anyone's personal opinion or ideology. While we are divided on many things, it's time to come together with some real demands to benefit the majority of unrepresented individuals of the world. Lets show the top 1% that we know where their unearned wealth is coming from and that we know exactly what is needed in order to bring them back to the real world!
What about getting rid of the filibuster?
I don't want banker reforms. I want all banks turned over to public regulation. I want laws restricting how much money can go to private war making companies. Although I believe strongly in non-violent protest and living non-violent as a profound tactic, I personally believe that if police have guns the people should have the right to guns as well. But there is no need for Blackwater, we don't need mercenaries. And all the military spending in the U.S. is ridiculous, irresponsible and only meant to make the 1% stronger and stronger.
This document is not living, it is dead. There is no consensus. There will never be any consensus, for asking congress ANYTHING. Continueing with a dead document will ONLY incite violence. Lawyers hijacked this revolution, as liars they've always been. The lawyers intend to take taxpayer money with their lawsuits. Do not take a baton or pepper spray, to make the lawyers rich. Just ignore this 'revolution'.
expand the role of the securities and exchange commission to block all mergers of corporations that cannot show additional job creation at an average or above salary. Mergers that cut thousands of jobs to make only a few richer should not be allowed
Change the corporate and business tax code, give business the ability to earn a low tax rate based on salaries paid to all employees,benefits, job creation , Ratio of CEO salaries to the average worker and enviromental protection. This is the only way to control greed and let only the responsible businesses grow and prosper
Many of the laws written have been re-written/modified to suit a special need or interest and are no longer effective. These laws that no longer work as intended should be abolished/repealed. The Community Reinvestment Act is one that should be reviewed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Reinvestment_Act. It's intention was to address discrimination in loans made to individuals and businesses from low and moderate-income neighborhoods. The Woodstock Institute, a Chicago-based policy and advocacy nonprofit, found in an analysis of 1996 Chicago-area survey data that low income areas still lagged behind in access to commercial loans. Most small business loans made by CRA regulated banks went to higher income areas; 16.6% in low-income areas, 18.4% in low- and moderate-income tracts; 21.8% in middle-income areas and 23.1% in upper-income areas.[86]
Please review this legislation and consider options to effect positive change and adding this to OUR list of demands.
Many of the laws written have been re-written/modified to suit a special need or interest and are no longer effective. These laws that no longer work as intended should be abolished/repealed. The Community Reinvestment Act is one that should be reviewed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Reinvestment_Act. It's intention was to address discrimination in loans made to individuals and businesses from low and moderate-income neighborhoods. The Woodstock Institute, a Chicago-based policy and advocacy nonprofit, found in an analysis of 1996 Chicago-area survey data that low income areas still lagged behind in access to commercial loans. Most small business loans made by CRA regulated banks went to higher income areas; 16.6% in low-income areas, 18.4% in low- and moderate-income tracts; 21.8% in middle-income areas and 23.1% in upper-income areas.[86]
Please review this legislation and consider options to effect positive change and adding this to OUR list of demands.
Many of the laws written have been re-written/modified to suit a special need or interest and are no longer effective. These laws that no longer work as intended should be abolished/repealed. The Community Reinvestment Act is one that should be reviewed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Reinvestment_Act. It's intention was to address discrimination in loans made to individuals and businesses from low and moderate-income neighborhoods. The Woodstock Institute, a Chicago-based policy and advocacy nonprofit, found in an analysis of 1996 Chicago-area survey data that low income areas still lagged behind in access to commercial loans. Most small business loans made by CRA regulated banks went to higher income areas; 16.6% in low-income areas, 18.4% in low- and moderate-income tracts; 21.8% in middle-income areas and 23.1% in upper-income areas.[86]
Please review this legislation and consider options to effect positive change and adding this to OUR list of demands.
One thing that people can do while all of this is going on is to demand and make sure that any pension fund, defined contribution, IRAs etc. that they have control of are invested in socially and environmentally responsible investment funds. This is a lot of money...the TIAA CREF and Calpers retirement funds alone are largely owned by the 99% and they encompass hundreds of billions of dollars. The 99% has to make a strong statement about how these funds are being invested. This will help support corporations that have signed on to environmentally and socially responsible business practices...companies that take a long term approach to value, the environment and the people that their actions are affecting. Collectively the 99% has power over a lot of money in this country. Make sure this money is being invested in ways that support this cause. Contact your retirement benefits administer, review your IRA and 401K accounts. Do some research on various socially and environmentally responsible mutual funds. Your money is the POWER that can be used to change the broken, short term profit driven corporate policies that have hurt our environment, developing nations and the 99% here in the USA.
One thing that people can do while all of this is going on is to demand and make sure that any pension fund, defined contribution, IRAs etc. that they have control of are invested in socially and environmentally responsible investment funds. This is a lot of money...the TIAA CREF and Calpers retirement funds alone are largely owned by the 99% and they encompass hundreds of billions of dollars. The 99% has to make a strong statement about how these funds are being invested. This will help support corporations that have signed on to environmentally and socially responsible business practices...companies that take a long term approach to value, the environment and the people that their actions are affecting. Collectively the 99% has power over a lot of money in this country. Make sure this money is being invested in ways that support this cause. Contact your retirement benefits administer, review your IRA and 401K accounts. Do some research on various socially and environmentally responsible mutual funds. Your money is the POWER that can be used to change the broken, short term profit driven corporate policies that have hurt our environment, developing nations and the 99% here in the USA.
I may have posted this already, however, if this movement is to be taken seriously, there needs to be one common goal that could be easily reached. I propose that the electoral votes be permanently dropped and that We the People are counted by numbers as a whole this coming election year of 2012. As it is now, I think it is seven states that are needed to be elected in office. Despite the campaign starting in New Hampshire, there is no need to win New Hampshire as it is not one of the states that carries a weighty electoral vote. A simple start to a bigger end. Write letters to the president 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, D.C. on this, get better results in peace.
Many of the laws written have been re-written/modified to suit a special need or interest and are no longer effective. These laws that no longer work as intended should be abolished/repealed. The Community Reinvestment Act is one that should be reviewed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Reinvestment_Act. It's intention was to address discrimination in loans made to individuals and businesses from low and moderate-income neighborhoods. The Woodstock Institute, a Chicago-based policy and advocacy nonprofit, found in an analysis of 1996 Chicago-area survey data that low income areas still lagged behind in access to commercial loans. Most small business loans made by CRA regulated banks went to higher income areas; 16.6% in low-income areas, 18.4% in low- and moderate-income tracts; 21.8% in middle-income areas and 23.1% in upper-income areas.[86]
Please review this legislation and consider options to effect positive change and adding this to OUR list of demands.
Many of the laws written have been re-written/modified to suit a special need or interest and are no longer effective. These laws that no longer work as intended should be abolished/repealed. The Community Reinvestment Act is one that should be reviewed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Reinvestment_Act. It's intention was to address discrimination in loans made to individuals and businesses from low and moderate-income neighborhoods. The Woodstock Institute, a Chicago-based policy and advocacy nonprofit, found in an analysis of 1996 Chicago-area survey data that low income areas still lagged behind in access to commercial loans. Most small business loans made by CRA regulated banks went to higher income areas; 16.6% in low-income areas, 18.4% in low- and moderate-income tracts; 21.8% in middle-income areas and 23.1% in upper-income areas.[86]
Please review this legislation and consider options to effect positive change and adding this to OUR list of demands.
I don't know if anyone's gona read this among the tons of proposals, but I think that the "RIGHT OF THE FUTURE GENERATIONS" must be included in every consitution. Its a pretty new principle drawn from international environmental law, it's making its way into civil law in some countries and it's applicable on every aspect of life. This means that EVERY law, contract, Act, must be executed, passed, etc according to the consequences it would have for the next generations. It would prevent environmental risky and short-term oriented businesses, and it would be a solid legal ground for stopping many abusive practices. Sorry for the eventual mistakes, I'm not english.
I know it's been said over and over, but I gotta say it again, the main ingredient of this movement is to separate the big money from the realm of politics. It's not democracy when banks/corporations can give huge sums of cash to a politicians campaign when all I can give is a vote - who do you think he/she will listen to? I traveled to NYC yesterday to partake and it's good to see this notion of separation of money and politics as being the central thread of the protest.
One more thing, why do we need campaigns anyway, the internet can provide a free medium where a politician can state where they stand on the issues and they can do debates that I can watch at my own leisure. We don't need TV ads or radio ads anymore. Not too mention they are really obscene and obnoxious.
Can you hear how We are One? Can you hear now? How We are One?
And far from now we'll still be struggling to be but we can at least hear our Oneness now not from one voice but from Our voices
It's the Spirit of the Times the consciousness of the times to know Our Selves Not I but US
And from that Oneness we'll embrace daylight and meet the needs of each and every realm of life and thread each moment with humble pace to be to be as One
Life is the stage on which we actualize our Oneness It is threaded with children's laughter and pain old people's suffering and forgiveness young and mature people's love
It is our daily bread to struggle forth ahead of time in time to be
And die each second without regret of letting go having given everything to the whole
Read "Justice" by Michael Sandel to get a perspective on what is the right thing to do. How about not letting politicians make a career out of this; not more than one or two terms for anybody in politics, and electing people who are successful and have a career outside of politics.
I agree with the 8 proposed demands. But we need to add several more, which deal with critical issues.
-End the wars and killing by US forces all over the world.
-Slash the military budget, which, along with the direct costs of the wars, is an important cause of our economic problems.
-Stop the trashing of the Bill of Rights, including the use of torture, imprisonment and even execution of people by our government without due process, and government violations of privacy.
-Restore jobs for Americans by ending the outsourcing of manufacturing by US companies and the import of goods produced abroad by semi-slave labor in factories that abuse the environment, and stop importing poor people to work here under terrible conditions for very low pay.
-Help poor people in impoverished countries to improve their lives where they are, so they are not motivated to come here, which degrades the condition of poor Americans.
-Stop the assault on the environment, including offshore oil drilling, fracking, wholesale waste of energy, generation of electricity from coal burning, and the subsidizing of nuclear power plants.
also everyone knows the federal reserve is owned by 1/3 of the banks in america right? not to mention congress cannot distribute the money nor to do they currently know where our money is because the federal reserve refuses to share
can we dissolve the federal reserve and re-appropriate that power to people in government, and remove corporate funding for politicians???
the federal reserve is the one that is stealing money from us, and they helped cause the 2008 financial crisis when they didn't loan money to the lehman brothers when they went bankrupt, but lent money to banks in other countries instead
WE THE PEOPLE NEED TO FINISH WHAT WAS STARTED:
END SLAVERY...it's legal as punishment. Read the amendments and you see how Racism kept it's hook in the flesh to keep the Blacks reminded of the past as a future possibility.Review New Hampshire Constitution for it's Rights and see a wonderful re-purposing of the reason for "Punishment" .
A RIGHTS COMMITTEE ought to be convened to discuss and define , redefine what our RIGHTS are,or ought to be. And Privileges be also redefined to reinforce the difference.
The Declaration of Independence ,loved by all, holds no legal hold or influence. The Pursuit of and Obtaining of Happiness is our RIGHT. This could and should be remedied.
The GAME needs to stop. George Mason did not get his work finished and obvious weakness's remain which are manipulated by Corporations or ignored by virtue of the expense involved to press for these RIGHTS.
STARE DECISIS and other concerns regarding OUR RIGHTS can be reasonably considered so as to present a worthy DECLARATION of, or REDECLARATION OF RIGHTS.
The RIGHT TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING is an inherent RIGHT and not a Privilege. This has been hidden in plain sight.
The Average Citizen can not afford true protection of their RIGHTS and Corporations know this as standard operating intimidation.
1913 ADAMS, grandson of the President ADAMS, a Harvard Law graduate wrote a book about the INHERENT WEAKNESS IN THE JUDICIARY SYSTEM , This is part of what this RIGHTS committee must review .
I stand by awaiting to help. KEITHBENDER@A-FFORDABLEHOUSING.org
1) The current Congress and Government are disabled by those that must be controlled; hence any drafting of the revised constitution or legislation must be written by the people and then passed without amendments by Congress.
2) The Individual Wall Street Criminals are/were but pawns of big Financial Institutions starting with the Fed and the largest Central Banks of Europe, the largest financial institutions (Systemically Important Financial Institutions) hence these must be on the top of the list, commencing with the US and continuing globally.
3) The near bankruptcy of the Treasury has been the cause of the multi trillion Wars that the US has been manipulated into, hence the Defense and Oil Corporations' role in this tax-based expenditures should be second on the list of priorities.
4) No amount of legislation and watchdog agencies will be useful if these become dysfunctional (cfr. The Inside Job, the Securities and Exchange Committee staff were all fired and reduced to a staff of one before and during the build up to the crisis). Hence your suggestion for the reinstatement of the legislation and the Watchdog agencies should also include that any dissolution of these agencies should be made public, the IRS returns, including expense accounts, of the SEC committee members made public.
5) The Government should have its own media channel for broadcasting congressional sittings and public interest events, in order to prevent the black outs of major events (cfr the current Occupy Wall Street movement). All Media Corporations should be required to list their major sponsors and advertisers.
6) Rating Agencies should be audited in the run up to the crisis. Going forward rating agencies should report their revenues and their sources. Rating agencies must be controlled by the SEC.
Hence the list should start with 1) The Fed and the largest financial institutions in the US must be audited. Until the audit is complete, interest on the debt owed by the US should be stopped.
2) The large Defense and Oil Corporations should be audited for the taxpayers multi trillion $ defense related expenditures.
3) The SEC dealings and operations should be publicly reported.
4) The Government should have its own Media Channel and Major Media corporations should report their major sponsors and advertisers.
5) Corporate and Sovereign rating agencies must be audited over the past decade. Going forward Rating Agencies must be controlled by the SEC and report their revenue and revenue sources.
Thank you for submitting a list of concrete proposals for the movement. It is all well and good to protest unfairness in our socioeconomic system, but that will get us nowhere withut concrete objectives. Once the weather turns colder, people will start going home unless they have specific, achievable goals.
One demand I would like to see included in a short list of specific, achievable demands is to petition Congress to pass legislation that prevents banks from charging most of the total interest payable in a multi-year loan (such as a mortgage) in the first few years of the repayment period. I don't know the history of how this practice began, and perhaps there was a good reason for it, but I doubt it. It appears to me to be a blatant abuse of the power banks have over borrowers.
Sure, you might say that we should let the market mechanism work and borrowers can look for lenders who do not engage in this practice, but as far as I can tell, every financial institution with a multi-year loan program charges most of the interest payable up front. Finding a lender who does not engage in this practice is impossible. One of the duties of a representative government is to protect the weaker citizens from being exploited by the stronger. Here is a case of blatant exploitation by the banks, and anyone who wants to purchase a home has no choice but to accept it. This is something that can and should be changed. Many people who are in foreclosure now would not be in as bad a situation if a higher percentage of their first few years payments went to principal instead of to interest. It is a totally unfair practice that we should all be angry about.
Let the banks charge higher interest if they want, but we should demand they do it in a fair way. If they want to charge 10 percent interest, then let them charge 10 percent the first year, 10 percent the second year, etc.
I am in a situation where I have paid 5 years on a thirty-year morgage, but still owe more than 95 percent of the principal. That is just not right.
Why all the hate toward the concept of corporate personhood?
You do realize that unions, nonprofitst, law-firms and various others kinds of associations have corporate personhood, too, and give loads of money to candidates, form PACS, and benefit from Citizens United as well.
Corporations are made up of people, so this hysteria around this topic makes no sense. It sounds like basically a Soviet-style bid to have all the organizations in society controlled by one party or power, so that there cannot be pluralism in society of a variety of forms of organizations that can participate meaningfully in the political process. The concept of corporate personhood isn't only about "more power" -- if you're going to claim that, you'll have to claim it for unions and NGOs, too. No, it's about limiting the liability of the individual for group profits or losses -- and you need that in a union or an NGO as well.
The hatred of the corporation in this movement is what makes it sectarian and cramped and unfit for the job of taking on the social justice concerns for many Americans.
1) The current Congress and Government are disabled by those that must be controlled; hence any drafting of the revised constitution or legislation must be written by the people and then passed without amendments by Congress.
2) The Individual Wall Street Criminals are/were but pawns of big Financial Institutions starting with the Fed and the largest Central Banks of Europe, the largest financial institutions (Systemically Important Financial Institutions) hence these must be on the top of the list, commencing with the US and continuing globally.
3) The near bankruptcy of the Treasury has been the cause of the multi trillion Wars that the US has been manipulated into, hence the Defense and Oil Corporations' role in this tax-based expenditures should be second on the list of priorities.
4) No amount of legislation and watchdog agencies will be useful if these become dysfunctional (cfr. The Inside Job, the Securities and Exchange Committee staff were all fired and reduced to a staff of one before and during the build up to the crisis). Hence your suggestion for the reinstatement of the legislation and the Watchdog agencies should also include that any dissolution of these agencies should be made public, the IRS returns, including expense accounts, of the SEC committee members made public.
5) The Government should have its own media channel for broadcasting congressional sittings and public interest events, in order to prevent the black outs of major events (cfr the current Occupy Wall Street movement). All Media Corporations should be required to list their major sponsors and advertisers.
6) Rating Agencies should be audited in the run up to the crisis. Going forward rating agencies should report their revenues and their sources. Rating agencies must be controlled by the SEC.
Hence the list should start with
1) The Fed and the largest financial institutions in the US must be audited. Until the audit is complete, interest on the debt owed by the US should be stopped.
2) The large Defense and Oil Corporations should be audited for the taxpayers multi trillion $ defense related expenditures.
3) The SEC dealings and operations should be publicly reported.
4) The Government should have its own Media Channel and Major Media corporations should report their major sponsors and advertisers.
5) Corporate and Sovereign rating agencies must be audited over the past decade. Going forward Rating Agencies must be controlled by the SEC and report their revenue and revenue sources.
I have been following and supporting the "Occupy" movement(s) and am so very proud to live in a nation where people are still willing to stand together for their (our) rights.
I agree that now is the time to present a specific list of demands, but disagree on blocking the Capitol complex. even if there are other entrances/exits available, this is INVITING the cops to arrest all those involved. I believe that the movement should continue non-violent, publicly visible tactics and saturate the media with the message/demands continuously. As for timetable, I don't think ANYTHING is really going to change until #1 happens:
We will get a LOT of resistance to change, and be forewarned, the big corporations are not prepared to lose their "personhood" status and let us back into the game. . . they will fight it tooth and nail. But what we have now is unacceptable.
Thank you all for your time, effort, blood, sweat and tears. Please give my support and love to those in the movement, rock on people!! We stand behind you!! Stay strong, keep it peaceful! Beware of infiltrators sent by certain groups who will become violent and try to make the movement look bad. I wish you all safety.
"When the power of love becomes stronger than the love of power, we will have peace."
1) The current Congress and Government are disabled by those that must be controlled, hence any drafting of the revised constitution or legislation must be written by the people and then passed without amendments by Congress.
2) The Individual Wall Street Criminals are/were but pawns of big Financial Institutions starting with the Fed and the largest Central Banks of Europe, the largest financial institutions (Systemically Important Financial Institutions) hence these must be on the top of the list, commencing with the US and continuing globally.
3) The near bankruptcy of the Treasury has been the cause of the multi trillion Wars that the US has been manipulated into, hence the Defense and Oil Corporations' role in this tax-based expenditures should be second on the list of priorities.
4) No amount of legislation and watchdog agencies will be useful if these become dysfunctional (cfr. The Inside Job, the Securities and Exchange Committee staff were all fired and reduced to a staff of one before and during the build up to the crisis). Hence your suggestion for the reinstatement of the legislation and the Watchdog agencies should also include that any dissolution of these agencies should be made public, the IRS returns, including expense accounts, of the SEC committee members made public.
5) The Government should have its own media channel for broadcasting congressional sittings and public interest events, in order to prevent the black outs of major events (cfr the current Occupy Wall Street movement). All Media Corporations should be required to list their major sponsors and advertisers.
6) Rating Agencies should be audited in the run up to the crisis. Going forward rating agencies should report their revenues and their sources. Rating agencies must be controlled by the SEC.
Hence the list should start with
1) The Fed and the largest financial institutions in the US must be audited. Until the audit is complete, interest on the debt owed by the US should be stopped.
2) The large Defense and Oil Corporations should be audited for the taxpayers multi trillion $ defense related expenditures.
3) The SEC dealings and operations should be publicly reported.
4) The Government should have its own Media Channel and Major Media corporations should report their major sponsors and advertisers.
5) Corporate and Sovereign rating agencies must be audited over the past decade. Going forward Rating Agencies must be controlled by the SEC and report their revenue and revenue sources.
I'm actually worried about secure voting. If the voting system loses integrity, people won't think it's worth voting. Secure voting should be part of the demands.
Amen, brother. You hit the nail on the head with this post.
Agreed some companies need to remain large by the nature of what they do. So please consider a 9th Demand: Immediately revoke all corporate charters for ALL medium and large corporations (over a certain size) and renew those corporate charters with a requirement that Corporate Boards have TEN board members: Four "inside" directors - two to represent the shareholders, and two to represent corporate initiatives and projects. AND six "outside" directors from the local and/or world community - three to represent the environment (one to represent air quality, one to represent water quality, and one soil) and three board members to represent the community (one to represent wages, one for retirement benefits, one for health benefits). Outside board members could be "bonded" to represent the people and environment in good faith. This works because communities want employers in a way that will promote a clean healthy prosperous community! See "The Basics Of Corporate Structure": http://www.investopedia.com/articles/basics/03/022803.asp#axzz1auwyq1fV
Please consider adding to this list:
-Fund the development of alternative energy sources to reduce and eventually end our dependence on oil (production of which likely peaked in 2010 while consumption has been steadily increasing)- this should be one of our most urgent demands because our entire economy and most of our food production remains based on the existence of cheap & abundant oil...we will not be able to afford to have our food shipped thousands of miles or tilled by oil-based farming machinery for much longer.
-Along these lines: Pass incentives for the creation of jobs in alternative energy industries (which we will need in order to maintain any semblance of the energy-rich lifestyles we have all become accustomed to)
2nd vital demand:
Thank you all for standing up for the common good and for necessary change!
When we say "corporate crimes" we must include crimes perpetrated by our government, paid by corporations, on its people. Like supressing the various cures for cancer that are not the cut-poison-burn type. Watch "Burzynski" (a movie) for example. The crimes are just too too many. The first thing we can do is divide them into two main categories: human rights violations and environmental human rights violations. Anytime you destroy the environment, upon which our health depends, its a human rights violation.
“PUT BACK THE MONEY. Transfer back, with interest, all public-source money given to private financial organizations whose demise was caused by irresponsible management and/or would have been prevented by banking regulations that were repealed or weakened anytime after 1933 and which must now be restored.”
Is something like this on any demands list yet? Seems pretty fundamental.
Reply
Point # 6 should specifically state "lobbying on behalf of for profit interests"
Point # 6 should specifically state "lobbying on behalf of for profit interests"
Stop allowing plans for a new world order (mentioned by several presidents) to influence politicians, we the people of the united states of america want to keep our constitution,rights and freedoms earned thru generations of our people. to be governed by the constitution and electd officials from our own country and choosing.we do not want a one world government telling americans what to do with our soverign nation.(someone could word this much better im sure)
Stop allowing plans for a new world order (mentioned by several presidents) to influence politicians, we the people of the united states of america want to keep our constitution,rights and freedoms earned thru generations of our people. to be governed by the constitution and electd officials from our own country and choosing.we do not want a one world government telling americans what to do with our soverign nation.(someone could word this much better im sure)
Jesus, who wrote this? I realize this is just a first draft but it sure does look like a democrat wrote it, reads timid, like the politicians we have in congress right now.
Many of the largest members of the American corporate community have become morally and ethically bankrupt to the point of complete ignorance of needs of comminuties they serve and indifference to the concerns of those communities; their hubris, especially in the face of their moral ignorance of people and communities, is particularly noteworthy. They do not even know enough to be embarrassed by their greed.
Unfortunately, we allowed it. Now is the time to disdain it and disallow it.
It is time for Americans to become creative, flexible and personally involved again. This is a good time to begin sponsoring local meetings with neighbors who are interested in beginning to build their own institutions. From local cooperative groceries to savings and loan institutions, to mutual insurance companies, we can renew our communities and our perspectives.
They don't want to allow us to borrow our own money? They want to move into our communities and shut Mom and Pop out? I say give the community an alternative -and a profit incentive- by establishing and running our own businesses, profiting our communities directly from our own creativity, hard work and insight. It is we who build, manage and grow the corporations; let us do this for our own benefit.
Unethical businesses can only peddle their ill practices if we agree to allow them. So let us disagree with these practices and provide our own alternatives. Let them sell their products to the wind.
We have the capacity to transform our economic experience, we need only engage.
I saw the movie "The Inside Job", I was shocked that some of the people that caused the banks to fail,that sent this country into a crash,were still in office under Obama, they were never reprimanded and they can still do what they did in the past to cause all the problems!
WPA New Deal
and really, by stating demands we implicitly legitimize their, the people we are presenting the demands to, power over us.
The list is a good start but, please don't get fenced in by them, the specific demands. The movement is much bigger with more potential that any specific set of demands. Great work!!!
I agree that it needs to be a bigger tent eventually. This list is completely missing steps to protect the environment from corporate greed.
I have read a number of people talking about Campaign Finance Reform. Campaign finance is a major problem and while we need to resolve to end money in politics, it is but one of many issues. We need to keep at the fore of our thinking the legislative process as, it too is a massive problem; that problem will not be solved by campaign finance reform. Let me offer two illustrations: 1. the thousands of examples where lobbyists, as outsiders, have actually written legislation, collaborating on K Street and in other places, the thousands of times where they are invited into sub-committees as "experts," again, to sponsor, craft and write legislation. 2. Also, let us not lose sight of the thousands of private industry lawyers and executives who are placed in positions of power as bureaucratic executive department heads (USDA, Dept. of Energy. etc), as insiders, who are there long enough to craft, write and sponsor legislation that becomes law and who return after a few years to their private sector positions (or higher positions) with massive pay increases and bonuses from appreciative companies, after having manipulated our government legislation in the companies' favor. Thus far, I am suppportive of the spirit of that which has been proposed.
Beyond this, I want people to recognize and understand that we are the government; we are the process. While in the streets, peacefully, we are the voice of the nation. The rules crafted in our houses of congress that violate our constitution (i.e. cloture in the senate, committee killers in both houses, and other vehicles for disposing of legislation and backroom dealing -and there are many) are a violation of the constitution. These processes must stop. The idea that nothing will get done and that nothing gets done when legislation is discussed in the open, is absurd. Nothing is getting done now, with all of the backroom, face saving, reputation protecting dealing. The more open the process, the more people will come to understand what is at stake; people must know what is at stake in order to understand the ramifications of the legislation. We want to know how our sausage is made so we may intelligently decided whether we want to injest it; in the same way we want to see our legislation being made through committees live on as many CSPAN networks as are necessary, access to each committee's daily written work and its status on the internet, etc., so we can decide whether we will accept that legislation.
We are the government. Those in office work for us and they are supposed to do what is right by us or they lose their positions. We decide what is right and what we want, while respecting the minority. And, yes, rich people are a minority. However, as we have seen in our daily prosecution of criminal and civil law, while minorities have equal rights that are to be protected, they do not have special rights (save in the form of reparation upon agreement of society). Therefore, the wealthy minority must be held to account before the bar for their crimes on Wall Street and in our corporations and boardrooms, committeerooms and meeting rooms, just as any other minority must be held to account for their excesses.
The laws you are proposing for reinstatement and for initiation are good ideas. I agree and I support your efforts. We will be in SF today.
demand a financial transaction tax - tobin tax. It would set an end to speculation against whole countries, food, etc. and promote investments you actually believe in, instead of just speculative short term trading and arbitrage.
To me this would be the most significant change you can possibly ask for and it already has the support of very respected, world famous economists like Volcker, Krugman, Stieglitz
congress is the key in this statement! support the congressional reform act and give the power back to the people!
I think another issue that should be addressed in the changes that need to be made is religion. The constitution clearly states that there shall be no religious test for any elected office, but the republicans love to say how our country was founded on the religious beliefs of our forefathers. An amendment should be proposed that requires any elected official or any person running for an elected office to disclose where in the U.S. constitution they derive any claim of the religious intent of the authors of said constitution.
the amazing thing about the video of the trader on the BBC is that, if people would only use common sense they would realize that there is a serious disconnect between what they are being told by their elected officials, the media and their conservative friends and what is actually happening around the United States and the World. How can so many be so easily led into the economic ovens in which we are being led? My greatest fear is that too many will realize too late how important Occupy Wall Street and for me the irony is this: The only wealthy person(s) who could get out of this intact are the ones who sided with 99%er. The wealthy are no longer anonymous and when the depression that is heading our way hits, the masses will look to hold someone accountable and it won't just be what the media so snidely call hippies. If you look at the real cause of the depression, it wasn't the initial crash: People recovered from the initial crash and then there was the second catastrophic failure that caused the depression: The one teh world is heading for currently. Ask yourself this: How is it that all of these corporations are doing so well, when more and more consumers are getting laid off? How does this make any sense?
Again I agree with the demands but there's a way to close the economic gap with everyone contributing. It wasn't just bad banking,Wall St. and government that got us here.....here's an idea www.nationalday911.org
SPEECH IS SPEECH. MONEY IS NOT SPEECH. We need a constitutional amendment to correct this Supreme Court ruling. While were at it ONLY AN INDIVIDUAL CITIZEN may contribute to a campaign and then only for their own congressional and senatorial districts. NO OUTSIDE MONEY may come to a congressional or senatorial campaign and NO MONEY FROM ANY GROUP.
Is it possible that the General Assembly system that's grown out of Occupy Wall Street (national GA and then GA's in each district) could become a third party???? "THE PEOPLE'S PARTY"?
I would like to see OWS begin a new wave in this movement. All of the problems and injustice that people speak of are true and correct, but they are all only the symptoms and not the cause of the problem. As long as we only speak of the systems we will miss a unifying message because everyone is infected by their own symptom, but a root cause of all the symptoms can be named and rallied around. In my opinion the main cause of almost all of the “symptoms” being spoken of is our dysfunctional corrupt congress. It is congress that funds the wars. It is congress that did not regulate banks and then bailed them out. It is congress that spends billions each year to support corrupt governments around the world. It is congress that has put this country in debt by uncontrolled short term pork barrel spending in promising the masses everything to get elected, all the while leaving our healthcare, infrastructure and the educational systems in shambles. (etc. etc. etc.) We no longer have a functional democracy when congress is bought off by a minority of big money corporations and special interest groups to pass laws or block them for their interest only and leaves the majority of the country screwed. All of the issues that the OWS movements are stating can be traced back to congress. So why not go to the source, go to the root of the problem. Our dysfunctional corrupt congress is not only the one issue everyone can agree on but ALREADY DO (look at their national approval rating of 13%), and the system is already in place to make changes. We could open a national dialog on what this country needs and where it is going while addressing ways to reform congress. I would suggest that OWS extend invitations to all occupy cities, tea party, politicians, etc. to send delegates here to work on how to reform our congress so it truly represent the majority, and in that discussion all of the symptoms would be addressed! By making this our focus we start to represent if not 99% at least 87% (what other single issue has that kind of national support), we dispel most of our critics, and it sets up a meaningful dialog to make lasting changes on key issues effecting our country. This movement will find its way or not. All I can do is to offer my nonviolent thoughtful opinion and respect others as they do the same.
firmly believe, and have for some time, that the only way to achieve so many of the disparate things we care most about is to get money out of our electoral process, all money, at all levels. Then, legislation or executive budgets or whatever are crafted because it's what's best &/or, at least, what the majority of citizens want. Even if it's Congressman Joe Douchbag proposing whatever crap legislation, you know it's because he actually believes in it, and his idiot constituents believe in it. That's a true representative democracy. Can you imagine if we never, ever had to wonder if any politician was doing something for ulterior motives because it would get them donations from this religion-based PAC or that corporate interest? And the few politicians willling to be honest have said it would be an enormous relief to NOT have to continually fund-raise. Talk about radical change. And it's NOT just over-turning Citizens United. It's public funding of elections. Wouldn't you be willing to pay an extra - what? - some estimate around $6/person! And guess what? The minute it's in place, we can pretty quickly divert things like gas & oil subsidies to covering the cost. Oh, and it has broad support across the political spectrum:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/08/support-high-for-strong-c_n_453666.html
On Oct. 12, occupythegreenparty posted the following point:
I think people shouldn't be afraid of several parties. The goal of the party is to run a candidate and win. If you are saying the same thing as someone else, you're going to lose as people are trying to decide whether to follow you or the other party. Also I've seen brochures and test booklets that have LOTS of choices on them. We have the ability to accommodate hundreds of choices. We need to think of this as so important it has to be done. ( I repeated it here because it didn't have a reply link.)
Think about this based on a Plural Democracy approach. Under Plural Democracy, the goal of the party is no longer getting their candidate elected to take a leadership, winner take all, position. The goal of parties would be to propose new ideas which truly solve problems, and offer candidates who can promote and implement the concepts in a Plural Democracy structure. The reason this works is, the new idea will ALWAYS be implemented to some extent, in any new laws. The people who freely adopt it will directly experience the value of the method as well as bear the burden of the method fails. If a party supports poor ideas, and presents poor candidates, they will develop a poor performance record. In such a society, there can be hundreds of parties, each supporting special issues. ( See more about this at http://A3society.org under the Democracy tab – plural democracy )
I propose a demand must be Obama stepdown for the following reasons
He promised the most transparent presidency and has delivered one of the least and most repressive in history.
He promised to close Guantanamo Bay within his first year and give those held civil trials, instead GITMO remains open and those held have had not received any due process and are being held indefinitely.
He promised his presidency would defend whistleblowers, but in reality he has treated them as criminals, outlaws and prosecuted them without regard, such as Private Manning.
He has extended the wiretaps and surveillance programs on the American people.
He did not end the war in Afghanistan, instead he sent more Americans to die for a misdirected cause. More Americans Afghanistan died in the first 2.5 years of Obama then in the 7.5 years before him in addition to the countless civilians who have been killed and maimed.
He told us the war in Iraq was over, but American troops remain and continue to die.
He started an illegal war in the oil rich nation of Libya without consulting the American people, when there was not imminent threat to American and without consulting Congress while at the same time ignoring the thousands of people die in other parts of the world as a result of repressive regimes.
He used the US military to cross into Pakistan without informing Pakistan or asking for approval and conducted military operations to assassinate Osama Bin Laden, which could have been considered an act of war against Pakistan. No evidence has been provided that this mission was actually completed as the President refuses to release evidence to the media and public and the “body” was thrown immediately into the ocean.
He has used the US military drones to target and assassinate supposed “terrorists” around the world, ignore the rights sovereign nations, that the actions in Yemen and other areas are acts of war.
He most recently used the US military drone to assassinate two American citizens, without any legal authority and without due process, based solely on the idea they were “bad guys”.
He has now accused Iran of a grade-school level plot to assassinate the Israeli and Saudi ambassadors and is likely gearing for military conflict with that nation.
He has accepted money, defended, bailed out and empowered Wall Street & corporations throughout his presidency while at the same time telling America he is behind them in bold face lies.
If Obama has no qualms using the military to illegally engage in military action in other sovereign nations territory, target and kill American citizens without them having been tried or convicted of any crime or given due process, based solely on the administration views that they are “bad guys, who might do bad things”, what is to stop him from using the same tactics against any person or American, anywhere in the world, whenever he decides they are a “threat”? What is to stop him from deciding OWS are “bad people who might do bad things”?
His “support” of OWS has diminished the value of everyone throughout the country protesting. So while he has enriched himself with Wall Street’s money and holds his Nobel Peace Prize for all to see, he continues to be the increasing cause of war and death around the world and he cannot be given ANY support, assistance, money, or effort by the OWS movement and one of the demands MUST be he step down from office immediately!
Add Universal Single Payee Health Care
How can private equity executives who often fire thousand of employees and outsource work to Asia pay less tax? Just take a look at what happened with the Nielsen company here in New York.
Why not post this on the home page as sort of a declaration to help clarify the goals of the movement?
I would like to stop traders from short selling stock shares. They BORROW shares, to sell for quick profit, and drive down the market. This action is stealing wealth from stockholders who still believe in the companies. Don't believe the wall street BS about correcting the markets faster, as the markets will always correct themselves; it's shear greed..!!
This point does raise another issue: responsibility in business. When someone sets them self up in business as a "professional" with "claims" like: they are "experts", have years of experience etc. why shouldn't society hold them responsible for those claims? Somehow, we have let all the financial advisors get away with setting up laws that let them approach investments like GAMBLING, yet still use claims like they are experts. So, in changes proposed for the STOCK MARKET, I suggest we create two distinct categories of investment financial professionals, similar to what the country did after the Enron scandal. One category is for people who provide services to accomplish MANUAL TASKS using strict rules. These are people like stock brokers. They would be paid for their labor in executing trades. The second category is for "professional" advisors. These are people to apply specialized knowledge to advise OTHER people how to do something. These are the investment advisors who recommend stocks and set up portfolios. Because they CLAIM special knowledge, they should bear RESPONSIBILITY for what they recommend. These advisors should be compensated PRIMARILY on OUTCOME. If their suggestion produces a profit, they should be rewarded a portion of the profit. HOWEVER, if the investment results in a loss, they should also pay a penalty for that loss.
How might this look in practice? Here's one example. Let investment advisors charge a "retainer" for their services, subject to the limitation that the sum of ALL retainers for services not exceed the government measured annual individual income average. The remainder of their income would be based, not on principle, but on aggregate annual investor gains or losses at whatever load fee they apply, which must be stated prior to making an investment.
I think they should adopt the parlimentary practice of Russia and stand up and read the entire bill before the house and senate with mandatory attendance, I mean thats what they are getting paid for, isn't it. Also the politicians need to be brought back down to earth they are not royalty they are public servants and should not have better benefits than the people they govern.
We the People need our "faith" in the whole democratic process restored especially after recent fraudulent elections. [1] Establish an annual Election Day Holiday. [2]Public Funding for all elections [3]Shorten the campaign period and require all Public airwaves - TV and Radio- to allow all candidates to state their positions and debate their opponents. [4]In the schools, establish a Civic Curriculum teaching the OWS dialogue style. [5]Establish a national standardized election ballot with paper receipts. [6]Establish an independent non-profit oversight board for elections..
We must enact a complete revamp of our judicial system. Supreme court appointments are for life and they should be elected positions. Because of this the precepts of our constitution and bill of rights has been bastardized and violated repeatedly. We spend countless billions on unecessary crimes, victimless crimes, police entrapment cases, and sex offender registries. Oh and coming soon to a politicians near you "domestic abuse registries" and "drug dealer, murderer and animal abuse regiistries." Its nonsense with no basis in reality and it is only used to instill fear in our population as a means of control and to get nothing more than "feel good votes". We need To change our legal system and end its abuses and human rights violations.
It's Time for a Million People March on Washington, D.C. to Reform Wall Street--Time to take back our Country from their Influence over OUR lawmakers! Here's how easily we can do it, a focused good start: Take away their powers "once again."
"We are here Congress because we want to REINSTATE the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933http://www.investopedia.com/articles/03/071603.asp#axzz1aPEc3wX which saved our country from the Great Depression by preventing banks and insurance companies from merging and becoming large brokerage firms; instead of Banks and Insurance companies--can't we learn a history lesson here Congress? Btw, why did most of you vote for its repeal in 1999? http://www.counterpunch.org/2008/09/19/shattering-the-glass-steagall-act/
And also we want you to CHANGE the Commodities Future Modernization Act of 2000http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodity_Futures_Modernization_Act_of_2000 BACK to where it was before 2000, which since has deregulated energy markets and has allowed such scams as The Enron Loophole; whereas in the early 2000's Enron Corp. was charging 400 bucks plus for a kilowatt hour...They all when to jail for this. But, the Enron loophole is still not CLOSED, for example, allowing speculators to resell barrels of oil over and over again before it reaches the gas station owner. It's basically, legal gambling at our expense. What were those lawmakers thinking then? What are you thinking now? Either do the right thing, or you're part of 1%."
Reasons:
Why are oil prices high? The Enron Loophole
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbdtTGYQBMU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNp0y0SjOkY&feature=related
Rolling Stones Reporter: Truth about Goldman Sachs--how they have cornered the markets--basically, The Enron Loophole and the Repeal of Glass-Steagall Act in 1999. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waL5UxScgUw
how about getting "intellectual" property (copyright, patents) back to 7 yrs limited monopoly for corps and 14 for individuals to which then becomes public domain?
sad that our knowledge is locked away by law for ever killing our innovation while china uses it freely to out innovate us. dark ages of our own making.
and remove the "right" to own genomes. life is not own able. also, once a genome is out in the wild, you cannot control it's reproduction.
blessed be disney and monsanto, holy is their names.
how about term limits on ALL elected and appointed positions (2 terms and you are out!)
how about a received compensation law of say, ... 100X of the lowest paid employee to the highest paid?
how about a law (which should not be needed) that sets the constitution as #1 law and bill of rights #2 law that all laws MUST comply with.
riders illegal
ALL government jobs compensated at 90% of the equivalent jurisdiction's private fair market value, then TAXED at 100% as well.
move all the "general" government jobs to welfare/SSI/SSD/unemployment ... jobs. we do not need to pay a clerk a salary when we can have a welfare recipient work for their check! to keep receiving benefits your must work 30hr or more per week.
DRUG TEST all subsidy recipients! private sector employees have to, so should they!
if the law makers and the law enforcers are not willing to live by / under a law IT IS VOID! bad laws are laws forced on the people that the enforcers do not or are not abide by.
law makers and enforcers are DOUBLY accountable to ALL laws at maximum penalty.
all laws must be written for an 8th grade education (GED is 8th grade, the government minimum standard of education)
flat tax, fair tax, or sales only tax (at all government levels!) and changes to raise it must be a 67% approved vote by the people. this 6 levels of taxation is NOT CONSTITUTIONAL! i prefer a end consumer sales tax myself on all consumer goods. you control your level of tax by what you spend. the "rich" will pay more, the "poor" will pay less. but we all know what the taxes are. what we have is ours, not "rented" from the government.
balanced budget amendment! geesh! common sense!
dissolve the party system. make each candidate run as an individual ageist each other! force people to THINK when voting, not just check/un check all "demo" or "gop".
remove doubled up duplicate laws. IE: copyright law, DMCA, .... ONE LAW! there is not reason to make another law because something changed. amend if needed the old law. in the case of copyright the 1978 law covered digital in the wording, the dmca was a joke to strip rights away from the people.
make the house do the budget and the senate do the spending (with the tax rate 67% vote of the people). remove the right from both.
FORBID unionization of ALL public sector jobs. it is a conflict of interests! besides public SERVICE jobs are, well SERVING jobs.
I want to jump in here again with the word RESPONSIBILITY. This is in response to the request to make: "law makers and enforcers are DOUBLY accountable to ALL laws at maximum penalty." There is no better example of corruption in government than for elected officials to apply laws to citizens but then absolve themselves from those laws.
One issue that we've been working on which is fairly broadly supported is attempting to make elections transparent and verifiable. After the Presidential election of 2000, many voters lost confidence in our election system. Fortunately, some very clever people have come up with ingenious ideas on how to improve the system by making elections both transparent and verifiable. There is a video explaining how these reforms can be implemented on our website : http://www.occupycommunity.org While the technology is available, it is useless unless it is implemented. We have created a petition to bring these reforms to the attention of the Obama administration, but I need to muster 150 supporters before the petition becomes publicly available. Once the petition reaches the level of 150 supporters, it moves to the front page of the petitions and will have a substantially higher chance of gaining support. Please help me bring attention to this issue. Please support this petition : https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition/make-elections-transparent-and-verifiable/3D9pD2Q1
Also, if you know anyone else who would be interested in supporting this cause, please let them know as well.
Reinstate the Uptick rule and stop the electronic mega trading. This needs to be as part of the SEC revision The criminal behavior of Supreme Court Justices and previous administrators such as Hank Paulson need to be brought to justice. Remove Veggie Libel laws from our farmers and institute a level of protections from monopolies that threatens our food source.
Keep up the good work. The small business person is being put out of business while the multi-national corporations hold everyone hostage.
Hank Paulson and all of the Government Sachs employees who organized the AIG and Goldman Sachs bonus plans should be immediately
There are too many demands and they are too diverse to have real impact. The list should be pruned down to less than 20, and should focus on economic inequality, excess compensation for CEOs and a lack of supports for poor people. Nils Larsson, Ottawa
There is another way to approach this: make two lists. One can be something like a TOP PRIORITY list. The second can be something like an ADDITIONAL URGENT ISSUES list. The point is to respect two separate goals: 1. Stop the barbarians from plundering the government; 2. Respect all the supporters who have taken the time to contribute to the effort. Let their views come forward.
before we change the wall st and white house we gotta change OWS community, http://occupywallst.org/forum/decentralization-of-leadership-at-top-levels-of-oc/
Centralization - Decentralization . . . WHAT TO DO? There is a psychology we've all been brainwashed with that needs to be described so we can escape a trap that plagues our whole world.
The notion of VOTING, which we all associate with DEMOCRACY, is a HUGE TRAP! Why? Because, unless the vote is 100% unanimous, then some group of people exert tyranny over the other group. This is directly at odds with another value we hold so highly: FREEDOM. But, as I said, this whole thing is locked in our minds because we've been brainwashed from birth believing that a yes / no vote was the ONLY way it could possibly be. And the reason we so completely accept it is that human EMOTIONAL psychology is predominantly structured around FEAR. AND, fear is predominantly processed in our brains as FIGHT or FLIGHT. That is our brains are WIRED to quickly sort out a two solution problem. As I'm sure you are guessing, this is simple to state and complex in practice. For those with deeper interests, check out http://A3society.org brain structure tab.
For OWS, here is my view on this:
To be successful, OWS needs BOTH forms of organization, centralization and decentralization, at the SAME TIME! I know. This is where your brain goes into convulsions. But just two more factors can easily clear this up: TIME and APPLICATION.
Centralization is important for: interactions between OWS and centralized external organizations - i.e. the U.S. Congress. ; summarizations for communications - i.e. telling the media what OWS is about; responding to external threats - i.e. organizing to maintain possession of the park as a focus geography.
Decentralization is important for: gathering information broadly; getting opinions; having discussions; disseminating results; allowing different approaches; providing checks and balances; providing resilience to attacks.
Implementation of this viewpoint: How I would support and address CST's posting is by practicing what we are preaching. The KEY to doing this is: to take the HUMAN element out of the process WITHOUT taking the human element out of it! Is your brain in convulsions again? OK. The clarifying factors: PROCESS and OUTCOME. There are sound reasons to protect the identity of the people who are gluing things together, especially when the government itself is corrupt. BUT, if we let those people focus on PROCESS, and the process is transparent, inclusive and FAIR, then the OUTCOME can be fair as well.
Depend on the "hidden leaders" to MANAGE the process. Let them run the single COORDINATING communication tool - the occupywallst.org web site.
BUT, hold them accountable for addressing ALL the DECENTRALIZATION elements; and
Hold them responsible for transparency in summarizing the information.
AND, hold OURSELVES responsible to HELP them be successful!
you've got a couple of my ideas, but I propose more: that congressmen/senators should not be eligible for lifetime pay lest they serve a total of 20 years, their healthcare should be no better than the people they serve, the reinstallment of glass-stegle, all funds raised by any candidate on a ballot be placed in a pool for equal dispersement to the candidates for ads, no politician may vote on a bill concerning any party that has donated to the campaign pool in their name, the supreme court rescind corporate personage
You see the current situation and the root it is born from rests upon a very simple mathematical formula
supply = demand
With that in mind, all Americans and the rest of the world has to do in the initial stage is to stop the demand and the suppliers will automatically crumble. There are no need for protests. Simply concentrate on ending demand and the rest will happen by itself. Corporations will close down automatically, Banks will fall and the Rich will go bankrupt because they too depend on the 99% demand.
If the current situation is not approached in this way it will never work. The Junkie has to get of the Drug, suffer the withdrawal symptoms and then recover and find better ways of living. Greed a pleasant sensation within the human body which propels a being into wanting more and multiplying of that sensation must then be addressed and ways of understanding this effect be found and ultimately overcome.
Attack the [supply = demand] formula and you guys will have a changed world in no time at all and you would not have lifted a finger.
The dealers count on you remaining addicted, therefore do not take you seriously. They know that most will never give up fashion, technology, entertainment etc.
I've got more ideas here that are pretty good:
http://occupywallst.org/forum/ways-to-improve-and-equalize-the-economy
I thinlk this all comes down to lack of work ethics and jealousy. I am not saying that everyone who makes 5 million a year derves it, most don't including sport figures that play a game. What I am saying is too many of these protesters want what they consider their "fair share" for doing as little as possible, risking nothing and complain about those who work hard and do get ahead. They in some form have earned a reward., but those of the protesters and liberal ilk are jealous, and want thieir 'fair share". Well their fare share is less than wath they are getting. The biblical reference is Exodus 20:17 for those of you who wish to see that it has been that way forever: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
I thinlk this all comes down to lack of work ethics and jealousy. I am not saying that everyone who makes 5 million a year derves it, most don't including sport figures that play a game. What I am saying is too many of these protesters want what they consider their "fair share" for doing as little as possible, risking nothing and complain about those who work hard and do get ahead. They in some form have earned a reward., but those of the protesters and liberal ilk are jealous, and want thieir 'fair share". Well their fare share is less than wath they are getting. The biblical reference is Exodus 20:17 for those of you who wish to see that it has been that way forever: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
I think we should force Congress to pass a bill allowing Government to dictate what job each person is given, what their wage will be, and what they can buy. You know, some sort of board that says this person will work for this company and make this many of this product.
an amendment to the constitution for the separation of business and state, starting with: corporations aren't people, and money is not free speech
Corporations are only interested in one thing: profits. Nothing else matters to them. And, since they are legally considered persons, it is fair (as the documentary "The Corporation" points out, to judge what kind of people they are. And they are sociopaths. What other kind of person would fight off regulations that protect the health, welfare and happiness of their community and their children? What kind of "person" would do that?
The sad truth is that the 1% are as caught in this machine as the 99% and I'm here to tell ya: The 1% aren't any happier than us. So all this suffering isn't even benefitting anyone when you get right down to it. This is not to imply that it would be OK as long as it did, but the point is still pretty sad. These corporate guys are stuck in an inhuman role too. Not saying they shouldn't go to jail if they break the law. Just saying that the going to jail part won't fix the overall problem for others will fill their corner offices. What we need is a fundamental change at the deepest and most basic levels of our system.
Two months ago, that would have felt like a piped tea . But now.... Now..... We see that more is possible than they thought. Why? Because the 99% that were once divided into thousands of factions are now realizing that they have more things in common than they have separating them. So, I suppose you could say "the jig is up."
Now that we have lots of suggestions, can this list be consolidated?
progressive tax code -> After the financial crisis of 2008 when huge bonuses were given to the bankers who were largely responsible, people were livid. Many people demanded that these bonuses be illegal. I disagree. Go ahead and let the banks give their CEOs and officers as big of a bonus as they like. However, the tax code should be made more progressive than it is now. Here is a rough proposal. Set a 50% tax rate on income above $10 million. Make the rate 45% between $5 million and $10 million. Make the rate 40% between $1 million and $5million. Make the rate 35% between $500k and $1 million. Perhaps the details would differ a little, but something like this should be done. Eliminate the payroll tax, because this is a tax that puts most of the burden on the lowest earners. Use the tax increase to pay for switching from employer based health care to universal health care.
free trade agreements -> Free trade agreements take away our sovereignty. They weaken our labor and environmental laws. We should decide for ourselves how we want to live. We should not be forced to work 80 hours per week and accept dirty drinking water just because corporations can find desperate people in other countries that are willing to do so. Free trade agreements should be abolished, or at a minimum, should be modified to demand that the countries we trade with adhere to the same high labor standards and environmental standards we do. This will prevent us from being forced to compete with the countries with the worst environmental policies and the worst labor policies. It will stop the race to the bottom that we have now.
election reform -> Right now powerful groups with lots of money can control elections by putting enormous amounts of money into misleading campaigns. As a result, there is an imbalance of power. The government fails to serve us. Many people have made proposals to try to reform elections, but it is difficult. Instead of reforming elections directly, introduce the following law.
I also have proposals for the following areas, but I will hold off on these in order to not deviate from the primary topic that OccupyWallStreet is attempting to address.
David Cline electrical engineer
I mostly agree with the list posted here. Here are my proposals.
In general, it is my belief that there is an undesirable power imbalance in this country. Below is my suggestion for how our laws should be changed to fix that. I have broken the list into pieces in an effort to ge the post to work.
"Demands"? If someone really wants these, you should "Canonize" them in the open survey system, so we can find out just how many of the 99% really want them, compared to everything else. (see: http://canonizer.com/topic.asp/127 and tell everyone, concisely and quantitatively, what you want ).
How does that work?
Will not do....too much
1% Tax on all Wall Street Transactions
Cancel Student Loans
Cancel Foreclosures
These are the only things you should see on a sign at these protests!
Some alternate signs should be: Police Hands Off Dump Obama--(to divorce yourself from the Democrats who are trying to use this movement)
Impeach Bloomberg. It's a goal, a worthwhile strategy, and he deserves it. It can be done before the next election. He needs to be on the defensive, he is a billionaire, and he has undermined an election with his money. This should be goal # 1, let's figure out how to do it.
Article by Matt Taibbi (long time Wall Street critic) has many of the same ideas. http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/my-advice-to-the-occupy-wall-street-protesters-20111012
I personally agree with the free television time for political candidates. The money being spent on political campaigns is out of control. I would even go so far to say they should be publicly funded. That way everyone is on the same playing field and it's not about who raised the most money and got the most commercial space.
I would also add the elimination of the Electoral College. This system is completely antiquated and has no business being in our political system. We should be electing the president directly instead of voting 'by state'. A direct election with some type of Instant Run-off voting would allow people to really vote their conscience and not worry about 'wasting their vote'. This would encourage a multi-party system.
ESTATE TAX: Bring back the estate tax, graduate at a higher rate than income taxes. 50% for estates valued at $500,000, 60% for $1,000,000-$4,999,999, 70% for $5,000,000-$19,999,999, 80% for $20,000,000-$99,999,999, and 90% for estates valued at $100,000,000 and higher. Require this revenue to be spent on four things: education, the welfare system, infrastructure, and paying down the debt.
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This an excellent beginning. I think something regarding workers' rights needs to be included. OWS should address minimum wage, the erosion of union bargaining rights, "temporary" workers that "temp" for years and years with no benefits, "unpaid or low-paid" internships, employment-at-will, etc.
These are good and reasonable demands. -- Please add "Congress shall pass no law tht excludes its members."
I'm not sure I understand what you mean?
Pro-Vote ...Stop the curtailing of voting rights: extend early voting, keep same day registration etc
I would like the following added:
-a requirement that representatives not only represent their constituents geographically but also economically or financially, ie that their income must be within a certain percentage of the mean or median of their district. How many in Congress are from the 99%?
-gerrymandering eliminated: redistricting could probably be done better and without bias by third graders than politicians or judges. Each state could have a lottery and the winning class could redistrict the state based on the population of the most recent census.
-reduce corruption: pass bills on their merits even it you have to vote on one issue at a time. Eliminate special issues for states in federal bills, what is called pork, but what is really extortion or a bribe for a vote.
-a soapbox item: why is Congress depending on the Executive Branch to do their job ie legislating? Why aren't they writing the bills? Why is Obama expected to write the bills for a Congressman to submit? This is totally backward. What happened to checks and balances? Why can't Congress do their job and stop blaming the President and why hasn't he done what he is supposed to do and execute the laws that have been passed. In other words, prosecute the criminals behind the banking mess?
These are good and reasonable demands. -- Please add "Congress shall pass no law tht excludes itself."
This is a fantastic start. I would like to see something to support worker rights which have been eroded over the past few decades. I'm not sure what because there are so many issues, i.e. minimum wage, employment-at-will, attacks on union bargaining rights and, not to mention, "temporary workers (with zero, benefits)" and "unpaid, or low-paid internships." I've seen some attacks on these postings against "hippies." Just downright nasty bullying. Uncalled for. You kids are my heroes! What you are doing is far more worthwhile than some $8 an hour job you could maybe get at this point.
i think we have all stated very valid and imperative points that need addressing. there are many. however, OWS began from a few in new york city who could not find employment and faced tremendous student loan debts. this country needs to take responsibility for that. i believe the need for some sort of reprieve from the exorbitant student loans must be included in this list of demands. recent college graduates today are at the forefront our country's ability to sustain it's economic independence in the future. the banks have taken advantage of many, nonetheless, student loan debt is among the most targeted and abused. please think about and consider the importance of addressing this issue and making it inclusive in this list of demands.
All of what these pages want is wonderful, and I agree with each sentiment of the Occupy movement, however I feel that your/our demands don't aim at the root of the problem. I hear it mentioned, but not hounded upon. I hear people go near the root, but not directly at its center.
In order to fix ALL of the problems with our government and with our economy, we need to do two (2) very simple things:
1) End corporate personhood 2) Enact public funding of elections at all levels: fed, state, and local.
By staying constant on these two themes, we can A) stay on point without seeming confused and scattered B) nullify the media's claim that we don't know what we want C) gain momentum in numbers through clarity D) aim at the root of the problem, so that all of our wants and wishes can and will become evident.
If we don't end corporate personhood then we will never get real legislation out of our bought and paid for politicians. Lobbyists are writing the legislation and making the decisions. We need unsponsored congressional leaders in order to gain a living wage, in order to gain single payer health care, in order to end free trade, etc.
I'm so happy this movement is finally happening.
Why is there nothing here about ending the dang wars? ($12 billion per month!)
CONGRESS should prohibit the outsourcing of American jobs to other countries unless there is a demonstrated need by employers for foreign employers.
So where's the official list?
Don't forget to get the money out of politics with clean elections - elections paid for with public not private funds.
All elected officials be held to the Oath they took to Honor Preserve and Uphold the Constitution Of The United States Of America.
If not resign from the Office they hold.
One thing that I think is missing in the list of demands, is some kind of regulation of the income gap (if the corporations can do it themselves then we won't need the government to do it - otherwise it should be government regulated). The income gap between the rich and the middle class is NOT ONLY created by the millionaires and super rich – it is a symptom of the corrupt greed that has taken over smaller corporations as well. Many more top executives make under $1 million but still lay off workers and increase their own salaries by grotesquely disproportionate rates then the lower level employees – while giving themselves bonuses and other perks.
Corporations – both for profit and not-for profit (who receive taxpayer money to exist) hire expensive consulting firms to tell them what other CEOs and top executives are making, so they can justify their own compensation package increases under the clever guise of "we have to be competitive with the industry to be able to recruit the best people". Even though they lay off the best people to line their own pockets.
Also, I would like to see a "report card" (maybe a separate website) of the biggest abusers which shows the difference from the top salaries to the average salaries and, if possible, the change over the past few decades to show that corporations weren't always this corrupt. If we expose more of them, people will start to wake up! Most people have no idea what the execs are making.
We should also make it clear that we are not against all corporations – just the greedy ones! I would love to see a separate list of some of the best corporations that provide profit sharing and higher wages to employees. Maybe call on them to lead the regulation.
We need to focus on fairness, more than just attacking the rich - which gives too many people their talking points that we are just jealous. We should also point out to those same people that just because someone has money, it doesn't mean that they "earned" it! The greedy have stolen money, just like a thief! Do thieves "earn" their money?
Call on the corporate executives to cap or cut their salaries and benefits until the economy turns around. Use the money to hire back more employees. Once the middle class has spending power, demand for goods and services will increase and the economy will turn around.
All you morons complaining about capitalism while posting your tweets via your fancy iphones, etc. That iphone is a direct result of capitalism. If you hate it so much ... much to another country.
All of you are morons. Move to another country please. You all want to be equal? Move to Cuba. See how that has turned out for them so far. Losers.
All of you are morons. Move to another country please. You all want to be equal? Move to Cuba. See how that has turned out for them so far. Losers.
You guys are getting really good. This list is great~ Good luck** let us also know a 'plan of action' for those who support OWS
You guys are getting really good. This list is great~ Good luck** let us also know a 'plan of action' for those who support OWS
Anyone said anything yet about McCarran-Ferguson? That's the act which exempts insurance companies from federal anti-trust regulation. Big reason why we can't get healthcare right in this country. Has anyone brought this up yet? If not I feel that this would be a very good addition to the list
Number 7 should be eliminated. If I worked at an animal adoption & rescue group then I would be prohibited from working at the Department of health? or then prohibited from working at the Novartis? That doesn't make sense. I understand the concept but it doesn't work in this proposal.
This could possibly be taken more seriously if you didn't use wikipedia as a source. Wikipedia is not considered a legitimate source of information. It is actually banned in my college for use as a source because anyone can write what they want on there. Find legitimate sources for your information and I'll back this all the way.
I demand that all government officials be required to uphold their oaths of office! And that we oust those who don't! You lose your post, your pay, your benefits for life, your immunity from laws and regulations that you impose on the rest of us, etc.! In fact you should return in full all salary and cost of benefits that I've paid you while you've blatantly violated and usurped the Constitution of The United States!
"...I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same...." Noncompliance with this would eliminate most of the legislature.
“…I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as [title] under the Constitution and laws of the United States.” Noncompliance with this would eliminate most of the judiciary.
"I...will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Apparently our sitting president either doesn’t have the “best ability” to uphold his oath or, as is obvious to anyone with eyes, ears and even half a brain, he feels he can just ignore the Constitution or interpret it to suit his desires, simply bypass congress and mandate whatever be his divine will on “we the people”, and violate the Constitution and laws of the United States with impunity! Hell! He’ll even have his justice department sue any of the States that try to enforce federal laws! What can’t this almighty one not do?
You morons are protesting the wrong institutions! Those bankers, Wall Street executives, corporate CEOs and vile rich capitalists that you’re pointing the finger of blame at for not paying your way through life are the very ones who purchased the office of the presidency for your infallible messiah!
BTW, how’s this “hope and change” thing going for you now?
How about something about student loan debt? Either reinstating Consumer Bankruptcy protections to include student loans or forgive the abominable fees that make one's SLD an unbeatable force I borrowed 40k, I now owe $110,000. 10% of my salary wouldn't even cover the interest. Paying off exactly what I borrowed is fair and gives me an end in sight. Sleazy corporate banks aren't going to get richer at the expense of my life. The department of Ed gets their money back. And, maybe in about twenty years when I reach retirement age, I can have a little something saved since at the current pace we're going at I won't have social security to fall back on.
Not to be pessimistic, but does anyone really believe these are possible before we remove the influence of money from politics?
I submit our only goal should be to ban all private donation of any kind…the rest of the demands will be far easier or simply fall into place once the influence of money is removed from the system.
I think your demands are great. The only problem is you need a congress that's willing to act on such legislation. Knowing that our elected officials are nothing but tools of the financial industry you can be confidant nothing meaningful can be passed by them in this regard. Therefore I think it's important to get some real leaders in congress that will not be sell-outs to Wall Street lobbyists. To do this, you first need electoral reform. You have to limit the power of money in politics.....To get electoral reform, again, you hit a wall, because you need congressional legislation for this. So, in short, these demands won't be met, unless, we the people make it happen....Let's continue to occupy and to spread all across the nation.
I am so glad I happened upon this link through a fellow tweep of mine Nadine Feldman. I have found it difficult to find what the movement's key points were through common media outlets, and she was kind enough to make this link available through her blog. Perhaps it needs pointed out that it would be in everyone's interest that public education needs expanded to include what is now considered higher education. If it is necessary to have the higher education to even be considered for an entry-level position, then we must make that available for everyone without burying them in life-long debt and to keep our workforce globally viable. Perhaps this is not what your movement is concentrating on, but I appreciate you for taking the time to read and consider this.
At first I was skeptical of this as I presumed it to be another republican tea party type of nonsense. However, upon reading these proposed demands I confess my spirit is cautiously okay about the movement. I 100% have our good Presidents back and am voting for his second term. From what I understand, this is a gathering of regular people who are taking a spin on his ideas to avoid anymore financial tears while Fat Cats tell me I don't budget properly... I remember my parents calling Wall Street people Fat Cats when more money was taken from us. Count me in!!!!
Also, this weekend, the movement is here in Rutland on Mercahants and Center streets. Good old Vermonters to stand along side the beloved Farmers Market.
this may be easier than all the typing. If you are interested in passing this online poll around i can share the link to the results spreadsheet. it's a form so it's very easy to use and open to the public.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aq2Aa2m1mcYwdE5pLVFtY0dfM1cwU3hMYjZUSjhsZmc&hl=en_US
I know this sounds radical but; A whole host of social problems could be solved for society if a level were set for the "maximum level of personal wealth" that would be set at a % of gdp. Groups or corporations would not apply but the ceo and board members would be personal members of the corporation so they would be included. Of course it would be a high amount in the millions of dollars but a suggestion would be 100 million dollars or less. This stems from the separatation of powers that the government was instituted with. Money is power so this is simply an extension of the separation of power among individuals. A ceo deserves more pay of course than me but some limit is needed to limit any individual from attaining too much power. This would be easy to enforce and solves many many problems. Maybe just a long range goal because this would scare a lot of powerful people. You don't have to take the money away from billionaires now, just let it play out over a generation or two.
One demand fits all: http://occupywallst.org/forum/main-demand/
This is the only demand: http://occupywallst.org/forum/main-demand/
I built a scalable hydrogen generator that could help solve our fossil fuel dependance. North Dakota Universities are under political pressure to not allow green research in their labs when it competes with the oil and gas industry. Tax Revenues from Oil/Gas cripple "green" research and technology.
Please see my research:
www-youtube-com/watch?v=EYrkPmyfBZU
www-youtube-com/watch?v=W6AXzE_75RM
This is the first comment I've seen about problems with colleges and universities. But remember, they are part of the University - Military - Industrial complex and as fouled up as the other institutions - for the same reason $$$$. Aren't the universities "supposed" to be "intellectual" leaders? The impending crash of modern civilization due to overpopulation has been known for a hundred years. How come we don't hear anything from the universities about this any more? How come no models are being generated? How come no economic models to sort out the healthcare problems, or the housing problems? SIMPLE. Follow the $$$$. All the institutions OWS is putting on the hot seat have vested interests in squashing true research on these subjects. Unfortunately, the leaders of academia are part of the 1%, have drunk the Kool-aid, and sold the souls of their schools to get it. So, eventually, we will have to come back to this problem as well.
Add a demand to audit the fed. and this is why: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VebOTc-7shU&feature=relmfu
great piece, but it seems to miss out 2 demands.
derivatives as weapon of mass destruction, a piece written by BBC back in 2003... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/2817995.stm
basel committee... no transparency whatsoever from the committee when it basically set the rules of the World banking system... when the world go to hell, it has taken no responsibility, nor questioning of its authority.
while its rules have singlehandedly doomed the world. the committee founded in 1970... and the economic crisis have go from bad to worse. is it a mere concidence?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfjOJnqI9PM
^prevent tools like this from even attempting to run for public office.
AS MENTIONED PR SYSTEM SHOULD BE A DEMAND. For this the size of the HOR will need to be increased. For more remedies to improve voter efficacy check out writing by Arend Liphjart.
Here's a link that helps explain the need for Demand #4... http://www.npr.org/2011/03/17/134619750/how-offshore-tax-havens-save-companies-billions
best I've heard yet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi2l0gWJBUE
It would be helpful to our cause if we could somehow show that another country exists with similar laws and regulations (or lack thereof) to which we are suggesting, and which has also been less (or un-) impacted by the current nearly-global economic crisis.
Business is an organisation where people play different roles and work together towards common goals. We need to recognize that owners and employees of all levels, managers and workers, are free individuals that partner together in the free enterprise, and are entitled to shares of the enterprise profits. Wages are merely allowances for a general level of life to make it possible for the workers to carry out their duties. The actual work should be compensated with a fair share of collective achievement — a share of profit.
Uneven distribution of power is what impedes individual freedom and corrupts the very notion of freedom. It is incompatible with democracy. Strong progressive income tax must protect us from uneven distribution of power.
We must ensure that every person gets a fair share of the results of that person’s work. For that, we have to recognize that any work takes time and physical effort. If one person honestly works hard for a day, hardly anyone can do ten times more work, but it is physically impossible to do a hundred or a thousand times more work in a day. Progressive income tax must narrow down the gap of money and privilege between jobs. It must establish a high top margin of individual earnings. Maximum earnings limit should depend on minimum wage, and be substantially, but not unreasonably higher. If minimum wage is $30,000 a year, it may be prudent to agree on the maximum income of $300,000 — ten times the minimum.
Taxes other than the income tax, such as sales tax or payroll tax, should be reduced or cancelled.
We must ensure every person’s right not to be forced into any organisation, including not economically forcing free individuals to join business organisations to attain the basic necessities of modern life. Every person is entitled to a free and inalienable lifelong allowance that should cover average rent, food, transportation and communication (such as Internet connection), and should be equal to minimum wage.
No person shall be denied the right to healthcare and no person shall be denied the right to improve oneself through education. Healthcare and education must be free.
Essential social service workers — policemen, firefighters, medics, and teachers — should get the high-end salaries that reflect their vital importance to the society. Throughout their careers their salaries should approach the maximum income.
Government must be fully transparent. A taxpayer must be able to track where every tax dollar is at any time, down to departments, individual people responsible for that dollar, and particular contracts.
Free people can not submit other free people to any form of physical punishment. No person can be subjected to physical punishment, including termination of life.
More money given through welfare, poor people should have the basic rights afforded to the wealthy. They have the same right to luxury goods as the rich.
Eliminate food stamps and instead force the big food producers to produce a quota that feeds the bottom 10% of the country, this would mean they wouldn't need to sell drugs or kill people to eat.
Technology (computers, phones) should be given to everybody in the country. It's not fair that some should miss out while the 1% enjoy theirs.
I'm welcome to hear other ideas if you guys have any but this should be a good starting point.
see number 5 in this list: http://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/#comment-81176
I was joking, but it's good to see that you are taking this seriously.....
The problem I have about the Buffet rule is that the proposed legislation and ideas are actually a twist on what Warren Buffet actually was talking about. He was talking about the capital gains tax, which taxes the way he makes money. In effect (I'm sure most of you are aware of this) he pays a tax rate of about half of most of the folks working in his office. In contrast, a basketball player or "snooky" is paying a lot higher of a tax rate than those people (in Buffet's office) because they're income is ... well, income, as opposed to capital gains.
There is a big difference between two people making 5 million a year if one plays basketball and one plays the stock market. Taxing someone more than they are taxed in the current system SIMPLY because he/she makes over 1 million a year is not only unfair, it will lead to the following situation. The basketball player will just demand a higher salary to make up for the taxes and the stock broker (only those making over 1 million per year) will make sounder investments to increase his success (instead of gambling). The fans will end up spending more money on the sports industry, simply put, but people playing with investments will have more incentive to make better decisions which is good.
This is why it is much more important, in my mind, that the "Buffet" rule focuses more on HOW people make their money rather than how much they make. Besides, one million is an arbitrary number with a floating purchasing power that may or may not be remotely close to today's purchasing power in 10 years. Don't get me wrong, one million is plenty to live of off, but its still the HOW rather than the HOW MUCH that is the important thing.
Would love to see them all but I feel it is dire that we focus. There are millions waiting to see what stems from this. We need to make a demand now or risk losing our momentum. I think it needs to be something that will both structurally strike corp rights #3 and 8 in one move. Jefferson and Madison worked on this exact issue together and tried to pass the 11th amendment to the bill of rights. They saw this coming clearly and wrote the bill to prevent it but it didn't pass as states felt they had it under control. The PR move of using Jefferson is huge. It would cross party lines like nothing we could ever produce with months of work. It would unify and bring people into the streets. It is simple and powerfully corrective. Most of all it is singular. One Demand that's it. I would love to see the others on this list but they will never pull citizens together the way this could. That is what is needed NOW. A single reasonable unified demand. We have shown the symptoms a thousand ways. Lets go for the root and strip corp rights using the works of our framer forefathers / ex presidents. We need to demand a solution now and it's up to us to choose it. Lets solve this, instead of letting this dis-solve.
I love what you have going on. I didn't see this list before I made and posted one that I thought would help contribute to the conversation.
http://occupywallst.org/forum/my-declaration-for-the-reclamation-of-democracy/
It's key to keep it simple. I urge you heroes to just do one thing. Just one thing for now. Draft a pledge that every Congressman, Senator and even the President is invited to sign. By doing so, they pledge to not accept any contributions from Wall Street. The ones who sign, can proudly say so in their campaign and come to us 99% to help fund their election through small donations like the President did in 2008. The ones, who don't, we know where they stand. This will be a huge Step 1 for us 99%. Please discuss.
Term limits for Congress. 2 term limit for Senate for a max of 12 years, and 3 term limit for House for a limit of 6 years. When a congressperson has nothing to lose, my hope is that they would be honest. Plus get rid of career politicians, they are the root of our troubles.
Top 50 harmful actions: Bank executives paying huge bonuses to themselves in 2009 when Lehmann Brothers collapsed, the economy tanked and and the taxpyers had to bail them out to prevent a complete global financial collapse. The reason: To retain the "best and brightest" who, it turns out, were the geniuses got us into this mess to begin with. Oh - and they laid off the folks who don't have yachts, multi-millions $ homes, etc. etc. I can't think of a better example of their arrogance and the contempt they have for the 99% of us. Our corporate goverance is broken. It's time that corporations were accountable to their shareholders, their customers, their employees and the communities in which they operate. How about some pay cuts for the big boys to save a few jobs for the folks who work where the rubber hits the road? How about having to earn those bonuses for a change?
Top 50 harmful actions: Bank executives paying huge bonuses to themselves in 2009 when Lehmann Brothers collapsed, the economy tanked and and the taxpyers had to bail them out to prevent a complete global financial collapse. The reason: To retain the "best and brightest" who, it turns out, were the geniuses got us into this mess to begin with. Oh - and they laid off the folks who don't have yachts, multi-millions $ homes, etc. etc. I can't think of a better example of their arrogance and the contempt they have for the 99% of us. Our corporate goverance is broken. It's time that corporations were accountable to their shareholders, their customers, their employees and the communities in which they operate. How about some pay cuts for the big boys to save a few jobs for the folks who work where the rubber hits the road? How about having to earn those bonuses for a change?
Top 50 harmful actions: Bank executives paying huge bonuses to themselves in 2009 when Lehmann Brothers collapsed, the economy tanked and and the taxpyers had to bail them out to prevent a complete global financial collapse. The reason: To retain the "best and brightest" who, it turns out, were the geniuses got us into this mess to begin with. Oh - and they laid off the folks who don't have yachts, multi-millions $ homes, etc. etc.
I can't think of a better example of their arrogance and the contempt they have for the 99% of us. Our corporate goverance is broken. It's time that corporations were accountable to their shareholders, their customers, their employees and the communities in which they operate. How about some pay cuts for the big boys to save a few jobs for the folks who work where the rubber hits the road? How about having to earn those bonuses for a change?
Top 50 harmful actions: Bank executives paying huge bonuses to themselves in 2009 when Lehmann Brothers collapsed, the economy tanked and and the taxpyers had to bail them out to prevent a complete global financial collapse. The reason: To retain the "best and brightest" who, it turns out, were the geniuses got us into this mess to begin with. Oh - and they laid off the folks who don't have yachts, multi-millions $ homes, etc. etc.
I can't think of a better example of their arrogance and the contempt they have for the 99% of us. Our corporate goverance is broken. It's time that corporations were accountable to their shareholders, their customers, their employees and the communities in which they operate. How about some pay cuts for the big boys to save a few jobs for the folks who work where the rubber hits the road? How about having to earn those bonuses for a change?
We should make it clear that we do not want ANY LOBBYISTS IN THE HALLS OF CONGRESS.....we the people own it!!
With respects to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Cannon of Ethics, the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch and other Related Statutory Authorities (collectively the “Code of Ethics,”) and its fundamental relevance for carrying out the spirit of the Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank Laws, I respectfully submit the following two (2) recommendations for the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC" or Commission")
RECOMMENDATION #1: ETHICS ACKNOLWEDGEMENTS The Commission shall make available to the public, without fee, a searchable index of records granting access to the signed acknowledgements to the Code of Ethics for each public official and public employee.
RECOMMENDATION #2: PUBLIC RECORD SYSTEM
The Commission shall make available to the public, without fee, a searchable index of records granting access to the Code of Ethics incident reports and opinions, including concurring and dissenting opinions, as well as orders, made in connection with the adjudication of matters relating to the Code of Ethics. I further recommend that the records include, but not be limited to, the following:
I respectfully request that the Federal Government take these measures as an essential safeguard to assure that the activities of the Commission will perform legally, ethically, and sustainably to restore and preserve the Public Trust.
I believe that a system that would alleviate some of the inequities between the classes could go something like this: Individuals making less than $40k a year and families making less than $70k a year will be exempt from this proposal. Based on a sliding scale and family size, taxpayers will contribute a small amount of money that will be placed into a fund that helps: the homeless: the poor; the unemployed, and the under-employed. Individuals who earn over $40k and families that earn over $70k will have to contribute $1 a week from their paychecks or pensions. The more money you make, the more you have to contribute. For example, if an individual makes 40-45K may contribute $1 per paycheck/pension and a family earning between 70-75k may contribute $1 per paycheck/pension as well. An individual who makes $60k may have to contribute $2 per pay; $80k --$3 per pay, and so forth. However, this money will go into a fund that will be "bail us out" if need be as well as help provide empowering programs for urban areas that have been oppressed for many decades. Family support systems, employment training, drug treatment centers, and educational reform are examples to help empower these poor urban areas. This fund will also not leave out the middle class, who are unable to receive government assistance because of higher income levels--especially single parent households with one income that supports his or her family. Many middle-class citizens are unemployed. Granted, unemployment benefits help for awhile. However, many people have relinquished their unemployment and emergency benefits and need more assistance in this declining economy. The under-employed is a major problem in this country as well. Many people are only able to gain employment either part-time, through temporary agencies, or as contract employees. Many of these positions do not offer medical benefits either. This fund will help individuals and families who were put in these uncompromising positions because of the societal inequities indicative of a capitalistic environment that has gotten out of control. The people that contribute to the fund will be able to utilize the fund as needed. It could be called FEFA--the Federal Emergency Fund for Americans and could be taken out of paychecks and pensions. (Social Security checks are exempt as well as unemployment checks) Hey just a thought....$1, $2 a week...multiply that by billions of Americans and that makes for a nice piece of change to help us all out.
Not sure that you would want the current congress messing with the constitution but eliminating congressional perks. If they were in the same boat as the rest of us then they might be less inclined to tamper with something like social security. As is they are not in touch with most of us because it's covered for them. Healthcare is a perfect example.
please up my amendment for voter reform if you see it. we need make the democratic process easier to participate in.
This list looks like an excellent start. Who says the OWS movement doesn't have goals? Granted, many of these demands have been around for years or are asking for existing laws to be re-enacted that were only recently disassembled, but most of these demands seem like an excellent starting point for putting some common sense regulations back in place on American business and reducing the asymmetrical influence of the rich and corporate money in our democracy.
My only suggestion is that I strongly feel OWS should focus its energy on creating more new ideas for saving democracy in America and re-balancing our economy. Our world is changing rapidly but our politics are often stuck in policy ideas that are centuries old. Creative thinking from both sides of the aisle will be necessary if the United States is going to successfully adapt to the changing global environment and maintain the democratic, egalitarian society that generated so many impressive achivements in the last century. New challenges require new solutions. This movement shouldn't be about finding enemies or naming scapegoats. It should be about taking responsibility for America's economic and political systems and finding new ways to remain competitive in the global marketplace while maintaining opportunities for all Americans to share in, and contribute to, our own economy.
That said, here's three slightly more radical suggestions that the 1% really won't like: 1) Demand an end to the capital gains tax. I don't mean that capital gains should be untaxed; I mean that all gains should be taxed at the same rate as income. Double taxation arguments are hollow. Gains are gains, and gains are their own reward. There's no reason people who make money with money should pay less tax than people who make money with their labor. 2) Demand an end to accelerated depreciation. Taxpayers should be forced to use the same depreciation rates for taxes that they use on their financial statements, and those rates should be demonstrably based on the actual usable business life of the related asset. Accelerated depreciation is a giant tax loophole. 3) Demand stricter limits on, or the elimination of, tax loss carryforwards. Corporations currenly have too much motivation to engineer a "big bath" in years with losses to generate tax loss carryforwards that can reduce corportate taxes for as many as 20 years into the future. It's time to stop corporations from abusing this loophole.
This list looks like an excellent start. Who says the OWS movement doesn't have goals? Granted, many of these demands have been around for years or are asking for existing laws to be re-enacted that were only recently disassembled, but most of these demands seem like an excellent starting point for putting some common sense regulations back in place on American business and reducing the asymmetrical influence of the rich and corporate money in our democracy.
My only suggestion is that I strongly feel OWS should focus its energy on creating more new ideas for saving democracy in America and re-balancing our economy. Our world is changing rapidly but our politics are often stuck in policy ideas that are centuries old. Creative thinking from both sides of the aisle will be necessary if the United States is going to successfully adapt to the changing global environment and maintain the democratic, egalitarian society that generated so many impressive achivements in the last century. New challenges require new solutions. This movement shouldn't be about finding enemies or naming scapegoats. It should be about taking responsibility for America's economic and political systems and finding new ways to remain competitive in the global marketplace while maintaining opportunities for all Americans to share in, and contribute to, our own economy.
That said, here's three slightly more radical suggestions that the 1% really won't like: 1) Demand an end to the capital gains tax. I don't mean that capital gains should be untaxed; I mean that all gains should be taxed at the same rate as income. Double taxation arguments are hollow. Gains are gains, and gains are their own reward. There's no reason people who make money with money should pay less tax than people who make money with their labor. 2) Demand an end to accelerated depreciation. Taxpayers should be forced to use the same depreciation rates for taxes that they use on their financial statements, and those rates should be demonstrably based on the actual usable business life of the related asset. Accelerated depreciation is a giant tax loophole. 3) Demand stricter limits on, or the elimination of, tax loss carryforwards. Corporations currenly have too much motivation to engineer a "big bath" in years with losses to generate tax loss carryforwards that can reduce corportate taxes for as many as 20 years into the future. It's time to stop corporations from abusing this loophole.
Don't let the lawyers slide in this protest. Thay are just as big a problem as Wall Street. With their $200/hr salaries and 33% take in judgement awards, they are part of the problem. They are not highly paid due to supply and demand - there are hundreds upon hundreds of firms in every city. They keep their prices artificially inflated across the board. Just from a competitive standpoint, why is that no law firms charge less than the std 1/3? Why not charge 25% or 30% to attract more business.If you are not part of the solution than you are part of the problem!
Very good point. This is the first time I've seen someone bring up the lawyers. The $200/hr number is way low. Some patent attorneys are now up to $800/hr. But I don't think the $$$$ element is the PRIMARY concern. The big problem is the "foxes guarding the henhouse" syndrome. The legal colleges are in on this as well.
Specifically, there is a big conflict of interest. The legal colleges SHOULD HAVE a "charter' to develop ever improving legal structures to SIMPLIFY the law in this country. The government SHOULD HAVE a "charter" to develop laws that continuously simplify the cost of law in the county. What do they do? They do exactly the opposite. In fact they "pride themselves" in complicating issues.
Do we have any simple examples of what I mean by simplification? Sure. With a stroke of a pen, California did away with most attorneys in residential real estate dealings, by creating the TITLE INSURANCE program. How did other states respond to this? Copy cat, maybe? Not a chance. They ADDED title insurance requirements without removing the attorneys.
Want another example. Here's a new one. All of the states have something called a Universal Commercial Code. So, we should implement a 2 stage process related to that:
Expand the Universal Commercial Code to cover EVERY legal situation that most citizens are expected to encounter during their life. This would include simple business formations, non-disclosure agreements, simple contracts etc.
Starting in middle school, include classes in law which are sufficient for high school graduates to handle the legal issues covered by the Code.
So, when OWS comes back to fixing the world in phase 2, we need to address the whole legal system to DRASTICALLY simplify it and get lawyer conflict of interest out of government.
Or what? you shoot the hostages? Sounds kind of belligerent to me.
with all the opinions it is too easy to get lost in a sea of good information. if we UNITE UNDER ONE VOTE FOR OUR OWN SELVES, we stand a chance of sounding louder than corporate money.
Unite stand for 1 item --- whatever it might be!
"Demands" is the wrong word. (It makes OWS sound unjustified and is a word associated with other words like "kidnappers" or "unreasonable".) "Declaration" is the right word. Any such list should be in the framework of a larger document like the "Declaration of Independence". I propose the following draft for the opening and closing of such a document, with several words and phrases taken directly from the "Declaration of Independence", which seems appropriate given many no longer are being granted “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. I propose people be able to sign it as well, either physically or electronically.
I propose we call this document "The Declaration of Democracy":
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. We find our current Form of Government has become destructive of these ends, and it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and institute new Government. We have lived under a Corporate Oligarchy long enough, and it is our right, our duty, to throw off such a Government.
We declare Congress must... [insert the list here]
We the People of the United States, Assembled, do solemnly publish and declare, That these United States of America are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent of the political control and influence of Corporations, That any Law diminishing the equal power of individuals must be altered or abolished, That all Organizations must not be granted power greater than the power granted by its members, That our objective is working towards a more Direct Democracy so we may all have an Equal Voice and all may have Opportunity to Prosper throughout the course of our lives.
This is a tough one.
I understand fivefingers' motives and the emotional power of using the same statement that led to the country's decision to fight off English rule. But that was tried before and still ended in the Civil War. What concerns me is that the meaning of the words used in the original Declaration of Independence don't mean now what they meant then. So, if we use them now, they convey very misleading messages.
For example, "We hold… that all men are created equal..". While this sounds simple and rock solid, it's a ticking time bomb.
First off, the use of the word "men" in this way, without acknowledging the continuing struggle of women, would be very insensitive right now. And if the claim is made that "men" really refers to "mankind", it will just bring up the INCONVENIENT TRUTH, to borrow Al Gore's phrase, that women weren't even considered "MANkind" in 1776. They were considered property.
Secondly, for the Declaration to state that all "men" were considered "equal" raises two huge problems: slavery and aristocracy. The historic record is full of debates which excluded "men" slaves as being equal. It also excluded men who were "peasants", which was most of the population. So, if the OWS protest is about the 1%, the use of the term "equal" attached to the context that was set in 1776 is going to be - ugh - challenging.
Unfortunately, EVERY one of the other "great" values listed in the Declaration has just as serious problems. For anyone who wants to read about these, take a look at http://A3society.org - Democracy tab.
Understood and I don't disagree. Since writing the above I have thought perhaps it is best that the movement stay a little non-specific and non-concrete. We all know what it is about. We know what the issues are. If we try to enumerate the issues and the action we want, they will be picked apart and dismissed. But if 'we are our demands'... each of us speaking for what we think is wrong and what we want changed... then the corporations, the media, and the politicians can't pick us apart. We will be like water falling through their hands.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI_P3pxze5w&feature=player_embedded
I am amased at how Occupy works. Would like to have your input on the movement to understaqnd it better. I am asking you to answer 10 questions and I am happy to share results if you are interested. Please, take some time for it: Thank you! http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Q3NF7QB
can we please expose the illuminati!! we need to expose the bloodlines at the top. the name of the real enemy should be announced!! people should be holding up signs with websites on them where the truth about our current global state can be found!!
Regarding #3: Since the courts have used the constitution to justify the argument that corporations are people then a constitutional amendment is what is needed to change this. This demand should be for a constitutional amendment, not just legislation.
Regarding #3: Since the courts have used the constitution to justify the argument that corporations are people then a constitutional amendment is what is needed to change this. This demand should be for a constitutional amendment, not just legislation.
ATTENTION all protesters.....News Flash: Life isn't fair and it was never ment to be. Once you accept this fact of life you can stop your bitchin, get a job and get a life. Embrace challanges and you will be more fulfilled, successful and much happier. Spending your life trying to avoid them will lead you to a tent in lower Manhattan. Do hard things!
VDeFreitas, I believe part of the problem is people cannot get jobs. Also life may not be fair (I think most accept that), but the way we treat each other and our form of governance should be. Our forefathers fought for fair treatment and freedom. We should too! It is a hard thing! It is our challenge and it is making us happier to have a voice! (Oh and "meant" was misspelled in your post.)
Regarding #3: Since the courts have used the constitution to justify the argument that corporations are people then a constitutional amendment is what is needed to change this. This demand should be for a constitutional amendment, not just legislation.
Regarding #3: Since the courts have used the constitution to justify the argument that corporations are people then a constitutional amendment is what is needed to change this. This demand should be for a constitutional amendment, not just legislation.
A little music to movement in Hampton. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMzfqq0I5oQ
A new tax code!!!!
This movement is gaining momentum from all walks in my ghetto. People have come up to me and discussed the issues and basis for this occupist revelational event even before it went medial. I direct them here. The number one consensus is fair and equitable solutions to the issues facing Americans and Global societies. I'm not much of a conversationalist or a very decent grammar study, but I know how to get things started when I'm not happy with the way people are being treated in this world. The pen is mightier than the sword and the keyboard is even greater stilll until people start swinging their swords around. A lot of people who are interested in this movement are afraid anarchist and the establismnent of the tories will try to incite this movement into violence. I assured them just a little anarchy is a good thing but violence is not the answer. We have enough violence in this world as most of us are sick of it. We will not be pushovers and the message will get out if we show respect to all concerned good or bad.
Would using the Congress to make these changes even work if the corporate minions on the Supreme Court can judge it unconstitutional as they did in Citizens United?
firstly in my humble opinion I would change the wording from "DEMANDS" to something from the 1st ammendment which I feel is more on point with what we are doing. That is "the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." in particular the term "redress of grievances." something like WE the People of Occupy Wall street ask for a Redress of these Grievances....It may sound like legalese but that is the language that they speak. Solidarity from Occupy Chico.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/my-advice-to-the-occupy-wall-street-protesters-20111012
This article re-iterates many of the items already on this list, but perhaps some will find it helpful.
My Plan to Fix Wall Street.
I think three things could help this country a lot!
I do not understand how people can stand up for there own greed.... Regardless of what is done understand this, this fight is not about money it's about power and control over humanity by the few corrupt assholes who are not even in the spotlight... It's funny isn't it how they can use there sponsered monkey's to do there bidding........the fight here should once again be for the cause of liberty......no matter
what the people in this split nation feels needs to change depotism is on our door. step.....these tyrannts have created so many distractions and put so much fear in the people of this nation that we are willing to trade our LIBERTY for safety.....My only wish whether I be poor or rich for the remainder of my days, I hope i never have to tell my grandchildren what America was......Liberty or Death, but Don't Tread on Me
tobin tax
seriously you have to demand a tobin tax! Its probably the single most effective demand you could have. Even EU is considering it right now - even if its a somewhat weakened version. Besides there is actually already broad economist consensus that when introduced globally it would be very beneficial and modulate all those derivative speculations that generate zero welfare gains but tremendous economic costs. Besides it will generate trillions of tax money, way more than the buffet rule or anything else like taxing the rich would.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobin_tax
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/sep/28/barroso-backs-tobin-tax
Lets take it one step farther and solve ALL GREED issues at one time...
...................FIGHT CORPORATE GREED:
Job Exportation (including companies migrated)::
Illegal Workers::
Migrant Workers::
Importation::
...................FIGHT DOMESTIC GREED:
Welfare::
Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security For Elderly::
...................FIGHTING POLITICAL GREED
Politicians::
http://occupywallst.org/forum/occupy-wall-streets-official-list-of-demands-propo/
I recommend a virtual Continental Congress where we the people,become the Congress,vote on every single issue and every single dollar. We will control the entire budget and either pass or dismiss all laws from approximately the 50s to now,dismissing all of the bad laws.On a monthly review process,we read a 1 page summation of a bill,written with net affects,cost and method of payment, and vote to retain or dismiss. It sounds like a lot of homework but it isn't considering how much Congress doesn't get done with their time. We would have one month to comment and debate among ourselves.Obviously,if the bill dealt with some type of renovation,repair or past funding,there is nothing we can do with the bill because the work is already done and the money paid out. But a lot of the corruption we see today is directly related to deals in oil, energy, military,defense,pharma and tax loop holes that were planted around the 1950s, adding to that, the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, and we can take down all of those laws and streamline the government. When it comes to social security and medicare, many of those who say they don't want socialized medicine in the Tea baggers movement,are the same people clinging to their SS check. Once they are put into the position of voting to dismiss social security, they will finally get it. Don't forget that it all is OUR money, OUR government and OUR chance to fix this country, once and for all, of everything that is wrong with it; namely politicians and special interests. Leaving them with even one stitch of power and turning our backs on them again, is a huge mistake. Do not be fooled into thinking that if you leave them where they are now, that anything will change because you have enacted campaign or lobbying laws.They'll just find another way to get each other paid in the back room and policy will go on as it always has.There has never been a government in history so corrupt and evil. We are up against the biggest evil empire that this world has ever seen in terms of corrupting money and influence. They both need to be removed from the equation completely. And don't forget that the state Congresses have as much corruption and is where many of the the real problems are due to ALEC. All of the ALEC and other special interest lobbying insanity has to be undone from the last decade and even before then, like corporate farming, pharma, insurance lobbies, etc Chances are, once we dismiss Congress and clean up the legislative mess, there won't be that much more to do because there won't be legislatures or lobbyists hanging around writing more shit laws. But for right now, they are a writing machine.
This financial reform movement has been a dream of mine since 2008, after hearing the Congressional Hearing on Energy Reform and on how Financial Deregulations hurts the hard working Americans, and turns undeserved brokers/executives into overnight Millionaires!
So I feel (and many others) that only way we can get back on safe financial footing again is to close the Enron Loophole, created for energy/oil speculators, and bring back The Glass-Steagall Act of 1933, which prevented the current banking and insurance scams/loopholes. After all, it worked great until late 90's, until when Congress threw it out. Since then, like prior to 1933, we are experiencing what our country went though then, total Wall Street Greed with no Penalties, its all legal Gambling now...thanks to the architects of our new system in 1999, President Clinton and Rep Senator Phil Gramm. Think about where we are now, it all started in 1999 with the subprime loans Gramm was peaching on Senate floor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKQOxr2wBZQ&feature=related
And for the Free Trade Movement, bringing back the Glass-Steagall Act will not hurt our financial markets or hinder Free Trade, as the GOP rhetoric claims, instead with this back in PLACE bankers can still make millions a day, but not the trillions as they do now on the accounts of hard working Americans.
Bankers need more regulation, not less. Don't let the Bankers new Game to charge for debit cards as the results of the Dodd/Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act surprise you. Right after it passed, we have the banking lobby on national TV saying that "we" will pay for it, after we bailed them out, What nerve! So this is their response to having it their way since 1999: We have have to find a way to give out Executives their way out of line bonuses: Bingo, charge for debit cards! This is them throwing their influence over our Election officials, that are suppose to work for us, after all we voted for them to do the right thing, which doesn't include the banking lobbyist agenda....
Cheers to all that are involved. Let's get focused and bring back Glass-Steagall Act of 1933, they got it right 1933, we don't need to reinvent the wheel because bringing this Act back will create an even playing field once again....and let's also tell Congress to finally Close the Enron Loophole, which allowed Enron to charge what they wanted for energy; they went to jail for this; but no one closed the loophole, why? Re-election Monies from the banks and oil companies! The writing is on the wall.
Why we need Glass-Steagall to be reinstated:
http://www.investopedia.com/articles/03/071603.asp#axzz1aPEc3wXj http://www.counterpunch.org/2008/09/19/shattering-the-glass-steagall-act/
Why are oil prices high?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbdtTGYQBMU&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNp0y0SjOkY&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-kExdTgNZA&feature=channel
Rolling Stones Reporter: Truth about Goldman Sachs--they have cornered the markets, why? Enron Loophole and repeal of Glass-Steagall Act in 1999. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waL5UxScgUw
You are right on with this thread, the years 1999 and 2000 have hurt our country badly while lining the pockets of the 1% in this country. But #1 has to be the CARPET BAGGING of 2008: here goes- 1a. Research and publish the companies that have profitted most from the IRAQ and ALFGAN WARS - just like the Pentagon Papers from Viet Nam Era
Again GKM, you have the right plan that should be taken to The Hill with the backing of a Million People March! Here's my two cents once again:
This financial reform movement has been a dream of mine since 2008, after hearing the Congressional Hearing on Energy Reform and on how Financial Deregulations hurts the hard working Americans, and turns undeserved brokers/executives into overnight Millionaires!
So I feel (and many others) that only way we can get back on safe financial footing again is to close the Enron Loophole, created for energy/oil speculators, and bring back The Glass-Steagall Act of 1933, which prevented the current banking and insurance scams/loopholes. After all, it worked great until late 90's, until when Congress threw it out. Since then, like prior to 1933, we are experiencing what our country went though then, total Wall Street Greed with no Penalties, its all legal Gambling now...thanks to the architects of our new system in 1999, President Clinton and Rep Senator Phil Gramm. Think about where we are now, it all started in 1999 with the subprime loans Gramm was peaching on Senate floor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKQOxr2wBZQ&feature=related
And for the Free Trade Movement, bringing back the Glass-Steagall Act will not hurt our financial markets or hinder Free Trade, as the GOP rhetoric claims, instead with this back in PLACE bankers can still make millions a day, but not the trillions as they do now on the accounts of hard working Americans.
Bankers need more regulation, not less. Don't let the Bankers new Game to charge for debit cards as the results of the Dodd/Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act surprise you. Right after it passed, we have the banking lobby on national TV saying that "we" will pay for it, after we bailed them out, What nerve! So this is their response to having it their way since 1999: We have have to find a way to give out Executives their way out of line bonuses: Bingo, charge for debit cards! This is them throwing their influence over our Election officials, that are suppose to work for us, after all we voted for them to do the right thing, which doesn't include the banking lobbyist agenda....
Cheers to all that are involved. Let's get focused and bring back Glass-Steagall Act of 1933, they got it right 1933, we don't need to reinvent the wheel because bringing this Act back will create an even playing field once again....and let's also tell Congress to finally Close the Enron Loophole, which allowed Enron to charge what they wanted for energy; they went to jail for this; but no one closed the loophole, why? Re-election Monies from the banks and oil companies! The writing is on the wall.
Why we need Glass-Steagall to be reinstated:
http://www.investopedia.com/articles/03/071603.asp#axzz1aPEc3wXj http://www.counterpunch.org/2008/09/19/shattering-the-glass-steagall-act/
Why are oil prices high?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbdtTGYQBMU&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNp0y0SjOkY&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-kExdTgNZA&feature=channel
Rolling Stones Reporter: Truth about Goldman Sachs--they have cornered the markets, why? Enron Loophole and repeal of Glass-Steagall Act in 1999. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waL5UxScgUw
remove note 2, it makes us look foolish
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/8792829/BBC-financial-expert-Alessio-Rastani-Im-an-attention-seeker-not-a-trader.html
The political game is rigged. Two parties control the entire political system, but besides rhetoric, are they really all that different? Impossibly high barriers prevent third parties from every gaining ground in the election process. Namely, the fact that we have what is called a WINNER-TAKES-ALL SYSTEM. It basically means that whichever party/candidate gets a majority of the electoral votes in a state gets all of those votes. For example, California gets 55 electoral votes. If one party gets just 28 votes (which is barely a majority), all 55 votes count to that party/candidate in the general election. This effectively means that ANY VOTE FOR A THIRD PARTY IS ALWAYS A WASTED VOTE. What we need is proportional representation (used in Europe). This would allow for a multitude of parties to flourish, effectively breaking the status quo of our stagnant political system and allowing for real, significant change. Additionally, a dynamic political system such as this would by its very nature SEVERELY LIMIT THE POWER CORPORATIONS HAVE OVER OUR POLITICAL PARTIES. As more factors define our election process, it gets exponentially more difficult for corporations to influence our government. Now naturally, nothing has ever been done by Congress to really institute this kind of reform, as it is obviously against the interests of the two parties to have their positions of power so radically altered. But I ask you this: How many times during an election do you vote for the LESSER OF TWO EVILS? How many times have you wanted to vote for an independent candidate, only to recoil at the prospect of a WASTED VOTE? The only way to win the game, is to change the rules! Bring about change by DEMANDING that congress institute political party reform... They say we don't have a defined goal. We do... To break the STATUS QUO.
This single demand, by itself, could change everything.
This is a great list and encompasses pretty much all of the current practices that need legislation in this country. Anybody who has a problem with these demands is either willfully ignorant, corrupt in their own right, or just downright stupid.
This comment actually exposes a very, very big problem. If we trust the last election, upwards of 50% of the U.S. population qualifies. How could this big difference in human perception of our world exist when we are all "intelligent people" looking at the same issues?
A new theory presented on http://A3society.org under brain theory, language, psychology and other tabs, explains how this difference in perception is directly related to both how our brains are wired and how we learned language ( i.e. both nature and nurture ).
The human brain did not evolve its functions to understand and deal with the complexity of the modern world. It was optimized for survival in a rugged, outdoor world where trigger-like responses were needed to escape predatory animals and obtain food. One element of this is what we call the "fight or flight" response. And MOST decisions we make quickly are emotionally driven by FEAR to avoid pain. The result is a version of the three behaviors listed above. I would reword them as: anxiety driven blindness, fear driven survival response, and inability to understand complex issues due to limited thinking ability and lack of knowledge.
The problem typically starts out with the third trait and works backwards.
During childhood, our knowledge and mental skills are poor. We absorb things. But MOST important, we remember hazards that can hurt us. The harsher the conditions we grow up under, the more fear we build up. We also learn fear from our parents and other adults. Our early childhood starts a house of cards in our brains. I use this house of cards image to stress that, to maintain sanity, each of the things we learn somehow depends on linking to other things we learn.
As we grow into young kids, our fears continue to build the house. By the time we reach adolescence, the house is mostly built. That's the time of truth: have we built a house that is solidly founded on TRUTH. By truth I mean very specifically, principles that describe real elements of the world. If we have, then moving into adulthood, we can be flexible about dealing with adjustments, because most of the elements are rooted in principles of the world that will repeat over and over again without much change. However, if the house was founded on superstition, moving into adulthood is fraught with anxiety, because the complexity of life and challenge of other cultures will not typically align with the superstitions. That's when people shut off new ideas. They can't deal with so many parts of the house falling down at once. It becomes anxiety driven blindness.
In summary, we will encounter many people who challenge things on this list. We all come to the list from a different background. Hopefully the interaction will make all of us wiser. The most important factor however, is, do they exhibit STRONG EMOTIONS! Do they stand on solid beliefs with little depth to support them. If so, the driver to look for is fear - fight or flight response. If so, we can expect they have a house of cards that is being challenged.
I think it is great people are trading ideas on all of these topics. I am not sure how this could work, but I feel like recent college graduates who are not working in their fields should not be required to pay for their loans until they can secure employment in their area that they went to college for. I am no financial wiz and I am not sure how the financial institutions could help with this, but to me it seems unfair to be asked to pay for something you cannot use (education).
Here is a great opportunity to bring in the RESPONSIBILITY word again. Recently, congress funded college studies to chase the myth that job growth depended on better education. Many colleges jumped in to grab the new money. Knowing that people were desperate for work, the colleges charged steep tuitions, also knowing the rules were so lax that they could get away with it. Congress recently wised up to this and is now limiting colleges based on their student job placement rate. What OWS could do is force this process back in time, make it permanent and link it with college responsibility. That is, ALL student loans would be covered by a new law, no matter when they were started. Here are more details for a possible structure:
Each college should have the RESPONSIBILITY to UNDERSTAND the employment market it is training its students for and adjust student loads to match. Therefore, each college should be required to PAY for their miscalculations by paying the outstanding interest for any of its students who are carrying college loans for any period of time the students are unemployed. Since the government and the banks were part of this scam, principle repayment should be deferred during any unemployment as well. Furthermore, during employment, total loan repayment costs should be limited to 10% of the individuals current salary. Also, any remaining loan would be cancelled as fully paid 20 years after graduation, no matter how much of it has been repaid.
Stop the Race to Nowhere... www.racetonowhere.com Congress and the administration should recognize that the push for national standards is politically driven and scientifically unfounded…” http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa285.pdf There is far more at stake here than test scores... Preserve parents rights and protect childhood... Save our children from irresponsible institutionalization!
www.HalfDayKindergarten.Org
I completely agree! We have to STOP the Race to Nowhere. The previous post, however, opens up another huge Pandora's Box: the direction of education.
Everywhere we turn we hear the STEM education propaganda: America's future depends on more Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. More CREATIVITY is needed! So, we are told, we must FORCE ALL of our students to achieve higher standardized grades in these subjects.
This is total nonsense. I've been at the forefront of high tech for 40 years. I've invented over 200 items and have 8 patents. None of my inventions reached the market. And I'm not talking about simple inventions like paper clips. Back in 1983, I invented a new computer architecture that could speed up computers by over 10,000 times! I am still trying to find ANYONE willing to help develop this machine. ( Details on this at http://A3society.org inventions tab )
And yes, I have talked to many companies about it, and many GOVERNMENT agencies. None of their technical people had any concern about the technology working. The roadblock was always EXECUTIVE PROFIT! The companies told me the invention would essentially displace all the old systems they have installed at a fraction of the cost. They would lose all the maintenance money on their installed machines. That would drastically cut their company's size.
The GOVERNMENT had an even more sinister excuse. They were "research labs". Congress happily gives them BILLIONS of dollars every year to "research" better computers. Why would they want to help develop such a powerful solution! It would cut off their funding! I got the same stonewall in 1990 when the Human Genome program just started. Congress had just committed $10B to the program. I developed and DEMONSTRATED a machine that would have completed the job in 3 years for $300M. NIH kept refusing to support me. Why? They didn't want to lose the $10B. So the U.S. public paid the full bill and it took 10 more years. The government greed was finally stopped in 2000. Why? A private company, Celera, announced they had the answer.
What's my point? America's success is NOT dependent on having more capability in science, technology, engineering or math. It's dependent on preventing the greed of the LEADERS of both industry and government from blocking the capability we already have just so they can protect their PERSONAL fortunes. And who's driving the STEM program? Right! The MILITARY INDUSTRIAL complex. And who funds them? Right! WALL STREET! and CONGRESS Why are we not surprised! (Many more scandals discussed at http://A3society.org )
Great post
The past 30 years—the course of five administrations, particularly the last two, those of "W." Bush, and Obama—have witnessed a precipitous decline in America's reputation, relative affluence, cultural level, and Constitutional order. Americans have specific grievances: —Workers' rights to collective bargaining have been almost fatally compromised. Meanwhile, banks, trusts, and corporations continue to engage in collusion, combination, price-fixing, and insider trading based on privileged information, in their normal course of doing business.
—Loser banks and loser corporations have been bailed-out to the tune of trillions of dollars, while the average American taxpayer has been left to go hang. —A Fascist course has been implemented both in our foreign policy, and in our own domestic security. Torture, assassination, warrantless domestic spying, offensive/undeclared war, and wars of outright conquest, have become established tools of American Imperial statecraft. —NATO has been overly-extended into Eastern Europe, and even into western Asia, far exceeding the mandate of its "Atlanticist" Charter. In so doing it is destabilizing the region, and becoming strategically counterproductive. It is also increasing the tax burden on its member populations, while providing less in terms of relevant strategic value. NATO has grown well past the "point of diminishing returns."
In response, Americans are considering various "radical" courses of action. To begin with (but not to be limited to): —Abolish trading in most forms of "derivatives." —Revoke the monopoly status of the Federal Reserve Bank. Audit the Fed and Goldman Sachs. —Reduce or abolish the President's ability to initiate military interventions, without the explicit consent or declaration by Congress. —Reinforce the First and Fourth Amendment protections of Internet users and providers, and of political activists. —Abolish the CIA and the NSA, and their institutional cultures, as they currently exist. Prosecute those agents caught engaging in extra-legal operations. —Dissolve NATO, in favor of some other regional security arrangement.
For these reasons and others, people support and subscribe to:
OCCUPY TOLEDO,
in conjunction with:
OCCUPY WALL STREET.
http://www.occupytoledo.org/ http://www.facebook.com/occupytoledo http://www.occupytogether.org/ http://occupywallst.org/
[—Don Bolmer, Hyperboloid, 10 Oct. 2011]
Note: The contents of a flyer which I distributed at an Occupy Toledo rally on Monday, 10 October, are presented above. I hope that you will find them useful.
Don. Excellent post. This is actually a good summary of grievances. Good work.
This is what is needed!!! It is time for a 28th Amendment!! "When the people fear their government there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty" Thomas Jefferson
Amendment 28 Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators or Representatives, and Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States . Let's get this passed around, folks - these people have brought this upon themselves!!!
This is what is needed!!! It is time for a 28th Amendment!! "When the people fear their government there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty" Thomas Jefferson
Amendment 28 Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators or Representatives, and Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States . Let's get this passed around, folks - these people have brought this upon themselves!!!
Yes! Brought it upon themselves, and should never have acted in any other way. It should have been part of the original Constitution. But, the fact that it was left out is very consistent with the aristocratic control that has always been exerted over the government. The U.S. revolution may have preceded the French revolution, but they understood the root cause better. Unfortunately, people don't learn from history, and have short memories. So, now, the entire "free world" has to go through the same process all over again. Hopefully, new breakthroughs in understanding human psychology (http://A3society.org human species and language tabs ) will allow the next step to achieve longer lasting results.
Proposing:
repeal of NAFTA and CAFTA they only serve to undermine factory wages in the US and subvert agriculture prices south of the US border.
increase tariffs on Chinese imported goods since they are a communist nation with a terrible human rights track record (Taiwan is exempt)
Repeal the Federal Reserve Act and put the actual government back in charge of the monetary system, not a private group of bankers.
Repeal the Federal Income Tax and make all taxes fair and apportioned as the constitution dictates. (herm cains 9-9-9 plan is close)
All worthy of discussion. I just want to offer one word of caution. It's a timing issue. Please see this post http://occupywallst.org/forum/how-we-win-one-perspective-on-where-we-go-from-her/
This is an excellent post! So happy to see real solutions on here!! Two thumbs up!
Enforce a simple rule that any contract too complicated for the average Joes and Jills (such as those people serving on a jury trial) to comprehend shall NOT be enforced with any legal backing until they comprehend. All of those complicated derivative contracts shall become nearly impossible to enforce legally and so the masters of the universe will be discouraged to indulge in them. Of course, the masters of the universe can teach the average Joes and Jills to comprehend the contracts but we all know how world-class the U.S. has been able to educate its common people. If they succeed, we will all be better off.
Ah! Another one of those elusively complex problems! I say complex because, if we dig a little, we find a lot of different circumstances underneath. And why is that important? Because, if we don't look at them one by one, we draw overly simplified conclusions that don't address all of them.
I agree that simple rules are a good goal. I also agree that the measuring approach, comprehension by average Joes and Jills is a reasonable, practical approach.
So, let's dig a little deeper: who are these "average" Joes and Jills? And, what circumstances are the contracts trying to address?
First, let's ask what the circumstances are. The post talks about "derivative" contracts. How does the average person get involved with those? Most of those are restricted to what are called "qualified investors" (legal term for millionaires). And most of them have a clause in them that says they are complex, and warn anyone who doesn't understand all the terms, to get legal counsel. Let's put that aside for a moment.
How about a contract between a utility company and a state about constructing and operating a nuclear power plant. Is it reasonable for society to expect that any average Joe or Jill is going to ever be able to understand a contract like that? I don't think so. BUT, do we ever expect the average Joe or Jill to get involved in such a contract? Again, I don't think so.
So, where does the statement in the post really make sense? Simple. What contracts does society EXPECT the average Joe or Jill to get involved with? Those are what we should focus on. AND those should comply with the average Joe and Jill requirement. And they are easy to list: Bank loans, mortgages, rental cars, airline tickets, apartment rentals etc. There is actually an easy fix for this which I posted earlier. Here it is again:
All of the states have something called a Universal Commercial Code. So, we should implement a 2 stage process related to that:
Expand the Universal Commercial Code to cover EVERY legal situation that most citizens are expected to encounter during their life. This would include simple business formations, non-disclosure agreements, simple contracts etc.
Starting in middle school, include classes in law which are sufficient for high school graduates to handle the legal issues covered by the Code.
(This solution and others are discussed at http://A3society.org democracy tab – plural democracy)
What nearly brought down our entire financial system was the complexity of the derivatives contracts spread over myriad institutions, chopped and diced multiple times, hedged and insured against, borrowed and leveraged, used as "assets" or "collaterals", and most importantly mixed in with the government insured financial entities. The dollar values of these were astronomical (probably in the hundreds of trillions of dollars range, tens of times of the world's annual GDP). Those "qualified investors" themselves are the ones who FROZE in financing each other because they themselves could NOT figure out how much those contracts were really worth. Without coming to grips with the derivatives problem, those "qualified investors" WILL engage in the same folly again. I understand that the best fishing is done in murky waters for the wealthy but murky waters can scare everybody STIFF if anyone screams when a crocodile emerges from the murkiness and BITES. We cannot prohibit the derivatives contracts outright because they ARE vitally important for our financial system but we need to improve their safety. Letting the "qualified investors" know that they will be "saved" by a citizens' brigade that knows VERY LITTLE of the subject matter will surely discourage them from wading into the murky waters in the first place. Your educational efforts will serve the populace very well, too. That will take time but the derivatives problem will hit again much earlier than a transformed populace will emerge. Another thought is to use procrastination by our inexperienced citizens' brigade. Let them enforce the ones that they understand first and put off the ones that they do NOT understand till later or refer to a more legally sophisticated or technically literate arbitration entity. These derivatives contracts have expiration dates so delays will introduce uncertainty that will reward prudence, clarity of contracts, and penalize stupidity.
To overcome the toxic hyper-partisan atmosphere in the U.S. Congress so that it can function, the power of the two major parties to influence which politician can become the powerful chairperson of a Congressional committee needs to be curtailed. In the olden days, seniority plays a vital role but now it has become party allegiance -- how well a politician has toed the party line and united against the other party. This makes Congress dysfunctional because whoever compromised to get something done for the country becomes ostracized and commits "political suicide" unless there is a very perspicacious and patriotic constituency back home. Another helpful idea is to hold Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day barbecues for Congressional families so they have to mingle and talk to each other. The conversations will probably be more civil in the presence of their family members.
i'm sorry. We are going to solve the rampant monetary corruption and hyper-partisanship with BBQ's? blink
Rampant monetary corruption is inevitable for politicians bent on getting re-elected because they need VAST amounts of money (campaign funding) to reach voters on an EMOTIONAL level to get them to vote "properly." When voters can understand the issues without mistaking frequency and loudness of trumpeted truthiness for the truth, the need for political campaign funding will be diminished but that is highly unlikely. The other way is to balance ambition against ambition to maintain some semblance of clean government through mud-raking by politicians and the free press. Protection of whistle-blowers by the public will also help. Note that all of these require the freedom of speech so we MUST fight all forms of censorship.
Absolutely, the ultimate purpose is really about uniting our country and getting things done. Barbecues may be the ice-breaker. Unless we change our political system drastically, the fix has to come from within the democratic framework. Most voters are fixated on who the President is but in our political system, the most powerful branch of the government is the Congress. No matter how much flame is thrown from the bully pulpit, without the people holding Congress accountable, NOTHING will be changed. The trick to make Congress change is to have voters concentrate on the primaries campaigns and funding. If necessary, field your own candidates to muddy the waters. By and large, when you double the number of candidates, you greatly dilute the number of votes that the incumbent candidate will get and it makes it easy to unseat the incumbent.
Why not choose your other alternative: CHANGE OUR POLITICAL SYSTEM DRASTICALLY. It's not as if we don't have a precedent for this: throw out the whole idea of kings and monarchies and create a "government by the people"; codify things like "freedom of religion" and "freedom of speech" in our constitution; ban SLAVERY; give WOMEN the right to vote!
One of the reasons our society keeps avoiding this drastic alternative is no one with "high stature" in our society has presented any models that are truly NOVEL and PRACTICAL. But, it's not that such models don't exist. It's just that ALL of us are guilty of some of the elitist faults that we are preaching against. So, we won't even look at things unless they are proposed by some PhD at some prestigious school. Let's change that. Let's provide a FORUM for these alternative ideas to come out. An example is the NEW form of democracy presented on my website, http://A3society.org , under the democracy tab – plural democracy. I also discuss a model for collecting, organizing and protecting those ideas ( government tab ).
We had a bailout for the banks, big businesses, and homeowners in default, but where is the bailout for student loans with interest rates that are skyrocketing the total amount of debt? How can we pay back our student loans with no jobs, chronic unemployment, and the rising cost of living/food/bills?
If someone is lucky enough to find a job, the wages are not rising with the cost of living and inflation. Governments, tolls, taxes, fees, and companies are raising the bills for average Americans, yet the salary for average Americans is actually going down because they have to pay more and more for benefits and healthcare. Workers and unemployed graduates do not have endless cash on hand to pay raising bills of others. We understand that governments need more revenue, but workers are not endless ATMs.
Chapter 7 bankruptcy needs to discharge student loans easier without the high hurdles to jump through to prove undue hardship. This economy and recession IS undue hardship.
I like the list of demands above. They are realistic and doable. But there needs to be one more overriding demand. That people in power behave ETHICALLY. There is nothing wrong with the system. The problem is, the people we give the power to are always looking for ways to "beat" the system. This is wrong. There has to be some kind of way to legislate ethics better than what we have now. Changes mean nothing if people in power just figure out a way to get around it again in 5 or 10 years. This is what we need to put our minds together and figure out.
I like the list of demands above. They are realistic and doable. But there needs to be one more overriding demand. That people in power behave ETHICALLY. There is nothing wrong with the system. The problem is, the people we give the power to are always looking for ways to "beat" the system. This is wrong. There has to be some kind of way to legislate ethics better than what we have now. Changes mean nothing if people in power just figure out a way to get around it again in 5 or 10 years. This is what we need to put our minds together and figure out.
I LOVE #8 I totally support that. I don't know how to add this either, but people should be able to re-negotiate their mortgages with their banks. They should NOT be told no because their loan has been bundled and sold. I would like a change that my bank can't give away my loan without my approval.
Please STOP Geoengineering - Moratorium at UN Ministerial in Japan Risky Climate Techno-fixes – In a landmark consensus decision, the 193-member UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will close its tenth biennial meeting with a de facto moratorium on geoengineering projects and experiments. “Any private or public experimentation or adventurism intended to manipulate the planetary thermostat will be in violation of this carefully crafted UN consensus,” stated Silvia Ribeiro, Latin American Director of ETC Group. The agreement, reached during the ministerial portion of the two-week meeting which included 110 environment ministers, asks governments to ensure that no geoengineering activities take place until risks to the environment and biodiversity and associated social, cultural and economic impacts have been appropriately considered. The CBD secretariat was also instructed to report back on various geoengineering proposals and potential intergovernmental regulatory measures.
Please Consider adding: Please Enact NESARA Law (details here: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-687532 ) You may now sign the petition on the White House Website to enact NESARA Law here: https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#%21/petition/announce-and-implement-national-economic-security-and-reformation-act-nesara/GrQ0cm26 NESARA was signed into Law on Oct 10, 2000 by Bill Clinton and it dissolves the FED, dissolves the IRS, forgives all mortgage and credit card debt and gives reparations for illegal bank practices of $10 million per each woman man and child in every country. The gold is in caches waiting to be distributed. It restores metals based currency and taxes only new items. The case was won in the Supreme Court and these are the damages. It began with the Black Farmers cases. All the research is there on the link. The authors of NESARA Law and Congress and Judges under a gag order. Sign the petition to have President Obama ENACT NESARA Law. The 13 Trillion given to the banks will be rememdied. NESARA Law has provisions for arrest of criminal bankers, traders, judges and congress members who have held it up and kept it secret. President Obama supports it and needs us to ask him to do it. Thank you for your help!
Enacting NESARA Law brings us to Peace, Prosperity and world Unity....Thank You, I signed the White House NESARA Law Petition!
PLEASE Add NESARA Law to the list of Demands to Congress!
Spread far and wide! Sign the NESARA Law Petition at the White House, and we'll have done our part to "push" President Obama to Announce and Enact NESARA Law! Thank You again, etrutwin!
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#%21/petition/announce-and-implement-national-economic-security-and-reformation-act-nesara/GrQ0cm26
If we want to "end the influence of money over our representatives" we must enact legislation that limits or eliminates LOBBYING and CORPORATE CAMPAIGN DONATIONS. The public should be made aware of the various private interests that have funded/continue to fund the political careers of elected officials.
Our government is supposed to be a republic of THE PEOPLE. Rather, it is a republic in which representatives are incentivized to protect the interest groups that pressure them most--this pressure is achieved by the threat of cutting off the flow of campaign dollars. Therefore, our government is a republic of THE WEALTHY--the groups who can afford to ensure that their interests are protected.
The wealthy make large private donations to official's campaigns and use lobbyists to ensure that they have an unequal say in the political systems. As a result, we, the other 99% of the population, all have diminished participatory capacity. WE WANT OUR GOVERNMENT BACK. The only way to get it back is to restructure the incentive scheme of elected officials. If we can reduce the ability of corporations to fund politicians we will redirect politician's interest to serving THE PEOPLE.
I propose the Campaign-Budget Act that limits campaign spending for politicians and the amount that can be donated by private parties. If politicians do not depend on serving corporate interests in order to achieve reelection, corporate interests will only be supported by the actual proportion of voters that they represent. OTHERWISE "DEMOCRACY" IS ONLY A EUPHEMISM. For now, we can settle on calling it a "drachma-cracy", coming from the Greek words for "rule by money"...
This is the wrong approach.
Demands, like leaders or spokespeople would kill the OWS movement, because it would betray the very ethos of OWS and the demands would be politicised and used against OWS.
Let OWS just unfold - this is the most powerful Movement ever and must survive.
Canada has lower personal & corporate taxes, but more services like:
-1 year paid maternal leave for new mothers -Universal health care -Canadaian Pension Plan -Employment insurance -Subsidized daycare services
Just to name a few. And although we are routinely labelled "socialists" because of these value added services, we still have more millionaires per capita and a much more equitable wealth distribution than the 'capitalists' in the USA... Here's hoping these protests will force everyone down there to wake up and realize your politicians and the corrupt business leaders that put them in power are robbing you blind.
Specific demand lists are a distraction and a trap. America is angry, people don't necessarily know exactly WHAT they are angry about.
Specifics give people too many reasons to disagree. We need to use people's anger to mobilize support for very broad objectives and changes.
DEMANDS - Occupy Wall Street
Does It Anger You The Wealthiest 1% of America Pays A Much Lower Tax Rate Than The Rest Of Us? Hedge fund managers making $100 million a year, as many do, pay a 15% income tax on their yearly earnings while the rest of us pay much higher tax rates. We Have Gross Tax Inequality in America.
Over the past 30 years, the income of the top 1% of our nation has exploded while salaries and income for the rest of us, the other 99%, have remained stagnant or declined. We Have Gross Income Inequality in America.
There Has Been A Huge Transfer Of Wealth Away From The Middle Class To The Super Wealthy. This allows people like the Koch brothers to buy legislators and pass more laws that are favorable to them. We Have Gross Economic Inequality in America. Where There Is Gross Economic Inequality There Is No Justice.
In 2004 Assistant FBI Director Chris Swecker warned of EPIDEMIC mortgage fraud in our country but he was denied funds to investigate and prosecute it. To date, NONE of the people who are responsible for the destruction of our economy, and who profited from its destruction, have been prosecuted. The FBI prefers to focus on marijuana cases rather than mortgage fraud.
The United States is the ONLY major industrialized country in the world without universal healthcare. Our Healthcare System Is Almost Twice As Expensive As Other Major Countries And Ranks Worse Than 40th In The World In Terms of Quality.
Why? Our healthcare system is run by for-profit corporations for the benefit of their shareholders and not for the good of our citizens.
Our Country Is Run By Corporations For Their Benefit. The media, which is supported by large corporate advertisers, does not tell us the truth for fear of losing advertising revenue.
Did you know our country is borrowing over 40% of our budget? This is largely to pay for foreign wars. People Who Profit From Wars, Promote Wars.
The same people want to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits to pay for our bloated defense budget. Social Security and Medicare did NOT cause our huge budget deficits or our big increases in debt. Expensive foreign wars caused our financial problems.
Protect Social Security Solvency. Eliminate The $106,000 Cap On Social Security Taxes So High Earners Pay Their Fair Share.
Tax law changes dating back to the 1980's encouraged American companies to move jobs overseas. We need to change those laws immediately and Bring High Quality Jobs Back To America.
Occupy Wall Street has been criticized for not stating their demands. The truth is, the list is so long that it boggles the mind! We must focus on energizing and educating America about what is happening. We need to get the movement going because there is so much that must be done.
Our DEMANDS can be summarized very simply: Government By The People And For The People... Not just for corporations and the super wealthy. We hear, But they have all the money and the power. We Have The Votes And The 99% Is Too Big To Fail! Get interested and informed about what is really happening to America and join us.
Michele Moore ReportingWrongdoing.com
I do love America... for a lot of reasons... but number one on the list is for what all of the people behind this movement are doing: standing for FREEDOM, TRUTH and JUSTICE.
I'd like to see in addition to these (the first of which is the most immediate change I believe needs to be made) a sales tax of 0.1% on all securities purchases/trades. If people want to end speculative practices, this is the way to do it.
Another film that should be added to the "must-see" list is MONEY AS DEBT : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc3sKwwAaCU
1) Corporations do not have the same or more rights than people. They do not vote. 2) No lobbying, period. What's good for "business" should not be given more weight than what's good for citizens.
And more a comment than a demand, echoing something someone else said, we are CITIZENS, not CONSUMERS.
Seperate all different departments of fraud, from one another, SEC people cannot work at the CFTC, cannot work for Govt. Agency, cannot work at FINRA, cannot work at FED. The revolving door has as much as anything, to do with how these disasters work out. A number of people, know the sytem from being an intracate part, of the whole. Without this comradeship, and "fellowship", so much would not be possibe, gaming the system.
Since the financial system seems to think, they've a right to, and only ones knowledgeable for, directing the future health of the U.S. economy(they really just want to game the system!), then the Financial system could be treated as whole, individual org.,,, without the ability to say.. it was some eles fault.
The way to start, is like any private company would handle different depts. and ACTUALL seperate these depts as in NO TRANFERS.. to other depts.
Each "area", operations(trading) cannot hire lobbyidsts,, accountants from Finra, legal dept cannot hire from SEC ect. Each must train from scratch or be stuck in that dept. or quit(Wall Street). Thr friendship factor would drop dramaticly, the I've got a friend to pay back with a tip ect.. I have to let this guy get away with that because he did for me or my friend. We needpeople in jobs whom are afraid of getting caught, gaming the system.
Now none of this will happen because that's how Wall Street and the Bank, Finra Sec CFTC ect ect work.. but a person can dream.
TERM LIMITATIONS for all congresspersons and senators so we aren't stuck with the same old corrupt greedy officials decade after decade. END THE FEDERAL RESERVE - our currency should be backed by gold and silver not worthless paper. HEALTH INSURANCE OVERHAUL - our health insurance should cost something but it shouldn't make people go hungry, lose their homes, or not get medical help because it is so darn expensive. TAX OVERHAUL- everyone, including the ultra-wealthy, should have to pay their fair share of taxes and not be able to buy their way out of it, or buy loopholes making their share smaller, or be able to buy off governernment officials who can write laws for them making them wealthier and us (the 99%) poorer.
Your living in a dream world I hope you don't think that all these demands will be met, some maybe but not all. then when they are not will you turn to violence?
I am taken aback at how sensible, reasonable and coherent this list of proposals is. Its in marked contrast to the way this has been presented in the corporate media.
There must be a term limit for Senators as well as is the case with the office of the President. Some of these people are on there for decades and cultivate vested interests.
Someone has probably already stated this but we really need an overhaul on how lending works. There needs to be a reinstatement and vast improvement of consumer protections from predatory lending (especially for student loans, where any and all consumer protections have been stripped). The system of capitalization of interest (USURY) needs to be outlawed.
tax cuts for middle class , rebuild America bridges and roads , invest in middle class not banking class by raising minimum wages thats the occupy wall street message
If you want to make a real difference donate to Elizabeth Warren's Senate Campaign. All of Wall Street is not broken and she can help pass common-sense regulations that will curb the most egregious practices. Scott Brown (her opponent) has a $10M war chest thanks largely to out of state Tea Partiers and opponents of Healthcare Reform. Here is the link: https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/elizabethwarren?refcode=splash_thx
Hilarious.
Someone has probably already stated this but we really need an overhaul on how lending works. There needs to be a reinstatement and vast improvement of consumer protections from predatory lending (especially for student loans, where any and all consumer protections have been stripped). The system of capitalization of interest (USURY) needs to be outlawed.
Someone has probably already stated this but we really need an overhaul on how lending works. There needs to be a reinstatement and vast improvement of consumer protections from predatory lending (especially for student loans, where any and all consumer protections have been stripped). The system of capitalization of interest (USURY) needs to be outlawed.
you right but its hard for people to hear you all the way down hear.
(to sunlover) - the best way to do this, is to accomplish - from a complete - political independent perspective - a return of our country to banning lobbyism. Ever since lobbyism was made legal - it has caused problems - many of the legislation you see that is stuffed with little payouts here and there -were actually written by lobbyists. If we disintermediate our political system, and bring back the concept that we as Americans should be represented by our statesmen - and not hold the institutions of governance accountable to lobbies - but instead, to us - there will ultimately be a direct (ie. 21st century - modern social networking/web based) facility for us to work with our congressmen on laws that are much simpler in context and scope - and for which the requirement that the six or ten lobbies who helped write it do not need to be paid out of the same process. If we continue to accept the influence and role of lobbyists, we will continue to see legislative bloat and irresponsive governance - as a result of the occlusion of their interests with that of the polity
1. You people are funny. If you want credibility, you could start by learning to write properly. As it is, Fox's parodied description of your demands seems more credible that the pseudo-intellectual brilliance posted here. http://nation.foxnews.com/occupy-wall-street/2011/10/04/read-demands-occupy-wall-street-and-try-not-laugh
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2. Gain some consensus so that people have something to sign. Please go with the suggestions listed on Fox because they are funny.
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3. Start picking out some cool outfits for Halloween. We want to be entertained when we watch you on television.
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4. How about body paint?
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5. Get Michael Moore down there to get some valuable opinions for his next documentary. Make sure to interview the college dropouts, druggies, Jew haters, people on welfare, and flaming homosexuals in particular.
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6. You need a mascot. How about the Genie from Aladdin?
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7. Some PETA models. They are amazing.
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8. Start inoculating yourselves now against pepper spray. Start with Jalapenos, work your way up to Habeneros, and then try spot-testing with weak mace. You'll need it when you get a bit angrier and the police show up.
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That should do it for now. If you need any more tips, send me a private message. No sexting.
It appears that Fox wasn't writing a parody. These were real demands from somewhere. This is really great.
When the movement gets so big that we're chanting "We are the 99%" in your backyard I hope you remember the words you types where you chose to make fun of us...
How about an amendment to the U.S. Constitiion that the President may not go to war without the approval of Congress
For all the poster citing Switzerland style government: The Swiss have 7.9 million people and somethings only work in small enough groups.
1) I would rather have an open type primary, with the top 2 vote getters going on to the final election. Parties can nominate who ever they want, but pay for it themselves and all voters, regardless of affiliation, can vote for whoever they want in the new "Primary" 2) I don't think any 1 citizen should be able to have a ballot initiative or challenge to a law, by their lonesome. There would be millions of these every election in the US.
BTW - I agree with 1,3,4,5,6 and 8 from above.
2 should be part of #5. Fully funded and staffed enforcement of our banking and investment laws, to protect all participants.
Meta comments on the proposed platform.
Reinstating rational Glass-Steagall provisions makes some sense, but remember that it is essential to create liquidity in the economy....and this is only accomplished by allowing Wall Street firms to sell mortgage derivatives. There is no other way to create the liquidity needed to reinflate real estate and it is absolutely essential to re-inflate real estate in order to restore the economy.
Forget about prosecuting the Wall Street criminals. This gets us nothing but a reputation of being Jacobins in disguise.
Move on.
Imploring Congress to to reverse the effects of the Citizens United decision is pointless. The Supreme Court has already ruled on the constitutionality in the Citzens United matter. Any law passed by Congress wiil be dead on arrival at SCOTUS. What is needed, and the only thing that will survival SCOTUS reversal, is a Constitutional Amendment. Good luck with that.
The Buffett tax reform plan is dead on arrival. It's a paper tiger. What needs to be done is simply to eliminate the special interest loopholes in the tax code and then increase the rate itself. It is a matter of objective fact that tax cuts have only corresponded with job growth on five occasions over the past 88 years, but has corresponded with job losses on eight occasions. Tax increases have had the exact opposite correlations. Broadening the tax categories, creating more categories, and increasing the tax rates on the higher income categories will re-inflate the economy faster than a Buffett bill.
There's nothing wrong with the SEC. There was a lot wrong with the management of the SEC. This is an administrative matter. Fire the bums and hire fresh ones.
It is impossible to limit the influence of lobbyists without limiting free speech. Do you really want to do that? You can't restrict the free speech of only one segment of society. That's totalitarianism.
Good idea. Uninforcible. Better plan: penalties imposed on companies that hire former government regulators....forever. Once you have served in government, you should be banned from working in the industry you once regulated.
Personhood of corporations is covered twice in this list of demands.
And now for something completely different.
The essence of our financial debacle came when the mortgage lenders began to tighten qualification requirements. When you make it more difficult to get a mortgage, you ensure that real estate values will go down. Fewer buyers means lower prices.
Roll back mortgage qualification requirements to 2003 standards BUT at the same time, outlaw 15 and 30 year mortgages and require lenders to write 45 and 60 year mortgages. This will instantly make mortgages more affordable, which increases the number of people qualified for mortgages, hence increasing the number of potential purchases which equals the re-infaltion of housing values. This will result in more new construction, more construction workers put back to work, more raw material purchases and consequent growth of the economy.
This is the old hair of the dog approach. We were burned to a crisp by cheap mortgage money, and the only way to heal that damage is with MORE CHEAP MORTGAGE MONEY.
BTW, this also works for underwriting the national debt. Start issuing 100 year bonds. Investors will buy them like hot cakes. The interest will be abomitable. The inevitable result, however, will be a permanently sustainable economy.
Rolling back environ regs, tax cuts for the wealthy, union busting -- these are being done by the right to help the rich. And it goes on and on .... Its all justified for "job creation." But thats just a convenient smoke screen for their biases, selfishness, and attempts to rebrand the GOP
Rolling back environ regs, tax cuts for the wealthy, union busting -- these are being done by the right to help the rich. And it goes on and on .... Its all justified for "job creation." But thats just a convenient smoke screen for their biases, selfishness, and attempts to rebrand the GOP
Ban labor unions from contributing to political camaigns and also ban unions from forcing workers to join them
Ban labor unions from contributing to political camaigns and also ban unions from forcing workers to join them
Someone has probably already stated this but we really need an overhaul on how lending works. There needs to be a reinstatement and vast improvement of consumer protections from predatory lending (especially for student loans, where any and all consumer protections have been stripped). The system of capitalization of interest (USURY) needs to be outlawed.
publicly funded elections need to be the #1 demand and the only demand focused on first. pfe will greatly reduce big money influence in govt and the need for even honest politicians to corrupt their morality with pay to play.politicians will then be more responsive to voters and have more time to work on the rest of the demands. if we throw all our weight behind one single demand first, it will be met the fastest. if anything happens to this movement and we only get one shot, it needs to be the one with the biggest positive effect. if we survive longer, the rest of the demands will be easier after we are dealing with more honest politicians.
Stop Corporate Greed & the puppets in Government who do their bidding in the name of the mighty dollar... people are supposed to run this country, not those with more dollars than sense. None of those top executives would be wealthy without regular, real people doing the real work. If big corporations paid fair wages we wouldn't have such an "entitlement burden". Want to cut back on welfare, taxes, food stamps, etc? Make those who are stealing the hopes and dreams of America pay a fair wage. Protect our planet and it's resources. This also comes down to Corporate Greed. The planet is a gift to all of us. I want our children, and grandchildren to beable to breathe, grow food, and drink water that hasn't been poisoned so that a few people can be rich. Wake up people! We are being robbed blind! Those who defend capitalism in all it's ugliness might want to think about why our country has become a Plutocracy instead of a Democracy. This has gone on too long. There is a better way, task our officials to find the right road!... before they finish us all off. I am a grandma with 5 grandkids, I lost my job 3 years ago & can't even get an interview lately. Things have to get better or they will get much, much worse. I plan to join the protest, and push my husbands wheelchair as he feels the same way. Please do not give up! This is the kind of thing that really made our country great in the first place. I really believe inequity is what is really killing our country and future. I am so glad the discussion is starting. Thank you!
The occupy Wal-Street. Is basically not what some people think of it. What it really is. Is a cornocopia - Grecian middle way - of respect for Grecian order. That being said let me have people find out why it is really happening. The understatment of occupy ----
The tragedy can make itself in many ways. However the way it this is going. You can see Greece itself coming apart. Greece is a place that does not like being ruled by forgein entity. Never will be. However a place a people can be taken by stealth. That is what is trying to be felt out in all of this. Are we at someone elses direction? You might understand. Is our labor our labors are they owned by someone else. Well of course they are.
You can look and see the struggle to get out from under all of that. Grecians have a great capacity for building. You look at all the wonderful structures. The materials finished. Of course usually are not by them. However the putting together and building of them are. That ability - complimented. What they really understand is that the labor that built is an ongoing thing. That ability to build does not end up in having anything. Gone like water quickly threw their hands ending up in endless labors for others. KEEP BUILDING MORE FOR US. YOUR NOT GOING TO STOP. SOUNDS LIKE SLAVERY TO ME. True some may have but the greater majority that labored end up with little or not much. The not much that is given requires endless doing for the people who provide the material and credit. It could wear a person out.
The underpin of the -occupy- is that we are tired of being swindled out of our labor and what could be ours.. Another words your throwing up in the face. Of the slick talking confidence people who have stolen from you continually. Not just the bailout - which is just another clever device. The MAD - OFF. Which is delared by the interest sucking financial news and news another group of deluded people that work for a few goodies. That owe the rest of their life including pensions to the people they have to labor for THEIR ENTIRE LIVES. Hell, Who wants to do that. See. See how occupy is basically not frustration. NOT LOOKING FOR JUST JOBBIES. THEY REALLY DEEP DOWN DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT A BAILOUT. What they really want to do is whip the crap out of the people that have kept their labor with their endless swindels. Have nothing of their labor now. The swindlers keep everything of their labor. Throw them out of the house. No more food or credit. Thats what happens when you they take your jobbie. Then you finally figure out they owned you. Well hell you were born into it. Well really you don't know what to do - Mr owned customer service, Wal-Fart checker. Stock Broker is really more akin to cattle rustler. They don't know WTF to do either. Nor does the realtor, auto mechanic or anything else of a jobbie you can name. Nothing to do but go whip the crap out of the closest thing that resmbles your former owner. In many cases your not stopping at what was called your boss --- owned also. Your going as near as you can get to the bastards that stole your life.
Some do know how to build. Start doing it for yourself. Instead of some fast talking swindelling jackasses. Otherwise it's not that hard to learn how to build. Don't ask others, do it for you.
These are just people. Of their own people. However people that are starting to recognize. Hey these people that keep us involved in all of this bs are taking up our entire lives we are sick and tired of giving all of our valuble time to them. We are doing this as a people. Make no mistake. However the other part that keeps selling these people out to the swindelers think they are doing good when in fact they are owned. Problem solved get rid of the bastard swindlers any way that can be done. This entirely is not a bad people. Just a people being used in some really bad ways. They are looking for a pat on the head. Forget it pat. Keep going until you get somewhere. With your own
4.CONGRESS PASS FAIR TAXATION. ABOLISH ALL LOOPHOLES, EXEMPTIONS AND INCOME TAXES. REPLACE IT WITH A FLAT SALES TAX EXCEPT FOR NON-PREPARED FOOD AND LIFE DEPENDENT MEDICINE. - It is not "fair" if we charge one citizen 40% while another pays nothing. Wealth status will no longer be used as justification to discriminate. Hereby, a fair system is one where the citizen voluteers to pay taxes through consumption. The more he spends the more he choses to give to the government. Equal taxation is a civil right. Targeting a citizen with higher taxes, or granting entitlements based on wealth status is segregation.
This list should be morphed into a List of Grievances, and a SINGLE DEMAND to CONVENE A CONSTITUTIONAL CONGRESS (per Article 5 of the Constitution) on July 4th, 2012 should be made for the purpose of addressing those Grievances. Cut though the complexity and the minutiae, and drive home a single, very powerful demand that can solve all the problems at once! This is the solution, as it is an oganizational boon.
This discussion is all over the place, and emblematic of disorganization. Can we just all agree that Article 5 of the Constitution was written precisely for times like these?? Let's take advantage of it!
Corporations should not be able to own other corporations.
We also need to have a flat percentage tax, this way every one pays a fair share.
also wasteful government jobs need to be eliminated, most government jobs do not produce a valuable object that can be exported, it is more important to enable companies to create jobs the produce net worth objects for export. Creating hundreds of thousands of government jobs that produce nothing to export is wasteful. Then "tax recycling" happens, this is where the government worker it taxed to pay his own pay check.
Also, make it an ethical violation for a member of congress to sign an oath that limits their ability to exercise free & independent judgment on behalf of the people, i.e.: the Grover Norquist never raise taxes oath signed by republicans
Make demands on Congress all you want, but they will fall on deaf ears as long as Congress is filled with democrat and republic corporate stooges. What I'd love to see is all this energy directed at recruiting and financing independent candidates for public office. If we can sweep all the Rs and Ds into the dustbin of history, we might see some real changes. My idea for one way to start would be a real implementation of this prototype web page: http://home.comcast.net/~tomhorsley/gotstogo/index.html
How about complete nationalization of all natural resources (including fuel sales, lumber sales, etc) to prevent the control of our resources by a select few. ...Better yet, how about the complete nationalization of all corporations. Let the people of America decide what they want to buy through the power of democracy. And then on top of that....they should enact FDR's 2nd bill of rights.
...or, we may need to just throw our system out the window and start a new society. Rewrite our constitution, reform our government, and start the second republic of the United States of America.
Big government is a good thing when it is working for you. This is a luxury the 1% have enjoyed for quite some time. Now that they are all established and we are wanting the government to work for us, suddenly they pay their media and republicans to sell us this idea of reduced government.
In this sense, it's a little redundant to have demands. I would suspect that any policy maker knows exactly what needs to be done, but they are paid a lot of money by the 1% to not do it or to do the opposite.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to address: -Redistricting (I feel has contributed to partisan gridlock) -Closed vs. Open primaries
Does anyone have any ideas on how to address: -Redistricting (I feel has contributed to partisan gridlock) -Closed vs. Open primaries
Gerrymandering is the only word we have for this. We need a new word or phrase that describes and explains it in a way that is vivid for people. Ideas?
I agree with all this stuff.
I agree with all the 8 basic demands but again I have to say there is a way to put everyone one the same page from the ditch digger to the Corporate Executive I think getting the people who caused this out of positions of influence is the most important. nationalday911.org visit the site I think there are deas that can be incorporated into this that may help. WWW.nationalday.org
I do believe somthing that has been missed over is the huge amount of American citizens being jailed for non-violent offenses here in America. I believe if we are going to stay true to our common man values we need to fight for those that cant fight the fight with us.
What if the majority organized a world wide money pull out day. On Facebook or something. Where we targeted all the major banks and pulled out on the same day?
Congress rejected the jobs bill/CNBC makes fun of the movement. Why? Because there is no central demand. Here it is;
DEMAND ALL MEMBERS OF CONGRESS RESIGN.
Simple right to the point. Concise. Powerful. Easy.
paparazzinc.com
Have to stop Oil speculation and the ability for Wall Street to continue to trade in Oil futures and run up the price of Oil. That is what is killing the economy. We continue to sacrifice financially so Wall Street profits and Greed can increase.
I think the ideas are generally good steps. but none of them really deal with the root of the problem. Which is that too much money in the hand of individuals is a recipe for corruption and abuse of democracy.
The best way to change it is to enforce a WEALTH LIMIT of say 20 million. no individual needs more than that to live a comfortable life. If they have excess then they have to give it away to people with less or have it automatically shared to all. it would redistribute wealth to the 99 and get the economy going again the mechanics of enforcement maybe a challenge initially but over time woud go global. see the molecularlism charter, article 6: http://www.molecularism.com/test.htm (jump to article 6)
The first two articles of the constitution need to be amended to limit all senate and house members to 1 term. The president should also be limited to 1 term but that term should be increased to hold the office for 6 years. No ellected official should be able to resign or run for a higher office while holding a seat.
These would help protect that the corruption would not take place. Revolving seats keeps that from happening.
No lobbyist period. I just want to add one thing, why are we asking the very establishment to give us an inch? Fuck them, I'm taking the entire mile! Vote them all out. Vote in those who share our views. Then we don't have to ask for nothing. Stop giving them money. Stop paying credit, default on everything. Let this country see what it created so we can begin fixing it. I'm tired of living off the poor mans money (credit) I want my fair share damn it. The companies I work for make millions, lay us off, move over seas, pay us low pay, fuck'em all.
I didn't read this word for word, but I think we need to be more clear: CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM. It's not just about overturning Citizens United, because things were already pretty dire before that came about. By revoking corporate personhood and banning corporate donations to political funds we'll go a very long way, but if the Koch brothers continue to be able to spend as much as they want in an election, they will. We need to reverse this idea that money = free speech. If you have less money, you have less free speech as a matter of definition. That's patently anti-American.
The wording of the site needs to be updated. It reads loosely like a high school paper on civil rights. Since there are various reasons that people are participating in this protest I would suggest only the more generally ideas by the group be presented. Detailing potential legislation I think is a great idea. Also, please post the following link above so people can educated themselves on current financial crisis: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CD4QFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gpoaccess.gov%2Ffcic%2Ffcic.pdf&rct=j&q=Financial%20Crisis%20Inquiry%20Commission&ei=W8eVTo-UPMqbtwe2krTyBg&usg=AFQjCNEvD8ZJgTSDGYy791Ep9vkQ9lV2yg&sig2=suBCEoRISbSL1afpRwkFww&cad=rja
I do believe somthing that has been missed over is the huge amount of American citizens being jailed for non-violent offenses here in America. I believe if we are going to stay true to our common man values we need to fight for those that cant fight the fight with us.
To address the lack of organization and focus.....I think there should be an ongoing protest and boycott of the Banking and financial industry.In addition we should pick a corporation and boycott the corporation nation wide for 2 weeks,and then pick another corporation.The next corporation to be targeted should only be announces a few days in advance in order not to give the corporation time to prepare.As these boycotts have effect,all the corporations will be worried if they will be next on the list.
I do believe somthing that has been missed over is the huge amount of American citizens being jailed for non-violent offenses here in America. I believe if we are going to stay true to our common man values we need to fight for those that cant fight the fight with us.
First, please watch spelling and the ways you express yourself in the "Proposed List of Demands" and other OWS documents. We cannot afford to come off sounding unsophisticated. I'm NOT talking about sounding snobby or elitist. I'm talking about presenting ourselves in a mature, well-educated manner, so as to be taken seriously by all the various persons, groups, and media we are seeking to impact. Second, I would also like to express my dismay that, within the blogs and other written submissions by the OWS organizers, there is the intention of ending this movement after 2 months has passed since day 1. Two months' "distraction" by the OWS protests is WAY TOO EASY for Wall Street, and the others the protests are supposed to impact, to ignore! OWS, and the protests cropping up nationally and internationally, MUST CONTINUE! Social media is a key avenue to keep this movement going & growing until it becomes bigger than the Civil Rights Movement - bigger than any civil movement in history! Let that be our intent: to become TOO BIG TO FAIL!
First, please watch spelling and the ways you express yourself in the "Proposed List of Demands" and other OWS documents. We cannot afford to come off sounding unsophisticated. I'm NOT talking about sounding snobby or elitist. I'm talking about presenting ourselves in a mature, well-educated manner, so as to be taken seriously by all the various persons, groups, and media we are seeking to impact. Second, I would also like to express my dismay that, within the blogs and other written submissions by the OWS organizers, there is the intention of ending this movement after 2 months has passed since day 1. Two months' "distraction" by the OWS protests is WAY TOO EASY for Wall Street, and the others the protests are supposed to impact, to ignore! OWS, and the protests cropping up nationally and internationally, MUST CONTINUE! Social media is a key avenue to keep this movement going & growing until it becomes bigger than the Civil Rights Movement - bigger than any civil movement in history! Let that be our intent: to become TOO BIG TO FAIL!
First, please watch your spelling and the ways express yourself in the "Proposed List of Demands" and other OWS documents. If we want to be taken seriously, we can't have misspelled words, or use "there" when we mean "their", for example, within the written material we want to deliver to Congress, and others, to right wrongs as is Occupy Wall Street's purpose. We also need to watch using phrases like "This will blow you away!" We cannot afford to come off sounding unsophisticated. I'm NOT talking about sounding snobby or elitist. I'm talking about presenting ourselves in a mature, well-educated manner, so as to be taken seriously by all the various persons, groups, and media we are seeking to impact by our movement. Second, I would also like to express my consternation and dismay that, within the blogs and other written submissions I have read by the OWS organizers, there is the intention of ending this movement after 2 months has passed since day 1. Two months' "distraction" by the OWS protests is WAY TOO EASY for Wall Street, and the others the protests are supposed to impact, to ignore! OWS, and the protests cropping up nationally and internationally MUST CONTINUE! Social media is a key avenue to keep this movement going & growing - until it becomes bigger than the Civil Rights Movement - bigger than any civil movement in history! Let that be our intent: to become TOO BIG TO FAIL!
I love Elizabeth Warren and Brooksley Born.
I resent being treated like a criminal . Meaning having to submit to background checks for everything. Just to put my maiden name on my drivers license I had to jump through ridiculous hoops. Ever since the twin towers incident we are all treated like potential criminals.
Look, you are talking about court decisions/write in ballots/new laws/etc/etc.... silly stuff. Wall st is gonna 'negotiate' with you? Com'on.. nobody fears this movement, face it. Because you have no demand. One demand everybody can rally around. I just gave you it.
DEMAND ALL MEMBERS OF CONGRESS RESIGN.
This EVERYONE can understand. Everyone. Easy. Simple. Powerful.
--paparazzinc.com
Part of the reason why we're in such deep sh*t is b/c of the operating costs of the government.
Unlike a corporation, our government has no motivation to shrink in size, no mandate to run lean. We have hundreds of thousands of government employees with excellent benefits, people living longer, departments constantly growing and people building their fiefdoms of influence.
We also should think about what corporations are about - they want the lowest cost of production at the highest profits. That's what they are designed to do. Our current tax laws, while there are loopholes, don't motivate companies to stay in any particular state or in the USA at all.
Taxing them more out of the gate will only drive more companies overseas.
First we need to shrink government, get rid of it's own dead weight and overhead, and make it run LEAN. Based on the lean government, they then need to recalculate it's operating budget requirements, and adjust the taxation accordingly.
Corporations shouldn't be taxed more, it will only drive them away. We should instead close loopholes that prevent money from flowing to shareholders or owners or it's employees, i.e., keep the companies from hoarding the money inside the corporation, and just focus all our taxation on individuals.
OR
We should just have a consumption tax for everyone (including corporations).
I realized today in a no-duh moment that yes corporations have all of my rights PLUS limited liability. That means they supersede humans. It's not that they have personhood, they have personhood and more. That's f*cked up.
[Open Letter To Occupy Wall Street]
"Occupy Wall Street," should have a very simple message to Congress.
"No jobs for us, no jobs for you!"
Here's the link http://blackstarnews.com/news/135/ARTICLE/7698/2011-10-11.html
A GREAT set of demands, but why stop there?! Let's add some more! Here's what I would add:
Repeal the Patriot Act! End domestic warrantless surveillance of US citizens! End the wars! Decrease our military budget! Push forward a Single Payer health plan! Restore Habeas Corpus! Close Gitmo and other secret US prisons! End torture! Meaningful Copyright reform! Push for more Green Energy! Environmental reform, with a focus on combating global warming! Audit the Federal Reserve!
Feel free to add your own!
I have two ideas to add to the great list that has been built so far. These are a far reach for sure, but wouldn’t it be nice… To hold public office you cannot be: A. a Millionaire or B. A lawyer.
I have two ideas to add to the great list that has been built so far. These are a far reach for sure, but wouldn’t it be nice… To hold public office you cannot be: A. a Millionaire or B. A lawyer.
All movements/pritests need ONe demand that everyone can get behind and a demand that instantly causes fear: Here it is.
DEMAND ALL MEMBERS OF CONGRESS RESIGN.
This one demand covers everything from congress to ownership of congress by corporate interests....What are you gonna do with this?
--paparazzinc.com
Term Limits for Congress and the Senate would be great.
That Congress restore the original Federal Reserve Bank mandate to ensure only the integrity of commercial banking institutions. Specifically, to prevent further backdoor bailouts of investment banks, insurance companies, auto companies, state governments, and sovereign nations. Specifically, to ensure proper functioning of the traditional banking system, that depositors are protected, not that banks 'investments' or 'risk taking' activities are protected or bailed out. Specifically, that the Fed's mandate exclude the goal of full employment. Specifically, that the Fed be prevented from insuring, accepting as collateral, or guaranteeing any financial instrument other than ordinary bank deposits.
The intertwined nature of our finances is compounded by recently expanded fed powers, resulting in a system that 'must be supported at any cost.' This is by design. By engraining their interest in the heart of the financial system, speculators, hedge funds, and poorly managaged governments have jeopardized the most basic necessity of a modern society.
Hi,
Will these demands be part of move your money day? I think #5 and #6 need to be broken down into specific steps (legislation) and no. 8 should be higher on the list.
TACTICS: To use the song "Power to the People" by John Lennon as the movement's anthem
DEMANDS FOR CONGRESS:
What was wrong w/ that last one when talking about something being withheld in defiance to "the Freedom of Information Act" when it could possibly bring reunification of something wrongly third-ed (Torah/Bible/Koran)????
What was wrong w/ that last one when talking about something being withheld in defiance to "the Freedom of Information Act" when could it possibly bring reunification of something wrongly third-ed (Torah/Bible/Koran)????
This list of objectives is very good and I believe it represents what the 99% want and deserve. These are serious objectives and we want our governmental leaders to give them serious attention. That said, the manner in which they are written must be changed. They are written in a breezy and informal manner and thereby become the literary equivalent of cotton candy - all sugar and no substance. I'm sure that in a group of this size we have many great writers and the necessary legal guidance. If we want to communicate effectively with our government, we will be most effective if we do so in a formal and mature style.
Breakup the big banks that are too big to fail to remove the risk to the US and world economy. It wasn't done yet because the banks own congress.
Breakup the big banks that are too big to fail to remove the risk to the US and world economy. It wasn't done yet because the banks own congress.
I don't agree with 4 regarding the Buffet Rule because our government subsidizes "too big to fail" industries with our tax dollars, regardless of being rich or poor. These subsidies prevent our country from having a true free market, and that is why countries like China are likely going to surpass the USA supplying alternative energy tech to the world because the USA is stuck with the status quo of subsidizing dirty energy in order to quash the competition of the clean energy tech developers. The same situation goes for Big Agriculture where smaller farmers and healthier food distributors are being threatened by corrupt federal regulators for potentially harming the public while the huge food distributors have reserved judgement by the regulators before a recall is passed.
How about demanding that Congress enact a law to stop all government subsidies?
Stop the wars/stop crimes of humanity Reduce military spending Universal healthcare Resource based economies No more bail outs Dismantle the fed No corporate welfare Reverse legal status of corporations as persons No privitization of schools and prisons Cancel student loan debt Decriminalize drugs Restorative not retributive justice Dismantle congress and start over Democracy not represenative republic De-centralize government Dismantle electoral college No NATO Public funded higher education Stop mass incarcerations Police the rich not the poor End homelessness and evictions
TACTICS: To use the song "Power to the People" by John Lennon as the movement's anthem
DEMANDS FOR CONGRESS:
How about Passing the prospective bills regarding private student loan bankruptcy and loan forgiveness, so the loan sharks can stop going after graduates who are scraping by just to survive, and will never have a chance at a home, car or any other loan once they default on their student loans unable to pay
How about Passing the prospective bills regarding private student loan bankruptcy and loan forgiveness, so the loan sharks can stop going after graduates who are scraping by just to survive, and will never have a chance at a home, car or any other loan once they default on their student loans unable to pay
Ok guys, no one (or at least not enough people) has said anything about this yet AND IT IS A REALLY MAJOR POINT!!!
I argue that the MOST destructive practice of modern 'Wall Street' is supercomputer 'speed trading' or 'high frequency trading'. These are done by super computers using nothing but algorithms modeling the up and down trends. Supercomputers have already contributed to huge daily losses when they suddenly start dumping millions of shares in a mater of minutes and no one really knows why.
No one really has even the slightest idea what these computers are going to do. They don't react to REAL WORLD markets, they don't know that, for example , Ford is coming out with a great new car next week or that, say, an E-coli outbreak was traced back to General Mill's Green Giant green beans. They react to trend lines based on pass data to model future trends and react accordingly, that is it, and they are taking over larger and large portions of the stock trade every month and they are virtually totally unregulated. So essentially as supercomputer high frequency trading becomes more and more prevalent, the stock market will reflect the real world market less and less.
THIS SCARES ME, yet no one else hardly seems to notice (okay, a few people have mentioned this in the comments, but not enough). Hopefully more people see this and we can get this to the top of the demand list. We could say regulate, but that could be used against the 'Average Joe', I say a flat out ban of super computer trading is what we need. Computers are great for a lot of things but as long as capitalism's supply and demand remains as the prevalent global economic model we should not allow supercomputers that only have 'half the story' to wheel and deal billions and billions of dollars every second. Humans need to be the decision makers.
Of course humans can look at super computer models and trade based on those models, unfortunately there is no way to regulate that as far as I can think up, but the computers can directly buy and sell millions of stocks directly at the millisecond level needs to be stopped.
The second biggest problem is speculation (there is a lot more talk about this though thankfully), if we can't stop speculation outright, then it needs to have a definitive cap (Apparently some speculation is good, it is easy to see why this might be so but then where does it end?). Speculation is rampant everywhere, Oil, food of all sorts, commodities, you name it, somebody is speculating on it. When you think about it though, speculation really flies in the face of ideal capitalism. By speculating we are essentially creating false demand or supply (or lack thereof).
The release of any/all intelligence (etc.) that blatantly defies (etc.) the Freedom of Information Act". Example: KH-9/KH-11 satellites (w/ enough resolution to see a grapefruit from space) photos of the "Ararat anomaly" being refused even though we have gone beyond their technology and/or any "preposterous assumption" that our enemy's didn't know what (how etc.) we were doing (and/or put marks that which would go against the possible reunification of "any religious belief(s)" that would call it as they know it/“by God’s command” Noah's ark/The epic of Gilgamesh) etc..
Someone also needs to focus on the housing industry. The exorbitant interest that mortgage companies and banks are allowed to charge to purchase a home is ridiculous. There are caps on other credit industries. Why not a lower cap on mortgage loan interest? Even with the new "lower rates", a hard working family will pay 100% and sometimes more of their home price in interest over the life of the loan. This seems a bit like greed to me. It is mind boggeling to consider the amount of money that is made in profit off of the housing industry...the "American dream" while families struggle to make payments and fend off foreclosure.
IMMEDIATELY STOP ALL RESIDENTIAL SINGLE FAMILY HOME FORECLOSURES AND REDUCE PRINCIPAL ON ALL MORTGAGES TO CURRENT MARKET VALUE.
READ BELOW...EMERGENCY AND URGENT MATTER!
When banks, and Government are pimps and prostitutes..For the 1 % of americans whocontrol 70 %of this countrys GDP...and the 99% have the remaining 30% of GDP...thats absurd! It appears from the history of this country, change only comes from pain, suffering, bloodshed and death (Civil War, Civil Rights Movement., etc.,)...unfortunately. There is no way approximately 600 elected or, hand picked prostitutes, should be making any laws, or decisions ruining the lives of millions of americans...who have lost their jobs...homes illegallly foreclosed, or in the process of being foreclosed...no unemployment benefits...medical insurance...food..and basically any reason to continue a slow...painful death...as planned by the 1 %. This fight has been a long time coming. I put people/humans 1st. I dont give a damn about banks or, business...when it comes to citizens/humans. Are u cowards (1%) ready to reap.what..u..have sown...to millions of americans...who have NOTHING?
Taxpayers bailout the criminal fraudulent banks HSBC, BANK OF AMERICA, CITIBANK, CHASE, WELLS FARGO,OCWEN,ALLY FINANCIAL,COUNTRYWIDE...and keep these people employed..to...foreclose on the unemployed..who have lost their jobs due to fraud committed against homeowners and citizens. These banks , employees, investors, hedge fund managers, need to be indicted, arrested, and imprisoned. These arrests should easily exceed 10,000 prosecutions! WHEN ARE THE ARRESTS COMING?
How can the government force taxpayers to use their money to bailout the banks who turn around and foreclose on citizens property? Notwithstanding, the government knows these homes are only worth .20 cents or less for each dollar owed on the residential loans...and have failed to legislate any laws mandating all residential loans have the principal reduced to CURRENT MARKET VALUE..for people who reside in these homes, WITHOUT THE NEED FOR PROVIDING ANY ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, I.E., PAY STUBS, W-2's, BANK STATEMENTS, ETC., OR SIGNING ANY NEW APPLICATIONS, OR THE NEED FOR ANY CREDIT REQUIREMENTS, AS MOST OF THESE HOMEOWNERS ARE UNEMPLOYED/UNDEREMPLOYED, OR HAVE EXPERIENCED PERIODS OF UNEMPLOYMENT AND/OR UNDEREMPLOYMENT AND HAVE NO CREDIT, JOBS, ETC.? **ALONG WITH ALL PAST BALANCES/FEES/COSTS, SHOULD BE WAIVED; SIX (6) MONTH WINDOW BEFORE 1st "New" Payment begins; FIRST FIVE (5) years, loan interest free; and TWENTY FIVE (25) YEARS Fixed interest rate at 2%. (Excluding vacation homes and rental properties), and any and all "negative" reports made to credit reporting agencies "removed."
THIS IS A DAMN SHAME..CRIMINAL AND ABSURD. SCREW 99%..SO..1% bankers, senators, congress people, investors, hedge fund managers, wall street, can continue getting wealthier//richer, on the backs of everyday working (if your lucky) or, unemployed people! THE TIME FOR CHANGE IS HERE...BEEN A LONG TIME COMING...LETS EMBRACE IT! Unless you are in that 99%. What a freaking joke...
STOP ALL RESIDENTIAL HOME FORECLOSURES AND REDUCE PRINCIPAL TO CURRENT MARKET VALUE!!
READ BELOW...EMERGENCY AND URGENT MATTER!
When banks, and Government are pimps and prostitutes..For the 1 % of americans whocontrol 70 %of this countrys GDP...and the 99% have the remaining 30% of GDP...thats absurd! It appears from the history of this country, change only comes from pain, suffering, bloodshed and death (Civil War, Civil Rights Movement., etc.,)...unfortunately. There is no way approximately 600 elected or, hand picked prostitutes, should be making any laws, or decisions ruining the lives of millions of americans...who have lost their jobs...homes illegallly foreclosed, or in the process of being foreclosed...no unemployment benefits...medical insurance...food..and basically any reason to continue a slow...painful death...as planned by the 1 %. This fight has been a long time coming. I put people/humans 1st. I dont give a damn about banks or, business...when it comes to citizens/humans. Are u cowards (1%) ready to reap.what..u..have sown...to millions of americans...who have NOTHING?
Taxpayers bailout the criminal fraudulent banks HSBC, BANK OF AMERICA, CITIBANK, CHASE, WELLS FARGO,OCWEN,ALLY FINANCIAL,COUNTRYWIDE...and keep these people employed..to...foreclose on the unemployed..who have lost their jobs due to fraud committed against homeowners and citizens. These banks , employees, investors, hedge fund managers, need to be indicted, arrested, and imprisoned. These arrests should easily exceed 10,000 prosecutions! WHEN ARE THE ARRESTS COMING?
How can the government force taxpayers to use their money to bailout the banks who turn around and foreclose on citizens property? Notwithstanding, the government knows these homes are only worth .20 cents or less for each dollar owed on the residential loans...and have failed to legislate any laws mandating all residential loans have the principal reduced to CURRENT MARKET VALUE..for people who reside in these homes, WITHOUT THE NEED FOR PROVIDING ANY ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, I.E., PAY STUBS, W-2's, BANK STATEMENTS, ETC., OR SIGNING ANY NEW APPLICATIONS, OR THE NEED FOR ANY CREDIT REQUIREMENTS, AS MOST OF THESE HOMEOWNERS ARE UNEMPLOYED/UNDEREMPLOYED, OR HAVE EXPERIENCED PERIODS OF UNEMPLOYMENT AND/OR UNDEREMPLOYMENT AND HAVE NO CREDIT, JOBS, ETC.? **ALONG WITH ALL PAST BALANCES/FEES/COSTS, SHOULD BE WAIVED; SIX (6) MONTH WINDOW BEFORE 1st "New" Payment begins; FIRST FIVE (5) years, loan interest free; and TWENTY FIVE (25) YEARS Fixed interest rate at 2%. (Excluding vacation homes and rental properties), and any and all "negative" reports made to credit reporting agencies "removed."
THIS IS A DAMN SHAME..CRIMINAL AND ABSURD. SCREW 99%..SO..1% bankers, senators, congress people, investors, hedge fund managers, wall street, can continue getting wealthier//richer, on the backs of everyday working (if your lucky) or, unemployed people! THE TIME FOR CHANGE IS HERE...BEEN A LONG TIME COMING...LETS EMBRACE IT! Unless you are in that 99%. What a freaking joke...
STOP ALL RESIDENTIAL HOME FORECLOSURES AND REDUCE PRINCIPAL TO CURRENT MARKET VALUE!!
READ BELOW...EMERGENCY AND URGENT MATTER!
When banks, and Government are pimps and prostitutes..For the 1 % of americans whocontrol 70 %of this countrys GDP...and the 99% have the remaining 30% of GDP...thats absurd! It appears from the history of this country, change only comes from pain, suffering, bloodshed and death (Civil War, Civil Rights Movement., etc.,)...unfortunately. There is no way approximately 600 elected or, hand picked prostitutes, should be making any laws, or decisions ruining the lives of millions of americans...who have lost their jobs...homes illegallly foreclosed, or in the process of being foreclosed...no unemployment benefits...medical insurance...food..and basically any reason to continue a slow...painful death...as planned by the 1 %. This fight has been a long time coming. I put people/humans 1st. I dont give a damn about banks or, business...when it comes to citizens/humans. Are u cowards (1%) ready to reap.what..u..have sown...to millions of americans...who have NOTHING?
Taxpayers bailout the criminal fraudulent banks HSBC, BANK OF AMERICA, CITIBANK, CHASE, WELLS FARGO,OCWEN,ALLY FINANCIAL,COUNTRYWIDE...and keep these people employed..to...foreclose on the unemployed..who have lost their jobs due to fraud committed against homeowners and citizens. These banks , employees, investors, hedge fund managers, need to be indicted, arrested, and imprisoned. These arrests should easily exceed 10,000 prosecutions! WHEN ARE THE ARRESTS COMING?
How can the government force taxpayers to use their money to bailout the banks who turn around and foreclose on citizens property? Notwithstanding, the government knows these homes are only worth .20 cents or less for each dollar owed on the residential loans...and have failed to legislate any laws mandating all residential loans have the principal reduced to CURRENT MARKET VALUE..for people who reside in these homes, WITHOUT THE NEED FOR PROVIDING ANY ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, I.E., PAY STUBS, W-2's, BANK STATEMENTS, ETC., OR SIGNING ANY NEW APPLICATIONS, OR THE NEED FOR ANY CREDIT REQUIREMENTS, AS MOST OF THESE HOMEOWNERS ARE UNEMPLOYED/UNDEREMPLOYED, OR HAVE EXPERIENCED PERIODS OF UNEMPLOYMENT AND/OR UNDEREMPLOYMENT AND HAVE NO CREDIT, JOBS, ETC.? **ALONG WITH ALL PAST BALANCES/FEES/COSTS, SHOULD BE WAIVED; SIX (6) MONTH WINDOW BEFORE 1st "New" Payment begins; FIRST FIVE (5) years, loan interest free; and TWENTY FIVE (25) YEARS Fixed interest rate at 2%. (Excluding vacation homes and rental properties), and any and all "negative" reports made to credit reporting agencies "removed."
THIS IS A DAMN SHAME..CRIMINAL AND ABSURD. SCREW 99%..SO..1% bankers, senators, congress people, investors, hedge fund managers, wall street, can continue getting wealthier//richer, on the backs of everyday working (if your lucky) or, unemployed people! THE TIME FOR CHANGE IS HERE...BEEN A LONG TIME COMING...LETS EMBRACE IT! Unless you are in that 99%. What a freaking joke...
Just remove Campaign donations from all elections and you get most of the list accomplished. How you might ask, because you’re not fighting an entity with money to influence a politician to do best for his constituents. This also keeps it focused and simple.
It needs to be made a Constitution Amendment so no Supreme Court can undo it, and it becomes imbedded in the American way of life.
It is perhaps brutal to say this but the effectiveness of the Occupy movement will be partially gaged by the reaction of the power structure. If it perceives a real threat it will react with brutality. (Boston last night is only small taste of what is to come). There will be efforts to discredit the movement by planting "agent provocateurs" to trigger violence as in Genoa 2001. The other tactic is to tame the movement with very domestic demands of which we read above. These demands will tame the movement and enable party committees and union organizers to take the lead. The fact is that people are out in the street--as in Spain-- because they intuit that the whole system is finished and can not be "tweeked" any longer to benefit people. Let's call it what it is, a crisis of global capitalism. It must expand or die and rather than die, it will kill. Do not narrow the scope of this movement until it has had time to grow. The proposed demands address real issues but do not challenge the root of the problem which go far beyond the list of demands. Let the movement grow, open discussions without the red-baiting and ask the question what demands can we make that link us to the movements in other countries.... Spain and Italy, for instance have different laws not addressed by the demands. Yet, their problems are perhaps even worse than in the US. What is common? Here is where we will find the answer and here is where we will find the unity that will truly challenge the power elite. Do not narrow the growing awareness before its time. Walter Benjamin put it beautifully: Every epoch not only dreams the next, but while dreaming impels it towards wakefulness.
i would like to see all of congress required to receive the same benefits they force on the rest of the population. they should not get their golden flece plans while the rest of us have to sit and wait for hours to see a GP, and then pay out the nose for it. they should also not receive their very stately salary for the rest of their lives after they leave office. you get paid for what you do while you are doing it, not the rest of your life. congress is just as greedy and power hungry as the corporations. the average joe working to make ends meet doesn't get a salary from the company that he spent 30 years working for after they let him go. he gets a pension, which the company steal s from, and he has to work to make up the difference. impose strict peram limits on the public servants so that we can get fresh ideas and people into office that will listen to the people and make the changes WE want antd not what will benefit only them.
ELECTION REFORM! NO MORE BLACK BOX VOTING! WE CAN'T HAVE A DEMOCRACY WITH CORPORATELY CONTROLLED VOTING MACHINE SHENANIGANS! US ELECTIONS HAVE BEEN RIGGED!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_box_voting http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0828-08.htm http://www.velvetrevolution.us/prosecute_rove/ http://politics.salon.com/2011/09/27/votinghack/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clint_Curtis http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEzY2tnwExs http://www.blackboxvoting.org/ http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/1954/1954.html http://www.electionreformnetwork.us/
Repeal Voter photo ID laws, please. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNpGtrisCPY
Can we please add something about campaign finance reform. Overturning Citizens United is but one part. Rich individuals can still dump boatloads of their own money on their candidate of choice. Also each party member is constantly vying for money for their cause, a practice that consumes most of their, I mean OUR time.
We need to repeal all the voter photo ID laws!!! These laws disenfranchise, the elderly, the poor and people of color which prominently vote democratic.
GOP is going to steal the 2012 election through these laws. The one fear that the 1% have is that we can vote. Once they take that away they will own it all. I believe this should be our #1 DEMAND!!!!! http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/many-5-million-voters-disenfranchised-voter
Over almost six decades, I watched my whole world in South Louisiana and then in Texas destroyed by corporate greed hand-in-hand with greedy politicians, lyin' worse than yard dogs the lot of them -- too fed up to make suggestions yet -- but I 100% support this Occupy Wall Street Movement. Allons, mes amis, allons.
"When the rich are too rich there are ways, and when the poor are too poor there are ways.... When the rich are too rich there is a way, and if I am not mistaken, that way will come soon." Pear S. Buck, The Good Earth, published 1931
I fully support these demands, and would like to suggest consideration of the following: 1) Call a Constitutional Convention to pass amendments for campaign finance reform and 2) Congressional term limits--possibly among other amendments. For item 1) especially, an amendment is needed to thwart Supreme Court interference.
Campaigns should be federally funded in an amount appropriate for use of the Web (not expensive traditional media) for campaigning, say, $50,000. Private donations would be forbidden. Term limits would be a single 4 year term for Representatives and a single 8 year term for Senators. Single terms assure legislators are not distracted or corrupted by campaigning for future terms.
i would like to see all of congress required to receive the same benefits they force on the rest of the population. they should not get their golden flece plans while the rest of us have to sit and wait for hours to see a GP, and then pay out the nose for it. they should also not receive their very stately salary for the rest of their lives after they leave office. you get paid for what you do while you are doing it, not the rest of your life. congress is just as greedy and power hungry as the corporations. the average joe working to make ends meet doesn't get a salary from the company that he spent 30 years working for after they let him go. he gets a pension, which the company steal s from, and he has to work to make up the difference. impose strict peram limits on the public servants so that we can get fresh ideas and people into office that will listen to the people and make the changes WE want antd not what will benefit only them.
i would like to see all of congress required to receive the same benefits they force on the rest of the population. they should not get their golden flece plans while the rest of us have to sit and wait for hours to see a GP, and then pay out the nose for it. they should also not receive their very stately salary for the rest of their lives after they leave office. you get paid for what you do while you are doing it, not the rest of your life. congress is just as greedy and power hungry as the corporations. the average joe working to make ends meet doesn't get a salary from the company that he spent 30 years working for after they let him go. he gets a pension, which the company steal s from, and he has to work to make up the difference. impose strict peram limits on the public servants so that we can get fresh ideas and people into office that will listen to the people and make the changes WE want antd not what will benefit only them.
This is precisely what is needed. Maybe it will quiet down the reactionary media who continually harp about "lack of focus", and whether or not there was any violence at the most recent rally. The people I have witnessed at these events show a determination to not be deterred from the mission at hand, which is very well expressed in this post. And, I have seen nothing but peaceful demonstration. The cops seem to have calmed down also, with the exception of a few hyper "white shirts". Now is the time to concentrate on the message. http://sibob.org/wordpress/
i would like to see all of congress required to receive the same benefits they force on the rest of the population. they should not get their golden flece plans while the rest of us have to sit and wait for hours to see a GP, and then pay out the nose for it. they should also not receive their very stately salary for the rest of their lives after they leave office. you get paid for what you do while you are doing it, not the rest of your life. congress is just as greedy and power hungry as the corporations. the average joe working to make ends meet doesn't get a salary from the company that he spent 30 years working for after they let him go. he gets a pension, which the company steal s from, and he has to work to make up the difference. impose strict peram limits on the public servants so that we can get fresh ideas and people into office that will listen to the people and make the changes WE want antd not what will benefit only them.
The proposed demand list is great. We can call it "The Peoples Amendment." we need the the populous behind us, lets unify with singular signs - 99% is good- we need more. maybe REGULATE CAPITALISM, or??? more....
Economist Branko Horvat stated: "...it is now well known that capitalist development leads to the concentration of capital, employment and power. It is somewhat less known that it leads to the almost complete destruction of economic freedom.
The torpeedoing of any serious health care reform (single payer/public option) by the health insurance industry should be among the top 50 destructive corporate actions. This interview that Amy Goodman conducted with whistleblower Wendell Potter pretty much sums it up: http://www.democracynow.org/2010/11/16/wendell_potter_on_deadly_spin_an
ROLLBACK the Federal Bankruptcy Law to what it was prior to October 17, 2005. Currently it favors Banks and Dishonest Lenders and Strips the 99% of their rights to be debt free!
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.
We should also demand term limits for Congress; demand a cut in their benefits; deny their ability to vote their own pay increases and force them to pay for their own medical coverage. They must be held to the same standard as all Americans and not be the privileged sector they have made themselves. These demands must become part of Occupy Wall Street. It will greatly assist in forcing change.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.
I'd vote to outlaw investment banking altogether. In the same way that drug cartels are destroying Mexico for profit, investment bankers are destroying the U.S. I like how Pen says it in Kaleidoscope:
"...asked me about the cartels, asked me, what did I think about the culture of drug cartels?, and what did I think about the culture of investment banking?, and did I think they were at all related?, did I think that drug cartel culture, which includes the use of cocaine, the use of prostitutes, the exploitation of consumers with addictive personalities, the manufacturing of a useless product, was at all related to investment banking culture, which includes the use of cocaine, the use of prostitutes, the exploitation of consumers with addictive personalities, the manufacturing of a useless product?"
It seems to me that investment banking contributes about as much to a society as drug trafficking...
So why is investment banking even legal?
(That quote was taken from here, by the way: http://www.kaleidoscopeof.com/)
This is a good short list to work on.The list does not have to address every problem we gripe at.The shorter the list maybe the more citizens from right to Left beliefs will stand together just for these few issues.The only other thing you forgot to mention and it goes right with these ideals is those PAC Groups who are able to get large Contributions like Koch Broths and NOM.Then the PAC goes to different States and spends Millions to influence Local Political Issues.That NOM Group came to Maine and rallied its troops to shut down same sex Marriage.Put PAC's on your list as they are controlled by the 1% Richmen !!!! PLEASE
We must include a mandate that the Banks who are servicing "toxic assets" are forced to reset people's mortgages and do principal reductions. Bank of America and other banks servicing these loans have been paid 125% to service them, and they don't care if they foreclose or not. TARP was meant to have the banks reset folks loans with principal reductions, and instead the banks put their thumbs to their nose and gave much of the money back instead of doing that which would have saved millions of people so much heartache.
Principal reductions will put money in people's pockets that they can spend, creating jobs and increasing manufacturing. President Obama and Congress must handle this and quickly with a mandate (law).
It's time to stop passing multiple laws that have nothing to do with each other in the same vote. Laws should be voted on and debated individually. This would reduce overspending.
Wall st does not fear you. CNN is amused by this. CNBC mocks you. Fox makes fun of you. Congress ignores you. Why? Because they do not fear you. Get behind this and they will fear you overnight. Period.
ALL MEMBERS OF CONGRESS MUST RESIGN.
--PAPARAZZINC.COM john v
1.Ensure that our tax system encourages and rewards the creation of domestic jobs.
The list of demand s readfs silly. It will not instill fear in anybody. You need ONE demand that says it all.
DEMAND ALL MEMBERS OF CONGRESS RESIGN.
This covers ALL the bases. One demand. Everyone can get behind.
paparazzinc.com
One of the demands to make your point should be have Inside Job aired on ABC. MSNBC and CNN @ prime time so every citizen has the right to see what went on in this country and what these crooks got away with...
Every demand/movement/protest needs ONE demand. Here it is:
DEMAND EVERY MEMBER OF CONGRESS RESIGN.
It only works if they fear you. The list you have is filled with silly cutesy things. Nobody fears it. Nobody can get behind 450 different thing....
--paparazzinc.com john v
Campaign finance reform is key. Reversing the Supreme Court Decison is only the beginning. Under the present rules politicians are held hostage by big banks and big oil and other large corporation. That should be reversed. Instead, only natural persons should be allowed to make political campaign contributions, and each persons overall contribution should be capped at a certain maximum. Contributions to political action groups of any kind, such as DNC or RNC or Swift Boat Veterans or Teaparty or Fox News or radio talk shows or what have you should be included to that total allowed maximum contribution That way power is given back to the People instead of big corporations and special interests. Politicians should always represent the People, and should be held accountable by the People
Not a demand...more importantly a statement. We are amending the hitherto antiquated "rights of man(kind)" with the infallible truth that the sustenance of life is now and forever a commercial free-zone. Currency, commerce and markets, which by definition are intangible matters of opinion (individual and/or collective) and therefore only a product of imagination, are reserved solely for those who perceive "value" in the exchange of non-essential goods and services as long as said transactions do not impede upon any non-participating life-form. Those (human and non-) that do not share a similar imaginative perception of value should not and will not have their fundamental right to life and to the optimum access of that which sustains life usurped. We are life. We are liberty. We are the 99%.
Let's quit removing God from the court houses, school classrooms, or anything that has God in it. The country was founded on God based principles and the only thing that has happened to it morally and spiritually has been downhill since we have tried to do away with God. Our prisons are over-populated, killings happening in every city, and people living in poverty, while we try to help other countries with these same issues. We are off protecting and feeding other countries while we abandon our own and try to adapt the same beliefs here that are causing such dispair abroad.
Let's get back to putting God first...Loving thy neighbor as thyself...and focusing on Americas needs before we spend billions a year funding other nations. They laugh as America tumbles (look at Iran's comments today on Occupy Wallstreet movement). Pakastan hiding terrorist while we still send them aide. I don't understand.
Start out by telling the World that America is going to take care of America until we get our debt down and become the nation we once were. I say if it comes down to it, then we abandon foreign trade all together. Oh, we could never do that? We couldn't survive? I disagree!!! The human race are survivors. Will things be a little harder for a while? You better believe it, but within 5-10 years we could once again be a God fearing nation that is overwhelmingly blessed.
In World crisis we could still help out, but not help out to ever little whim like we are some over the top wealth nation.
AUDIT and END the Federal Reserve! No More private banks controlling Americas dollars and inflation!
AUDIT and END the Federal Reserve! No More private banks controlling Americas dollars and inflation!
Let's quit removing God from the court houses, school classrooms, or anything that has God in it. The country was founded on God based principles and the only thing that has happened to it morally and spiritually has been downhill since we have tried to do away with God. Our prisons are over-populated, killings happening in every city, and people living in poverty, while we try to help other countries with these same issues. We are off protecting and feeding other countries while we abandon our own and try to adapt the same beliefs here that are causing such dispair abroad.
Let's get back to putting God first...Loving thy neighbor as thyself...and focusing on Americas needs before we spend billions a year funding other nations. They laugh as America tumbles (look at Iran's comments today on Occupy Wallstreet movement). Pakastan hiding terrorist while we still send them aide. I don't understand.
Start out by telling the World that America is going to take care of America until we get our debt down and become the nation we once were. I say if it comes down to it, then we abandon foreign trade all together. Oh, we could never do that? We couldn't survive? I disagree!!! The human race are survivors. Will things be a little harder for a while? You better believe it, but within 5-10 years we could once again be a God fearing nation that is overwhelmingly blessed.
In World crisis we could still help out, but not help out to ever little whim like we are some over the top wealth nation.
It is strange how history repeats itself. The issues described in the comments below seem very similar to the issue facing the colonists in 1773. Granted the details are quite different, but the issues remain.
The Congress of the United States no longer represents the people or the common good. The representatives within do the bidding of the wealthy and the corporations. It is time for all of Congress to resign and for us to elect a new set of representatives from people willing to serve the people. Those seeking election cannot accept any money from any corporation. No individual may donate more than 1000 dollars annually towards political campaigns, cumulative.
And that in my book is just a start.
How about CAMPAIGN FINANCE TRANSPARENCY ACT. Every dollar that a candidate receives must be traceable to the source. That way the voters can see who the candidate/senator/representative really represents - and their actions can be seen in light of their financial obligations.
IDEAS ON VOTING REFORM Please add these to the demands list if you find them acceptable. 1st. Voting time should be expanded from 1 day to one week. 2nd. There should be a federal voting holiday. 3rd. Voter suppression and stealing votes should be punishable by very long prison terms and class action law suits should be an option against people who use/attempt them. 4th. Voters should receive a recite that can be linked to their ballot but not their identity. more info on that here. http://www.ted.com/talks/david_bismark_e_voting_without_fraud.html
Just a start... For help with NOTE 4: http://www.corporatecrimereporter.com/ And here too: http://www.corporatecrimereporter.com/top100.html http://www.corporatecrimereporter.com/top100.html#Briefs http://www.corporatecrimereporter.com/top100.html#Annotated
I would not be surprised if the author of this corporatecrimereporter.com is among our ranks.
9 TERM LIMITS on United States House of Representatives!!!
This is well intentioned but all over the lot. There is only one demand that the group has raised that will actually make a difference and that actually has a chance of being forced on the corrupt Congress: Electoral Reform. I have created a two-page hand-out designed for printing back to back, at http://tinyurl.com/OWS-ER-HO. I have 220 copies printed up that I cannot bring to NYC as intended because my car has broken down, but I can ship them to anyone willing to share them with others for discussion (or in smaller lots to diverse groups). Don't get trapped in trying to fix a broken system--displace it with a better system--restored integrity to the electoral process, first with electoral reform legislation that cleans house, and then on to a Constitutional Amendment that ends the two-party tyranny forever. IHMO.
Robert Steele http://www.phibetaiota.net (Public Intelligence Blog)
If it Isn't right then it is wrong/If it is wrong then it isn't right. The reason for the "illumination" of wrongful loop holes, total contradiction of any true "unity as a country" w/ the rightful explanation of both.
MISSION STATEMENT PROACTIVE DECLARATION OF INTENT The intention of "We the 99%" is to expose corporate greed and power and the special privileges large institutions receive through their political connections. A further objective is to increase awareness of the social and economic injustices that occur as a result of 'Extreme' wealth disparity and the corrupting influence of money in politics.
We will project a cooperative positive energy toward achieving the following short and long term goals: SHORT TERM GOALS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo1NxIiUAak
I think the tea party and other republicans who took a vow not to raise taxes should be accused of treason. They can't govern if they can't compromise and signing the pledge to not raise taxes should be a breach of the oath of office.
I think the tea party and other republicans who took a vow not to raise taxes should be accused of treason. They can't govern if they can't compromise and signing the pledge to not raise taxes should be a breach of the oath of office.
these demands are too specific. demands should neither be generic nor specific. for example, if you ask for "Justice" then your demand will fall short because nobody would disagree with you as everybody wants justice or at least claims to.
on the other hand if you ask for the passing of a specific bill or freeing a specific person then your demands will fall short again because there will always be somebody who disagrees with you totally or partially.
moreover, forcing congress' hand into voting for a law will not make it a law...
protest demands should be mild, clear and verifiable at short term, like asking of fixing health care system without going into details, or asking for better financial system regulations etc...
I respectfully disagree. King and Gandhi made specific demands. Little by little they added up to an overall win.
Term limits for Congress – see http://www.termlimitsforcongress.com/term_limit_myths_and_facts.htm
Votes need to be based on the popular vote – this helps control corruption in elections, see http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/03/05/147035/state-disenfranchisement-schemes/
not bad at all, except I would additionally declare 10 yr moratorium on ANY lobbying in congress. lobbying became a scorch in recent years.
Look at the http://facebook.com/muslimjewishconnection it supports your cause!
Totally agree with the Headline proposals but I would like to add a proactive concept for PROTECTING DEMOCRACY. These ideas are to make elections easier to participate in and incorruptible.1st voting time should be expanded from 1 day to 1 week. 2nd there should be a national (federal) voting holiday. 3rd. voter suppression and stealing votes should be punishable with very long prison term and class action law suits should be an option against people who use/attempt these methods. 4th the voting process should be made incorruptible by providing the voter with a recite that cant be linked to their identity but can be linked to their ballot. More in-depth info on that here. http://www.ted.com/talks/david_bismark_e_voting_without_fraud.html
BRAVO ! Really think these 8 points cover what I, who cover this realm quite closely, consider the most important. If even four of these could be attained it would be a huge accomplishment. If all of these in some way could be achieved it would return America to a more compassionate and secure place to live. I obviously also think that there is much beyond these 8, but these are a serious start. IT WOULD BE A FANTASTIC TO SEE A CURB ON AMERICA AS EMPIRE. WE HAVE JUST SPENT OVER TWO TRILLION $ OF BORROWED MONEY ON TWO UNNECESSARY WARS THAT REALLY ONLY BENEFIT DEFENSE CONTRACTORS [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_defense_contractors] SUCH AS GENERAL ELECTRIC THAT MADE $14 BILLION PROFIT LAST YEAR AND PAID NO TAXES AT ALL... SINCE 9/11 THE GOV HAS INSTALLED INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES THAT HAVE OVER A MILLION EMPLOYEES - A THIRD OF WHICH HAVE TOP SECRET CLEARANCE - AND A MANY OF THEM ARE REDUNDANT AS THEY DUPLICATE EACH OTHERS WORKS AS THEY'RE SO SECRET THEY CAN'T COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER, NOT TO MENTION WE CAN'T KNOW THE AGENCIES, WHAT THEY DO NOR WHAT THEY COST EVEN THOUGH THE TAXPAYERS PAY OVER A $180 BILLION PER YEAR FOR THEM ! INSTEAD OF SUCH USELESS AND INSIDIOUS EXPENDITURE WHAT ABOUT USING IT TO REBUILD OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM, OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, AND HAVE A HEALTH SYSTEM THAT INCLUDES EVERYONE LIKE EVERY OTHER DEVELOPED FIRST WORLD COUNTRY EXCEPT FOR US ! THIS MUST BE CONSIDERED AND HAS NOT BEEN BECAUSE OF THE CLIMATE OF FEAR PROMULGATED AND MILKED BY 9/11. HOME SECURITY SPENDS OVER $200 BILLION PER YEAR ON TERRORISM WHEN TWO YEARS AGO 78 AMERICANS DIED OF AN OFFICIAL TERRORIST ACT WHEREAS THE GOVERNMENT SPENT $4 BILLION DOLLARS THAT YEAR ON HEART DISEASE RESEARCH WHEN 60,000 AMERICANS DIED OF Bravo ! Really feel these 8 points cover what I, who think a lot on this, consider the most important. If even four of these could be attained it would be a huge accomplishment. If all of these in some way could be achieved it would return America to a more compassionate and secure place to live. I obviously also think that there is much beyond these 8, but these are a serious start. It would be fantastic to see a curb on America as an empire. We have just spent over two trillion $ of borrowed money on two unnecessary wars that really only benefit defense contractors --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/list_of_united_states_defense_contractors -- such as general electric that made $14 billion profit last year and paid no taxes at all... Since 9/11 the gov has installed intelligence agencies that have over a million employees - a third of which have top secret clearance - and many of them are redundant to boot as they duplicate each other’s work as they're all so secret they can't communicate with each other, not to mention the public can't know the agencies, what they do nor what they cost even though the taxpayers pay over a $180 billion per year for them ! Instead of such useless and insidious expenditure what about using it to rebuild our education system, our infrastructure, and have a health system that includes everyone like every other developed first world country except for us ! This must be considered and has not been because of the climate of fear promulgated and milked by 9/11. Home Security spends over $200 billion per year on terrorism when two years ago 78 americans died of an official terrorist act, whereas the government spent $4 billion dollars that year on heart disease research when 60,000 americans died of it. Where should taxpayers put their hard earned dollars. the former benefits all the corporate defense/intelligence contractors and the latter benefits the people !
senate republicans deserve retribution for just voting for continued unemployment-what kind of shitbags are these republicans
Abolish the Federal Reserve Act. In No way should a Privately Owned Institution such as "The Federal Reserve" be a Central Bank for the United States. They are not audited and their books are sealed. Trillions of Dollars are unaccounted for through this private entity.
Research on "How the Federal Reserve Act" was passed. Research on WHO owns the Federal Reserve - then you would see - THAT is where everyone should be marching to!
The crooks in Washington are bought. Lobbyist by any other name is bribery (can we say Mexico or Nigeria to name a few). Money has blinded the eyes of our leaders. They do not serve the common person' s interest. The common person in the U.S. means nothing but “keeping the rich richer by keeping their buddies in office at the expense of the common voters” It is time for a change! Our political machine MUST CHANGE (gut and rebuild) to serve the people who vote!
The crooks in Washington are bought. Lobbyist by any other name is bribery (can we say Mexico or Nigeria to name a few). Money has blinded the eyes of our leaders. They do not serve the common person' s interest. The common person in the U.S. means nothing but “keeping the rich richer by keeping their buddies in office at the expense of the common voters” It is time for a change! Our political machine MUST CHANGE (gut and rebuild) to serve the people who vote!
I would like to see an end to the tax law that allows all US Corporations doing business in the US and not having to pay any Federal taxes!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Eliminate the tax loopholes now.
16 More Profitable Companies That Pay Almost Nothing In Taxes http://www.businessinsider.com/16-more-profitable-companies-that-pay-almost-nothing-in-taxes-2011-3
I would like to see an end to the tax law that allows all US Corporations doing business in the US and not having to pay any Federal taxes!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Eliminate the tax loopholes now.
16 More Profitable Companies That Pay Almost Nothing In Taxes http://www.businessinsider.com/16-more-profitable-companies-that-pay-almost-nothing-in-taxes-2011-3
The is fantastic!
Please come to the NYC GA on 10-15-12 so we can elect an executive committee! The members of this committee will remain anonymous,
We are proposing a meeting and vote on 10-15-12 at the NYC GA only as a meeting to elect an executive committee to begin to process of electing delegates to a National General Assembly.
The idea is to get the National General Assembly elected by July 4, 2012 so they can debate and vote on a list of grievances to present to the candidates and government before November 2012. We have to start planning now.
This list is a great start but we need to elect delegates to a National General Assembly who will debate and vote on a final list of grievances to be redressed by the government as provided in the Constitution.
Preparing a list and then legitimizing it are two different matters!
Here is a proposed plan of action: https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/home/the-steps-to-non-violent-revolution
Great List! I would also like to see a law that makes it illegal for our elected representatives to sign "PAC Pledges" in exchange for campaign funding.
OWS - read this... http://hussmanfunds.com/wmc/wmc111010.htm
Then, add to your list that a law be passed that all investment advisers be obligated to serve clients as a fiduciary. To learn more visit http://www.thefiduciarystandard.org/. With you all the way!
OWS - also read http://www.financial-planning.com/fp_issues/2011_10/fiduciary-regulators-standard-2675113-1.html
This is how I phrase it:
We should have a disability access liberty agenda: for all society; for OccupyWallStreet; for OccupyTogether; for the meetup website.
Abolish electoral college.
Abolish corporate personhood.
Be an abolitionist.
DonFphrnqTaub Persina
A new purpose for the U.S.S. Constitution (flagship of the United States)?While remembrance of Katrina is being refreshed in all our minds, as a possible least costly F.E.M.A Enterprise, in being able to directly answer all ideas and so many highly possible planned solution(s) (or until) to the matters of “its not a question of if, but when.” Why shouldn’t (or couldn’t) we, as a way to show true unity and insurance, have a vanguard of ships, being lead by the flagship of the United States of America, a fully historically correct and functioning (do to its success) U.S.S. constitution? While (or before) plans of action are being answered, why not have a F.E.M.A. vanguard of ships tour ports along the way collecting donations from any willing to give, announcing an arrival through cannon fire, while rescue efforts are being mobilized? During our holidays and reprieves of natural disasters (through enhancement), couldn’t we have publicly sponsored programs designed to raise money for future publicly chosen directions (after all, people are more willing to give when asked, not forced). Ride like the Wind/ Christopher CROSS
Why don't you demand national health care while you're at it. As long as we're finally acting as a unified movement we should strike the iron while it's hot and demand everything we want!
In remembrance of Katrina, as a possible least costly F.E.M.A Enterprise, in being able to directly answer all ideas and so many highly possible planned solution(s) (or until) to the matters of “it’s not a question of if, but when.” Why shouldn't (or couldn’t) we, as a way to show true unity, consider making the nuclear aircraft carrier U.S.S. Enterprise/or another (a ship said to have outlived its usefulness in one area etc) into a kept at port (until needed) F.E.M.A. flag ship? If the Navy has no further use for it, kept properly maintained the Coast Guard, F.E.M.A., and National Guard most definitely do (etc). Through tours and other means (donation collections?) shouldn't it have always been suggested, as a way to save so many lives, that “a money already well spent policy” be initiated to further contribute to all areas that could and would be affected, due to the cost of economics (etc), before anything is to be destroyed? It should never have taken (given more than fair warning) two weeks to deliver water to anybody in such a country as is suppose to be ours (we are better than that). If things do begin to come apart the best thing we could possibly do in the name of humanity is try to insure that the keys to so many places and things that could be at least a temporary reprieve be made available at some known location(s), so that any that may (or may be) left behind have at least half the chance as some others.
From 'Sex At Dawn' by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha : "In the Power of Scale John Bodly wrote: 'The size of human societies and cultures matters because larger societies will naturally have more concentrated power. Larger societies will be less democratic than smaller societies, and they will have unequal distribution of risks and rewards.'" I'm all for fixing the problems that we have with the financial system as it interfere's with the small communities within the greater United States. Just be careful not to loose yourself in your passion and forget where you came from and the people that helped you grow. Also, many of the young people in this movement act like capitalism is the evil here. Capitalism enables us to live the lives we want as long as we work hard and smart. If you don't like corporations start your own business! (also, bit of a contradiction in your terms as you will be lobbying to comgresspeople)
What is the root cause for most issues in the country today? Ans. LACK OF WELL PAYING JOBS. Why isn't anyone angry that the very companies that were saved by our tax dollar continue to outsource jobs. Why are economies in China, India & Brazil growing and the U.S. is diminishing. WE NEED SOMEONE TO LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD. Obama was supposed to address the issue and he never did. Training is not the issue Obama. Look at the people out there with Bachelors, Master and PHD's with no jobs. These people are well trained, but you cannot expect them to take a job for 20k a year when they 250k in debt from student loans. We need to wake up and address the issue of jobs. The rest will work itself out once people are working and take care of themselves. Remember when people work in the U.S., the Federal and local governments get needed revenue. When a job is outsourced to China, every sector in the U.S. is impacted.
The 99% should have the same level of representation as the 1%.
This would mean expanding Congress so that there is the same ratio of Congressional members to voters as there was in the early 19th century. When the Republic was young and progressive there was one member for 30,000 voters. Now it's one rep for almost 700,000. So to whom do these congressfolk talk?
We need every major town and city to have its Congress Hall where LOCAL Reps and Senators would link to the Big House in DC via video and data links.
They'd be in their community, seen by their voters, when they speak or vote.
Elections would no longer be built on big money for big campaigns with their resulting big obligations (to the 1%).
If nothing else, there would be waaaaaay too many politicians with local commitments (ie all of them) to buy off or pressure.
Big government is here to stay. But 99% Government is government OF the People BY the People FOR the People - and right where the People can see them - LOCAL.
Big government is not bad. Corrupt government is.
Number 3 about congress enacting legislation to reverse Citizens United probably will not be effective because Citizens United was constitutiional law which will trump congress' ability to change it. Justice Thomas in an interview made it pretty clear that the right to free speech and associate applies whether you act individually or as a corporation. There is no way this republican supreme court will take that right away from corporations which empower the current right wing movement. I think we need a full blown constitutional amendment. The amendment should say something like, "Only natural persons may participate in the political process. Congress shall have the power to regulate the financing of political campaigns." This will get rid of corporate involvement in politics in any fashion and squash any notion that corporations are people in the political arena. It still allows congress reasonable power to make a system that does work. If you rely only trying to reform the campaign finance system through congressional legislation it will simply be ruled unconstitutional and it will all be wasted time.
Hopefully we can find a sympathetic group of top shelf constitutional lawyersand political strategists to find solutions on this. There are absolutely some of them who would like to see this decision "overturned" and would relish the groundswell of millions that could make such a change possible. The power of the people is a beautiful thing.
Another suggestion: A required investigation of all elected officials within the federal government to ensure that there is no conflict of interest, to ensure that our government is out of the hands of the corporations. There is a possible problem with this idea. Corporations have already taken over our government and they will attempt to manipulate any committee that investigates officials. But, the people need a voice. The committee would need to be held accountable to the people somehow. However, we all know laws don't always work.
I feel that part of our problems are a direct result of the way the many of the several States voting Laws allow the Parties to determine who votes on their ballots during the primary [s]election process. Here in NC you must accept an all Democrat Ballot or a all Republican Ballot during the primaries. The State claims these ballots rightfully belong to the Parties and that they establish their own voting rules.
Sic, if you are a person that is not prone to support all one party your options are to not vote, or choose a ballot Dem or GOP and vote for all their candidates. This essentially strips many People of equal suffrage in the primary [s]elections. As a Citizen, and a taxpayer in the American Republic I feel I have a right secured by our fundamental laws to cast a ballot the truly reflects my own beliefs, and not be forced to accept the whims of any political party.
Then comes the matter of the electoral votes which again is controlled by the individual States and their Laws. In many of the several States the party that receives the most votes on the ballots are given all that States electoral votes. This does not accurately reflect the sentiments of all the voters in the State especially in a close race. The electoral votes need to be cast apportioned by the percentages of People not the State’s whims. I feel this would give the People a far louder voice in our system of law and government and not the parties.
I feel that part of our problems are a direct result of the way the many of the several States voting Laws allow the Parties to determine who votes on their ballots during the primary [s]election process. Here in NC you must accept an all Democrat Ballot or a all Republican Ballot during the primaries. The State claims these ballots rightfully belong to the Parties and that they establish their own voting rules.
Sic, if you are a person that is not prone to support all one party your options are to not vote, or choose a ballot Dem or GOP and vote for all their candidates. This essentially strips many People of equal suffrage in the primary [s]elections. As a Citizen, and a taxpayer in the American Republic I feel I have a right secured by our fundamental laws to cast a ballot the truly reflects my own beliefs, and not be forced to accept the whims of any political party.
Then comes the matter of the electoral votes which again is controlled by the individual States and their Laws. In many of the several States the party that receives the most votes on the ballots are given all that States electoral votes. This does not accurately reflect the sentiments of all the voters in the State especially in a close race. The electoral votes need to be cast apportioned by the percentages of People not the State’s whims. I feel this would give the People a far louder voice in our system of law and government and not the parties.
Why has this dropped off the radar?
Consider adding direct democracy. It works fine in Switzerland. Also, public veto capacity at 60% or so.
Based on the first amendment, I propose this as a top priority:
We demand immediate recognition and support from mayors, governors and federal representatives that we have the right to peacefully assemble.
The many Occupations around our country have been threatened with arrest and various degrees of violence. This should not be tolerated and must be condemned by OUR representatives.
Cities that are refusing to should be demanded they issue permits. When permits are granted they should provide adequate allowance for the vast numbers of people and complicated infrastructures developing in our many cities.
We have a permit in Athens, GA that gives us the right to be in our public space 24/7 until January 1st. We are not, however, allowed to camp. Thus far police have had a terrific rapport with us. If their bosses (the mayors, city councils, governors, etc.) are not demanding they remove protestors from public space, then the police will not be doing what they've been doing in Boston, NY, St. Louis, etc.
We should take the following into our demands AND straight to the steps of the banks: that they immediately increase and reform their loan modifications, to keep many millions more Americans in their homes and out of foreclosure; and that banks disclose information about and immediately desist from fraudulent practices such robosigning of legal documents to foreclose on people.
From the LA Times, Oct 6 2011: [see http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/la-fi-housing-scorecard-20111006,0,4672740.story] :
" Last month, the Treasury Department said that Bank of America Corp. and JPMorgan Chase Bank were in "substantial" need of improvement in helping troubled borrowers modify their mortgages and that those two banks would be denied financial incentives for completing modifications until their performance in the program improved.
Wells Fargo & Co. and Ocwen Loan Servicing, after previously being on the list of banks that needed "substantial" improvement, were categorized in the Treasury report as needing only "moderate" improvement, as were American Home Mortgage Servicing Inc., CitiMortgage and Select Portfolio Servicing Inc.
The banks that were in need of minor improvement included GMAC Mortgage, Litton Loan Servicing and OneWest Bank, the government said."
LETS TAKE THIS TO THE STEPS OF CHASE, BANK OF AMERICA, AND OTHERS !!!
This is without a doubt some of the best information I have received. Please keep posting.
If one must consider a balanced budget dealing with the debt is going to be the real eye opener this is why I sugested the 40K rule changes. If the people want the bull fed out of America a substantial amount of debt must first be paid. There are only so many benefits and or entitlements that can be cut without a full fledged revolution. I don't think we can cut government spending enough in order to pay the debt. It will also have a negative affect if too much is paid. A stronger dollar means reduced manufacturing jobs. If you want this solution I feel it is imperative to revist all of the above and then some. I have a proposed solution but it will hurt, but not as much as dragging this mess out over the next decade or so. If you want to hear it you must know the above must go forward before this can even be whispered to the masses. E-mail me if you want my opinion and I will post it. It will not hurt my feelings if you are not interested. In truth it is the only real way to resolve a large chunk of our debt with the least amount of pain and would require an altruistic event to complete. This must be accomplished before a balanced budget amendement as some politician would love to propose to kill off SS in having to paying off granny and gramps or even mom and dad to get their balanced budget. SS social security is nothing more tha a post it note IOU in the drawer of the government.
I'm blown away.....wow! You definitely have your shit together. Awe inspiring. Really nice job!
I think a lot of people could get some needed relief in changing the 401K rules. Since the times have gotten hard a lot of people have resorted to borrowing from their 401k's. They have to make payments that reduce their abilitiy to pay for bills and reduce weekly income due to the payments on the loan. Yes our economy is consumer driven and almost everyone puts their money into a 401K instead of a savings account or CDs for apparent reasons etc. A person can always reamotize a loan. However lets give them the option to roll under a loan with a few rules. Suggestion 1 if a loanholder has borrowed less than 45 percent of their 401k allow them to roll under the loan. Pay for the loan with the remaining 55 percent of 401K savings. The requiremnt would be a mandatory 6 percent payroll deduction for a period of at least 18 months after the rolll under without the 10 percnt penalty. This of course would not apply to people with hardship loans or a residental and general loan. I would also cut the 10 percent hardship loan penalty for a specified amount of time. This should be debated. It would go a long way to help a lot of people. Still the government would want its 20 percent tax and I feel that tax should be reduced to 15 percent for a specified amount of time. It could be called the 401k relief bill. It frees up money for needed purchases.
I'd like to propose the following list of related items:
Financial Reforms:
a. Roll-back the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999 (Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act), which eliminated the previous separation of commercial banks, investment banks and insurance companies
b. Roll-back the Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act of 1994 - this act allowed banks to spread accross inter-state boarders and led to the creation of banks considered 'too big to fail' such as Bank of America, Chase and CitiBank
c. Require any entity that owns a mortgage to service it - this will eliminate many of the issues consumers have with their mortgage holders and servicers
d. Set the reserve requirement for commercial banks to 20%; set the reserve requirement for investment banks to 30%; with higher reserves, commerical and investment banks will be less likely to require future taxpayer bailouts
e. Leverage provided to any individual or corporation trading stocks, bonds or options limited to 50%; this should restrain some of the wild changes in asset prices
Commercial Reforms:
a. US chartered corporations to pay income tax on world-wide income, with deducations allowed for foreign income taxes on same income
b. Existing government regulators barred from working for any corporation they or their office oversaw for 5 years; new government regulators could not have worked for a corporation they or their office will oversee for more than 5 years
c. CEO pay limited to 100 times average of worker pay; CEO stock options limited to 100 times average worker stock options; CEO benefits limited to 100 times average worker benefits
d. Media companies limited to 5 TV and 10 radio stations in the entire country; media companies to divest other lines of business to prevent conflicts in reporting and business spheres
Campaign Reforms:
a. Require all TV stations that use public airwaves to provide free airtime to registered political candidates as part of their public obligations required for use of public airwaves
b. Implement limits for political contributions of $500 per individual, corporation, union or organization to each candidate or party per year; exceeding these limits will result in a minimum 500 hours picking up garbage on the side of freeways (rich people don't care about fines and community service would mean organizing an art auction for a conservative charity)
c. All candidates and candidate family members must abide by the contribution limits
d. All candidates and parties must publish all contributions within 5 business days of the funds being deposited (so we know who is being bought by whom)
Term limits for Justices. Some in the Supreme Court has become openly and aggressively political, deliberately rigging the scales of justice to enthrone big corporations. This slim majority of five unelected, unaccountable government officials with lifelong tenure has been hurling bombs at our democracy. They've hit us with decision after decision enhancing the power of corporations at the direct expense of workers, consumers, local communities, our air and water, voters, the elderly, and... well, anyone and everyone who stands up in court to resist the rise of corporate hegemony in America. Corporate CEOs and their legal/political cohorts know that the scales of justice in the federal judiciary are now weighted in their favor. Federal judges across the country are flagrantly abusing their authority and public trust by rigging America's economic and political rules for the further enrichment of already powerful and privileged corporations.
I feel a law should be written that no corporation or business will receive any government subsidy if that corporation or business is making a profit. Limited tax breaks will be allowed if a corporation or business hires new employees for the benefit of a tax break and must maintain these new hires for a period of at least three years.
Item 4 falls desperatley short of its objective. In stating that a law being written to close corporate tax loopholes effectively does not abolish them. In a greater sense a law should be written to state tax loopholes are herby abolished and illegal in the United States of America and that all taxes will be levied as written in the tax code as the voice of the people.
We must make fundamental changes in our trade policy so that we rebuild our manufacturing sector. Corporate America must invest in the United States and stop the outsourcing of jobs to China, Vietnam, and other low-wage countries. Under current tax laws, the United States rewards companies that move manufacturing jobs overseas, through loopholes in the Tax Code known as deferral and foreign source income. If we ended the absurdity of providing tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas, as well as prohibit abusive and illegal offshore tax shelters the Joint Tax Committee has estimated that we could raise more than $1 trillion in revenue over the next 10 years. China has come to dominate U.S. markets and drive American manufacturers out of business. China has cost the U.S. some 2 million manufacturing jobs in the past decade, and that the 30 percent advantage Chinese producers have because of the undervalued currency could prove devastating as China prepares to enter world markets in commercial aircraft and automobiles. If action isn’t taken, "we may never recover as a country. This is serious stuff." Economists agree that the yuan is undervalued by 25 percent to 30 percent against the dollar; some put it as high as 40 percent. The result is that Chinese goods are increasingly cheaper in the United States and U.S. products more expensive in China. One of the major reasons the middle class is collapsing and unemployment is unacceptably high is that disastrous trade agreements have cost us millions of good-paying jobs. During the last 10 years, 50,000 U.S. factories shut down, millions of jobs were lost and it is harder and harder to buy products made in the United States. We need a trade policy which demands that corporate America invest in this country, not China. We should all oppose new trade agreements and support the U.S A. Neither side is taking on the real issues facing this economy and the market for workable solutions is virtually empty. This country needs to work toward balanced trade and it requires a federal mandate to accomplish the task. The free market was already asked politely to keep jobs and production here – it simply accelerated outsourcing. This country needs strong domestic procurement laws for all government spending. If the government is going to put steel reinforcements in the pavement as it refurbishes crumbling highways, that steel must be made in America by American workers and an American-owned company.
Can't Justices have term limits? The selection of most judges gets almost no attention (much less opposition) from Congress, the media, and the public. Corporate CEOs and their legal/political cohorts know that the scales of justice in the federal judiciary are now weighted in their favor. As a result, corporations are ever more inclined to run to court, where they are winning incremental and wholesale increases of corporate power over employees, environmentalists, and the rest of us. judges across the country are flagrantly abusing their authority and public trust by rigging America's economic and political rules for the further enrichment of already powerful and privileged corporations.
I absolutely love these 8 demands and I am with each of them without any doubt.
I found this post way too late, before I did, I wrote my own list of 23, now 24. But I had been working on them long before I read about OWS in Adbusters a couple months ago. I am so proud of the people, the best of North America in my mind, who thought of this. If I can be called one of your number despite my day job which I like a lot and buy you pizzas, it would be a great honor to me.
Here is my link, I am going to post a few essays in support of them, (because gawdoftruth has been on me about facts and statistics, rightly so.)
http://occupywallst.org/forum/my-proposed-demands-1-5of-23/
And last but by no means least, THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THIS WEBSITE ARE INCREDIBLE! So much thanks, so much. It is wonderful to see something (nearly?) perfect.
The Five Agreements:
1) The American Dream is Dead, The System is Broken, We Need to Express our Anger and Grieve this Loss.
2) Politicians are Inept. Enact Term Limits and Separate Corporate Money from Politics. Encourage creative and efficient Government.
3) The American Culture is Unhealthy. We need a National Intention of Health as foundation for our future.
4) Current Financial Models are overly Risky and Greedy. We need to balance them appropriately, to support innovation while protecting citizens.
5) Our War Mindset is Bankrupting Us. End foreign wars of occupation and examine what underlies this culture of war.
I have a couple of suggestions for additions to your great list of demands:
(1) Legislation that campaign contributions can only be made by human beings and the contribution limit is $1 per human being. Also, a tax on internet businesses/providers to fund an independent non-profit corporation to provide free internet hosting and websites to any candidate for public office who raises a minimum amount of signatures to qualify to be on an election ballot. All candidates would have an equal amount of website space on which to post their political positions etc. Tax funds could also be used to produce paper versions of information on the internet and this paper information could be distributed to public libraries, post offices, social services offices, etc.
For further specific economic reforms, I recommend Robert B. Reich's book "Aftershock."
Surely OWS has gone beyond such legal niceties by now. The degree to which you focus on a legislative solution is the extent to which you lack the imagination necessary to create the future. The Law is a forlorn gesture in the right direction after all opportunity is lost. Our opportunity is to change the world not the redundancy of changing a law. There are at least 53 legislatures in the USA alone all paid to make laws up as they go. This is an indication of the fact of every legal matter: a law is hardly worth the paper it is written on or in other words it is so easily changed. And all laws cost. Not only in policing but in our being stuck with them. There was a sign at the OWS in NY one day: OCCUPY EVERYTHING. This precisely needs to be the extent of our engagement, imagination, solidarity and action. It is the only adequate perspective that has a hope of developing a future fit for humanity. What we should be accusing Wall Street of is not greed but the lousiness of their imagination. That they fell for a quantity that was minuscule in the scheme of things. That they sell themselves short.
Want the world and want it now. Not a bottom line. E V E R Y T H I N G. Only with this in mind is a more productive, democratic and freer society possible.
Many people have expressed their opinion about the way forward in this movement.
There are 3 common flaws in the proposals: 1)"demands" have to be approved within the EXISTING political structure, 2)physical theft or violence would REQUIRE interference from the government, 3)current political entities would absorb this movement, when the feeling in the air is that something ABSOLUTELY NEW is required.
Here is my proposal: create a new national capitol. ONLY that move will be seen as satisfactory when we look back on these events in the decades to come.
But how can this small movement break free from the current oligarchy that controls us? We are doctors, lawyers, and farmers just the same as our founding fathers. Yet, the principles they created have been distorted to serve the oligarchy. These principles should be renewed - WITHOUT money in politics.
In creating a new and better seat of government, we have the most powerful tool ever created - the internet.
I suggest Kansas City, Kansas as a location for this new seat of government. A new and faster internet is being created there. An open and more benign canvas exists at this site. Manhattan is a slaughterhouse designed by the 1%. Land is WAY too expensive.
We'll just bypass "them", and focus on creating a better "us". The energy to do this, exists right now on the streets of New York.
These demands are the platform for our NEW government.
Comments?
CarryTheGrips
I believe that a system that would alleviate some of the inequities between the classes could go something like this: Individuals making less than $40k a year and families making less than $70k a year will be exempt from this proposal. Based on a sliding scale and family size, taxpayers will contribute a small amount of money that will be placed into a fund that helps: the homeless; the poor; the unemployed, and the under-employed. Individuals who earn over $40k and families that earn over $70k will have to contribute approximately $1 a week from their paychecks or pensions. The more money you make, the more you have to contribute. For example, if an individual makes 40-45K may contribute $1 per paycheck/pension and a family earning between 70-75k may contribute $1 per paycheck/pension as well. An individual who makes $60k may have to contribute $2 per pay; $80k --$3 per pay, and so forth. However, this money will go into a fund that will help "bail us out" if need be as well as help provide empowering programs for urban areas that have been oppressed for many decades. Family support systems, employment training, drug treatment centers, and educational reform are examples to help empower these poor urban areas. This fund will also not leave out the middle class, who are unable to receive most government assistance because of higher income levels--especially single parent households with one income that supports a family. Additionally, many middle-class citizens are unemployed. Granted, unemployment benefits help for awhile. However, many people have relinquished their unemployment and emergency benefits and need more assistance in this declining economy. The under-employed is a major problem in this country as well. Many people are only able to gain employment either part-time, through temporary agencies, or as contract employees. Many of these positions do not offer medical benefits either. This fund will help individuals and families who were put in these uncompromising positions because of the societal inequities indicative of a capitalistic environment that has gotten out of control. The people that contribute to the fund will be able to utilize the fund as needed. It could be called FEFA--the Federal Emergency Fund for Americans and could be taken out of paychecks and pensions. (Social Security checks are exempt as well as unemployment checks) Hey just a thought....$1, $2 a week...multiply that by billions of Americans and that makes for a nice piece of change to help us all out.
End the war on drugs and other unnecessary wars.
9-Amend medicaid; Rewrite federal rules so that low income individuals in any state can receive free or low cost health care based solely on income, raise the income limits of applicants, and require that all hospitals must accept medicaid regardless of HMO, and give a tax credit to states that comply and penalize the ones who refuse. Current eligibility rules are dictated state by state. Example; In Louisiana, one can only qualify if one is pregnant, diagnosed with ovarian cancer,disabled or over the age of 62. In NYC, one can qualify if ones earns $780.00 or less regardless of health conditions or pregnancy status, however after 6 months one must sign up with an HMO, which is not always accepted by the better Hospitals (Sloan Kettering will take stright medicaid, but not HMO medicaid ). Next best step-Universal Healthcare paid for by a tax increase on the 1%.
9-Amend medicaid; Rewrite federal rules so that low income individuals in any state can receive free or low cost health care based solely on income, raise the income limits of applicants, and require that all hospitals must accept medicaid regardless of HMO, and give a tax credit to states that comply and penalize the ones who refuse. Currently eligibility rules are dictated state by state. Example; In Louisiana, one can only qualify if one is pregnant, diagnosed with ovarian cancer,disabled or over the age of 62. In NYC, one can qualify if ones earns $780.00 or less regardless of health conditions or pregnancy status, however after 6 months one must sign up with an HMO, which is not always accepted by the better Hospitals (Sloan Kettering will take stright medicaid, but not HMO medicaid ). Next best step-Universal Healthcare paid for by a tax increase on the 1%.
One thing you should consider before voting on any demands
Hey folks. I completely understand the urge to make demands. Believe me, I was once clamoring for this too. But you know what? It's too early. Our movement has matured enough for us to make demands. Demands at this juncture will only serve to divide us. And it's division that has allowed the tiny minority of plutocrats (the 1%) to rule over the 99% for so long.
I think (and so do many many others) that we should all take a deep breath and realize what this movement is about. If we focus on what we have in common right now we can build strength. Then, later once we've gotten to know each other, learned from each other and realized we're all in it together, we can go to the next stage. And if we approach it this way, we'll be making DECISIONS from a position of unified strength rather than DEMANDS from a position of divided weakness.
I'm being very serious now.
The official statements of goals and the widespread powerful direct non-violent action that will take place are, relatively speaking, the "easy" part, hence our desire to jump to that second step.
The hard part is right now, building the constituency of the 99%. In order to do that, we have to take some time and let the fruit ripen before we pick it. There's no need to rush or worry. Look how far we've come so far with no official demands and no official leaders. Let's focus right now on discussing what we have in common rather than dividing ourselves with demands. Once we, the 99%, realize all we have in common, we'll awaken to the absurdity that we've allowed the 1% to rule us despite the fact that we really have all the power. It will take time for that epiphany to percolate around the nation. Give that a little time. Then we'll be able to make decisions rather than demands. Then it will be the plutocrats who are in the weak position. If we pick the fruit too soon and make official demands and designate official leaders, they'll pigeon hole us and take us down Rove style. If, on the other hand, we allow the fruit to ripen, we'll be unstoppable.
There's nothing so powerful as an idea whose time has come. The goals/demands are just details. The idea whose time has come is the recognition that we have more in common than we think. We must focus on and nurture that revelation. Once that penetrates our consciousness collectively, we will find our voice...and we will sing. Oh how we'll sing.
so glad to see this list. i don't know if this is already down farther, so apologies if redundant, but so much of what goes wrong with laws is in the implementation. some kind of public oversight committee (scholars, lawyers, etc.) to ensure proper execution of the laws and given real powers would be great.
All items are greatly needed, especially items 1-5. The regulations need to work in such a way that banks and the finance companies cannot pass along any fines they owe for breaking the rules to their customers.
Using social media create a list of companies that make American products and encourage people to buy their products. Also think about American companies who make their products overseas (e.g. Nike, Under Armor, etc) and arrange a boycott until the companies move manufacturing back into this country, then issue a request to buy their products. (one or two companies at a time) This is a window of opportunity because I believe these companies are banking on China being their new customer base, but right now we are. They can't see that they are destroying their customer base and this model is unsustainable, so we must help them realize that. This is something we can do with social media and the internet. I am growing old, but you have the energy, so go for it.
Things I would like to see based on in New America: No congress, senate, or government politician can be below the age of 30 or above the age of 40. Politicians can no longer accept money from companies larger than an investor that intakes 3.3 million a year. A company of any size can no longer receive a sum of money greater than 1 million dollars. Or likewise receive 10 million as a sum of donations a year. All companies must induce a “Leave-of-Protest”. Where upon leave they will be allowed to return to their job at will, if found to be absence without need this can be punishable by incarceration Donations can no longer be accepted from outside the border of the United States of America. Stocks will be once again hand processed instead of digital updates. This will be a separate job inside the hub. Banks can no longer hold stock in the DOW or NASDAQ. But are instead allowed to participate in a separate category, though for this category of the stock exchange to exist there has to be at least 15 branches of separate-individually-owned banks. Option two: Banks must not proceed between state lines. Banks must limit their funds directly to the state instead of the stock. Donations CANNOT, under any circumstances, be accepted for re-elections. Laws in a single state may not exceed 150 single laws. If one law is ordained a law must be relinquished to do so. The laws relinquished must not be expunged based on senators or governors, but by a meeting held by the mayors of the state.
If a company bankrupts, they may (if still existent) withhold the first piece of private property they owned and begun from. This can only occur once and excluding this once if name has been changed of the company, or a different enterprise has been worked in said company.
No judge can be eligible for a congressional, senate, or presidential position. Or likewise for any position in the judicial system.
No company can become exclusiveness for the consumption or yielding of currency, national or international of the like. A job should be distinguished between necessity and accommodations. Accommodations can be accessed by those of a higher education, where as necessity can be accessed by ANY human so long they fit a moral and competence assessment. “Parties” will no longer exist on political notes. No side can be “won” from. No side can be sought
Instead of trying to limit the role or manner in which companies or unions participate in political donations, eliminate the need for donations. Make federal elections cheaper to wage by eliminating political TV ads:
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION
FEDERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN ADVERTISEMENT REFORM
Starting in the next federal election after ratification of this amendment, no individual or group of individuals shall be allowed to fund the production and/or exhibition of paid advertisement or publicity either endorsing or disavowing any candidate, potential candidate or a political party that appears on the ballot for the US Congress House of Representatives, Senate or the Presidency in any space, medium or arena traditionally dominated by commercial advertisement. This shall include, but not be limited to, advertisement on broadcast or cable television, radio, newspapers, magazines, billboards or digital platforms that are otherwise sponsored by private enterprise.
Thoughts.
I don't know enough about the Act in question to speak intelligently on it, so for now I'll pass.
I believe this is important, not only because it would bring justice to a situation that has seen none, but I think it would also restore American confidence in their government.
Citizens United never should have been ratified in the first place. The idea that a corporation, whose only purpose is to make profit and with billions of dollars at its disposal for lobbyists, could be considered a person is an affront to actual people.
Buffet's idea sounds good, but again, I don't know enough about it yet.
Same as above; no knowledge about the SEC.
This... is a tricky position for the following reason: Congressmen don't know everything about Subjects X, Y, and Z. Odds are, they know nothing about them. Lobbyists act as sources of information for these congressmen, who might not be able to ever form an opinion on the topic in question without them. The problem comes from lobbyists buying votes on measures which are not in the congressman's constituents' bests interests... but I hesitate to get on board with "ban all lobbyists". Remember, fellow Lefties, that this would mean an end to environmental and human rights lobbyists as well.
I'm not sure we should be passing Federal laws that state "you can't work in this field anymore because you worked for this company/governmental branch beforehand". That would prevent a lot of very knowledgeable and experienced people from moving freely through the job market.
This is redundant if Citizens United is overturned.
OWS is making no demands. #ows is not a political party. They have made a declaration. To make demands means that the powers that be retain power over the 99%
Add - Election Reform. See - Fair Elections Now Act
with all these "congress passing..." items on the list, one has to wonder why the hell the focus of this protest is on wall st.
wall st. will not be debating or passing any of these laws.
if any of these ideas are to be debated before becoming law, that's going to happen in DC.
so why the F aren't the protestors in DC? what the F are they doing on wall st?
could it be that the problem is the president and the senate are both in the hands of the democrats?
or is that just a coincidence? doesn't look like one.
I would urge legislation that would subject the Supreme Court justices subject to the Judicial Code of Conduct, the same code of conduct to which all other Federal judges are subject. The need for this arises in light of the participation by Justices Scalia and Thomas in various Koch brothers-sponsored events. For an excellent discussion of this, see:
http://www.afj.org/connect-with-the-issues/supreme-court-ethics-reform/code-of-conduct-afj-memo.pdf
"Eliminate all speculative trading of commodities and oil" as millions are starving worldwide because of it. If one is concerned with oil going to low in price and encouraging excessive consumption then replace the speculative excess with a partial markup to help provide a national health care system for Americans.
So who tried to stimulate the economy after the dot-com bubble burst? The government and the Federal reserve. What happened? The Fed lowered interest rates while the government offered tax incentives to banks to make risky loans. Many took those loans knowing they couldn't pay them back. So now you're sitting on wall street, asking the government to step in and make it better? That is the most ridiculous damn thing I have ever heard. Nobody wants to take accountability anymore. Forgive my student loans, a job is a right, healthcare is a right (a service is not a right), equal wages (wage should be reflected by demand for the service you provide). Not the banks, the government, the Fed or the people who took the loans. Go protest Fannie Mae (created as part of the New Deal), the Federal Reserve, the White House, and Congress. Wall Street doesn't give a shit about what you're doing because the government has their back. Who is going to be affected? Not the errand boys on Wall Street or the people they work for. How much is all the police overtime going to cost the citizens of New York? Cleaning, sanitation? Or is anyone there considering the people who are out working their asses off while half of you sit around, bitching about not having a job? Yes, work for change and equality all you want, but realize that these mega-banks and corporations got where they are with federal protectionist regulations, this is not a failure of the free-market, fuck man, we don't even have a free-market, we have a mixed market.
I'd like to see this. Break apart large corporations into smaller businesses, trust busting, in order to stop price fixing and collusion amongst big business. In essence, level the playing field for small business. And end the ability of a business to own another business, thus drastically reducing the size of corporations.
I suggest to enlist the support of persons not able to march in the street or in public, that organizers should prepare and develop plans to call for national boycott of worst companies products or services, also to punish the bias media stations by boycotting their advertisers.
j.pergolini
I suggest to enlist the support of persons not able to march in the street or in public, that organizers should prepare and develop plans to call for national boycott of worst companies products or services, also to punish the bias media stations by boycotting their advertisers.
j.pergolini
I'd like to see the minimum wage raised. I think this would put much needed money in the hands of consumers and they could stimulate the economy through their buying power. This follows a Keynesian economy philosophy and I find that it go far to bring prosperity back to the United States. And as a corollary to this idea, I propose that for small businesses that can't afford to pay higher wages, we have the government supplement incomes with money drawn from a higher tax rate on the upper class.
Okay. I propose a constitutional amendment to exclude corporations from participating in our political process. They are a few such amendments elsewhere on the web - not at all hard to find. All other proposals I consider to be a half measure. Any legislation will be watered down and eventually eroded by the influence of moneyed interests. If all else fails for them, they will get greater representation on the supreme court so that they will overturn that legislation as unconstitutional.
Thus, I maintain that only a constitutional amendment removing corporations from the political process will have any effect on actually bringing about meaningful change.
Doing this will be a complicated effort. It will have to occur at two different levels:
FIRST:
This movement will have to organize itself to put pressure at the state/district level to pressure federal representatives to push for such an amendment. In other words just like the tea party is pressuring republicans; you either push for this amendment or you are out. Period. This doesn't mean just pressuring democrats - it means pressuring whoever the incumbent is. If you live in a democratic district, then register as a democrat and pressure them in the primary. If you live in a republican district, register as a republican and pressure them on the amendment. Both parties are selling out to corporate interests - so don't think of this as a party issue. Keep thine eye single. Speak truth to power whoever that power may be. We need to organize at a very local level throughout the country.
SECOND:
We need to pressure state legislatures to call for a constitutional convention for purposes of creating such an amendment. The idea of a convention so scares federal legislators that if we can create a momentum and get states on board the federal legislators would pass such an amendment theirselves to avoid the convention.
All this may seem difficult, but as I said previously, everything else will be a half measure.
And the powers that be will always try to sell us on a half measure. But any legislation will eventually be undermined and neutered so long as corporations have the power they do. A transaction tax? Might work short term, but overtime there will be more loopholes than substance to the policy. Look: our government is in the pocket of corporations and moneyed interests. Even Barack is owned by Goldman Sachs. Is it any wonder the bankers get to walk away from their crimes and have their way? The only way to get them out of those pockets is to pull down the pants and make the kings run naked.
A constitutional amendment - that is my proposal. Keep thine eye single!
Number 3 can't be dealt with through a law overturning Citizens United. This is because Citizens united was based on constitutional grounds and federal law, no matter what it says, cannot overturn the constitution (Article VI of the Constitution). The Supreme Court has said that uniform rules for running an election, applicable to all candidates could be constitutional, therefore I believe that the following demand could be added as the actual solution to issue #3:
Require, pursuant to Article 1 Section 4 of the Constitution, that all federal elections be executed from a public fund. Such public fund shall be established as the Congress deems fit, with costs and requirements for qualifying for the funds dependent on quantitative measurements for access to the federal ballot. Forthwith, no federal candidate may seek, accept, take, or disburse money received from any person or entity, other than the public fund.
I agree with a comment below, "Citizens United" probably cannot be reversed by legislation, & a constitutional amendment will probably be needed. The amendment wo need to not only refute corporate personhood, but also require 100% public financing of all political campaigns at the federal level. Everybody gets a fixed, equal amount of money to spend, and that is all they can spend.
MUST OVERTURN ATT v. CONCEPCION. REPEAL THE FAA (Federal Arbitration Act) 9 U.S.C. Section 1 et seq.
Supreme Court Rules in Favor of the 1%
On April 27, 2011 the Supreme Court of the United States by a five to four decision decided that arbitration clauses with class action waivers in contracts of adhesion are enforceable - overturning decades of state law invalidating such contractual language. AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion
This ruling basically has allowed banks and other corporations to systematically avoid the people's right to petition the judicial branch to right the injustices of these institutions. This decision and the implications of the decision should be a major focal point of the Occupy movement. I urge everyone to read Judge Breyer's dissent: "What rational lawyer would have signed on to represent the Concepcions in litigation for the possibility of fees stemming from a $30.22 claim?"
$30 at a time AT&T stole from its customers. 1 person at a time, we can fix it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT%26T_Mobility_v._Concepcion
blaming free trade and demanding usa manufacture for all products consumed and waving a new usa flag of nationalism kind of misses the point, this is a world revolution dedicated to ridding the world of banking cartels linked to politics so that citizens of the world can begin to redefine their lives outside of the money-grubbing resource-exploiting, universities-as-businesses realm, and back to communities that are self supporting and self governing, all learning from each other through genral assemblies throughout the world
blaming free trade and demanding usa manufacture for all products consumed and waving a new usa flag of nationalism kind of misses the point, this is a world revolution dedicated to ridding the world of banking cartels linked to politics so that citizens of the world can begin to redefine their lives outside of the money-grubbing resource-exploiting, universities-as-businesses realm, and back to communities that are self supporting and self governing, all learning from each other through genral assemblies throughout the world
I believe the Volcker Rule is attempting enforce parts of the Glass-Steagall Act
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcker_Rule
We need to think past short-term demands. Compiling a list is not a bad thing (taxing the rich and removing money from politics have to be at the top regarding economics), however we should all be out protesting until capitalism is overturned, not just slightly reformed. While we write demands, we must remember this
How about providing basic health insurance to all? By basic insurance I mean what is absolutely necessary and rationed by a doctors panel. This can be done by National Insurance or by regulating Insurance Industry in a similar way as it is done in Switzerland where the premiums for basic insurance are regulated at low level and Insurance makes money on various upgrades to basic insurance. Affordable Health Services are important to the Nation and we are kept hostage by Health and Insurance Industries.
Separation of business and government. Eliminate all PACs no matter who or what they represent. Limit political campaign contributions to $1000 per person / $1000 per business entity. Prohibit bundling of contributions. Prohibit non-cash contributions. Curb lobbyists by prohibiting all donations, gifts, entertainment and any other forms of compensation, cash or non-cash. Require lobbyists to comment on proposed legislation via an online venue with open access for the public, for a specified period of time. Impose term limits for the House and Senate. Establish a non-partisan system of oversight to monitor the financial activities and transactions of the members of Congress.
Wonderful list, agree with all. We need to push for term limits, no career politicians.
We need public funding for campaigns. As much as I hate to say it I would pay $5.00 on my tax form for that. Strict adherence, no PAC's, etc.
The list is great, good start.
We need public funding for campaigns. As much as I hate to say it I would pay $5.00 on my tax form for that. Strict adherence, no PAC's, etc.
The list is great, good start.
I agree with the spirit, but the wording needs a lot of work as is leading and made in the spirit of anger, not reason.
For example, "Wall Street criminals". Many of the deeds where perfectly legal, and many did not come from Wall Street. In fact most came from Washington DC.
I cannot speak for everyone, But I want this things:
Transparency. No secret dealings. And (since the IRS take taxes from everyone's paycheck), combine this with the number of people in the census and you get the real unemployment rate. Instead of the misleading figure of people collecting unemployment money. Audit the FED.
Accountability. With no sacred cows. Whoever made an illegal decision should be place behind bars. Irrelevant if its the CEO of a corporation or not.
Fairness. No bailouts.And corporations should not have the same rights as a citizen. The reason is that they do not have the same duties. (Cannot be drafted, cannot be arrested, etc.).
Have a flat tax rate of earnings (of any type) after a preset limit. Make so its not possible to change it until a 8 year period has passed.
Any political advertisement must be marked as such, under penalty of jail. If a "reporter" received money from party X, it must disclosed. There are far too many mercenaries on the media and people should know who they are.
Flat tax rates fall disproportionately hard on the poor. We should be talking about equivalence of sacrifice, not mere percentage equivalence.
I dont know how anyone could disagree with this.
It takes two to screw us! Politicians to hold us down, so then the Corporations can do the screwing!!! Politicians need better rules to follow to prevent lobbying! We tax payers should fund important elections, so the best person wins and not the one with the most money!!! The movement needs at least these demands!!!!!!!!!!! Pass The Word!!! Lets Get It Together!!!
TRUTH IN CAMPAIGNS law. Free speech <> ability to mislead or lie in a campaign. Establish an oversight court with the ability to require removal/retraction of any campaign add etc that is false or is designed to intentionally mislead the public. Impose libel laws on defamation of character for public figures in campaigns. Protecting candidates from personal attacks and outright lies would encourage "normal" sane people to run for office instead of the megalomaniacs currently in DC.
I agree with most Exept #8. There are good reason for why a corporations have that status.
I think we should add TERM LIMITS FOR CONGRESS as we recognize that the threat of coruption is greater that not being able to countwith the experience of a few good statesmen.
I would legislate to breakup the largest US banks in orther to increase competition (afterall we believe in free market capitalism) and eliminate the TOO BIG TO FAIL institutions.
I would recoment a revision to the corporate tax code that limits what can be deducted as an expense for executive pay as a multiple of the average pay in the company.
If I were writing this it would look something like this... Find me at OCCUPY WALL ST. DEMANDS on facebook
The Occupy Wall St. Manifesto
This document shall be the beginnings of the Occupy Wall St. Manifesto and shall contain the demands that we the people collectively determine to be relevant and purposeful in creating a more perfect union for all citizens in the United States of America.
We the people of this union demand that equal and equitable action be forced upon all banks pardoned or bailed out by the government of the United States of America create a new set of rules based upon fairness and opportunity for every man and woman of legal age.
1a. Within these guidelines we demand that no bank who received money from the United States government be allowed to impose penalties of financially gratuitous nature upon on it clients. This includes but is not limited to overdrafts, monthly charges for basic representation and use of service or ATM fees. 1b. We demand that these banks who took part in the nationwide bailout release all financial records, excluding personal accounts of the public, and be committed to complete transparency available to all citizens at any time from this day forward. 1c. We demand that any bank that falls into the category of being bailed out with United States tax dollars be forced into these guidelines or return the money within the same amount of time that the institution asked for it and received it.
We the people demand federal protection of our public education budgets. It should here forth be stated that no state shall have the ability to remove the budget for education below a desired standard that is decided up by the general population of the citizens and representatives of that state and that a safety budget shall be established for all states not to operate below that level of state funding. 2a. We demand that within these public systems our children are offered the option for healthy food choices within the buildings and that the unhealthy choices be taxed at a higher rate than healthy foods. 2b. We demand proper health education to our children within the public system that promotes healthy choices and provides beneficial knowledge to the students in regards to health and health standards.
We demand federal protection for our workers unions and regulations that protect them from the power of the state to outlaw or dis-band these unions.
3a. We demand that our unions be fairly heard as the collective voice of those people within the established union be heard and considered as a voice of the people for the particular area or region that they represent. 3b. We demand that no business or organization retain the ability to hire new workers under a different wage or benefits without first establishing the problems between the business and the union and that the dispute be settled within the confines of a court if it is not settled internally between the separate organization(s) and business.
3c. We demand that any business who hires workers within the United States from any foreign source without the established rights to work be penalized the appropriate minimum wage for a year or years worth of compensation.
3d. We demand a higher federal minimum wage for every legal citizen and that it be no less than ten federal reserve dollars per hour.
In the name of controlling monopolies and conglomerates within domestic markets, we demand new and stricter regulations on converging corporations. We demand that any corporation(s) converging with any other corporation be forced to disband half of one of the stated corporations and that that half be broken up and distributed amongst smaller businesses within the same industry within the United States.
We demand a flat tax rate for all companies, organizations and people who live and work within the United States of America.
We demand a viable third political party that is solely funded by the tax dollars of the American people and that this party is given the opportunity for support from every state in the United States of America. Based on a fair system of requirements, guidelines and competitive nature. And that this third party shall start every four years at the local level, of every state in the nation and gives every eligible person the chance at the American dream and the opportunity to be elected to office regardless of social or financial class.
Until you begin to meet our demands we will continue to occupy our streets, fill up our jails and grab the worlds attention... One way or another we will take back our country.
Concerned citizens ready to Occupy...
There is nothing "fair" about flax taxes. Flat tax rates hit disproportionately hard on lower income folks. What's more, they do not reflect the fact that the wealthy, and corporations, derive more benefit from the services government provides than do lower income folks.
Implementing a more effective voting method, such as Instant Runoff Voting, which would allow people to vote their conscience instead of being forced to choose between the least of two evils.
Term limits on all elected office. The length can be reasonable and open to debate, but I suggest the current presidential model- two terms. The current system of politicians who are more concerned with funding their next campaign than doing the business of the people has to end.
Remove Corporate Money from capiagns, and EVERYTHING CHANGES
I propose that all the suggestions offered will be mitigated, thwarted, or subverted either now or in the future unless the single most important objective is accomplished: REMOVE PRIVATE MONEY FROM ELECTIONS. What ever we change today will be undone tomorrow if we leave corporate representatives in congress. If we put people in congress who SERVER THE PEOPLE, our work continues for generations. To accomplish this (and all proposed objectives) we need REAL CAMPAIGN FINANCE CHANGE
Why not something as simple as:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/44787637 and http://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=195248
------ Enact Single Payer Healthcare for All ------- People, not profit. <3 -------------------
Great graphic illustrating when and how things went really wrong in this country, how the greatest transfer of wealth was effected:
https://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2011/09/04/opinion/04reich-graphic.html
Great graphic illustrating when and how things went really wrong in this country, how the greatest transfer of wealth was effected:
https://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2011/09/04/opinion/04reich-graphic.html
On the Warren Buffet tax, please keep in mind that this tax would not impact Warren Buffet. If you really want to tax guys like him you have to tax wealth and not income. The reason his taxes are so low is because he has little to no yearly income, even though he has tremendous wealth build-up.
Our list of demands must be clear and concise. It must be inclusive of everyone in the bottom 99% of society. To that end, we should include only the most general goals that do not alienate anyone. It's not the agents themselves who are to blame, it's the government that is at fault for allowing corporations and lobbyists their undue influence.
3, 6, and 7 are the only non-controversial items on this list. They are non-controversial because they target our government and not any one specific industry or agent of influence.
Our goal is to change our government so that our voices are heard. Only then can specific regulations be determined appropriately. Just as the General assembly functions, each person should have a right to participate, debate, and question each act of government.
99% of our population are underrepresented by their government due to the undue political influence of lobbyists and corporate interest groups. Political influence of the top 1% (read:lobbyists) is what allowed the deregulation of various industries and the corruption of our government that led to our financial collapse.
We must purge the influence of corporate and political "insiders" on our government by closing the legal loopholes that let them in. Our demands should focus on:
1) Limit corporate influence in politics (including donations and their ability to employ regulators)
2) Limit the influence of lobbyists
3) Promote transparency where political contributions are concerned (no anonymity for PAC groups and campaign contributors)
4) Create a new forum for direct participation and transparency in the government process where possible. (e.g. direct public voting via the internet)
Leave the fine details (like specific industry regulations) out of our core list of demands and focus on the big picture.
Great points!
Demand the banks open their lines of capital to small businesses and individuals. This does not mean going back to the era of stupid loans but there has to be some middle ground between those practices and where we are now. Without capital it is has hard to create jobs. The banks are killing the development of small business and the hiring of people by basically making it impossible for people to borrow money. Prior to the consolidation of banks into mega-corporations, local banks made their money by investing in their communities and taking good calculated risks. This is gone now. If we want the economy to really start growing capital needs to be freed.
We need health insurance to be regulated like a public utility. No reason why health care should not considered the equivalent of water and energy. The insurance companies can make a profit but profit should not be their sole motive. This step will reduce premiums and make hiring new employees a cheaper proposition for employers. As part of this package tort reform is needed.
Tax carried interest as compensation and stop the reduced tax break for the fund managers living in CT. You guys need to head up the highway and protest in Greenwich, CT. They are making Billions and not paying anything.
Provide a dollar for dollar tax credit to businesses with respect to the cost of training new employees in areas of critical needs. Employers are reporting a shortage of well qualified employees in various fields. An employer would be required to hire the person first and employ them after the person has completed their training.
Reform tuition at all universities (public and private). Our colleges and universities have become greedy because they essentially receive risk free funds from the Federal government with no accountability. Students just borrow their lives before they turn 21. Colleges and Universities should not be profit driven.
http://vimeo.com/30090293
A goal for a specific kind of campaign finance reform, starting with congress.
http://vimeo.com/30090293
A goal for a specific kind of campaign finance reform, starting with congress.
Also, term limits for all congressmen and senators, and let's get the moneyed lobbyists out of DC. Too much money and propaganda drives the political process. How about a national referendum on domestic policy priorities--or are there too many 'crazies' among us? Let's find out.
I just read this article, and what little I understand, it does seem to contradict what Proposed demand 4, is about... the feds are using things against us already??? I just want to bring it to your attention.
‘Occupy Wall Street’ Tax Proposal Is Backed By Wall Street Itself The “Buffett tax rule” promoted by Occupy Wall Street is exactly what the Wall Street-owned Obama administration wants By Paul Joseph Watson Global Research, October 3, 2011 Infowars.com
There’s no better way of deciding an outcome than owning both sides of the debate. That’s why the Wall Street-owned Obama administration must be licking its lips at the fact that ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protesters have been conned into advocating new tax policies backed by billionaires like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates that will do nothing to touch Wall Street, but everything to sink what’s left of the American middle class.
The Occupy Wall Street protesters are campaigning for the Obama administration to “Pass the Buffett Rule on fair taxation, so the rich pay their fair share.” This demand is posted on their own website. The campaigners are demanding that the US Congress pass a bill backed by the Obama administration, which is comprised of Wall Street operatives and is a creature of Wall Street. Do you see the dichotomy here? The protesters are pushing for a new tax rule which is supported by the Wall Street-owned Obama administration, therefore the demonstrators are unwittingly doing the bidding of Wall Street itself. The “Buffett tax rule” will do virtually nothing to make the ‘filthy rich pay their share’ – it will only raise taxes for middle class Americans and middle class businesses.
As the Wall Street Journal reports, “Roughly 90% of the tax filers who would pay more under Mr. Obama’s plan aren’t millionaires, and 99.99% aren’t billionaires.” It is the middle class – not Warren Buffett or Wall Street corporations – who will be most hurt by the very policies the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ crowd are calling for.
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway still owes taxes from 10 years ago. Buffet is the ultimate Wall Street insider – he is the third wealthiest person on the planet. Buffet avoids billions in taxes because most of his interests are based offshore. Indeed, most top corporations pay virtually no income tax, not because of any law that isn’t in place, but because they have parked most of their wealth in offshore tax havens... comment cut in half. Heres a link to read the rest. http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=26915
Yes, these recommendations should be promoted and implemented. Let's not forget Move-On.org's 10 points for the restoration of sanity in a number of areas: jobs, infrastructure investment, securing medicare and social security for all, and also developing ways to not only bring our military home, but to begin and dismantle our 'military empire.' The military-industrial complex is central to Wall Street's continued dominance. As Naomi Klein and others are pointing out, the movement is based in large part on a rejection of Corporate America and a return to actual and real democratic thinking and efforts at a grass-roots level. We've swallowed the corporate lies and propaganda long enough. It's time to wake up and bring together a number of movements, Wall Street, Common Cause, Move-On.org and others to forge a new direction for our children and grandchildren. The planet is our ticking time bomb.
As a practical recommendation, why not re-institute public works and job training programs with immediate application in cities and towns across America? Funded by the government and the largest corporations join tly? Put the unemployed to work and invest in our country. It worked during the Great Depression. Why not now?
I just read this article, and what little I understand, it does seem to contradict what Proposed demand 4, is about... the feds are using things against us already??? I just want to bring it to your attention.
‘Occupy Wall Street’ Tax Proposal Is Backed By Wall Street Itself The “Buffett tax rule” promoted by Occupy Wall Street is exactly what the Wall Street-owned Obama administration wants By Paul Joseph Watson Global Research, October 3, 2011 Infowars.com
There’s no better way of deciding an outcome than owning both sides of the debate. That’s why the Wall Street-owned Obama administration must be licking its lips at the fact that ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protesters have been conned into advocating new tax policies backed by billionaires like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates that will do nothing to touch Wall Street, but everything to sink what’s left of the American middle class.
The Occupy Wall Street protesters are campaigning for the Obama administration to “Pass the Buffett Rule on fair taxation, so the rich pay their fair share.” This demand is posted on their own website. The campaigners are demanding that the US Congress pass a bill backed by the Obama administration, which is comprised of Wall Street operatives and is a creature of Wall Street. Do you see the dichotomy here? The protesters are pushing for a new tax rule which is supported by the Wall Street-owned Obama administration, therefore the demonstrators are unwittingly doing the bidding of Wall Street itself. The “Buffett tax rule” will do virtually nothing to make the ‘filthy rich pay their share’ – it will only raise taxes for middle class Americans and middle class businesses.
As the Wall Street Journal reports, “Roughly 90% of the tax filers who would pay more under Mr. Obama’s plan aren’t millionaires, and 99.99% aren’t billionaires.” It is the middle class – not Warren Buffett or Wall Street corporations – who will be most hurt by the very policies the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ crowd are calling for.
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway still owes taxes from 10 years ago. Buffet is the ultimate Wall Street insider – he is the third wealthiest person on the planet. Buffet avoids billions in taxes because most of his interests are based offshore. Indeed, most top corporations pay virtually no income tax, not because of any law that isn’t in place, but because they have parked most of their wealth in offshore tax havens... comment cut in half. Heres a link to read the rest. http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=26915
One word will fix all this mess. It is: SORTITION http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sortition
CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE DEMOCRACY. Continuously invent and conduct new experiments in democracy — and see which ones work best. First try them in a few cities, and try the best of these at higher levels. Residents of places trying the experiments can vote on the results. In conducting new experiments, we should try some of the following. Use combinations of lotteries and elections to select officials. Have term limits for more offices. Strictly limit campaign contributions and give equal mass media time to all qualified candidates. Require candidates to advance through government one level at a time. Almost two thirds of the world’s people are governed by some kind of democracy. But many of these democracies are corrupted by corporate greed. Democracy is also in danger from the growing number of ignorant people. Many don’t care enough to vote, and some don’t learn enough about the people or things they vote for.
In today’s democracies, people use only voting to choose their representatives. This leaves democracy wide open to corruption. In the first representative democracy (Athenian democracy), people used mainly lotteries to select their representatives, as the best way to protect democracy from corruption. Today democracy is much more at risk because: the rich are many times richer (51 of the world’s largest 100 economies are those of corporations); election campaigns cost much more; and modern mass media has much power. Today people still use lotteries to select trial jurors. Why is it still good for personal justice but not social justice? When using lotteries as part of selecting representatives, the following happens. It’s more difficult for extreme wealth to corrupt government. There’s reduced need for political parties — which saves money and reduces social discord. More people have a chance to serve in government. So, there’s more diversity in government; and there’s more respect for one another, the laws we make, and the people who enforce our laws.
RESOURCES ON USING RANDOM SELECTION FOR DEMOCRACY
www.thebalancedrepublic.com presents a way to use random selection in choosing the US House of Representatives. Basically, 300 volunteer registered voters from each Congressional District are randomly selected, quickly assemble, spend time getting to know one another, and pick their District’s Representative(s) from among themselves.
A Citizen Legislature is a short book (at www.well.com/user/mp/citleg.html) that examines the benefits and drawbacks of using random selection to pick the US House of Representatives.
Let’s Toss for It: A Surprising Curb on Political Greed is a research paper (at www.constitution.org/elec/sortition_knag.htm) that discusses the characteristics and effects of using random selection, as well as its potential for present-day use. It also discusses its history and offers applications in the American political system.
Casting and Drawing Lots: A Time Honoured Way of Dealing with Uncertainty and for Ensuring Fairness is a research paper (at www.jameslindlibrary.org/essays/casting_of_lots/casting.html) that discusses using random selection from a historical perspective, including Biblical references and its use in military service.
Random Selection in Politics is a book by Professors Carson and Martin. It offers a college-level discussion on the benefits and drawbacks of using random selection to choose representatives in government.
This sounds great in theory. I'm a little concerned about all this new authority going to the government which is half of the problem. Fascism = government+corporations.
Maybe if the bills were limited to 10 pages each and printed on the internet as pdf files for all to download.
There needs to be a law passed to keep members of Congress from being able to partake in INSIDER TRADING.
Congress-members have investment portfolios that do 16% better than the average Joe. The reason for this is that there is no rules against them buying or selling stocks or bonds if they learn things in committee.
http://insidertrading.procon.org/
Actually Warren Buffet made his fortune in the 1960s when the income tax on individuals was up in the 70%. He did this by buying a textile company called Berkshire Hathaway and using that company to buy and sell stocks and bonds. At the time the corporate tax rate was about 50%. So he was basically a tax dodger that made 20% more return on his investment than he would if he bought and sold stock as an individual.
The list of demands should be.
What really bothers me is that politicians can sign allegiances or promises to individuals or special interest organizations like Grover Norquist's. This sort of thing should be banned. Our representatives should not be able to sign allegiances to any special interest that will affect their voting in congress.
Sounds good, I'd clean up much of the color comments and anything that is not the direct demand for technical clarity. Drop any quotes and pop culture references. Remember demands must be very clear especially in the soundbyte culture we live in. I would very much like to see a cleaned up version of this on the front pages of the all the Occupy sites in the US and should be the officially adopted list of demands.
Make us all aware that Supreme Court is supposed to fix Congress and White House when they become corrupt. Supreme Court alone has power to strike down PACs "laws" since it is now obvious they give ALL political power to Top 1% effectively negating the principle of balance of power. Corporate PACs overtook Union PACs by 1980, a mere 6 years after they were instituted solely to balance union money which gave an unfair advantage to wage earners over unearned income earners in 1974.
Back in the 60s, they had the "Summer of Love" I say you call this the "Fall of Change".
Force Supreme Court to use Judicial Review to enforce equal protection of ALL citizens' rights in this country, not just the rights of Top 1%. Shame them into realizing the error of their ways and how history books are going to depict them as Nero and Caligula.
Force John Roberts' hand to use Judicial Review to strike down money in politics and "money as speech" as undemocratic, unconstitutional, and inherently giving the Top 1% the ability to protect their property from progressive taxation, while giving 99% no power against upward redistribution of their hard-earned property through corporate welfare, and corporate wars/clandestine destabilization/Fascist imperialism of foreign countries for minerals, oil, and natural resources which make only the Top 1% richer. Enact a Constitutional Amendment to make all legislative permanent and enshrine these rights once and for all.
I am no intellectual - nor a political person - though I like to think...
I have a modest proposal for those who have taken up the fight for the rest of us – the 99%. I have a great deal of respect for some of the basic concepts of equality and democracy that is being exhibited at the rallys and the difficult task of not taking on a political agenda that may serve only a portion of the sub-groups. And yet without a “list of demands” there is little hope for an endgame or a beginning to something bigger and meaningful.
I understand that the many sub-groups have their own pet ideas about changes – everything from student loan reform, to an anti-war message. From union and collective bargaining issues to hunger and poverty, to redistribution of wealth and taxing the rich. There is one common thread it seems to me. The 99% feel we are not being heard – we are not taken seriously – our issues fall on the deaf ears of our representative because our messages are drowned out by the messages of wealthy corporate donors and special interests.
So, my proposal is a simple one. Change the campaign finance laws to create geographic representation. Candidates for office may only accept campaign contributions from individuals who reside in, or companies with headquarters in or who do a majority of their business in, the area they represent. Just restrict contributions to the district or state they represent.
So, for example, a natual gas company in Houston, TX can’t contribute to the campaign of a congressperson from upstate NY. So that when issues of regulating “fracking” come up in congress that congressperson can represent the best interests of their local constituents not their benefactor… If that Gas Company wants to lobby someone – let them lobby the people of upstate NY. Let them invest in the community. Let them try to infuence the local voters to influence their representative.
By keeping campaign contributions local we can get back to a “geographic based” representational government, not the “interest group” representational government we have devolved into…
It can form the foundation of a new way government works – for ALL the people. Then each local group who has a pet issue – end the war, fix our schools, clean up the environment, no new taxes, immigration reform – can be heard. The goal is to make our representatives beholding to their consituents back home on the left, the right or in the middle… And it will bring myriad ideas to Washington and many opinions other than the “big two” – the republican or the democratic stance – on any given issue.
In my humble opinion this could be a one plank platform that a lot of people can get behind no matter their pet issue.
I am no intellectual - nor a political person - though I like to think...
I have a modest proposal for those who have taken up the fight for the rest of us – the 99%. I have a great deal of respect for some of the basic concepts of equality and democracy that is being exhibited at the rallys and the difficult task of not taking on a political agenda that may serve only a portion of the sub-groups. And yet without a “list of demands” there is little hope for an endgame or a beginning to something bigger and meaningful.
I understand that the many sub-groups have their own pet ideas about changes – everything from student loan reform, to an anti-war message. From union and collective bargaining issues to hunger and poverty, to redistribution of wealth and taxing the rich. There is one common thread it seems to me. The 99% feel we are not being heard – we are not taken seriously – our issues fall on the deaf ears of our representative because our messages are drowned out by the messages of wealthy corporate donors and special interests.
So, my proposal is a simple one. Change the campaign finance laws to create geographic representation. Candidates for office may only accept campaign contributions from individuals who reside in, or companies with headquarters in or who do a majority of their business in, the area they represent. Just restrict contributions to the district or state they represent.
So, for example, a natual gas company in Houston, TX can’t contribute to the campaign of a congressperson from upstate NY. So that when issues of regulating “fracking” come up in congress that congressperson can represent the best interests of their local constituents not their benefactor… If that Gas Company wants to lobby someone – let them lobby the people of upstate NY. Let them invest in the community. Let them try to infuence the local voters to influence their representative.
By keeping campaign contributions local we can get back to a “geographic based” representational government, not the “interest group” representational government we have devolved into…
It can form the foundation of a new way government works – for ALL the people. Then each local group who has a pet issue – end the war, fix our schools, clean up the environment, no new taxes, immigration reform – can be heard. The goal is to make our representatives beholding to their consituents back home on the left, the right or in the middle… And it will bring myriad ideas to Washington and many opinions other than the “big two” – the republican or the democratic stance – on any given issue.
In my humble opinion this could be a one plank platform that a lot of people can get behind no matter their pet issue.
Demands
Capitalism for Everyone (Tee Hee, watch Conservative argue against that one!) We want our hard earned capital back. Only the top 10% have ownership. A 1:1 relationship is not necessary. People need enough income to meet cost of living plus 30% minimum. The top 10% need no more than 30% of capital.
Tax the top 10%, we must have the revenue to grow our economy, support the poor and unemployed and pay on our national debt. Tax major large corporations including their foreign accounts. Do this with a price freeze and labor freeze (no lay offs); they can only lower pay for top execs or lower investment payouts. This is a stipulation, not a wish.
Send your demands to the Wall St. reform committee and the budget committee.
Get Bernie Sanders or Dennis Kucinich to speak for you in congress and read out your demands.
Everything is possible. Everything is necessary. Specific demands transform frustration into positive, measurable realities that people can be held accountable to.
Go For It!!!! One Love, Kore
Thank you all so much for all the work you did putting together these demands. I support them all. I have some suggestions. Probably, what I am thinking is what many are thinking. I’m sure you have probably discussed what to do first, what to put in and what to leave out. I would like to speak for putting something in.
I would love to go to Washington in the way you describe. I think that when this happens we need to have leverage. Working people need to be ready to strike, boycott credit card payments and whatever else we can do to withhold money from the 1%. We have to have this. It is historically the only thing that will get them to move. Bad press won’t do it. Million people marches won’t do it. In order to have this kind of leverage I think it is important to include tax reform in the initial demands. I know it helps to focus, but tax reform is the major cry of many of the 99%. Many of these folks support the Republicans. We need a demand for revenue so we can reverse the budget cuts and reinstate revenue to the states so people’s state and local taxes can go down. Also, a demand for new economy jobs with the new legal obligations of the triple bottom line for all businesses. We need to join with workers worldwide to demand lower taxes and living wages +30% with benefits. We already have people working on these issues who know exactly what the specific demands should be. Remember, we are the last people on the planet to become ready for revolt. Look at the Social Forums.
We have people, like Daivd Korten (I’m just throwing that name out there for example, no particular preference) and many others who have formulated what we are FOR; what we can do right now. Environmental Economics exists. I prefer to call it Silvan Economics because Green Economy is overused. Look at BALLE, the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies. We must not buy into the idea that this is all new and nobody knows what to do yet or has any answers. That is not true.
People will come out and make the kind of commitments; and they are great, that are needed to truly overthrow this regime when they are clear about what they will get for their efforts. It is only fair. We need to have the courage to stand behind and advocate for our solutions, now while we have the chance. People have been formulating them and implementing them across the country and across the globe for at least the last 30 years. We will have success in Washington when we go there not just to ask for things but with plans for restructuring our economy. This is not broad and theoretical, it is down to earth. People need real answers. They deserve real answers and we have them!! I don’t mean we as in “me and my friends”. I mean we as in recognizing that the natural human process of identifying problems, creating solutions and adapting to change has already happened. It has only been because of the corporate media take over that we do not see what is already right here. So, please consider adding to the demands Wall St fix and a Main St. fix, so we can bring all of America to the table. Then we can take on the 1%.
I'd like to see Voting Reform put on the list of demands. Right now it looks like we only have the choice between "Oh Bummer" and "Rick Scary". How about an amendment to the constitution that says voters would be able to chose 1st through nth choices for elections? The winner would be picked by popular favoritism. This would insure that a majority supports the current incumbent. It would also allow people to vote for who they really want in office without worrying about splitting the vote.
Oh BTW. I'd like to say that I support all of the points that you've already listed. It seems like a very well thought out list of demands. Makes lots of sense.
How about :
Polygraph test on anyone who works for the Federal Government including all elected officials at least once every 6 months.
You can't even vote for installing a voting system, to me this is a ridiculous situation. But I may be misinformed.
Whatever list of demands is futile as long as there's no voting system in place. This doesn't work, everyone has his piss in the wind at it and that's it. Ths is no democracy.
None of this will ever happen without reforming the election process and improving the behavior of our elected officials. They don't listen to us. They act in a way to further their own agendas, namely get more funding for themselves and their party and to get re-elected by making the other side look bad.
The official Occupy Wall Street list of demands describes the demands in too complex detail. People are used to bumper sticker messages. Let's dump our elitist tendencies: we don't need to quote M. L. K. Jr in our document. We don't need to point to videos "to inspire you" in this document. This is a protest movement TRYING to take birth! Speakers will have plenty of time to address the crowds with lofty poetry.
The first demand is convoluted. I hate it with a passion. It reads like it was written by an infiltrator bent on discouraging all who read the document.
The document also failed to point to what we will do if our demands are not met, i.e. we will continue to occupy places like Wall Street; we will organize specifically to vote people out of office; we will have runs on banks; we will boycott businesses; we will block traffic during rush hour when our crowds are too big to crush, things like that.
It is also important to make use of our conscience, especially since we are specifically asking Wall Street to HAVE a conscience.
Here's how I propose we reintroduce our demands:
-Demand #1: Stop all the wars and bring 100% of our troops home; shut down illegal/immoral military bases around the world, including warships threatening countries, and repel the Patriot Act. How can we be taken seriously if we say nothing about the killing and crippling of innocent people being carried out in our name using our money, and if we sacrifice our civil liberties to provide cover for war profiteers?
The money we save from the wars and bases can immediately be used to take care of our returning troops with medical treatment, infrastructure jobs, , business loans, etc. We want our military on our side, not on Wall Street's side. If riots break out, we want our military to refuse to shoot us.
-Demand #2: Cut the "defense" budget in half and use the money we save to hire troops and other Americans on infrastructure development jobs (schools, bridges, roads...)
-Demand #3: Prohibit investment banks which issue securities and commercial banks which collect deposits from merging or overlapping and reinstate conflict of interest prohibitions against investment bankers serving as officers of commercial banks. (That's all we need from the originally published demand #1)
Demand #4: Reverse the Citizen United court decision by banning ALL corporate political contributions.
Demand # 5: Pass the Buffet rule on fair taxation; close all corporate tax loopholes and prohibit hiding funds overseas. The money saved must be used to develop jobs.
Demand #6: Appropriately regulate the Securities and Exchange Commission and create serious oversight with clear penalties.
Demand #7: Remove 100% of access of PAID lobbyists to the White House, and to our congresspeople and senators...with clear penalties.
Demand #8: Make it illegal for former or current government regulators to work for industries which they regulated...with clear penalties.
Demand #9: Eliminate "personhood" status for corporations.
Demand #10: Prosecute the criminals who crashed our banks and illegally took our homes from us.
Unless and until all our demands are met, we will be in a state of protest, and we will use all legal tactics at our disposal in an effort to reach our goals.
--Please contact Amir Dread on Facebook or write to nydread@yahoo.com
I keep thinking that we desperately need fundamental change, and two top items are taxation and campaign finance. I’d like a national discussion of some form of national sales tax, with some kind of surcharge on the wealthy. I’d like to see political campaigns be limited to human donations only, with a per person limit. No private funds, no corporate funds, no PAC funds, no exceptions. Some kind of initial exception to allow a campaign to start would be needed, after that you’d have to raise the money from individual voters.
This would significantly weaken the ability of the wealthy to influence elections and to escape paying a progressive share of the taxes.
Another fundamental change would be some way to reduce gerrymandering. Some formula/set of rules that is party-neutral should be imposed and stop this rigging of elections by the party that is currently in power.
Moving to using a version of the French health care infrastructure and the new German energy infrastructure changes would help us as well.
As for demand number 8, overriding a Supreme Court ruling is tough, to say the least. So, okay, let's proceed assuming corporations are, indeed, people. They are not necessarily U.S. citizens. Demand legislation that would set forward guidelines for corporations to become U.S. citizens. To be a corporate U.S. citizen, these corps. will need to re-establish the responsibilities not only to their shareholders, but also to their employees and the community. Any corporation that is not a U.S. citizen would pay exorbitant taxes until they choose to comply and become an upstanding U.S. citizen.
How about we start with these policies:
I-Addressing current and past Wall Street misbehavior:
Civil suits by DOJ against all the main investment banks, criminal investigations against any and all higher-ups at these banks. Penalties to include confiscation of all assets, physical and otherwise.
II-Preventing further Wall Street misbehavior:
Restoration of Depression-era bank legislation beginning with Glass-Steagall. Breaking up of all financial conglomerates; each division becomes an independent company with a new CEO, directors, etc. Compensation limits on financial higher-ups, including the end of golden parachutes Federal regulation of the derivatives market, either ban CDOs outright or subject them to special scrutiny Expand fraud legislation to include conflicts of interest; no more short-selling someone whom you're financing or advising, no more staple financing or similar practices Full disclosure of asset portfolios to federal regulators, regulators to retain independent analysts to rate portfolio elements and assign value to overall portfolio Leveraging regulations; the ratio of exotic assets (including but not limited to CDOs) to hard cash capped at 5 to 1 Redesignate PACs, political organizations, etc. as for-profit corproations and regulate them as such Eliminate the 501(c)(4) designation and redesignate its current members as for-profit institutions
III-Tax reform:
Uncap the FICA; all income subject to Social Security and Medicare taxation, not just the first $106,000. New income tax brackets starting at $250,000 annual income, $500,000 annual income, and $1,000,000 annual income, taxed at 45%, 55%, and 65% respectively. Restore the estate tax for all estates/trust funds/portfolios over $1 million in value and set it to 70% Set tariffs on all imported goods in order to give companies an impetus to begin manufacturing in America.
IV-Mortgage relief:
Funds obtained through procedures outlined in Section I against financial conglomerates used to take all struggling mortgages out of the hands of the banks. Fannie and Freddie unwound and replaced by a new government loan/mortgage agency with entirely new staff The new agency takes struggling mortgages and refinances them in such a manner that homeowners can reasonably expect to pay the balances on time. In cases where that is clearly not possible (i.e. both adults in household unemployed), the agency forgives the mortgage.
V-Student loan relief:
Same process for student loans as for mortgages In order to attract talent to the federal government, set up a sponsorship program: high-performing students in qualifying programs of study will have their education paid for by Uncle Sam in return for five years' service in the government agency corresponding to their area of study (i.e. economics and finance majors would do their time in the Fed or in financial regulatory agencies)
VI-Unemployment relief:
Use the funds garnered through tax reform as per Section III to begin actual projects that put people to work No disbursement of the money to states, all relief-eligible projects to be initiated and overseen at the federal level All parts for infrastructure projects to be obtained in America (i.e. a bridge replacement would only purchase steel manufactured in a plant in America) Project staff (excluding federal overseers) to be exclusively hired from the unemployed (where it is possible to find unemployed people with the necessary qualifications), all the way from the construction worker to the project manager.
VII-Campaign finance reform:
Ban all campaign contributions by corporations, for-profit or otherwise. Ban group contributions in general. Cap donations by individuals at $500 per candidate. Personal and family wealth disallowed: you may "donate" up to $500 to yourself and each family member over 18 may donate up to $500 to you, but other than that nothing. Cap total donations at $100 million. Provide a base public fund from tax dollars to each candidate to work from.
VIII-Lobbying reform:
Create an open forum setting in which all interest groups and/or citizens may express their views. All open forum sessions to be taped, and both tapes and transcripts to be made publicly available on paper and on the Internet within 24 hours of such a session. Forbid access to politicians by interest groups and their representatives outside the open forum. Forbid any and all gifts from interest group representatives to politicians. Forbid regulators from working at corporations in the field they were responsible for overseeing for twenty years from end of time in office. Forbid any politician from taking private-sector lobbying or consulting employment for five years from the end of their term. Apply the same rules to lobbyists wishing to enter politics (five year cooldown period, twenty if you want to oversee the same field your company worked in).
I would love to see tax breaks given to those companies that employ American workers. We cannot compete with the wage scales of China, India, Thailand, Vietnam and most of Latin America. Americans deserve a fair shot at competing for these jobs. Why must iPads and iPods be manufactured in China. Cutting the corporate tax rate does no good if these companies continue to outsource.
STOP CORRUPT JUDGES
There is a little know secret about public officials who abuse power.
More times than not they never face discipline for their illegal actions. I would know I have been fighting to expose abuse of power by a state of Georgia agency since 2009. I have been fighting to expose a corrupt federal judge since 2010. So I took things into my own hands and have gone public with every audio, every email, every document, and every photo, to show you how out of control public officials in Georgia from state agencies to the federal courts have become. They are drunk with power and need sobering up!
HERE IS MY OPEN SALON PAGE SHOWING ACTUAL PROOF IN AUDIO'S AND DOCUMENTS OF HOW THE 11TH CIRCUIT AND STATE OF GEORGIA AGENCIES HAVE RUN AMUCK WITH CORRUPTION, AND THE CORRUPTION IS BEING COVERED UP BY THE FEDERAL COURTS IN GEORGIA!
http://open.salon.com/blog/sb4justice/2011/07/11/11th_circuit_court_of_appeals_incorrect_affirmed_decision
In an article title "Secrecy of chief federal judges questioned | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle" you will see just how much of a virus this corruption is and what needs to be done about it. Below are excerpts from that article:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6793055.html
"MISCONDUCT COMPLAINTS NATIONWIDE
• 3,357: Number of misconduct complaints filed nationwide between fiscal years 2003 and 2008.
• 98 percent: Complaints dismissed.
• 2 percent: Concluded with apologies, corrective actions or events
• Less than 1 percent: Referred to a special investigating committee • 4: Number of judges formally disciplined. Source: Houston Chronicle analysis
PROPOSED CHANGES
Experts and politicians have suggested several measures to improve accountability in federal judicial misconduct reviews, including:
• Creating an inspector general who reports to the U.S. Supreme Court chief justice.
• Establishing disciplinary committees or specially trained ombudsmen, instead of relying on busy chief judges.
• Changing laws to make more disciplinary documents public, including complaints, investigative reports, judges' responses, and hearing records after complaints are verified.
• Posting all decisions on the Internet. Four out of 12 circuit courts already do; others are available only at the circuits' courthouses.."
"Just 12 chief federal judges wield almost exclusive power over secret misconduct investigations of more than 2,000 fellow jurists — though some have themselves been accused of botching reviews or committing ethical blunders, according to a Houston Chronicle review.
At least four current or former chief circuit judges have been the subject of recent high-profile complaints about their behavior; one posted photos of naked women painted to look like cows and other graphic images on his publicly accessible Web site; another manipulated the outcome of a vote in a death penalty case.
Not one faced formal discipline.
Nationwide, the integrity of the federal judicial misconduct system relies heavily on chief judges. Each oversees complaints — more than 6,000 in the last 10 years — against all circuit, district, senior, bankruptcy and magistrate judges in multi-state regions called circuits.
Third Circuit Chief Judge Anthony Scirica, who is also chairman of the executive committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States, told the Chronicle, “The federal judiciary takes its ethical responsibilities with the utmost seriousness. Every misconduct complaint is carefully reviewed.”
He was the only chief circuit judge who directly responded to Chronicle requests for comment, though other circuits' staff replied.
In seven circuits, according to the Chronicle analysis, supervising judges took no public disciplinary action at all in the last decade, meaning not a single federal judge faced any sanctions in 29 states with more than 875 full-time federal judges, despite thousands of complaints.
Defenders of the system, like Scott Gant, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney, argue that under-enforcement is a small price to pay for strong federal judges.
“That's the nature of the system — anytime you have a group investigate itself. But if we want to have an independent judiciary, I think we have to accept that,” he said."
Read more of the article here: http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Secrecy-of-chief-federal-judges-questioned-1740181.php
Demands / goals can come later. First we need this http://occupywallst.org/forum/how-we-win-one-perspective-on-where-we-go-from-her/ . Then this can transform from a movement into a revolution.
IMPEACH CORRUPT JUDGES (FEDERAL AND STATE) when they do not uphold the laws of the constitution. Impeachment is not being done enough in America and corrupt judges get an easy free ride to break the law because other judges favor them. If judges don't want to be fair and honest get em out of there. Don’t let these corrupt judges enable the 1% to commit crimes against the 99% who seek justice for the illegal acts of crooked corporations and public official!!! http://www.lawlessamerica.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=497%3Astay-away-from-georgia-if-you-live-in-georgia-move&catid=120%3Anews-reports&Itemid=222
Peter Marcuse on "Demands vs. Claims"
http://pmarcuse.wordpress.com/2011/10/07/97/#_ftn4
Why not settle down, draw up a list of those demands, spell them out in enough detail so that there is no doubt of their meaning, figure out their budgetary implications, lay out a strategy for getting them adopted, and set about systematically developing a campaign around them?
Why not? Because that ends up playing the game, and the whole essence of the movement is to reject the game’s rules as it is being played, to produce change that includes each of these demands but goes much further to question the structures that make those demands necessary. The analogy to the heart of the Arab spring uprisings, to the civil rights movement, to the counter-cultural protests of the 60’s, are striking. They all believed they were operating under a system that needed to be changed in the way it functioned before their specific demands could be realized; their power lay in the evidence of the mass support they provided for change, the evidence that things could not go on as they were, that those that held the levers of power had to use them to implement deep changes or get out of the way and let others that would do so get at it.
In this sense, claims of rights, perhaps in the form of manifestoes, rather than political laundry lists of demands, are indeed the way to go: understanding rights as statements of principles, sharp enough to reveal concrete positions on broad topics, perhaps with examples, but not confined to specifics. Occupy Wall Street is not a lobbying movement, but a movement for social change. In the Arab spring, the core of the demonstrations was for fundamental change, with the ouster of a particular dictator is immediate target but not its only or ultimate goal. It could well be argued that limiting the demand to that one step needed to be seen as only one step, a first step, and that the hard work of more comprehensive change still remains its task. Certainly Saul Alinsky would argue that that any effective movement must have one or more immediate, realizable, demands around which to organize and demonstrate success. This might be the exception to the “claims for rights, not demands for programs” rule.” Perhaps pushing for the Warren Buffett millionaire’s tax might be such a demand for the Occupy movements, or possibly a short list for flexibility. The important thing is to see them as parts of a larger picture, means to broader goals, not ends in themselves.
Further, demands, as opposed to claims, implicitly assume a setting within the established order. They call for reforms of the status quo, rather than for rejection, for what Richard Sennett has called “different shades of capitalisms” rather than alternate methods of structuring a society. That is not to say that reforms are not important in themselves, nor to say that they may not be steps on the way to larger changes. There are reformist reforms, and non-reformist reforms. Many social movements that support claims such as those of the Occupy movement see their path to winning those claims as going through non-reformist reforms, and that route is not inconsistent with the one Occupy has thus far chosen. But it is not Occupy’s route. Occupy’s actions may in fact be the necessary underpinning for achieving real reforms, both reformist and non-reformist. But in the spectrum of resistance to the prevailing order, Occupy Wall Street represents a different approach.
Paul Krugman puts it this way:
It’s clear what kinds of things the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators want, and it’s really the job of policy intellectuals and politicians to fill in the details.[1]
But it’s not only a matter of division of labor; it reflects the depth of the concerns of the protestors. Pressing claims is different from targeting demands. Occupy Wall Street not about detailing a political or legislative agenda for today. It knows at whom the movement is addressed, who is blocking the claims of rights in its manifestos, and it knows for whom it speaks, whose claims it is pressing. Its claims are not for pie in the sky, not simply hopes and desires, but the principles it is pursuing. Those in power need to surrender that power, need to change their ways. Let them start; the movement will watch, will say whether they are on the right road or not, whether they have gone far enough or not. The claims are addressed at a particular named target, and establish the criteria by which their actions, in response to any specific demand, can be judged.
I love your proposal...took the liberty of editing lmk what u think http://occupyamerica.blog.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=4&action=edit&message=6
What we need to be careful of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fZSkONYOyA&feature=uploademail
We are not a protest movement and we don't make demands - demands are something you make to those in power. We hold the power.
These are not demands, they are steps towards a restoration of the promise of American democracy.
To add: *We need at the very least a Constitutional Amendment re: Corporate Personhood, not just a reversal of Citizens United.
*I don't see anything about privatization of the military, jails, schools, the postal service, etc.
I love the statement of support and the list of demands, and I agree 100% with note 4.
I could give you a well researched paper on the war on drugs related crimes but that in itself is hardly a concise matter, or an easy matter to quantify. There is a lot to be said about a lot of different corporations and it isn't an easy task to even organize/decide who the top 50 worst are, let alone prove it in writing.
How would one get involved in this process if they wanted? Do you want individuals to all just independently work on it? I feel like it would be a better use of our limited time resources to have a group work on different components of the corporate crimes addendum.
Politicians may not have to pay taxes for the positions that they were voted into, but there is no reason that they shouldn't have to pay taxes on anything else that they may have their hands (ETC.) into "OUTSIDE" THOSE ELECTED POSITIONS VIOLATORS SUBJECT TO PENALTY/PERJURY LAWS (ETC.).
Supported
An honest, fair, correct, rightful, lawfully enforced (ETC.) Freedom of Information act.
A new purpose for the U.S.S. Constitution (flagship of the United States)?While remembrance of Katrina is being refreshed in all our minds, as a possible least costly F.E.M.A Enterprise, in being able to directly answer all ideas and so many highly possible planned solution(s) (or until) to the matters of “its not a question of if, but when.” Why shouldn’t (or couldn’t) we, as a way to show true unity and insurance, have a vanguard of ships, being lead by the flagship of the United States of America, a fully historically correct and functioning (do to its success) U.S.S. constitution? While (or before) plans of action are being answered, why not have a F.E.M.A. vanguard of ships tour ports along the way collecting donations from any willing to give, announcing an arrival through cannon fire, while rescue efforts are being mobilized? During our holidays and reprieves of natural disasters (through enhancement), couldn’t we have publicly sponsored programs designed to raise money for future publicly chosen directions (after all, people are more willing to give when asked, not forced). Ride like the Wind/ Christopher CROSS +. (LOVE-n-STUFF)
In remembrance of Katrina, as a possible least costly F.E.M.A Enterprise, in being able to directly answer all ideas and so many highly possible planned solution(s) (or until) to the matters of “it’s not a question of if, but when.” Why shouldn’t (or couldn’t) we, as a way to show true unity, consider making the nuclear aircraft carrier U.S.S. Enterprise/or other (a ship said to have outlived its usefulness in one area etc) into a kept at port (until needed) F.E.M.A. flag ship? If the Navy has no further use for it, kept properly maintained the Coast Guard, F.E.M.A., and National Guard most definitely do (etc). Through tours and other means (donation collections?) shouldn’t it have always been suggested, as a way to save so many lives, that “a money already well spent policy” be initiated to further contribute to all areas that could and would be affected, due to the cost of economics (etc), before anything is to be destroyed? It should never have taken (given more than fair warning) two weeks to deliver water to anybody in such a country as is suppose to be ours (we are better than that). If things do begin to come apart the best thing we could possibly do in the name of humanity is try to insure that the keys to so many places and things that could be at least a temporary reprieve be made available at some known location(s), so that any that may (or may be) left behind have at least half the chance as some others. (LOVE-n-STUFF)
I managed to become informed of the "Occupy" movement rather late, but I did get an email memo off to my UU church fellowship in support of the peace movement. I agree with much of the sentiment found in a list of demands on the website https://www.occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/ but I am growing leary of the public relations approach
Later I saw Gene Burch interview on the news in Jacksonville FL, and was rather disappointed. I saw overtones of black shirt, extensive use of the term "Solidarity", and the darkness of the "Occupy" poster on http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=197668320306311 all serve to remind me of the old communist approach and communist revolution. I think change is needed, and the American people are willing to make that change if approached correctly. The method I currently see opens old wounds, old stereotypes, and I believe is destined to fail for lack of new approach. I am wondering if you might be able to put me in touch with some of the people drafting these proposals, and public relations.
I believe that Wall Street is being systematically bankrupted by the New World Order of Global Corporations. Not only have they moved offshore and gutted the American economy, but they are now also turning America into a lesser economic colony under their dictatorship. Our mortgage interests are going into offshore international banks, as well as the dividends of labor to the few jobs left. Our children will be economic wage slaves, endentured to decades of mortgage interest, if they are lucky enough to find employment. Now I see Wall Street as a symbol of a great economic pie. As the New World Order seeks to cut up that pie, and send pieces throughout the globe, a new rift has arisen. The American People have shown up to say Hey! That's American Pie that your cutting up, and we are here to collect our share of that pie! Its not a matter of acting socially responsible, but rather a legitimate right that we have as a sovereign nation to kick out the intruders and take back what’s ours. That’s what the Patriots did to the British, and that's what we need to do to the New World Order of Global Corporations.
I managed to become informed of the "Occupy" movement rather late, but I did get an email memo off to my UU church fellowship in support of the peace movement. I agree with much of the sentiment found in a list of demands on the website https://www.occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/ but I am growing leary of the public relations approach
Later I saw Gene Burch interview on the news in Jacksonville FL, and was rather disappointed. I saw overtones of black shirt, extensive use of the term "Solidarity", and the darkness of the "Occupy" poster on http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=197668320306311 all serve to remind me of the old communist approach and communist revolution. I think change is needed, and the American people are willing to make that change if approached correctly. The method I currently see opens old wounds, old stereotypes, and I believe is destined to fail for lack of new approach. I am wondering if you might be able to put me in touch with some of the people drafting these proposals, and public relations.
I believe that Wall Street is being systematically bankrupted by the New World Order of Global Corporations. Not only have they moved offshore and gutted the American economy, but they are now also turning America into a lesser economic colony under their dictatorship. Our mortgage interests are going into offshore international banks, as well as the dividends of labor to the few jobs left. Our children will be economic wage slaves, endentured to decades of mortgage interest, if they are lucky enough to find employment. Now I see Wall Street as a symbol of a great economic pie. As the New World Order seeks to cut up that pie, and send pieces throughout the globe, a new rift has arisen. The American People have shown up to say Hey! That's American Pie that your cutting up, and we are here to collect our share of that pie! Its not a matter of acting socially responsible, but rather a legitimate right that we have as a sovereign nation to kick out the intruders and take back what’s ours. That’s what the Patriots did to the British, and that's what we need to do to the New World Order of Global Corporations.
How about mandatory audit of the FED and Fort Knox? No information, no accountability. And is accountability what keeps an organization honest.
For consideration: Ensure that all Congressman, Senators and Representatives, have as a priority to uphold their Constitutional oath, that they take when inducted into office, and to abide by their obligation to serve the constituents they are sent to DC to represent. Any other oath that violates or interferes with this would be illegal and not allowed. Any other oath that would prevent them from considering all viable proposals and implementing options to solve any problem brought before the House or Senate should not be taken or should be disavowed. Any Congressman that does not comply with this requirement would be required to resign from office within 30 days. This should be directed immediately at all Congressman that have signed the oath to Grover Norquist. Non-compliance will not be tolerated.
Ensure that all Congressman, Senators and Representatives, have as a priority to uphold their Constitutional oath, that they take when inducted into office, and to abide by their obligation to serve the constituents they are sent to DC to represent. Any other oath that violates or interferes with this would be illegal and not allowed. Any other oath that would prevent them from considering all viable proposals and implementing options to solve any problem brought before the House or Senate should not be taken or should be disavowed. Any Congressman that does not comply with this requirement would be required to resign from office within 30 days. This should be directed immediately at all Congressman that have signed the oath to Grover Norquist. Non-compliance will not be tolerated.
read post on tumblr @ hot beans and bacon. too funny.
Ammunition for Note 4 above (Corporate mischief, crimes and deceptions).
see: Hijacking Democracy, A Corp Choke Hold http://bit.ly/99SNCr
this article covers examples of everyday corporate/government behaviors, contract language, bullying, intimidation, etc., that we're allowing to slip by us unnoticed. Complexity is also building the longer we allow this mischief so when shit hits the fan it will be like our medical-insurance debacle... too complex to unravel. That usual means no one is responsible yet many have profited.
1.Outlaw lobbyists, make politicians hold policy and commitee meetings in an open forum.
I don't see the Taft Hartley act mentioned in the demands. It definitly needs to be repealed. The "right to work" state is indeed an oxymoron. No employer should be able to terminate an employee without just cause.
It takes two to screw us! Politicians to hold us down, so then the Corporations can do the screwing!!! Politicians need better rules to follow to prevent lobbying! We tax payers should also fund important elections, so the best person wins and not the one with the most money!!! Top 2 demands in my book! Write it down!
Every system is corrupt. Without the financial system none of you could use Facebook, go to starbucks, or blog about how pissed off you are over your Mac Books/ iPads. Fix the financial system but trying to get rid of it is hypocrisy.
Again, I love these suggestions, however they are too many and too specific. Many of these proposals will be opposed by other factions within the movement, possibly creating cause for division amongst the collective.
I apologize for the shameless promotion of my own thread, but might I suggest the following?
http://occupywallst.org/forum/the-central-message-we-need/#comment-54685
We really need to call for a complete audit of the federal reserve bank. Starting from 1913 till today. This will allow the people of the usa to understand which banking acts and deregulation worked an didn't work. Congress designed the fed and now we have lost controll of our own creation. What do you guys think.
We need to ensure that 1489 applies to the shadow banking system as well. One of the weaknesses of Glass-Steagall is that it never applied to the shadow banking system. Failure to regulate these institutions as well will undermine the entire movement.
Krugmaqn and Stiglitz know the way
Stiglitz and Krugman know the way
Why are no politicians representing your views? Why is America controlled by corporations? Because of the voting system!
In a dictatorship voters have one choice. In America voters have only two. In a real democracy voters have a choice between multiple parties and platforms, and elections are not determined by donations to politicians.
In today's system, almost half of the votes are wasted. Republicans in Manhattan have no representation, and many Democrats in Texas have no representation. Is that right?
I think that if the Republicans or the Green Party get 18% of the votes in Manhattan, they should get 18% of the seats from that district.
In other words, we need proportional representation, which creates a multi-party system where every viewpoint gets represented. Every vote counts and donations to greedy individual politicians don't exist. Proportional representation is the choice of all truly democratic countries such as Holland, Sweden and Denmark.
Proportional representation is the answer!
Join the cause at: http://www.usparliament.blogspot.com/
Krugman and Stiglitz know the way
Legislative laws/bills at are packaged in bundles so things can be stuffed in between other legislation.This bundling necessitates the buddy-buddy system of brokering bills for legislative support with promises made to support someone else's pet project at a later time, in pay back.This needs to be halted.Only one law at one time should be up for a vote,with every Congressional name,vote,opposition,sponsor, funding and source of funding listed. Better yet,we all become the virtual Congress and control absolutely everything. We can't all be bought off.Special interest wouldn't be able to advertise either.They would have o submit requests to all of us for our consideration. And we would review the last 60 years of legislation by way of short one page summaries online and by mail,if preferred.Summaries would have law,net affects,costs,funding,source of funding and sponsors who benefitted. It would be a bit of catch up and homework but it is in the nation's best interest.The American people are up to it.If the review process covered 20 or 30 bills per month,we would be able to work through it in a timely manner.These would be summation reviews with votes to repeal or retain and notes for improvement. Special interests and pay offs would be out of commission.
If you want some great ideas for demands, check out Griftopia by Taibbi. I just finished reading it and it gives wonderful background and gives good ideas on what needs to change. It ranges from insurance to banking and other areas that could really help get the US turned around and moving forward. (I have no connection with the book, or author, just thought it made a lot sense.)
How about this? All financial institutions with over $20 billion in revenue should be split. This should solve a lot of problems like the "too-big-too-fail" one.
I like this approach much better, a Third Continental Congress: https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/
This is the one chance I feel that I'll get to see this done. I don't know if its been posted yet, but the idea of term limits on Senators/ Representatives. I know they're there, but the way its set up, they can basically be in Congress for life. If the President can only be in office for 8 years and never again, why can the rest of the suits stick around past their prime? We'll never get true change if people who have held the same seat for 40-50 years are there, voting against helpful and progressive ideas.
ITS SIMPLE PEOPLE - STOP FEEDING THE MACHINE WITH YOUR MONEY.
Do any of us realize how much control we actually have? Stop going to the movies, stop buying coffee, iced cream, DVDs etc... Will we deny ourselves the little things that make us happy? YES WE WILL. But only for so long. Only until they realize and recognize that we can control their money because it is our money.
I have always laughed a bit at us Americans. Us 99rs. We looked wide eyed at the 1% yet we never stop to think that we feed them. We are their caretakers. It takes our money to buy what they sell be it a perishable or non-perishable.
What would Hollywood live on if we stopped going to the movie? Buying DVDs? What would Corporate greed thrive on if we stopped buying what we don't need?
OWS needs to get the 99% of us together to boycott. Those who have the discipline to do so will help us show who has the true power. Those who do not, well, they don't really care anyway so who needs them?
REMEMBER PEOPLE - MONEY MAKES THIS SICK WORLD AND COUNTRY GO ROUND - WE CAN CUT OFF THEIR FUNDS BY NOT BUYING THEIR SHIT AND WE CAN WIN IN THE LONG RUN BECAUSE OF THAT.
Yes, I agree. Voting with our dollars is a key part of this movement.
1,3,4,8 should be mandatory as our demands at the capital. The movement should not leave the capitol steps until they are imposed.
A great list. I had suggested some values and goals previously, many of which are included here, http://occupywallst.org/forum/a-thought-statement-of-values-and-goals-part-1-my-/ http://occupywallst.org/forum/a-thought-statement-of-values-and-goals-part-2-my-/
1,3,4,8 should be manditory as our demands at the capital. The movement should not leave the capital steps unitil the are imposed. There should be a ninth one that says in effect politicians can only raise and except money for there election from there districts. and states respectively. And the donations shoould be capped at what the average income for individuals is for that district or state. one person one vote, one person one donation maximum. That will bring our representatives home then because with out us they have no vote or no capital to run on. Corporations, Parties, Unions, special interests can only contribute up to that set max and only in the district and state of their corporate headquarters. The american people are limited to our district and state so should the "liviing entities".
You all are great! I feel the only way we can get back on safe financial footing again is to close the Enron Loophole for oil speculators and bring back The Glass-Steagall Act of 1933, which prevented the current banking and insurance scams/loopholes. After all, it worked great until late 90's when Congress through it out. Since then, like prior to 1933, we are experiencing what out country went though then, total Wall Street greed. Cheers to all that are involved! Jim
You all are great! I feel the only way we can get back on safe financial footing again is to close the Enron Loophole for oil speculators and bring back The Glass-Steagall Act of 1933, which prevented the current banking and insurance scams/loopholes. After all, it worked great until late 90's when Congress threw it out. Since then, like prior to 1933, we are experiencing what our country went though then, total Wall Street greed with no penalties, its all legal now...Thanks to Clinton and Senator Gramm, the architects of our current system. Cheers to all that are involved! Jim
What we are talking about is not rocket science and our politicians are not so dense as to have not known all along what is fair and equitable for all. They have not worked for all and a freeze on their wages is necessary!
We need a Robin hood tax on Wall Street transactions to help pay for the damage they have caused.⨪
We need a Robin hood tax on Wall Street transactions to help pay for the damage they have caused.⨪
Term limits for congress!
Refund the Americans money who paid the politicians to represent the majority and failed. We want our money back. Freeze congress wages until they work for Us!
We need a Robin hood tax on Wall Street transactions to help pay for the damage they have caused.⨪
It is my opinion that the debasement and devaluation of our currency has the most direct impact on the 99. As has been demonstrated by several bona fide documentaries and one notable Presidential candidate, our money supply is based on nothing more than a perceived value; i.e. it is only worth the faith that is plaed in it.
Our collective future rests upon the promise of new loans, not the future value of any tangible asset held in reserve such as gold, silver, or styrofoam for that matter. The value of our dollar is directly controlled by the interest rate and money supply (read credit supply) that the Federal Reserve Chairman decides to dictate at any given time, but it goes beyond this.
The partial audit of the Federal Reserve found that upwards of 16 trillion dollars was loaned to foreign banks at zero percent interest. This amount is in addition to the 14-plus trillion already loaned to the federal government, and has the effect of diluting the value of our money throughout the world by at least half.
This is treasonous by any measure. The Federal Reserve Act was enacted to give a deplorable central bank to the United States ALONE, not foreign banks. The United States has to pay interest on every loan made by the Federal Reserve. This sweetheart deal fully demonstrates how out of control the Federal Reserve actually is.
At the physical (material) center of eveyone's life in America is the US Dollar. Regardless of ideology, religion, lifestyle, ethos, or orientation the value of that dollar directly impacts us all, just as much as the ticking of a clock or the turning of the Sun.
We cannot do anything about the passing of time or the seasons. We can, however, remove the god-like power of the Federal Reserve from our lives by first auditing them, then rescinding the Federal Reserve Act and basing the value of our dollar on something tangible again.
It is unfortunate that I did not know about this until today. I hope it is not too late to propose something this important. I see that it has been left out, but I know it is a chief concern for many people. This is a root issue. There is nothing more basic to the quality of life enjoyed in a country than the value of its dollar.
It is my opinion that the debasement and devaluation of our currency has the most direct impact on the 99. As has been demonstrated by several bona fide documentaries and one notable Presidential candidate, our money supply is based on nothing more than a perceived value; i.e. it is only worth the faith that is plaed in it.
Our collective future rests upon the promise of new loans, not the future value of any tangible asset held in reserve such as gold, silver, or styrofoam for that matter. The value of our dollar is directly controlled by the interest rate and money supply (read credit supply) that the Federal Reserve Chairman decides to dictate at any given time, but it goes beyond this.
The partial audit of the Federal Reserve found that upwards of 16 trillion dollars was loaned to foreign banks at zero percent interest. This amount is in addition to the 14-plus trillion already loaned to the federal government, and has the effect of diluting the value of our money throughout the world by at least half.
This is treasonous by any measure. The Federal Reserve Act was enacted to give a deplorable central bank to the United States ALONE, not foreign banks. The United States has to pay interest on every loan made by the Federal Reserve. This sweetheart deal fully demonstrates how out of control the Federal Reserve actually is.
At the physical (material) center of eveyone's life in America is the US Dollar. Regardless of ideology, religion, lifestyle, ethos, or orientation the value of that dollar directly impacts us all, just as much as the ticking of a clock or the turning of the Sun.
We cannot do anything about the passing of time or the seasons. We can, however, remove the god-like power of the Federal Reserve from our lives by first auditing them, then rescinding the Federal Reserve Act and basing the value of our dollar on something tangible again.
It is unfortunate that I did not know about this until today. I hope it is not too late to propose something this important. I see that it has been left out, but I know it is a chief concern for many people. This is a root issue. There is nothing more basic to the quality of life enjoyed in a country than the value of its dollar.
All of the demands listed here are for new laws, even though the financial sector is and was the most regulated sector of the US economy before the crisis. Trying to add more laws to control the financial sector is like putting a band-aid on a broken arm.
I can think of a few better demands that get to the core of the problems in our financial sector-
2A. END FRACTIONAL RESERVE BANKING. Encouraging banks to lend out more then they have in reserves has, in effect, made all banks bankrupt. If everyone with money in the bank went to take it out at the same time, most banks wouldn't have enough to give them because they can lend 10 times more then they keep in reserves. This system allows for windfall profits for the banks and pumps billions of un-backed dollars into the economy, causing economy-wide price increases. The US has had an average of 3% price inflation every year for decades. Those who don't get a 3% raise every year or get a 3% interest rate on their savings account are LOSING MONEY because their salaries and savings won't buy as much as last year.
2B. END THE FDIC. Like bailouts, the FDIC allows banks to take risks they wouldn't take without it, since if the bank ends up going bankrupt, instead of the bank being responsible for the money owed to its account holders, those losses are shifted to the taxpayer. This is another abuse of the people that, while it sounds like it's protecting account holders, only protects the banks.
By removing legal tender restrictions, the people can use money other than dollars to resolve debts. By allowing people to use a more stable currency then the dollar, the Federal Reserve couldn't abuse the artificial value of dollars to lend out pre-devalued money to the government and their big banking friends on Wall Street at the people's expense.
These simple steps would take our inherently fraudulent and corrupt financial system and make it more honest and transparent, and put more financial power into the hands of the people instead of the big banks and the government.
Greed is not the problem. Corporations are not the problem. Corporations can't force you to support them- the government CAN and DOES. Giving more power to the government WON'T FIX ANYTHING because it is GOVERNMENT that allows corporations to screw the people.
Power breeds corruption. We must take away the power, not give them more.
RE: INFLUENCE OF MONEY
Establish NON-PARTY elections to balance the money influence of the 2 existing parties and give citizens REAL choice.. not perpetual "lesser of evils". No sponsorship, public funding.
TERM LIMITS. 3 year max. No more career politicians.
Citizen Draft to serve in Congress. This may sound ridiculous but we entrust a person's life to a jury of peers. Let's be governed by peers. It will keep us engaged in governance & policey without the disadvantage of competing with career politicians. Pay them well (no retirement) and serve for 3 years. Design a fair process for declining or exception to serve.
CORPORATE CHARTER (each state) mandatory language added that hold shareholders responsible for Environmental Damage, Product Sustainability, Socially IRResponsible Acts.
EQUAL RESPONSIBILITIES ACT. Citizens are responsible to demonstrate participation in some substantial way in Government, Laws, Welfare, etc.. We as citizens must be informed and keep vigil, e.g. read contracts, object to laws, object to over-complexity, object to too many laws coming too fast.... to not conform. Apathy and bias must be discouraged as cumulatively it nationalizes consequential suffering.
Develop a system that eliminates the practices of RENT and DEBT.
http://newpracticesnewworld.blogspot.com/
If we are all about equality, why is number 4 not flat tax? A flat tax without deductions/credits would put everyone on the same field. Part of the problem is our progessive tax system. If we could get the tax law to simply state "everyone pays (10%?) on anything considered income", no one would have room to complain. Since the effective tax rates, due to deductions/credits, end up being around 2% or so for the upper class, having a flat tax without the option to have deductions would even the playing field. This includes a flat tax for corporations.
If we are all about equality, why is number 4 not flat tax? A flat tax without deductions/credits would put everyone on the same field. Part of the problem is our progessive tax system. If we could get the tax law to simply state "everyone pays (10%?) on anything considered income", no one would have room to complain. Since the effective tax rates, due to deductions/credits, end up being around 2% or so for the upper class, having a flat tax without the option to have deductions would even the playing field. This includes a flat tax for corporations.
If we are all about equality, why is number 4 not flat tax? A flat tax without deductions/credits would put everyone on the same field. Part of the problem is our progessive tax system. If we could get the tax law to simply state "everyone pays (10%?) on anything considered income", no one would have room to complain. Since the effective tax rates, due to deductions/credits, end up being around 2% or so for the upper class, having a flat tax without the option to have deductions would even the playing field. This includes a flat tax for corporations.
If we are all about equality, why is number 4 not flat tax? A flat tax without deductions/credits would put everyone on the same field. Part of the problem is our progessive tax system. If we could get the tax law to simply state "everyone pays (10%?) on anything considered income", no one would have room to complain. Since the effective tax rates, due to deductions/credits, end up being around 2% or so for the upper class, having a flat tax without the option to have deductions would even the playing field. This includes a flat tax for corporations.
I see the list of demands has been watered down.
an idea for all you occupiers out there. show how democratic you are by having a vote on your demands. list all demands proposed by occupy participants and have a vote on whether or not to include it in your official list of demands, such as End corporate lobbying (corporate donations for politicians) yes/no
End the current wars our country is involved in yes/no
End the federal reserve bank yes/no
etc. and also add questions to the occupy protesters such as who are you voting for in the next election romney obama bachman ron paul rick perry etc.
that way you can democratically find out what our people want and we can all agree on the issues to demand. each person there has one vote. they can all feel like there voices are heard within the movement, which will create greater unity amongst the occupiers.
thanks Eric Volpe (occupier of wall st 2011)
Demand for action in DC will continue to grow as friendly articles like the print portion of this new CNN piece spread across America this week. This article is very surprising if you compare it to articles a week ago. http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/10/us/occupy-wall-street/
Application of laws, no more exceptions for senate or house members. Laws on the books now and future apply to all.
Eliminate retirement benefits as currently offered. Take the average retirement package offered to Americans – that is what they get. This includes vesting.
Healthcare – they pay their own, 100 %. Maybe they will deal with the problem then.
Pay and or benefit changes – congress can propose, but final approval is by direct vote of the citizens. We are the superiors in this relationship. What gives them the right to give themselves a raise, or improved benefits.
Repeal 16th amendment. Prior to 2/3/1913 there were no federal income taxes. We are taxed to death. Income tax, property tax, gas tax, toll roads, airfare tax, hotel tax, food tax, taxes on everything. Hell I even heard a state was going to tax tanning salons. And on top of that, when you buy something that holds or increases in value, you get taxed every year for buying the damn thing. Remember, you paid your tax when you earned the money, now you pay a tax to spend what is left, and then you pay an annual tax because you bought something of real value.
Amendment 16 – REPEAL IT Income tax.
The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration. February 3, 1913.
I have more, much much more, but this tax deal alone, Must be address. Cut the purse strings.
Application of laws, no more exceptions for senate or house members. Laws on the books now and future apply to all.
Eliminate retirement benefits as currently offered. Take the average retirement package offered to Americans – that is what they get. This includes vesting.
Healthcare – they pay their own, 100 %. Maybe they will deal with the problem then.
Pay and or benefit changes – congress can propose, but final approval is by direct vote of the citizens. We are the superiors in this relationship. What gives them the right to give themselves a raise, or improved benefits.
Repeal 16th amendment. Prior to 2/3/1913 there were no federal income taxes. We are taxed to death. Income tax, property tax, gas tax, toll roads, airfare tax, hotel tax, food tax, taxes on everything. Hell I even heard a state was going to tax tanning salons. And on top of that, when you buy something that holds or increases in value, you get taxed every year for buying the damn thing. Remember, you paid your tax when you earned the money, now you pay a tax to spend what is left, and then you pay an annual tax because you bought something of real value.
Amendment 16 – REPEAL IT Income tax.
The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration. February 3, 1913.
I have more, much much more, but this tax deal alone, Must be address. Cut the purse strings.
Spitzer, Thom Hartmann, and others recommend a return to the S.T.E.T. tax -- a very small, nominal tax on each and every securities transaction to raise revenue and to render "flash" trading (much of the Exchange's volume is transactions between mega-banks which are held for mere seconds) unprofitable. Flash trading is pure speculation and provides no social benefit. STET taxation is the policy in Europe. It would instantly stop much of the "casino" environment of Wall Street.
Establish term limits in both the house and the senate. No more life time congressmen! The reason our government has become stagnant is because the ideals of congress are being controlled by the sames people, who are controlled by corporate bank rolls, year after year. Establishing term limits will allow government to function as it was intended by our fore fathers. They were men who wanted something to change in government, and when it was done so was their time in government.
The following is not a call to action. It is merely a suggestion that you may adopt in part or in whole or dismiss in total.
Wall Street & Other Top 1% Rats
R eimbursement
A rrests
T ax Code Revisions & Industry Regulations
S uspension of War Funding
Does the Occupy Wall Street Movement (hereinafter the Movement) have a coherent message?
“Rats” has a double meaning. It refers to the economic aggressors who have ravaged the American economy and threatened the future prosperity of America. It is also a simple acronym, that can easily be expressed, that articulates the demands of the Movement.
The media has charged that the Movement doesn’t have clearly expressed goals and that the protesters represent a hodge-podge of unrelated frustrations.
The Movement has the following coherent message. For the purpose of stating this message, Wall Street and other entities and individuals, mentioned below, shall be referred to as Rats. These Rats were (1) directly responsible for the crimes that the Movement rebukes, (2) complicate in those crimes, or (3) both.
The demands of the Movement are that the Rats:
[R]eimburse the taxpayers the billions of dollars that were stolen through the various bailouts of the Bush and Obama Administrations and through corporate welfare; and that corporate welfare in general ceases to be the public policy of the United States of America
be [A]rrested where necessity mandates pursuant to state and federal criminal law on a case by case basis for mortgage fraud, health insurance fraud, and other financial, insurance, or consumer crimes that have caused or exacerbated the current financial crisis and its resultant hardships
adhere to [T]ax Code Revisions that discourage financial and insurance instruments and policies that undermine the welfare of the citizens of the United States; and that corporations and the wealthiest Americans have their taxes substantially raised; and that stringent regulations be placed on the aforementioned industries and equivalent industries to ensure that no profits be made at the expense of the welfare of the citizens of the United States
no longer receive a free lunch from wasteful government spending at the expense of American taxpayers; that a [S]uspension be placed on all war funding; that it be recognized that the current American wars lack any logical purpose but to funnel money through defense contracting to the top one percent under the perverse guise of freedom, democracy, security, etc.
The Movement will realize its demands by:
Engaging in the current showdown, namely Occupy Wall Street and equivalent peaceable assembly to compel candidates for office and the current Federal Government as well as state and municipal governments to cease and desist aiding and abetting Rats, thereby being Rats themselves, and to begin representing the ninety-nine percent of the populations that has been forced by the other one percent of the population to make these demands
Creating a formal union of members of the Movement and encouraging that membership to cast no vote for any candidate seeking any office of the United States, the various states, and their municipalities unless said candidate embraces the above demands, subject to their elaboration below
Encouraging, through the Movement inadvertently, foreign divestment of private American securities, thereby crippling Wall Street and other private sectors whose crimes, actions, and connivance through lobby of Congress have caused or exacerbated the current financial crisis and its resultant hardships in order that they may not yield such destructive powers in the future; and such influence on foreign investors will succeed notwithstanding American media indifference because uncorrupted foreign media will cover the Movement
Further articulation and reasoning of demands
Reimbursement
Reimbursement of Taxpayers is mandated for three reasons. First, private gains of private corporations should be the result of private costs. This is the essence of capitalism as the Rats would have us believe it to be. But instead, they used their control over Congress to socialize their costs and losses onto the ninety nine percent. This is unacceptable. Secondly, the financial losses that befell Wall Street should remain with Wall Street because it created those losses through deliberate fraud. Thirdly, the bailouts of the Bush and Obama Administrations were entirely unnecessary and predicated on an accounting gimmick. Wall Street deliberately funneled corporate funds from the corporations to their executives and owners to create the appearance of imminent collapse. To avoid that collapse, real or imaginary, they exercised control over Congress to commit the largest-ever heist against the citizens of the United States. They now own this bailout money in addition to the original money that was laundered into so-called corporate debt.
Arrests
The rationale for arrests is very simple. Crimes have been committed, yet the perpetrators have not been hailed to justice. It is not just that amoral or objectionable actions took place. Actual crimes, violations of longstanding state and federal criminal codes, have occurred. Law enforcement can remedy this be merely doing the job they have thus far neglected. If need be, statutes of limitations should be extended retroactively.
Tax Code Revisions and Regulations
Tighter industry regulations can be inductively justified by considering the recent history of Wall Street. The collapse of 2008 was proximately caused by Congressional deregulation measures beginning during the Clinton Administration. This policy needs to be reversed to avoid future economic hardships.
The tax cuts that the rich received from the Bush Administration were misbegotten and need to expire immediately for two reasons. First, under the Bush tax reforms, there was established a contract between the top one percent and everyone else. In exchange for tax breaks they would stimulate the economy and create jobs. They have done neither; they are in breach. It follows that the tax cuts should expire immediately. Secondly, tax cuts for the elite is bad economic policy. Because the elite already have more money than they are willing or able to spend, giving them more money only precludes that money from stimulating the economy. This bound-up money strangles the economy.
The health insurance industry needs to be heavily regulated or socialized. It is un-American that the individual per capita cost of health care in the United States is more than twice the cost in European nations whilst the quality of care in the United States is far inferior. If Congress fails to remedy this discrepancy, then they do not believe in an America that leads the free world- they believe in an America that is at the bottom of the barrel. The unending rise in costs are lowering wages, causing bankruptcies, causing lay-offs, and even causing deaths. Not surprisingly, the few other groups that benefit from the health insurance industry include Wall Street, politicians, and mass media. They benefit from investment profits, campaign cash, and advertisement revenues, respectively. They’re all Rats.
Suspension of War Funding
Suspension of War Funding and wasteful military spending is easy to justify. We can’t afford the wars we are engaged in; they are ravaging our economy. These wars have no legitimate ends or strategies. Men, women, children, and elderly are dying. Irreparable damage is being done to the image of the United States of America. Future generations of enemies are being born. The citizens of the United States do not support the wars. They don’t support $600 toilet seats sold by defense contractors and billed to taxpayers either.
Who are the Rats?
The Rats are those members of the top one percent and their enablers who wish everyone else to have nothing and live as peasants in a plutocracy. As expressed or implied above, the major categories of Rats include Wall Street, the health insurance industry, bought and paid politicians, the war industry, and the mass media. These groups work in concert. They do not represent separate entities; rather they have been horizontally integrated for the collective purpose of establishing a plutocracy that embodies the traits of monarchy already rebuked by the founding fathers of the United States.
When asked by a citizen outside the Constitutional Convention of 1787 what kind of government had been established, Benjamin Franklin replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.” Our republic is now under attack by these Rats. We must ensure that we “keep it.”
Is there a way to sneak in the 72 virgins bit, just in case? :) I’m sorry I couldn’t resist.
But seriously, I do have a few wishful thinking that in opinion would straighten our social democracy if ever enact:
1) It’s possible to farther investigate the top shareholder of the FED and the Treasury Department? I would certainly love to expose this Pandora box.
2) Such as in the separation of church and state, it is possible to separate Wall Street form the states?
3) The clean record act, to allow only politicians with good police record to run for public office. This way we do eliminate the bad elements right off the gate.
I share your sentiments, your passion, and your conviction. Please read, edit and share as you see fit:
http://occupywallst.org/forum/a-rally-cry-to-occupy-join-in-once-voice/
Your motives are just and your demands are sane and reasonable, I hope that we can work together one day to draft a true statement of purpose. Occupy America.
Ralph Nader has suggested removing all payroll and income taxes on incomes under $100,000 per year and adding a direct tax on assets above $5 Million per family.
Buffet and Gates know perfectly well their incomes are tiny compared to their assets-which is why they are promoting an income tax instead of taxation of assets.
I vote to reinstate banking regulations - Glass Steagall.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/nov1999/bank-n01.shtml
An agreement between the Clinton administration and congressional Republicans, reached during all-night negotiations which concluded in the early hours of October 22, sets the stage for passage of the most sweeping banking deregulation bill in American history, lifting virtually all restraints on the operation of the giant monopolies which dominate the financial system.
Taxes are needed in order to have a civilized society. They should be fair, not excessive and wealthy people should pay higher rates. That's what a progressive tax system is all about.
Check these out:
http://maxkeiser.com/2011/10/08/kr194-keiser-report-price-propaganda/ http://maxkeiser.com/2011/10/09/ote126-on-the-edge-with-david-morgan/
Good start. No mention of MILITARY Spending, Budget, Occupations, OK to kill U.S. citizens, OK to kill any one for that matter, war profiteers/corporations, privatized assassins, millions murdered in their OWN country and, how about, NEVER taking care of the Vets for numerous decades too!
I look forward to keeping informed of all proposed lists of demands. Thank you for taking the time to compose this list. Very well prepared & thought out.
Thank you for participating!
Stop Corporate Welfare. The End.
We have to push new election finance law, prohibit lobbyists and money from underscosed sources and phony grassroots organizations through with moony passed to corrupted representatives or senators. Government should provide equal excess to media for all candidates.
This is good, but I believe it's too complicated for the protest. The protest should focus on the overarching goal of these specific policies - reduce corporate influence.
http://occupywallst.org/forum/the-amorphous-message-is-the-message/
End all victimless crimes. They are simply crime of a difference in morality and only fuel the out of control prison system in the United States or serve as tax revenue for the state under the guise of penalty. Among these are included drug use and possession, prostitution, helmet laws, seatbelt laws, speeding laws, even dui so long as there is no victim.
Who is deleting comments and why??
I think kingghandimindset has the right idea. The Tea Party gets its way by keeping its demands simple. In fact, they only have one stupid demand: Cut gov't spending. Of course, the 99% are paying for it.
We need to become to the Democrats what the Tea Party is to the Republicans: a source of love and fear. Vote for our agenda or we stay home on election day.
Many of the laws written have been re-written/modified to suit a special need or interest and are no longer effective. These laws that no longer work as intended should be abolished/repealed. The Community Reinvestment Act is one that should be reviewed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Reinvestment_Act. It's intention was to address discrimination in loans made to individuals and businesses from low and moderate-income neighborhoods. The Woodstock Institute, a Chicago-based policy and advocacy nonprofit, found in an analysis of 1996 Chicago-area survey data that low income areas still lagged behind in access to commercial loans. Most small business loans made by CRA regulated banks went to higher income areas; 16.6% in low-income areas, 18.4% in low- and moderate-income tracts; 21.8% in middle-income areas and 23.1% in upper-income areas.[86]
Please review this legislation and consider options to effect positive change and adding this to OUR list of demands.
This list of demands are selfish and extremely vague at best with no due consideration of their effects on the economy/people.
For a start, to implement any of these would require a MAJOR expansion of government to access and evaluate every single piece of information that is either privately or publicly available. To achieve this is clearly impossible. Moreover, the authors of this list naively believe that subsequent evaluation of such pieces of information would be performed in an impartial mindset when the people holding such power would probably laugh in the rest of our faces.
Terms like "limiting influence of lobbyists" and "revamp the SEC" suggest that the authors know nothing about the subject(s) that they are advocating for.
I am a student just like most of you but I wouldn't sign on a list like this.
Without careful, due consideration of the subject matter, you guys will not get far on reforming Wall Street, which, as compared to DC, is the lesser of the two evils.
You are asking the congress to act against their own interests! They are there for all the lobbying goodies. I don't agree with 1 though. There are numerous ways to work around glass area all act. Investment firms would still package CDOs and bet with default swaps. The problem was allowing them to buy insurance on things they didn't own. A credit default swap is like you buying fire insurance on your neighbors house. That let them take out CDS on so many things that each CDO had 10 or so CDS on them. So when one CDO went bad, 10x that amount was triggered by the default swaps.
How about eliminating the personal income tax since it was first created to build our the imperialist military capabilities.
What distinguishes the state from the people is it's ability to lawfully use aggressive force. The larger the state the more violent potential. Whether it be a force for good or a force for evil; force is violence. Actions by the state, other than those to protect the person, property, and up hold the rule of law are inconsistent with non-aggression principals.
Don't seek violence against those you consider your enemy but chose not to cooperate with them. Here is a list of companies we bailed out: http://projects.propublica.org/bailout/list I recommend never doing business with them. We don't have to look to our politicians to for change.
a round of applause for this gentleman who suggests that money falls from the sky,
Most of the services we depend on aren't paid for by the income taxe. Roads, schools, police, fire, none are paid for by income tax... This country got along for more that 100 years without income tax. The tax was applied only to the very rich to pay for WW1. It was later applied to middle and poor classes to pay for WW2. It was suposed to go away after the wars but once we got a tast for wold power our imperialist ambitions got he best of us. Raise taxes, increase the violence. It has been the American way for far too long.
I don't think this movement should be cast as a purely leftest movement. As you said, this affects everyone, and other people understand this. I don't see this see this movement as a cry for income redistribution; these are people who are upset about government, military, big business being in bed together. And when these entities get in bed together they inherently undermine democracy. We are upset about the inherent conflicts of interest that have led to the 20% becoming the 20% (they have amasses 84% of the wealth). In short, it's not that there isn't enough to go around, it's that the rich don't care. The rich don't care because people will continue to shop at Wal-mart, buy gas, and factory farmed food. They have pushed the people into a corner, and it's time for us to push back. While I like that list of demand, THEY ARE NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN. That would be like asking a Congress person to never be paid again: it's just not going to happen. I think a better approach (after the proposed demand fail) is 1) Boycott particular banks--Start with Bank of America, they are hurting the most, congress will not bail them out because if they do, they will lose their jobs. 2) Boycott specific stores like Target or Wal-mart, until %50 of their goods are MADE in the USA.
This is a good start on issues. Is there some way to create a wiki that can reflect the popularity of suggestions and/or allow modification, etc so it can reflect a consensus with some indication of depth of support?
Please check out this plan of action to start doing this now!
https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/
https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/home/the-steps-to-non-violent-revolution
The only way we are going to get the government back into the hands of "human beings" is to get Corporate money out of politics. A constitutional amendment is needed, such as that detailed in http://democracyforhumans.blogspot.com/
The only way we are going to get the government back into the hands of "human beings" is to get Corporate money out of politics. A constitutional amendment is needed, such as that detailed in http://democracyforhumans.blogspot.com/
I would like to see real Transparency in government. I propose meetings by our Representatives (and their underlings) with Lobbyists be illegal unless done on webcam/camera.
More proposed demands:
The movement must come up with some concrete, material goals, and they must jettison the consensus-building model that they are using. There is nothing inherently wrong in having leaders and structure in the movement. We are a nation of laws, and it will be through legislation that things will change. Deregulatory laws are what got us into this mess (as well as international trade agreements and supranational bodies like the WTO and IMF).More than 100 years ago (please review your American history!), the progressive movements succeeded in effecting change through the legislation that they were able to provoke and inspire. Here are some material goals that the movement must throw its support behind:
If we want real change we should demand:
If we want real change we should demand:
This is great, but there is nothing in here about our failing schools and the children, thus the future of this country is being sacrificed on the high alter of the (closed shop) Teacher's Union who gives more than anyone to campaigns. Please watch Waiting for Superman. Something has to be done about education if we have any hope of saving our very anemic democracy and ensuring a bright future for all our children. I'm not anti-union if it is open-shop (volunteerist). I do believe people have the right to band together to negotiate, but they should also have the right to quit a union that begins holding those who could do better back and essentially promotes mediocrity. We need to end rubber rooms and lemon dances across the US.Tenure for grades K-12 needs to be withdrawn. If our tax dollars were spent to send each child to private schools, more children would go to college than to prison where we spend more on them (which attracts the private ownership of prisons and lobbying for laws that put more prisons and prisoners in corporate hands, so that they make a profit off citizen failure rates). Education reform must be addressed. No body is telling teachers they can't band together, but they can't continue to make contracts that have of a negative effect on children and promotes them over a child's future. Thank you for listening.
This looks like the right track to me. It's important to focus on possible legislative change, not the things that many of us hope would result from those changes.
But for the purposes of a list like this, less is more. I would be for prioritizing and paring down even further. Three would be a magic number and would get more attention.
Your call for higher taxes is inconsistent with your non-violent principals. This short video explains...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGMQZEIXBMs&list=FL6PRorQWcZ8Ff9pdHSPOgbw&index=2
Sounds like you're a bunch of communist hippy assholes <--- Comment protected by the First Amendment
Economic Liberty, the freedom from being held down, knocked down and slapped around by the hand of money power. Access to resources for the security, freedom and prosperity of our innerpersonal lives and the right to improve/benefit the nation at large. The freedom from violation of the US Constitutional Bill of Rights in its true form to protect from Government and to keep the Government off the citizens backs; non manipulation through interpretation in violation. In other words, we are no longer subjects being controlled through and by those in power. We want true liberty that America, in part, has lied about and denied so many. We want America to be true to its call to freedom, starting at home.
One law that will change the balance of America if passed. Make this a bill: The American Corporation Bill: Any corporation that wish to hire lobbyist in the U.S. must have 95% of there operations based in the United States. The American Corporation Bill. Pass this message along. Push to get this into law
Let's use a democratic suggest and vote system.
http://occupywallst.org/forum/vote-and-suggest-specific-demands/
Break up banks that are too big to fail.
Economic Liberty, the freedom from being held down, knocked down and slapped around by the hand of money power. Access to resources for the security, freedom and prosperity of our innerpersonal lives and the right to improve/benefit the nation at large. The freedom from violation of the US Constitutional Bill of Rights in its true form to protect from Government and to keep the Government off the citizens backs; non manipulation through interpretation in violation. In other words, we are no longer subjects being controlled through and by those in power. We want true liberty that America, in part, has lied about and denied so many. We want America to be true to its call to freedom, starting at home.
-Lobbying by Corporations should be Against the Law PERIOD. Anyone with an active political position that accepts lobbying should be removed and thrown into jail for life. Not the nice kind of jail, but =the bend you over kind of jail.
-The "news" media needs to be held accountable.
It's all about the money, ONE DEMAND - REMOVE THE MONEY FROM CONGRESS! Everything else will take care of itself.
It's all about the money, ONE DEMAND - REMOVE THE MONEY FROM CONGRESS! Everything else will take care of itself.
Abolish Corporate Lobbying. It should be Against the Law PERIOD. Anyone who accepts lobbying that has a political position, loses their position and is thrown into prison for life. And not the nice prison...but the bend you over kind of prison
These demands are mostly good. I like "Return to Prudent Banking Act" much more than "Glass Steagall" because it is plain English. We should be demanding an Amendment to the US constitution that specifies that corporations are not people and that they may no lobby the government directly. We should also be demanding an end to money laundering of corporate profits. thnx, John
Part of what needs to be done is to educate the people about this shell game played by CEOs called "adding shareholder value". I have libertarian tendencies and consider myself in favor of functional capitalism. However, capitalism (which we don't really have anymore) and corporatism (which is what we actually have) are two different things. When CEOs utter the phrase "add shareholder value" to justify their hijinks, they frequently aren't referring to bringing better products or services to market anymore, but rather various financial monkeyshines to artificially prop up a stock price. More government regulation alone will not change this, since these companies more or less own the regulators now. Direct pressure on these corporations is needed. Corporate boards can change some of these excesses even without new laws. But only if we all turn up the temperature. Even conservatives would be outraged if they fully understood what some of these phonies have been up to. We need a healthy, vibrant private sector, but it has been infested with executive parasites that need to be called to account.
Agreed. Much is accounting tricks like off-balance-sheet funding facilities, deferring income or accelerating depreciation, etc. It's all paper gains. We should not forget that, among "The 99%", there are many 401k holders. If you have a 401k, you are a shareholder in these companies, and technically have a vote -- including I believe executive compensation. We need to organize and provide information to the little shareholder, on how to proxy vote these guys and their salaries out. At least try.. before we resort to communism or anarchy..
In order for this movement to be effective a proper redress of greivances are required see: http://givemeliberty.org/FreedomDrive/PostFD/SchulzSpeech.htm
Government has billions invested privately see: http://cafr1.com/
Demand another public audit of Fort Knox. They want us to have confidence and faith in the economy and the system... Show us the gold! It should be a simple way for the government to restore faith.... Right?!
RE: LIST OF PROPOSED "DEMANDS FOR CONGRESS"
3, #6, #8 will be included in the Equal Access Amendment. The others should be wrapped in a tax reform statement maybe.
powertothepeople mentioned ALEC 10 days ago, I think they need to be mentioned again:
Our laws are NOT being written by our Congressional representatives in Washington, but by the corporations!
State legislators from across the country, who are members of ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council, http://www.alec.org/), get wined and dined by corporate lobbyists. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, for an example, invited legislators to a big smoke at their cigar reception on Bourbon Street (their last convention was 08/03/11 in New Orleans).
But the meeting is not all fun and games. Legislators sit down with some of the biggest corporations in the world -- Koch Industries, Bayer, Kraft, Coca-Cola, State Farm, AT&T, WalMart, Philip Morris and more -- and behind closed doors, they approve one-size-fits-all changes to the law that ALEC legislators then take home and introduce as their own brilliant policy innovations.
Update: Now I find out that ALEC recommends not putting out a single bill, because the public (us 99%) can build opposition to the bill, but to put out a series of bills all pertaining to a single topic, because it is a lot harder to attack those ideas. (see: Rep. Mark Bocan: http://just-gov.com/politics-politicians-elections/).
Also see: http://www.alecexposed.org
Again we also need to repeal: "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission" (http://just-gov.com/politics-politicians-elections/).
You should check out the 'jubilee' article at HuffPo, which is simple but makes a lot of sense. Basically, the idea is that, since most people in debt are in debt to large financial institutions, even if money were to magically rain on us that money would effectively end up on the coffers of those same large financial institutions.
Since, when those institutions were in debt they were deemed 'too big to fail' and 'bailed out', why aren't tens of millions of ordinary Americans considered 'too big to fail'? The bottom line is any debt owed to an institution that was bailed out by the government ought to be forgiven. Period. If it isn't, I suggest people collectively simply refuse to pay. If enough refuse they will have to deal.
Also, an admonition: Currently, there is the potential here for this 'movement' to appeal to a broad spectrum of people across the political spectrum. It will ultimately only be successful if it fulfills that potential. Quixotic provocative language (e.g. 'revolution!') and imagery (clenched fist) makes the whole thing look silly. If anything substantive is to come of this it needs to appeal to ordinary Americans, and most Americans are politically centrist. If it becomes seen as a leftist movement of predominantly trustafarian youth, it will not withstand the giggle factor. If it can't resonate with the soccer moms and middle aged suburban males, it's dead in the water.
This is not a 'revolution', people are just sick of drowning in debt to bailed out financial institutions and being told to put off retirement by millionaire media pundits. A lot of this lofty talk of 'solidarity' with 'our brothers and sisters around the world' and paranoid warnings about 'the feds' come across as shallow and flaky and will turn many people off while attracting the lunatic fringe.
This is a great opportunitty to implement change that matters. While all of the ideas here are valid and many need to change, if this movement does not focus on one or two issues it will just fizzle in time. I think we need to take this opportunitty to take control of our government back through pushing for term limits. Have 1 million people in the streets, shut down DC insist on term limits then when we vote it will be meaninful.
This is a great opportunitty to implement change that matters. While all of the ideas here are valid and many need to change, if this movement does not focus on one or two issues it will just fizzle in time. I think we need to take this opportunitty to take control of our government back through pushing for term limits. Have 1 million people in the streets, shut down DC insist on term limits then when we vote it will be meaninful.
Please make this an all encompassing movement. The demands listed are great, but the far right is attacking more than just our salaries! You include environmental protection, equal rights (for gays and all others) and peace and you just enlisted yourself a life long member of this movement!
This is a phenomenal list. To Note 3: I'd add "The Weather Underground," as a sort of cautionary tale of what not to let the movement become. I just hammered out some "demands" and they largely mirror what was already here. I think that's a great sign.
Take corporate money out of politics (lobbies; donations/campaigns (Citizens United)) Reform tax code --> return to progressive marginal rates of the pre-1980s; close loopholes like capital gains, offshore shelters, etc., which are solely open to the rich Strengthen unions --> this is the only voice the blue-collar workers have Re-invest in programs that matter --> education; healthcare; poverty reduction; environment Return to regulation --> de-regulated capitalism/privatization of the public sector leads to waste and corruption --> includes financial sector reform/oversight Accountability for those responsible for current economic crisis: banks Debt forgiveness to the middle class --> student loans; mortgages; credit card debt
I just posted this as a main post before I saw this thread.
Terms Limits to for Congress would effect every American in a positive way. This is at the core of the corruption.
3 - 2 year terms for House of Representatives 2 - 4 year terms for Senators Then you leave office, period. This would kill the power structure of government and get the citizens back to performing their civic duty when holding office instead of acting in their own best interest. This is apolitical as it would effect all political parties and all Americans equally. Good Luck OWS. Mike
We need to hold the media accountable for falsifying information. This, however, is a very touchy area, since we need to respect the autonomy of the media and the right to free speech and free press. However, the way I see it is that the media (broad as a term that may be) has one job: report the news, give accurate information, and clearly seperate commentary from raw information. If Fox News or MSNBC wanted to call themselves Commentary instead of News, that's fine with me because it's honest and doesn't assert that information is being presented unbiasedly. Too many people rely on these major outlets for their information on what is happening in the world, and if it's presented in a biased, falsified manner then people will make decisions (like who to vote for, what to support, etc) that they may have otherwise made differently had they been exposed to the raw information and drawn their own conclusions. Thomas Jefferson once said "People will get the government they deserve", and maybe our willingness to let filtered information about the world we live in dictate our political and social policies is a testiment to that. I whole heartedly believe in the freedom of information, that includes the right for those I disagree with to make their case as I do, but also to ensure that opinion commentary isn't passing itself off as "news", which to me is the definition of propaganda. It is untrue that certain media outlets are unaware of the under-handed way in which they present current events, polling, and raw information.
We need provisions designed to bring individual citizens closer the process of government (I know that's a very ambiguous statement). I think we need to look at how we choose our representatives. Aside from campaign finance reform and the like, we need to re-examine who is running for office and why; Most of the time people who desire a position of authority do so because they are interested in power and control, not charity or efficient government. I think people should elect candidates run, instead of candidates deciding on their own to run. The best leaders we've had in this country have not wanted the job. I don't know how to go about doing this, but perhaps someone else can help me out here and provide some new insight...
Congress needs to begin moving toward a total revamp of the electoral system. The "First-Past-The-Post" / winner-take-all system that we currently have is responsible for the disenfranchisement of millions of American citizens - it is the driving reason behind so-called voter apathy. It simply does not work properly in a country as large as ours. Two major parties are far too few to represent 300 million folks. We need a system based upon Proportional Representation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proportional_representation, wherein there exist many parties with differing agendas and viewpoints, each representing a portion of the U.S. constituency. Instead of the current black or white/red or blue, there are sure to be diametrically opposing party viewpoints, easily aligned ones and everything in-between - a staple of true democracy. We need third party candidates, fourth party candidates, fifth party candidates... As many as it takes to adequately and accurately represent our society.
what about a 28th amendment holding congress to the same treatment /perks as the people they govern?
what about a 28th amendment holding congress to the same treatment /perks as the people they govern?
3 touches on this quite well, but we need real CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM. There needs to be clear consequences for violations of these proposals should they become law. It's not enough to settle for a corporation / individual / institution simply paying a hefty fine in violation of these laws; We live in a system where fines for breaking the law are somtimes considered economically viable for an institution to do so, in other words, if I have to pay $3m in fines for an illegal or unethical action that has made me $6b, then that $3m becomes negligable in the grand scheme - a loss willing to be taken for the greater sum. Violation of these proposals, should they become law, need to be considered CRIMINAL, and there needs to be real CRIMINAL CONSEQUENCES for violating the law at state, national, and global scales. Perhaps we need a watchdog, or a check & balance type institution that is both free of influence from private and government; a Citizen's Jury if you will, composed entirely of randomly selected private citizens who are neither government employees nor affiliated with big or special interest.
Much to like here. So much to work towards. I hope enough people understand how long this road is. It's not just like "flood the streets and make demands for Congress to pass every law we demand or else". We will be told with some justification to get back out there and work to elect people and color within the lines of the electoral coloring book. I share a sense of urgency and frustration and injustice. I'm not saying there isn't value in direct action and demands and coloring outside the lines too. For sure we won't see enough reform without dramatic shows of support from large numbers of people from all walks of life. I just want to remind everyone it's a long and winding road full of surprises and improvisation. So long as we can remain true to principles of inclusiveness and non-violence and a well designed direct democracy process I'm optimistic very good things can and will come of this.
Please don't! This is a movement, not a laundry list of demands that can never happen. The only way to succeed is stay focused on one theme, one slogan, the way THEY do. This is about the growing inequality, the 1% who keep getting richer at the expense of the rest of us. THAT needs to be our drumbeat. The minute this becomes a free-for-all of liberal demands and bumperstickers, it will be all over. Why can't liberals ever understand that? That's why we're doomed.
Term Limits, Transparency
Term Limits, Transparency
I want my congressman and senators to be part of our social security system and to follow the constitution when it come's to pay raise for themselves,. and to cut the the maga tax brakes for corporate America
I want my congressman and senators to be part of our social security system and to follow the constitution when it come's to pay raise for themselves,. and to cut the the maga tax brakes for corporate America TIME FOR A GENERAL STR
I want my congressman and senators to be part of our social security system and to follow the constitution when it come's to pay raise for themselves,. and to cut the the maga tax brakes for corporate America TIME FOR A GENERAL STR
Awesome, I didn't think I was going to have to add this and maybe it's my ignorance showing if this is covered somehow and I don't see it, but... Please consider changing taxation law to discourage industries and job creation in sectors that impact the earth biosphere negatively. Alternatively offer incentives to those industries that create jobs in industry that is beneficial to the earth's life sustaining systems. We have to protect and respect the earth before we can get started on the truely good path. I propose a hefty tax on all big oil companies and all aspects of the business, yet offer assistance to companies that are developing sustainable energy technologies. Tax the fishermen that are fishing in fisheries that are depleting the oceans resources and offer assistance to sustainable fisheries, etc. etc. Thank you making this dream come true. Indebtedly, ~M
Has anything been discussed about privatized law? The legal system is currently based on whoever has the most money to hire the most/best lawyers pretty much wins. It's a sucky extension of the current political system. For example, family court where parents have to pay for a law guardian for the children - the parent who can't come up with the $ basically forfeits their right to fight for what's best for the kids. The parent that can afford the fancy lawyer wins by 'default', no longer about right vs. wrong, but all about $$. I'd really like to see a privatized law done away with.
If you don't have money, you can't be represented fairly (legal aid/public defenders aren't a fair answer). If you're innocent, you can spend every last cent of yours and your family's money trying to prove it - or go to jail if you run out of $. If you're guilty and you have enough $$ to fight, you go free. Family court, criminal court, all the same...
congress has no power and neither does the government. for solutions find Operation Peaceful Vendetta a five part plan that summarizes what has to happen. you will all love it. one love
Can you please ensure that the following additions make it to the agenda?
Get politicians to immediately force employment agencies to limit their commissions to a level that does not exceed 5% of the compensation that gets paid out to contractors and permanent employees that get hired or are otherwise used by the employment agencies' client firms.
Allow the states' Departments of Labor to be used as a claim processing center for civil lawsuits that can be filed to collect harsh punitive damages and recoup the financial opportunity costs imposed on job applicants that are denied proper consideration for available positions by employment agencies and employers because of personality conflicts with the agencies' staff over their unprofessional business practices and how long an adverse global economy and intense competition has kept the applicant out of work.
Expand the defintion of discrimination as it applies to the EEOC so that it includes personality conflicts and periods of unemployment that stem directly from extraordinarily weak economic times.
Have ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act) and other legislation revised immediately to allow contractors to have access to the same extent of employee benefits that permanent employees have access to and at the same price points.
Have the Attorney Generals and/or Departments of Labor immediately revoke the license from employment agencies that commit a single infraction of the law.
Have the Department of Labor prohibit businesses from including provisions in job contracts with applicants that require them to assign the rights to things they create on their own, prevent the applicant from working again for the same firm within a specified time period after finishing work with that firm, and prevent the applicant and business from using a different recruiting firm after a specified time period, once the applicant is no longer working for that business.
Get the SEC to impose an immediate, indefinite, and comprehensive ban on short-selling in the equities, options, futures, index futures, currency, and derivatives markets. Furthermore, get the SEC to force individuals and institutions with open short positions to close those positions completely within 48 hours.
Impose an immediate ban on the credit rating agencies from issuing any further downgrades while at the same time taking steps to revoke their licenses, nationalizing them, and undergoing a throrough investigation of their employees for insider trading by themselves, families, and/or friends.
Immediately repeal legislation that prevent businesses from operating 24/7 throughout the U.S.
Apply an 80% clawback on the total compensation & benefits that politicians receive.
Institute a mechanism that would enable the public that politicians serve to easily vote them out of office at any point during their term by reaching a 60% majority vote during a referendum.
Rollback the excessive regulations and withdraw pending lawsuits against the banks, while getting them to commit immediately to a massive and sustained hiring spree for the middle-class.
Bring the military home and put it to work on domestic security and infrastructure improvement projects, such as modernizing NYC's subway system.
Prohibit private and public universities/colleges from charging tuition that exceeds $7,000 per year.
Lower the cost of medical, dental, and vision treatments so that those rates compete equally with those found in places like India and Thailand.
Prohibit airlines and hotels from charging outrageous rates by requiring them to slash their rates by at least 50% from their normally discounted rates.
Can you please ensure that the following additions make it to the agenda?
Get politicians to immediately force employment agencies to limit their commissions to a level that does not exceed 5% of the compensation that gets paid out to contractors and permanent employees that get hired or are otherwise used by the employment agencies' client firms.
Allow the states' Departments of Labor to be used as a claim processing center for civil lawsuits that can be filed to collect harsh punitive damages and recoup the financial opportunity costs imposed on job applicants that are denied proper consideration for available positions by employment agencies and employers because of personality conflicts with the agencies' staff over their unprofessional business practices and how long an adverse global economy and intense competition has kept the applicant out of work.
Expand the defintion of discrimination as it applies to the EEOC so that it includes personality conflicts and periods of unemployment that stem directly from extraordinarily weak economic times.
Have ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act) and other legislation revised immediately to allow contractors to have access to the same extent of employee benefits that permanent employees have access to and at the same price points.
Have the Attorney Generals and/or Departments of Labor immediately revoke the license from employment agencies that commit a single infraction of the law.
Have the Department of Labor prohibit businesses from including provisions in job contracts with applicants that require them to assign the rights to things they create on their own, prevent the applicant from working again for the same firm within a specified time period after finishing work with that firm, and prevent the applicant and business from using a different recruiting firm after a specified time period, once the applicant is no longer working for that business.
Get the SEC to impose an immediate, indefinite, and comprehensive ban on short-selling in the equities, options, futures, index futures, currency, and derivatives markets. Furthermore, get the SEC to force individuals and institutions with open short positions to close those positions completely within 48 hours.
Impose an immediate ban on the credit rating agencies from issuing any further downgrades while at the same time taking steps to revoke their licenses, nationalizing them, and undergoing a throrough investigation of their employees for insider trading by themselves, families, and/or friends.
Immediately repeal legislation that prevent businesses from operating 24/7 throughout the U.S.
Apply an 80% clawback on the total compensation & benefits that politicians receive.
Institute a mechanism that would enable the public that politicians serve to easily vote them out of office at any point during their term by reaching a 60% majority vote during a referendum.
Rollback the excessive regulations and withdraw pending lawsuits against the banks, while getting them to commit immediately to a massive and sustained hiring spree for the middle-class.
Bring the military home and put it to work on domestic security and infrastructure improvement projects, such as modernizing NYC's subway system.
Prohibit private and public universities/colleges from charging tuition that exceeds $7,000 per year.
Lower the cost of medical, dental, and vision treatments so that those rates compete equally with those found in places like India and Thailand.
Prohibit airlines and hotels from charging outrageous rates by requiring them to slash their rates by at least 50% from their normally discounted rates.
I've been waiting for a revolution for quite some time. I realize that you probably hear quite a few comments on the issues but I would hope that you try to keep your message pure and short. There will be many that try to jump on board that will not necessarily be your friends. You must be wary of these people. My own comments will thus be short.
Politics is not your enemy. The Democrats and Republicans are your enemies. They must be eliminated through the voting process.
Unions are not always your friends. The one good bailout this country did was with the auto industry. Management and the unions came together and forged a partnership that will help make the American auto industry competitive. I don't have the same confidence in government unions. They don't have the same market forces driving them to compromise with the tax payers.
Immigrants are not your enemies. Illegal immigrants are. Illegal immigrants are doing more harm to our blue collar workforce than any one factor in the job market. The Democrats care only about their votes and many Republicans care only about their very cheap labor. Anyone considered for entry into this country must bring something to the table; whether it is service or assets. Anyone who compares our current situation to Ellis Island is way off base. Back then, we were an emerging power with labor shortages across many industries. Today, we are a mature economy that requires very little importation of labor.
Lobbying and influence peddling must be curtailed even if it means passing a consitutional amendment.
Wall Street is not your enemy. The people who have turned Wall Street into a casino with magic buttons under the table are your enemies. Wall Street's main purpose is to raise capital and finance debt for companies that make our economy grow. We are the most inventive country in the world and Wall Street allows the world to invest in the best that we have to offer. Believe it or not, it is our educational institutions that have let us down by concocting complicated "?quantitative algoritims?" that make it impossible for even them to understand the ramifications of their withcraft.
This revolution has to non -denominational. Do not let any party or union jump on your bandwagon. It is alright to have unions support you but don't make it a union movement. It is much bigger than that.
Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. It is not the American system that is bad. It is the corruption and the polluting of the American system that is bad. I have no problem with wealth if that wealth has been gained by by hard work and innovation. It only becomes a problem if it is gained by influence peddling or by receiving an unfair advantage. As we speak, Mother Capitalism is trying to correct the abuses but the evil powers in our country are fighting her every step of the way. The financial industry alone has spent $500.000,000 for lobbying our weak and inept politicians.
Lastly, be not afraid of criticism! It only means you are having an impact on the staus quo. Good luck in your endeavor!
I've been waiting for a revolution for quite some time. I realize that you probably hear quite a few comments on the issues but I would hope that you try to keep your message pure and short. There will be many that try to jump on board that will not necessarily be your friends. You must be wary of these people. My own comments will thus be short.
Politics is not your enemy. The Democrats and Republicans are your enemies. They must be eliminated through the voting process.
Unions are not always your friends. The one good bailout this country did was with the auto industry. Management and the unions came together and forged a partnership that will help make the American auto industry competitive. I don't have the same confidence in government unions. They don't have the same market forces driving them to compromise with the tax payers.
Immigrants are not your enemies. Illegal immigrants are. Illegal immigrants are doing more harm to our blue collar workforce than any one factor in the job market. The Democrats care only about their votes and many Republicans care only about their very cheap labor. Anyone considered for entry into this country must bring something to the table; whether it is service or assets. Anyone who compares our current situation to Ellis Island is way off base. Back then, we were an emerging power with labor shortages across many industries. Today, we are a mature economy that requires very little importation of labor.
Lobbying and influence peddling must be curtailed even if it means passing a consitutional amendment.
Wall Street is not your enemy. The people who have turned Wall Street into a casino with magic buttons under the table are your enemies. Wall Street's main purpose is to raise capital and finance debt for companies that make our economy grow. We are the most inventive country in the world and Wall Street allows the world to invest in the best that we have to offer. Believe it or not, it is our educational institutions that have let us down by concocting complicated "?quantitative algoritims?" that make it impossible for even them to understand the ramifications of their withcraft.
This revolution has to non -denominational. Do not let any party or union jump on your bandwagon. It is alright to have unions support you but don't make it a union movement. It is much bigger than that.
Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. It is not the American system that is bad. It is the corruption and the polluting of the American system that is bad. I have no problem with wealth if that wealth has been gained by by hard work and innovation. It only becomes a problem if it is gained by influence peddling or by receiving an unfair advantage. As we speak, Mother Capitalism is trying to correct the abuses but the evil powers in our country are fighting her every step of the way. The financial industry alone has spent $500.000,000 for lobbying our weak and inept politicians.
Lastly, be not afraid of criticism! It only means you are having an impact on the staus quo. Good luck in your endeavor!
we are the 99%
fuck you, the people of this country are what the 1% count on. We are fat, we don't care, we watch TV and it rules the lives of my fellow man/ and woman. We care more about 'dancing with the starts/american idle" then the next election. we are FUCKED until my and your Brothers and Sisters shut off Corperate america and tune into what really matters........ Fuck You, The ystem aint broke WE'RE BROKE (as in we, americans ARE BROKE) THE SYSTEM IS FINE ..... we fucked it up, by NOT CAREING
fuck you, the people of this country are what the 1% count on. We are fat, we don't care, we watch TV and it rules the lives of my fellow man/ and woman. We care more about 'dancing with the starts/american idle" then the next election. we are FUCKED until my and your Brothers and Sisters shut off Corperate america and tune into what really matters........ Fuck You, The ystem aint broke WE'RE BROKE (as in we, americans ARE BROKE) THE SYSTEM IS FINE ..... we fucked it up, by NOT CAREING
The basic, direct democracy type of system that people are using in this movement is sort of like a backup system, whose purpose is to generate good (adequately detailed) ideas for courses of action and decide which one to pursue. The same function basically as the normal government systems. The normal systems are just used more often because they are supposed to be more efficient in terms of time/person hours to do things, especially for a very large group of people like a country.
We need to use this backup system to disinfect the existing normal system, get it all cleaned up in all the various ways including replacing corrupt people as well as enacting and changing the legislation, then set it back on it's feet and set it going. I think we can certainly do the repair "online" an perhaps piecemeal, phasing in a plan over a couple months, so there won't be any disruption in service though.
All we need is to listen to this video:
The Greatest Speech Ever Made 99% ♥
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK2WJd5bXFg
Also it may be necessary to remove enough of the corrupt politicians or the ones that are actually in the 1%, and whose allegiance therefore belongs to them, especially because they may have family members etc that are 1%ers.
If you do not they will use the remainder of their terms in office to undermine what you have accomplished.
And also they will only do a half assed job at anything like the persecution of the wall street criminals no matter what you do because they really don't care what you want, they are not beholden to you in any way.
See, you think that the existing politicians might go along with things if you can just get the legislation fixed. That's not true. There are still the people involved. The politicians currently in there mostly have the backing and approval of the 1%, that is who they belong to, bought and paid for.
it has to be practical for real people from the 99% to run for office and win.
For many political offices for instance you have to quite your existing job for instance before you even run for office. You also have very poor job security. Very few of us have the personal wealth to do that and still be secure. These are some of the many reasons why so many people in office are wealthy, not just campaign financing.
There is a balance to be struck here with ensuring people have enough of a backup plan they are willing to enter politics as a career but are still concerned about loosing their job enough to listen to voters. But certainly the barriers to entry should be as small as possible, much smaller than they are.
There is also a major inherently problem with people who come from the 1%er type backgrounds having positions of governance over others - their whole life they have been surrounded by other 1%ers and had hammered into them all kinds of ridiculous stories that the wealthy tell each other about how things should be, what is moral and what is not, and of course they have never seen the sort of realities that many of us face. Which warps their whole outlook. Hopefully that can be sorted out though during the candidate election process in the future, but just saying the wealthy people in congress are inherently biased like that, so you need to do something about them.
End corporate welfare End Souless Dominion
First tactic: Put the needs of any 1% that will not agree with the demands of the 99% at the end of the line for any services. Also refuse to service any businesses that will service the unsigned 1%. What airport is going to fuel private jets if it means they can't get fuel for their commercial jet airliners? Let the unsigned 1% starve. When thier family members start to die like our families have because they didn't care and when thier money no longer gets them to be first in line is when they will begin to care.
End corporate welfare End Souless Dominion
First tactic: Put the needs of any 1% that will not agree with the demands of the 99% at the end of the line for any services. Also refuse to service any businesses that will service the unsigned 1%. What airport is going to fuel private jets if it means they can't get fuel for their commercial jet airliners? Let the unsigned 1% starve. When thier family members start to die like our families have because they didn't care and when thier money no longer gets them to be first in line is when they will begin to care.
End corporate welfare End Souless Dominion
First tactic: Put the needs of any 1% that will not agree with the demands of the 99% at the end of the line for any services. Also refuse to service any businesses that will service the unsigned 1%. What airport is going to fuel private jets if it means they can't get fuel for their commercial jet airliners? Let the unsigned 1% starve. When thier family members start to die like our families have because they didn't care and when thier money no longer gets them to be first in line is when they will begin to care.
more advice: focus on the stuff that is fundamental/primary to the operation of the democracy, with tweaking the tax code etc. done later, after the government is operating appropriately again.
Punishing banksters for instance can be done later, although it might help raise support for you I guess. You might add some secondary stuff like that so people understand what this is about a bit better, whatever works politically. Just make sure you do a good job getting your foot in the door by correcting the system itself enough.
However, once the government is actually truly back under control of the people these changes are inevitable and will get done in due course. That's the thing see. The wealthy know that. If power goes back to the people there are a ton of other changes that will follow to bring justice immediately, and even regarding past wrongs which the 1% have committed.
That is one major reason why they will fight so hard to stop us from taking back the government.
ultimately, you are not in a position and nobody is to brainstorm up mere demands. demands are stupid and infantile. complaints and then problem defintions and then detailed problem solutions are great. that requires time and homework to generate, not bong hits and then a brainstormed imagine yourself as emperor of the world Scrawl. this kind of thing does not help the movement, it just gives the powers that be ammo against us and prevents meaningful conversations which have depth or open source research and problem solving because you and everyone else imagines we can just skip all the steps and churn out "demands." Listen to the other people in the movement who are wisely saying NO to demands lists. I have demands, they are to the movement itself- thats where the real game is.
"Would you rather have war in this land? Do not confront me work with me...Civil unrest could very well lead to civil war... This list will prevent civil war.... Infantile, we are all infants in conciseness, which explains your poor choice of words.... You should be telling me how to make the list better not how it will never work."
↧ gawdoftruth (Santa Barbara, CA) 1 points 0 seconds ago
no, you need to drop making lists of demands. period. until you do open source research and science centered problem solving with other people, you have nothing to say worth repeating. your brain storming in ignorance. it sounds really really awesome to you- but for many people your tone def. Making demands is itself a sign of infantilism. period. Take responsibility and start working the problems in a deep and real way. I should not have to run through this further with you. This is a ludicrous sense of direction, it is not helping the movement and its not useful or meaningful for long term strategy in fact all it is is a giant set of red rings to give the pundits a clear target.
I don't want war. how i stop the war is to work the problems in a deep way and address the war. Not make demands. I'm an adult, not a seven year old, not a hostage taker, not a terrorist. I don't make demands, i communicate evolutionary truths. If ten thousand people follow my example we can have an evolution. If you run around like a bunch of punk alpha dominant azzholes, i promise you, all of your demands will lead to nothing but scorn and alienation.
but i can expect that we will find good solid means to that end instead of self sabotaging means to that end. Change your communication strategy. These are main political issues which you find to be critical. Now ask people to join you in reasearching them and working on these problems open source. You think you have the end product. instead you have a starting point. remove the "demands" from "demands" and replace with "these are the issues i want to discuss which seem critical to me." There you go. Thats the real process. "Demands " is itself what big Bruddah wants precisely because that makes us the ones holding wall street hostage. Domestic terrorism even when called non violent is still in essence domestic terrorism. Terrorists issue demands. Evolutionary patriots form think tanks.
Oh and another one:
The legal system is inherently corrupted in broad daylight. Everyone knows and practically has capitulated and accepted that you can buy "justice" these days by just spending more money on lawyers.
We must no longer live in fear of corporations using legal thuggery that we cannot defend ourselves against. Whether they want to stop or threaten us or when we need to defend ourselves against their actions which are destructive to our lives in some way (illegal foreclosure etc. have to have a list here). We must no longer live in fear that in a business transaction or in other interaction with the 1%ers , they always have the law on their side even if the law says you are in the right.
Truth and justice is not for sale.
We must have a system in which, for example, the money spent on legal defense is paid into a single pot and then divided up equally to both sides, ensuring that both sides get equal funding always. This is a far more inherently fair system You can't possibly object to fair defense resources for both parties involved if you care about actual justice.
You for got one important thing: **meaningful free speech** Your democracy means nothing if discussion and public debate among the electorate is entirely dominated by the wealthy few, who control the media. You are having this problem right now; the wealthy don't like your movement so they keep trying to paint it badly -spread propaganda- and ignoring it.
People are in fact too susceptible to propaganda, that is a fact. The propaganda organ must be countered with a system to bring facts and truth to counter bullshit to the people (rather than shut down the media because the appropriate response to speech that is problematic is more speech not censorship). You should come up with a list individually of propaganda based beliefs that stands in your way of accomplishing what you need. Can't really do it as a group because people don't like hearing that what they believe is based on propaganda. But you can get people to believe that propaganda is a major problem! So demand: 1.Transparency of press organizations and their operations.
If you don't do this any hard won gains you obtain will quickly evaporate as people are deceived into changing things back.
These are all good, but if the true concern is the corporate takeover of the government' I propose that all stakeholders of corporate America (customers, vendors, suppliers, tenants, lenders, landlords, etc) should be able to vote for an elected representative in the corporation, someone with whom the citizens can proxy their vote.
If corporate America controls the government, then corporate America should be controlled by the people, and the United States can return to being a republic, with any lost democracy, regained. No?
Proof of concept and much work to follow.
Cw
these are great.
one question, why not make corporate lobbyists illegal altogether?
the constitution protects the right to lobby the government, so it would be really difficult to get around that.
constitutional ammendment
ultimately, you are not in a position and nobody is to brainstorm up mere demands. demands are stupid and infantile. complaints and then problem defintions and then detailed problem solutions are great. that requires time and homework to generate, not bong hits and then a brainstormed imagine yourself as emperor of the world Scrawl. this kind of thing does not help the movement, it just gives the powers that be ammo against us and prevents meaningful conversations which have depth or open source research and problem solving because you and everyone else imagines we can just skip all the steps and churn out "demands." Listen to the other people in the movement who are wisely saying NO to demands lists. I have demands, they are to the movement itself- thats where the real game is.
"Would you rather have war in this land? Do not confront me work with me...Civil unrest could very well lead to civil war... This list will prevent civil war.... Infantile, we are all infants in conciseness, which explains your poor choice of words.... You should be telling me how to make the list better not how it will never work."
↧ gawdoftruth (Santa Barbara, CA) 1 points 0 seconds ago
no, you need to drop making lists of demands. period. until you do open source research and science centered problem solving with other people, you have nothing to say worth repeating. your brain storming in ignorance. it sounds really really awesome to you- but for many people your tone def. Making demands is itself a sign of infantilism. period. Take responsibility and start working the problems in a deep and real way. I should not have to run through this further with you. This is a ludicrous sense of direction, it is not helping the movement and its not useful or meaningful for long term strategy in fact all it is is a giant set of red rings to give the pundits a clear target.
I don't want war. how i stop the war is to work the problems in a deep way and address the war. Not make demands. I'm an adult, not a seven year old, not a hostage taker, not a terrorist. I don't make demands, i communicate evolutionary truths. If ten thousand people follow my example we can have an evolution. If you run around like a bunch of punk alpha dominant azzholes, i promise you, all of your demands will lead to nothing but scorn and alienation.
Replace the Federal Reserve with something that better represents the interests of the 99%, not the 1%
I love all of these suggestions with one addendum, election reform. How about removing the corporate money from hiring our elected officials? How about a public voucher system, and an official public website where ANY and ALL campaigning will happen?
ultimately, you are not in a position and nobody is to brainstorm up mere demands. demands are stupid and infantile. complaints and then problem defintions and then detailed problem solutions are great. that requires time and homework to generate, not bong hits and then a brainstormed imagine yourself as emperor of the world Scrawl. this kind of thing does not help the movement, it just gives the powers that be ammo against us and prevents meaningful conversations which have depth or open source research and problem solving because you and everyone else imagines we can just skip all the steps and churn out "demands." Listen to the other people in the movement who are wisely saying NO to demands lists. I have demands, they are to the movement itself- thats where the real game is.
Great list - much appreciated. I think it would be nice if we had a categorized list with a few other areas of politics included.
Such as the infringements on our rights under the constitution. The Patriot Act and other legislation associated is an invasion of personal privacy. The federal government has created laws that make the role of government and citizen backwards. We the people should live privately (secret and classified lives) and our government should be a public event.
I feel the federal government should invest in eliminating our fiat currency and phasing in a new federally controlled Electric Standard. The States will elect a member to chair the board that controls this - allowing a more stable leadership. The Gold standard is outdated and still has some flaws. However, the Electric Standard can be proven to be a balanced equation.
The idea is that as our consumption of electricity increases, we will be consuming more as an economy and thus needing more money supply in circulation. So the capacity to generate electricity will be directly related to our need for currency.
In my vision Money Supply = Consumption of Electricity + Export of Electricity + National Storage Capacity of Electricity
We can earn money by exporting electricity -- now there is a thought. Can you imagine HOW MANY small businesses would spring up and eventually the United Sates of America could be selling our own energy to the world...think about it.
Thomas Edison and Thomas Jefferson brought this idea to the table at the creation of the U.S. Constitution. The reason the idea did not take hold is simple, how vast was the electricity consumption back then? The other writers could not envision it - so it was simply not accepted.
I need help with getting this idea to catch on. It is not complete and needs some serious consideration from those educated in economics.
Ultimately I feel that OccupyWallStreet represents "a broad based frustration" as Obama said himself. I am one of the frustrated. I can see what is happening but feel powerless to do anything.
Thank goodness Obama has set the standard for transparency and honesty.
Let's all vote him back into office!
I don't remember seeing anything about insurance companies. Especially workers compensation and health ins. companies.
This is one issue (financial). But I see many other issues that need to change in order to have the neccesary resources to survive and prosper. I also believe that we need to start enforcing our right under the constitution.We have let "them" ignore it more than they uphold it. We have the right to freedom and an assumption of privacy that was ruined by the patriot act.Do you think these issues need attention as well?
Keep up the good work we will prevail united we stand :).
the only demand that really needs to be made is Number 8. if corporations were stripped of their "personhood" then all other demands would fall into place. without corporate freedom of speech corporations would not be able to, donate to political parties/candidates, advertise on the behalf of political parties/candidates, nor lobby the government. every wrong we now face stems from corporate personhood and their speech through money. unjust wars, healthcare, homelessness, wall street greed, unfair tax structure, corrupt banking industry etc all are born from corporate personhood. all these demands are great and we should all be on board with this but it may be a simpler message to demand an end to corporate personhood
2-5 need to go. the others sound fine. but we need to return to sound money, GOLD AND SILVER are the only real money, governments cant print more of that
Here are the UN Human Rights, Labor, Environment and Anti-Corruption Principles worth immediate adopting or at least worth considering that validate what 99% of us are straggling for.
The set of principles is called UN Global Compact. See it at http://unglobalcompact.org
The Ten Principles are the set of core values in the area of human rights, labor standards, the environment and anti-corruptionand they enjoy universal consensus. They are derived from The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, The International Labor Organization's Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and The United Nations Convention Against Corruption.
THE TEN PRINCIPLES: Human Rights Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses. Labor Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labor; Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labor; and Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. Environment Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges; Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies. Anti-Corruption Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.
http://www.epicstep.com/campaign/337/occupytogether-occupywallst-billboard/
Though I agree with a lot of what you have as demands, you also need to add to this about our government. Limit anyone running for a government office starting in 2012, that it should only be for four years and no more. No more holding these office positions as a life time career. AND that they only get paid $50,000.00 a year for the position. The same salary as middle class makes or use to make. This will get rid of the corruption currently in office and to make sure that whoever holds these positions, that they know they work for the people, and not for corporations...etc. Also that it is illegal for them to take any money or help from corporations, special interest groups....etc. Basically government needs to get back to working for the 99% and not the 1%.
Similar but simpler than the above, the below actions would solve our recession and right the ship of state.
Who's on board?
"We demand a change in the underlying values that govern our society." Really, we do. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/07/fight-climate-change-99
https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/ I read this and I think I have a problem with the following: 1) Implementing an immediate ban on all private contributions of money and gifts to all politicians in federal office from...and other private sources of money... (I think an argument can be made that a person should be allowed to donate/spend their money as they wish. While I support public financing, I found it difficult to get around this right so I suggested perhaps a limit on the donations that all citizens could conceivably meet. When I was discussing this with others in DC, they mentioned that a rich person could make the limit -$960- to more people than the poor person. However I don't know what the value would be to donate to competing candidates.)
Lastly I don't think we need an additional body. perhaps to add more representatives as the constitution already allows.
This is refreshing. I would enter the repeal of the ederal Reserve Act of 1913. The power to coin money should only be vested in the congress and the money must be distributed without usury to the people. We can not have a privately owned corp printing our money any longer. This should be #1
A strongly believe a preamble very similar to the one preceding the constitution is needed. Also, the formula for our national success as defined by Tomas Friedman in his recent book “That used to be us….” maybe in order. Pillars of our past success in lifting all boats with a rising tide of economic well being are:
A strongly believe a preamble very similar to the one preceding the constitution is needed. Also, the formula for our national success as defined by Tomas Friedman in his recent book “That used to be us….” maybe in order. Pillars of our past success in lifting all boats with a rising tide of economic well being are:
It is only fair that the investment community pay the same tax as everyone else in our country! Why should executives that run private equity companies who often buy companies and lay off hundreds of employees pay less tax? They are not creating jobs or creating new opportunities for Americans Rather their goal is primarily to create wealth for their investors
oh and don't forget protecting the media. so that reporters can tell the truth without fear of reprisal.
Equal Access Amendment HR676 Medicare for All National Resources Defense Amendment Marriage Amendment (for same sex/polygamy) I know it's four but that's what would make me happy out of this.
Glad to see you still posting, GhandiKingMindset.
Dear Mr. Mindset: Our number one's (#1s) are identical. Please let me know if you need any assistance drafting or working on legislation, if HR 1489 or any of the others on my list, become part of your formal agenda.
Heather Boone McKeever, Esq. Consumer Protection Attorney foreclosurefraud@insightbb.com
Has everyone seen http://capitalismhitsthefan.com/ ? Before we enact more regulation we may have an opportunity for a different kind of capitalism. A cooperative capitalism for lack of a better word.
Obama, show us you are the candidate that we thought we were voted for. OWC slogan is “We are the 99%”. This movement could be a revolution if it had a leader, but is currently being hijacked by the media (kind of like what happened to the Tea Party). Many in the Media are either extreme left or extreme right, and between the “let’s find the most extreme left or right people we can find to interview for the ratings” or “We are major corporation afraid of losing massive influence on our government”, the voice is getting lost.
I believe that this movement is not a Left or a Right issue (unlike what the media is painting). But this movement is about what our founding fathers meant for our country. For We the People to have the same voice in our government as our corporate masters. The feeling on the street is that the rich, aka the board of major corporations, make the rules due to their massive lobbying and campaign contributions & that all politicians “including you” are bought and paid for.
Want to assure your reelection and also be the President who gave the country back to the people? Then step up and show us you have some guts. Address the Nation and call on the left & right to get behind a bill to change our Constitution eliminating money (lobbying & campaign contributions) and go 100% public financed elections so we can get paid for politicians out.
Fixing the Environment creates jobs. Eco Tech: Powering Up: Malmo,Sweden
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9e1pou-db4
Eco Tech: Zero Waste: M.R.F.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvd8ekI6Ma4
Eco Tech: zero waste: e-scrap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETNaO2Pa8q4
Eco Tech: zero waste: landfill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4F5pIyyhhU
BI4SP: POWER: manure farm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CONSJWaLOqw
Eco Tech: Zero Waste: worms
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St-NHGBj5f4
INVENTION NATION: ZEGEN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QYSMY_s5js
INVENTION NATION: wetland sewers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7bVx8FBx5s
Eco Tech: zero waste: restrooms
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATrH9zaVpuE
Eco Tech: Powering Up: Wind Power
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJXzhFDPM7M
Eco Tech: Future Fuels: Biodiesel (grease)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySLDCt5MmTc
Eco Tech: Future Fuels: Biodiesel (grass)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFhaTN7QkT8
Eco Tech: Zero Waste: plastic bottles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9B9Ui4BJAU
BI4SP: Build: Pre-Fab houses
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHI7JRMg4QI
BI4SP: Paper or Plastic: plastic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyDdRe9EkSE
Eco Tech: Zero Waste: Z-WEED
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmzY8PcyKeY
INVENTION NATION: solar prism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zo3wB6D7yE
BI4SP: Grow: Roof Top Garden
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17hRZgsFEXE
Eco Tech:Powering Up: Solar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXru5GhB3Uk
Eco Tech: Future Fuels: hypercar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a8TTmOj-vg
Assuming that these are passed, they would leave us with better practices, certainly, but there are a few things that are missing.
1) Instate a tariff on foreign-made goods, whether or not the company heads itself in the United States - this could be implemented on its own, or it could be a byproduct of a nationwide revenue-neutral carbon tax (hopefully this kind of policy would expose the hidden costs of oil and allow consumers to support USA-made goods, without having to scrape at their pockets to do so). 2) Cease to allow politicians to receive monetary support from any company of any size. Ever. Support should come from the people, because WE are who those politicians should be working for, NOT corporations. 3) Universal healthcare would be really helpful, so that more small businesses could get started and employ full-time workers without the expense of paying for medical coverage. It would prevent people from being laid off when they're diagnosed with something expensive, and it would also stop people from being denied health insurance. However, this is probably a battle to be fought some other day. 4) It would be nice to raise the minimum wage, but have it based not on a nationwide statistic, but rather determined on a much more local basis, taking into account the cost of living of each city and town, so that people truly can live decently on such wages as those, working full time.
I assume, however, that it is far too late to propose these ideas, as it has long since passed October first. However, these things are important. They had to be said, and again if they had already.
Kate
Many of the laws written have been re-written/modified to suit a special need or interest and are no longer effective. These laws that no longer work as intended should be abolished/repealed. The Community Reinvestment Act is one that should be reviewed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Reinvestment_Act. It's intention was to address discrimination in loans made to individuals and businesses from low and moderate-income neighborhoods. The Woodstock Institute, a Chicago-based policy and advocacy nonprofit, found in an analysis of 1996 Chicago-area survey data that low income areas still lagged behind in access to commercial loans. Most small business loans made by CRA regulated banks went to higher income areas; 16.6% in low-income areas, 18.4% in low- and moderate-income tracts; 21.8% in middle-income areas and 23.1% in upper-income areas.[86]
Please review this legislation and consider options to effect positive change and adding this to OUR list of demands.
Many of the laws written have been re-written/modified to suit a special need or interest and are no longer effective. These laws that no longer work as intended should be abolished/repealed. The Community Reinvestment Act is one that should be reviewed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Reinvestment_Act. It's intention was to address discrimination in loans made to individuals and businesses from low and moderate-income neighborhoods. The Woodstock Institute, a Chicago-based policy and advocacy nonprofit, found in an analysis of 1996 Chicago-area survey data that low income areas still lagged behind in access to commercial loans. Most small business loans made by CRA regulated banks went to higher income areas; 16.6% in low-income areas, 18.4% in low- and moderate-income tracts; 21.8% in middle-income areas and 23.1% in upper-income areas.[86]
Please review this legislation and consider options to effect positive change and adding this to OUR list of demands.
Bless you, bless you, bless you. This is an outstanding set of demands. I'd march a million miles to get this legislation passed. These actions would equalize the voices of the 99% and 1%.
Many of the laws written have been re-written/modified to suit a special need or interest and are no longer effective. These laws that no longer work as intended should be abolished/repealed. The Community Reinvestment Act is one that should be reviewed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Reinvestment_Act. It's intention was to address discrimination in loans made to individuals and businesses from low and moderate-income neighborhoods. The Woodstock Institute, a Chicago-based policy and advocacy nonprofit, found in an analysis of 1996 Chicago-area survey data that low income areas still lagged behind in access to commercial loans. Most small business loans made by CRA regulated banks went to higher income areas; 16.6% in low-income areas, 18.4% in low- and moderate-income tracts; 21.8% in middle-income areas and 23.1% in upper-income areas.[86]
Please review this legislation and consider options to effect positive change and adding this to OUR list of demands.
Many of the laws written have been re-written/modified to suit a special need or interest and are no longer effective. These laws that no longer work as intended should be abolished/repealed. The Community Reinvestment Act is one that should be reviewed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Reinvestment_Act. It's intention was to address discrimination in loans made to individuals and businesses from low and moderate-income neighborhoods. The Woodstock Institute, a Chicago-based policy and advocacy nonprofit, found in an analysis of 1996 Chicago-area survey data that low income areas still lagged behind in access to commercial loans. Most small business loans made by CRA regulated banks went to higher income areas; 16.6% in low-income areas, 18.4% in low- and moderate-income tracts; 21.8% in middle-income areas and 23.1% in upper-income areas.[86]
Please review this legislation and consider options to effect positive change and adding this to OUR list of demands.
Rescind the free-trade agreements with low-wage countries. These are the direct cause of our jobs being outsourced and are killing our economy.
Show us a real dispersal of power back to the majority through fundamental precepts that don't only attack the collusion of corporation and government, but seek to make a fundamental priority of this movement the health of humanity.
Construe this in terms of creating an organizational system which places its ultimate priority, its grandest benchmark of success in the potential of its people. The physical, emotional and spiritual health of our people and our environment is tantamount to this cause. A majority of the people reading this (the converted, the educated, etc) will understand this politico-economic rhetoric, and it is very important, but we have to think about how the health of our "system" can become manifest in the lives of the true majority - the people who need convincing, people who need more reasons to want to be part of the healing.
Would Ghandi and King really be proud to be associated with this movement? Let us find a way to make it more accessible, more accommodating and more focused on basic remedies to improve the health of our system - the global, interconnected system where our health, the health of our planet and the health of our foundational, organizing principles of government are synchronistically entwined.
Yikes on #8! I'm pretty sure the 14th amendment does not use the word "can't". Please don't put quotes around something that you are paraphrasing.
Possibly as a subsection of #6, How about adding demand/request for Publicly Funded Election Campaigns on the Federal level. We have had Publicly funded campaigns on the state level here in Maine for over a decade and they work VERY well to diminish lobbyiest power.
Please consider adding Publicly Funded Campaigns on the Federal Level as a demand.
Thanks for everything you guys are doing!!!
Corporations have no country, their duty is to their "shareholders" WIN America http://www.winamericacampaign.org/ needs to be WATCHED. Here's another strategy for Corporations who have taken their $ off shore to evade taxes, and now, because the rest of the world's econ problems makes USA investment look good, they want it back in this country without paying like the rest of us. AS A TAX PAYER, I'm a shareholder in this government. I WANT MY PAYBACK FROM THE BAIL OUT. I want THE HUGE PROFITEERS TO pay me back as an American citizen. Guess what it's called TAX. NOT a dirty word.
An excellent research project for a student in public policy.
In one state, replace the election process for House seats with a lottery. If you would want to serve as a representative for your district, you would need to get the signatures of 25 people from your district who know you and will testify as to your integrity and soundness of mind. That would allow you to put your name in the lottery. This would allow us to put common people in government, act as a check and balance against campaign finance corruption, and re-enfranchise americans.
I know people get nervous about the idea, worrying that a nutjob might get selected... but even if that happened, they'd be checked and balanced by other members of the house, and the other branches of the government.
I've been thinking about our election system. I know there are many groups working on different things Like getting Corporations to not be people. And lowering the signature count to gain ballot access. I think we must do something to elevate the voting system to our most paramount activity in the country. So here is what I have in mind it's just a start, not fleshed out but...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/152631684794770/doc/216291868428751/
EQUAL ACCESS AMENDMENT
Whereas Voting is the most important activity in a civilized society. Whereas the Declaration of Independence states we are all equal. Whereas the substance of life can cause us to be unequal such as our location, finances, education, it is necessary to set in motion boundaries to keep our elections equal for all citizens.
Eliminate the use of voting machines that do not generate a paper trail or that can not be easily audited to check for tampering.
There is a typo with Demand 5.
It seems the above list of demands are definitely needed, strutural changes to our goverment. Can we include things like a moratorium on foreclosure's and out of control student debt in this venue?
It seems the above list of demands are definitely needed, strutural changes to our goverment. Can we include things like a moratorium on foreclosure's and out of control student debt in this venue?
Greetings to all from Cairo's Tahrir square! I really believe your movement is a great one and would spread globally if it is well articulated. I have been studying the root cause of all of this for 3 years. My recommendation is that you folks may want to focus on the core issue, rather than letting the SIGs and politicians manipulate you by tinkering with the current system. This is not a tax issue or an unemployment issue. What is needed is an overhaul of the financial system. In the current system, money is created in the form of DEBT and is created by banks out of thin air! For every dollar that is in the economy, there is someone that owes that dollar! So, it is perpetual debt problem that mathematically can NEVER be paid off. it is modern day slavery that will keep snow balling. So your number 1 goal ought to be a "review and revamp of the money creation system and giving such power to the people" . It is then and only then, other measures would work. Without such fundamental change, you will be chasing a mirage and an illusion of reform. Sincerely, Tahrir-man
I support the movement and I think that most of your demands are valid attempts to address the correct causes of our present situation. But….
In demanding that the current government create or change policies, you are trusting the foxes to guard the hen house. You are not dealing with an honest broker. Our corrupt government and its corporate puppet masters have been enacting legislation for decades that looks like it is going to be good for the people, while in actuality, it benefits only the 1%. You may get them to reinstate Glass-Steagall, for example, but I guarantee they will create new loopholes and/or other new legislation to ensure the status quo. There is a reason that legislation is so voluminous and complex you need a law degree and a staff to understand it–this is how they hide the loopholes and they are very good at it. If the movement's demands end up being a list of policy changes, at some point they will agree to change policy, the movement will rejoice, disband and they will promptly fuck us over anew. In order to get any real change, we need first to have a legislature we can trust. This is an enormous challenge and I am not exactly sure how this can be accomplished–maybe we can figure that out together.
So as not to get caught up in too many details now, run with me for a minute on the big picture. Let's say we fire the entire congress–like a nationwide recall. We ensure an honest election system for their replacements, including ensuring their is no corporate, big money or dem/rep influence. There is an equal playing field for all candidates, etc. and it is clear to them that if they get into office and even talk to a lobbyist, we will yank them back so fast their heads will spin. If we could make this happen, then we would have an honest legislature whom we could trust to enact the will of the people. Then we can demand policy change and have a reasonable shot at getting actual reform.
Right now, we are just arguing about which deal to make with the devil.
No more career politicians! They build to large of a war chest to allow them to be defeated in elections
Re-establish President Kennedy's Executive Order (E.O.) 11110 which returned to the U.S. government the power to issue it's own currency, without going through the Federal Reserve.
Revoke corporate charters to stop these financial monsters from destroying our world's economies.
the only thing that matters right now is CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM, unless you get the big money out of politics, no change whatsoever will occur, this should be the focus of the protests, we need to have honest politicians that work for the public before any thing else can get done, campaign finance reform (ending corporate personhood, kicking the lobbyists out of the Washington) is the perfect starting point. It really is a no brainer that this should be the one thing we can all agree on. Because unless we do this, all those other demands that people have will never be addressed, not in a millions years.
While we are at it, can we have Taco Tuesday every day?
Always pissed me off since I work Tuesday evenings and can't get out to the local Mexican restaurant for cheap tacos.
That is a demand I could get fully behind.
I suggest that you also watch "Capitalism Hits the Fan" Professor Wolfe explains that "rules are made to be broken" So whatever legislation is enacted, crooks will be about the business of getting around it. He recommends that we become partners with all businesses (don't quote me on that part) but basically the owner and the worker are both beneficiaries of the success of the company.
People here want DIRECT DEMOCRACY. But we need specifics, as the rest of the List of Demands have. We could say "CONGRESS AMEND THE CONSTITUTION TO ALLOW NATIONAL BALLOT INITIATIVES with improvements to prevent big money from dominating." (The big improvement needed is now working in Oregon, called Citizen Initiative Review: http://HealthyDemocracyOregon ) But Congress refused to allow national ballot initiatives, both in 1907 and 1977. So, Senator Mike Gravel (who was involved in the 1977 attempt) has found a way to get this amended WITHOUT begging Congress. This is the same basic way the Constitution was passed -by the people, when the 13 Legislatures refused. It's vetted by the best legal scholars. To see the details, and to VOTE for it, go to http://VOTE.org
Yes, to the previous post. No more rider legislation, a bill needs to stand on it's own merit with no riders added to get votes.
The rallying cry must be the complete overhaul/elimination of lobbying and strict, enforceable limits on spending for public office seekers & change the source of that funding. That would represent 99%. WE CAN WIN with that message!
The banks are too large. Establish 5 banking districts. Northeast, southeast, central, northwest and southwest. Require all banks to do business in only one district. Banks that are now in more than one district should be immediately broken up into as many as five smaller banks. This eliminates too big to fail and solves too big to manage. Limit credit card interest to 10%. No debit card fees. All banks subject to state banking laws and state usury laws.
The banks are too large. Establish 5 banking districts. Northeast, southeast, central, northwest and southwest. Require all banks to do business in only one district. Banks that are now in more than one district should be immediately broken up into as many as five smaller banks. This eliminates too big to fail and solves too big to manage. Limit credit card interest to 10%. No debit card fees. All banks subject to state banking laws and state usury laws.
Go to Michael Moore site, the plan outlined on this site is the way to go forward. A third Continental Congress.
I've been thinking about our election system. I know there are many groups working on different things Like getting Corporations to not be people. And lowering the signature count to gain ballot access. I think we must do something to elevate the voting system to our most paramount activity in the country. So here is what I have in mind it's just a start, not fleshed out but...
EQUAL ACCESS AMENDMENT
Whereas Voting is the most important activity in a civilized society. Whereas the Declaration of Independence states we are all equal. Whereas the substance of life can cause us to be unequal such as our location, finances, education, it is necessary to set in motion boundaries to keep our elections equal for all citizens.
Candidates may use powerpoint or some such device to illustrate their answers. All powerpoint sources must be identified. After the question is placed on the screen candidates may answer. The order of the answerer will not be as important because all answers will be recorded. The candidate may speak as long as they like but they will be using their own 90 minutes. Any time a candidate speaks they must turn on their timer to turn on their mic. If they run out of time before the debate is over they will no longer be able to speak.
In-Kind donations will have their value determined at the board of elections not to exceed the value of $960. (so basically if someone wants to let you use their room the rental cost would be listed as a donation) A business may make an IN-Kind donation by going to the board of elections office of the county where the item will be used. (a certificate will be issued verifying what was registered for use and the value) A business may not make cash donations.
I'm thinking your demands could be made to be ONE AMENDMENT.
This thing changed the numbers because a paragraph break turned into a subject break or something. After 4, comes 5. 6. and 7. not 1. 1&2.
I also think we should aim for Zero Waste and Zero Pollution. This I'd like to see but it doesn't affect the RUNNING of the country but I'd like to see the motto change from "In God We Trust" to "And Justice For All"
Retain the mortgage interest deduction on first homes for households earning less than $400k per annum.
Remove the mortgage interest deduction for homes costing more than $400k, except in those markets where property prices are more than twice the national average.
Provide full medical, dental, and vision coverage to the dependents of active-duty military, and for one year after they return from active duty. Expand VA benefits to cover more mental health and rehab care.
Cut all subsidies and tax breaks to companies whose top executives make more than 25x what the lowest-paid employee makes. This includes benefits packages.
Repeal NCLB and Reform K-12 education by:
Demanding that all K-12 instructors receive a B average or better in ALL coursework, with no grade lower than a C; and that at least 70% of their coursework be in subject courses taught by subject experts, with up to the remaining 30% to be taught by experts in pedagogy/education.
Mandating a maximum student-teacher ratio of 15:1 for K-8; 20:1 for 9-12
Yearly standardized exams for all students to be used in the following manner:
K-6 -- determination of whether students are above, at, or below grade level, and then placement into cohorts where advanced students may work with students at the next level; students at level remain at level, and students needing remediation get extra help to bring them up to level. The advantage of this is that students can remain with their age-group for the majority of subjects, but continue to work in the most fundamental areas with peers of similar abilities. It also answers issues of different development speeds. A child may be an advanced reader, but barely average in math, or the reverse. This allows for students in the crucial first years of education to get the instruction they need.
7-8: comparison and advising into appropriate-level courses only. If a student is not performing at grade level, then s/he should be moved into intensive/remedial math and English courses. If a student is at grade level or above, then s/he should be moved into appropriate courses for the level
9-12: matching students with appropriate level courses, i.e., courses that will challenge the students, but that the students can reasonably manage. For example, if a student tests at a level showing that s/he is able to handle the concepts of Calculus, then Calculus is appropriate. If a student is still struggling with general math concepts, perhaps pre-Algebra is a better choice.
The results of the tests should also be used for annual peer-review and self-reflective reports by teachers and administrators. Only in cases where the grades awarded by teachers consistently and significantly differ from test results (e.g., students who test at or below grade level, but whose report cards are filled with "A"s) should there be a trigger for probation and teacher retraining. Teachers should be rotated amongst student cohorts and class levels, no matter their seniority in a union, unless they have a particular desire to work with remedial students.
All schools, public AND private, must show that their teachers have met the minimum education standards (as listed above)
Parents who choose to home-school their children should also meet those standards, or pass a comprehensive exam showing equivalent skills.
Home-schooled children should not be allowed to participate in extra-curricular (e.g., sports and music/theatre) programs offered by the public schools UNLESS they are also subject to the same testing. Home-schooled students should also be required to take content exams every two years, so that their parents can have feedback on where their children stand in relation to public school curriculum.
Obviously, this will cost money. That's why I pay my taxes. I don't pay them so I can subsidize corporate profits.
"NOTE 4: There needs to be a list of the top 50 corporate crimes"
1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked_short_selling
Norml filed a petition on the White House " We the People" petition program. First one to get the needed signatures, now its blowing every other petition away! What good does it do? Norml pettition meant to end the Marijuana Prohibition, You can read Obama's response here, http://blog.norml.org/ yes, our chief has sold out to the 1% and now we have GOP passing laws making the US the drug police of the world! Guess we have funds for this?
We need DEMANDS because petitions dont do squat!
5 SEC reform. Sub-section A.
The DTCC shall be made completely transparent. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depository_Trust_%26_Clearing_Corporation .
Note: The DTCC is where all market manipulation is hidden. One of the biggest crimes that are hidden by the DTCC is the counter-fitting of securities. Studies have shown that as much as 6 billion dollars worth of counter-fit stocks and other securities exist within the market on any given day. The practice commonly referred to as Naked short selling, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked_short_selling, allows market manipulators to steal money directly from the accounts and pension funds of many hard working Americans. Even if you do not invest in the markets you still could be losing money from your retirement accounts.
What can be done about it and can it be fixed. YES!!!!!! And it could be done relatively quickly, easily and inexpensively.
Seize all trading records from the DTCC.
Create a computerized real time trading system that would track and facilitate all security transactions. This type of system could stop most if not all market manipulation.
Prosecute, Prosecute, And Prosecute!!!!! Using the records from the DTCC seize the ill gotten gains and incarcerate those guilty. If you hold those accountable it will deter future abuses. All though this could take decades to sort though I believe hundreds of billions if not trillions of dollars could be recovered.
There is so much more to talk about on these subjects. One very good place to start is http://www.deepcapture.com/. The CEO of Overstock.com has been fighting this fight for years and we can all benefit from his work.
Thank you for your time
Reform financial aid by:
Boosting the Pell Grant Program, but limit Pell grants to students who can pass exams showing they can handle university-level reading and math. Tie to GPA. One semester below a C average is ok. Two consecutive semesters at C- or lower allows suspension BUT allow Pell grants for 126 credits, rather than 4 years, so students who need to attend university part time can still do well.
Create a Loan-to-Grant program for those students whose skills do not reach Pell Grant standards. Allow the loans to be used at Community Colleges for remedial English and Math courses. Upon completing a bachelor's degree, the student may apply for an automatic conversion of the loan to a grant.
Cutting the tie to parental income after the student is 18 if: -the parents do not claim the student as a dependent OR have not claimed the student as a dependent for one year -the student does not live at home during the summer break, but maintain separate residence -BUT if parents provide health insurance for the student, that should not be held against them
Reforming the student loan program by: -reinstating the Guaranteed Student Loan program as it was in the 1980s, including deferring interest until six months after the student ceases to be enrolled in a degree-program
Ending all financial aid for students of for-profit universities AND/OR for any vocational school/college that is not subject to rigorous accreditation and financial oversight. If grants are given to such a vocational school/college, and it fails to deliver the promised training to the student, the government must collect from the institution, NOT the student.
a: repudiate the national debt. enact a balanced budget amendment.
b: end the statutory "limited liability" privilege for all corporate forms. retroactively impose full liability on all corporate tortfeasors (BP, Exxon, Union Carbide, WR Grace, and others).
c: forgive all student loan debt.
d: end "qualified immunity" and other immunities for public officials at every level.
e: prosecute the war criminals and financial criminals of the past decade (at least), plus Kissinger.
f: withdraw from IMF, World Bank, OECD and similar planet-dominating financial cabals.
g: end the drug war. abolish the DEA. release all inmates imprisoned for drug-only offenses.
h: eliminate all law restricting the movement and settlement of homeless people on public lands and abandoned property. strengthen the rights of homesteaders and squatters.
i: cut the defense budget by 2/3 for 2012. close all foreign bases, recall all troops. unilaterally dismantle the nuclear weapons stockpile. merge the Navy into the Coast Guard. scrap every weapons system and program with a range greater than the continental US. defund all weapons development.
j: abolish TSA, DHS, NSA, NRO, FinCen, and replace them with nothing.
k: abolish the Federal Reserve.
l: repeal USA-PATRIOT, the Military Commissions Act and all similar "post-9/11 world" reactionary nonsense.
m: amend the Constitution to require a 75% majority of -all- members to pass new legislation, but only a 50% majority of members present to repeal legislation. ban riders and earmarks.
n: abolish federal block grants to states.
o: ban government pensions for elected officials. limit all other government pensions to $100k/yr.
p: eliminate the income cap on social security contributions.
q: implement means testing for social security retirement payments.
r: simplify the Internal Revenue Code to 50 pages or less. tax dividends and capital gains the same as income.
s: reduce patent and copyright terms to 10 years.
t: repeal all legislation restricting workers from organizing as they see fit.
u: eliminate all foreign aid. cut the State Department budget by 80%. ban diplomats from acting as corporate salesmen.
v: abolish all business subsidies and regulations which benefit big companies to the detriment of small businesses and sole traders, while doing nothing to protect the public.
w: ban all military equipment sales to foreign entities (rifles okay, tanks and gunships not).
x: abolish all law favoring big banks to the detriment of credit unions, local lending mutuals, etc.
y: statehood for DC. statehood or independence for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa and all other disenfranchised US possessions.
z: roll back official secrecy. limit classification periods to 15 years. declassify everything up to 1996 immediately. strengthen FOIA and whistleblower protections. free Bradley Manning.
A Constitutional Amendment to get money out of politics. That would be the big game changers an enforce demand # 6
Check out http://www.getmoneyout.com/
Term limits. Line item vetoes. Federal public referendums. No congressional waivers on laws they pass.
That will bring the changes!
People in power want the general population to be afraid, demoralized, poor, unhealthy and unaware. Look what has happened to us Americans. Most of us are in this situation plus in allot of debt! Non violent civil disobedience on a massive scale with nation wide strikes and multiple protests that will paralyze major American cities. Remember what happened in Egypt and Tunis? We have a group of ruthless elites like they did who have connections and make a sick amount of money at the expense of the American people. Imagine if an American did not have to worry about healthcare costs? Just imagine? No co pays or fucking deductibles. If you have health insurance, your insurance should pay for everything and NOTHING out of pocket! The French have this system as well as the Japanese, the Swiss and so on.
We in Olancho are already setting an example that can be replicated everywhere. This new nation is a work in progress [just like our website]. The people of Olancho wanted to be independent and prosperous and thus embraced joining forces with outsiders who brought a diverse set of ideas and skills.
Olancho was founded by an alliance of rugged individualists who succeeded in ridding irrational and dangerous industrial society precepts to create a resilient nation based on equitable prosperity, small-scale production and an economy limited by the efficiencies of nature.
Olancho seceded from Honduras in 2011 to become the first energy-independent constitutional republic that integrates liberty, self-reliance and free-enterprise with permaculture, agro-ecology, soil husbandry, food security and natural resource conservation.
The people of Olancho have reasserted the legitimate jurisdiction of private rights and environmental stewardship against unsustainable living, rampant consumerism, economic shocks, oppressive oligarchies and engorging bureaucracies in Latin America, the United Sates and Europe.
Olancho is the idea that human prosperity and thriving ecosystems are achievable through the application of renewable energy and appropriate technologies, sustainable agricultural practices and good government.
The economy of Olancho is heavily weighted to the primary sector. Small private enterprises intensively manage highly productive farms and related industries. Each community maximizes its ability to sustain itself with food, water, energy and other resources necessary for human health, well being and prosperity. Surpluses are traded between communities within Olancho and imports and exports are traded with other nations.
Economic growth is strengthened by a unified market, a supportive political-legal system, vast natural resources, a culture that values entrepreneurship and a commitment to investing in material and human capital.
www.republicofolancho.com
At no other time are the masses of the people in a position to come forward so actively as creators of new political, economic and social orders as at a time of revolution.
¡Viva la Revolución! ¡VIVA OLANCHO!
7 needs to be vice versa and perhaps reworded to allow certain restrictions.
For instance, it is far more dangerous for someone to join a regulating body that regulates a company/sector that he holds shares in. In that case, you would want to restrict any sort of previous employment (disqualification) or shareholding capability of current regulators that ties them to companies they have been or still are associated with.
List ingredients made out of GMOs on all products: food as well as other products such as clothing. The problem with the GMOs is that research shows they create cancers and other afflictions. The Euro-zone must label products containing higher than 0.9% GM contents. Why do Monstanto/US Government decide we don't need to know this? We must be the ones to make the decision of what we feed ourselves and our children. And while we don't ingest sweaters, we do inhale small pieces of fibers which end up in our throats and lungs and from there on, so yes, let's make labeling for non-food items a must, too.
I would like to see a ban placed on patenting genes with a retroactive effect. If my body contains a patented gene, does that mean that I belong to the company who paid for the patent???? Because it does mean that I will have to pay VERY MUCH to get the necessary screening. Creating medication to specifically target genes involved in certain illnesses is one thing, but to claim that that gene belongs to a certain corporation/individual, and who gets paid money every time the owned genes are mentioned anywhere, must be forbidden. The same must go with patenting genomes - for all living organisms.
The one and only thing I have a problem with is number 4. We need to have one, or a combination of the following: -national property tax, and should bring in the majority of federal income. This one ensures that the people paying the tax can afford it. Not to say that the homeowners of the country are rich, but they are able to be taxed.
-national sales tax. This tax encourages saving. It taxes consumption, and rewards saving. Something we all need to do.
-flat tax. No loopholes. Everyone pays. Its simple and easy to enforce.
-import tariff on all goods and 'services'(you know, those phone banks we all know and love). This tax will ensure that goods and services produced in the US are competitive with imported goods and services.
Boots
I am a little conservative relative to the median OWStreeter and I agree to every single one of these reforms. I'd even say capping bank size, drastically raising capital requirements, and demanding more convertible debt be issued would help!
actually , we should not have a demand. The society is too corrupted to have a single demand.
Its like the genie asking for 3 wishes. Why restrict our self ? why not have infinite wishes for the genie.
I said, we need a generalized goal. We need a well documented broad goal , but not a demand. list of demand = trap
LAW/BILL PROPOSALS:
Privatization limitations: cannot privatize prisons or medicine.
Domestic Economic Accountability: payment caps for all for-profit corporation staff in the united states
Equitable Taxation of Business-based and inherited-based wealthy percentage of americans
All federal and local government staff are to be legally required to withhold from capital investments or donation and vice versa
Education, Employment, Health Care, and Freedom of Expression (EEHE) are to be legally made accessible for all americans, documented and undocumented folks.
*definition of citizen of the US should be visited
@ GhandhiKingMindset My boyfriend is a lawyer and he is working on a Change.org petition with your ideas and we have added a few additional goals. We also have a publicist and some other resources to raise awareness for these action items... so even if OWS can't/won't put these demands forth as official demands we (and many more) will get behind it... Please PM me. Are you at the protest? We would love to meet you.
This should be the official list. It is perfectly comprehensive, well-researched, and focused. It makes significant demands which are substantial while also being both reasonable and necessary for the functioning of a proper democracy.These are nonpartsian demands based on indisputable facts that 99% or more can rally behind. I truly hope this reaches the Assembly for vote - it is the best hope I have seen yet of creating real action out of this movement.
This is up there on the list I keep in my head of crazy shit people do. I think the entire occupy movement needs to take an economics class, and when they pass that they should consider brushing up on some social studies. Do you really thing you are going to accomplish anything? Do you even realize that you are more that likely being duped by the very people you protest? SURE! Give the worst president in history even MORE power. While we're at it, lets spend MORE money. Also, why not enact a few more 1000 page bills that no one reads. Do you realize if only one demand was met, demand #8, the entire economy would collapse? I know my opinion falls upon deaf ears, but I had to say something. Stop smoking weed, cut your damn hair, and go get a job. When in Rome right? Speaking of Rome, who ever wrote this has shown their lack of knowledge on the subject he/she is making demands of. America is not a democracy, we are and always have been a REPRESENTATIVE REPUBLIC. So like I said, get some jobs and get off the damn sidewalk and do something productive. 3rd party? Run as independents? You wingnuts could really do some damage if you found a district dumb enough to vote you into office. Have a nice day.
27) Establish laws that declares personal information as property owned by the individual it references or their legal guardian, and all businesses/other parties that want to access/use that information must get the consent of the individual who may require compensation.
20) - Establish laws preventing schools from cutting funding on academics or faculty/staff unless they cut atheletics by an equal or greater amount.
Here are my suggestions...
1) Indict the previous administration for war crimes OR extradite them to The Hague.
2) Indict the bankers/financiers for racketeering and securities fraud, preferably under RICO.
3) Establish laws for pay equity, and raise tariffs on goods from countries without similar laws. Business taxes could progressively increase for companies who continually pay disproportionately.
4) Reform election process and financing.
5) Tie income tax rates to the GINI coefficient or similar.
6) Close/reform corporate tax loopholes
7) Raise taxes and cut wasteful spending to completely eliminate the national debt, and institute laws to maintain a marginal surplus.
8) Institute a "single-payer" healthcare system, or repeal McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1947 and begin indicting insurance cartels for price-fixing.
9) Make the punishment for corporate crimes meaningful - steep fines and/or nationalize the corporations.
10) Reform education, increase teacher compensation, and decrease funding for non-academic purposes in schools.
11) Tax income from arbitrage at extremely high rates, especially when the arbitrageur adds no value to the transaction (ie banking).
12) Reinstate Glass-Steagal economic protections
13) End the war on drugs.
14) Establish a federal law requiring all government meetings to be recorded, and available to any citizen that passes the requisite security/background clearance. Failure to record a meeting would be considered an act of insurrection.
15) Restrict lobbying to only the constituents of the representative, and eliminate all influence from "power brokers", and establish laws giving the constituents easier access to file indictments for impeaching a representative.
16) Remove first-amendment protection for verifiable false information.
17) Establish laws preventing representatives from willfully sabotaging programs through cutting funding, staffing, and/or ability to function without a vote equal or greater proportions that established the program.
18) Establish laws that require all redistricting to be done either randomly or by an independent organization.
19) End all military actions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya until the Senate votes whether to continue (with a clear objective) or draw down (with a specific timeline).
20) Reform public education including
21) Restrict government involvement in marriages to only the contractual terms, and revoke all laws (federal and state) that restrict people's civil rights.
22) Revoke tort restrictions
23) Officially legalize abortions for rape, incest, and at-risk pregnancies, and give states the ability to choose an non-restrictive process that allows women the ability to petition for abortion in other situations.
24) Require states or municipalities to allow people to petition for suicide, and not punish doctors for assisting.
25) Revoke tax-free status on all "religious organizations" that display a history/trend of politicizing or promoting certain candidates and/or proposition.
26) Reverse legislation that allows oil/gas prices to be set by futures market, and/or eliminate securities trading within institutions that are governed by the SEC.
Don't know if this has been discussed since I did not read all the comments, but #3 should be changed to "protect our democratic federal republic." I know democracy is the word everyone uses, but we are not a true democracy, and nor do we want to sound like we are limited in our knowledge. Hope this helps! But the main content is great, really covers all the main bases for perhaps pull this country back to some semblance of securing each man's liberties, as opposed to catering to those of wealth.
i'm not the first to say this but put the politician's on minimum wage and watch how fast things change.
AND THE EARTH IS =GOD=, TREAT HER RIGHT DAMMIT
i'm not the first to say this but put the politician's on minimum wage and watch how fast things change.
AND THE EARTH IS =GOD=, DAMMIT TREAT HER RIGHT
These are good. However, I feel we need a bit more focus on putting an end, once and for all, to a Corporatist/Fascist government, which is what we have.
1) TERM LIMITS for congress. One six-year term.
2) CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM. No one running for office may take ANY private or corporate money in the form of contributions. It becomes illegal.
3) NO POLITICAL ADS are allowed - no one running for office may purchase ads in any way. All campaigning is done in person or on TV, radio, or internet broadcasts. (see #4)
4) Candidates securing a certain number of signatures from his or her constituency, determined on a case-by-case basis, are guaranteed by law EQUAL AIRTIME on any program which features political candidates in any way.
5) To cover other campaign costs, the public funds national and state campaigns with 1% of the annual defense budget being deferred to an ELECTION FUND. These funds are distributed equally to all candidates securing the required number of signatures in any given race.
That's it.
One final thought: We may offer to sweeten the pot for existing congressmen and women to vote these demands into law by agreeing to raise their base pay by 50% (to make up for some of the riches they'll lose from corporate campaign contributors and lobbyists). Again, simply diverting a tiny percentage of the annual Defense budget could accomplish this.
We should not be involved in economic debates with economists and bankers. We need to cut the monster's head off. We need our elected officials working for US, not the banks and corporations. This is a way to accomplish that.
Pass DENNIS KUCINICH'S Bill, which would end the fed, and allow us to print our own money, which is our constitutional right!
I love the idea of demands focusing only on financial reform. Good reform will ameliorate most of the grievances cited in the First Official Release because the love of money is the root of all evil.
The list of eight specific demands is a good start.
Actually, I have thoughts on all eight, but here I will comment on only nos. 2 and 8.
No. 2, Punishment for Economic Crimes, would be nicer if it mentioned guillotines and public defenders. The guillotine would be set up at Wall and Broad Streets, and used after a conviction and failed appeals. Further, all indicted Wall streeters must use public defenders. I understand some people are squeamish about Marie Antoinette style justice and there may be a constitutional issue with my latter druthers, so I understand if you choose not to press these points.
No. 3, Eliminating Corporate Personhood, is nice, but I see an alternative: Retain corporate personhood but make the corporation able to go on trial and, if convicted, go to jail just as any person would. For a company, jail means no freedom to conduct normal commerce for the term of sentence, potentially a fatal blow. Presumably the corporation can defend itself by proving one of its executives acted outside corporate policy and is responsible for the crime. The real beauty here is the corporation's executives now have every incentive to rat out each other and deliver evidence because the alternative is corporate failure and loss of their personal gravy train.
And who are "those maintaing the official list" It sounds like a Star Chamber. The PEOPLE need to meet and vote on a platform or list of demands.https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/
I think if you want to hold to our principles, we need to convene a Shadow Congress and VOTE on a proposed set of demands and platform for the 2012 election. This website has a plan of action to implement a plan by electing two delegates from each congressional district, one man and one woman to attend a Third Continental Congress on July 4, 2012. There needs to a an election process and vote on any platform that the 99% propose of you lose all legitimacy in claiming to represent the 99%. Please see: https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/
An executive committee should be formed only to organize the election of delegates and the venue of the meeting and all substantive issues left to duly elected representatives.
These bankers also destroyed all of Nikola Teslas ideas. WHY?!?! because he was well into developing a free energy system. JP morgan made him out to be a fool using the media and Tesla dies an old man in shame. theres no need to pay for energy they are tricking us to believe that their way is the only way. we need to adress this as well.
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE NEED TO TAKE BACK THEIR COUNTRY!
we will create it anew! we are all people of earth and in this age of technology we are closer than ever lets all take back this world from the greedy and so called elite!! WE ARE THE 99%!
LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!!!
There needs to be something Ion place to fix the CORRUPTION within THE FDA as well!! our food and livestock are DESTROYING our CHILDREN. PUMPING them with STEROIDS AND HORMONES, children are DEVELOPING FASTER than our parents before US. this needs to be ADRESSED. no more PATENTS on lifeforms. help the FARMERS who are legally bonded to MONSATO and other companies because they have no other CHOICES!!!
LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!!!!!!!!!
1 - Good idea, and it's "shovel ready" - there's an active bill in Congress to support.
2 - That's really an DoJ issue. They need to be pressured to start arresting "robosigners" and other clear criminals. A group should be putting together criminal complaints and filing them.
3 - That needs heavy legal thinking on what to do. The issue goes back to the Buckley "free speech = right to spend money" decision. Congress can't fix that easily.
4 - Yes. Get a bill introduced. And move that up to #1.
5 - The SEC has teeth if it chooses to use them. What we need are some tough SEC commissioners.
6 - Lobbyists do have too much influence. A good start would be that if you register as a lobbyist, you can't work for the Government for 10 years.
7 - Yes. See #6 above.
8 - Needs heavy legal thinking. More restrictions on corporations are in order. A good start would be to put shareholders in charge of executive pay. (Shareholders write in the maximum compensation for the top 5 on the proxy, and the pay is the share-weighted median of that. Voting rights pass through as far as the tax break does, so pension fund members get to vote directly on this.)
[I have no idea why this is in huge type.]
you should get rid of #4, it's a controversial topic that the 99% don't agree on
Has anyone here actually read the U.S. Constitution? It clearly spells out the boundaries and functions of our government. Everyone is supposed to be taxed equally. Not the upper echelon of the super wealthy, the middle class, and then give a free ride to moochers deemed as "poor" or ""impoverished". Just learn to live within your means, mind your damn business, and don't tread on other people's rights. How friggin' hard is that?
These para-military tactics won't get you very far. Detention centers in rented buildings at taxpayer expense may well be in your near future if you attempt this. How do you propose to infiltrate the private subway for Capitol Hill? Guns blazing? Tsk Tsk. You know you hit all the points that Obama and his cronies whine about ceaselessly. Makes me wonder if you're not just a mouthpiece like mainstream media has been for his administration.
20,000 to 90,000 people responding to a flash mob "Tahrir" summons from Adbusters does not represent "the people" from our great Republic. Mob rule = tyranny. Tyranny = Socialism. Socialism is the gateway "drug" to communism.
I think it would be great if the government would supplement an "indebted minimum wage". For example, if I'm earning $9/hour and have a ton of debt, I also earn $11/hour in debt forgiveness for a total of $20/hour as your effective minimum wage. This should be an especially easy thing for Congress to support if people's debt is from student/federal loans. Credit cards or medical bills might be a more difficult thing for them to pass. The point is, it isn't a "handout" or money for nothing - it actually doubles my incentive to work hard and pays off loans that would otherwise have crippled people for many years to come.
Make serving in congress a volunteer position.
It seems like this could help keeping people from getting so corrupt.
US based corporations earning income abroad should be taxed at the highest US corporate tax rate, there is approximately 1.4 trillion in untaxed corporate revenue abroad right now. No tax holidays.
Regarding regulation, all regulatory agencies should receive Congressional appropriations. For example, the OCC is an organization that regulates banks, but is also financed by the banks (rather than Congress), which creates obvious conflicts of interest.
A "no loss socialization rule" where private entities cannot privatize gains while simultaneously socializing risks.
From 1964 back, there was an income bracket of $500,000 and above and $1,000,000 and above. First, index all brackets to inflation, re-instate higher income brackets, and significantly lower the income tax rates for all other brackets.
Right on. Get the money out and we can finally have a democracy. I support everything you guys are doing down there.
Follow the blog Sky of Stars. Read this post: The RIght to Better Government http://theskyofstars.blogspot.com/2011/05/right-to-better-government.html
I have posted the Strategic Legal Policies, Organizational Operating Structures, and Tactical Investment Procedures necessary to defeat today's Top 10% Management Group of Business & Government at:
http://getsatisfaction.com/americanselect/topics/on_strategic_legal_policy_organizational_operational_structures_tactical_investment_procedures
Join
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/StrategicInternationalSystems/
if you want to support a Presidential Candidate Committee at AmericansElect.org in support of the above economic and political platform.
Add a law that all laws passed will be in simple English that an 8th grader can understand easily. If not send it back.
These are excellent demands that go to the root of the problem. (Posted by a middle aged progressive who has read extensively about the financial goings-on since 2008.)
WRT 4.
I get tired of hearing “the wealthy” say we have a PROGRESSIVE tax system, and they’re doing us all favors by paying higher rates! We have a REGRESSIVE tax system!!
The truth is our largest companies (GE, Exxon, Halliburton, etc.) incur such high security costs overseas, not to mention the incalculable risks, they can’t possibly afford to price them in! Let’s face it, Exxon has a free US Navy protecting their fleets of tankers, this includes any company shipping products across seas, such as Apple, INC. Not to elaborate more on the moral hazard risks of our largest banks and insurance companies; they ALL pass the costs down to the medium-large companies, who in turn, pass what they can further down, in a “pressure-down” system. Maybe this is an economic necessity -for the massive human resources (the 99%) to insure against failures with taxation or conscription- and this would therefore not insult me. What insults me is what we are taught in US business schools: that our tax system is “progressive”; this to me seems utterly FALSE!!
Indeed, excessively taxing the lower and middle classes has probably been useful to political power and capital since the beginning of time. Lying about it is new, and serves a purpose: it makes everyone feel better to believe we have a “progressive” tax scheme -and it makes everyone look good.
I dislike intensely hearing people say things like, "I was fortunate, so it's my duty to share." These moral arguments are shill!!
~
Below is a link to a simple graph of what I mean; the idea is so old, and the graph so simple, it takes work to understand why we don’t accept it.
http://kissbrothers.com/graphics/pictures/trading.jpg
Essentially, the “benefits and entitlements” are insurance payments to the “lower classes” for when things go very wrong, and they have, many, many times -since Byzantium.
End the Fed!!!!
Approve wholeheartedly as it stands. Do not add more as it will flounder from it's own weight.
Why not hold Obama accountable for his mistakes... if he did his job remotely well, this would not even be an issue. He is learning on the job (having not run any political or private entity), and not fast enough. He has no new ideas, and is channeling your anger to redistribute wealth from those who worked hard to earn it. Is this the America we want? Punish the successful when the economy he can't jumpstart stalls? If you take entrepreneurial risk and succeed honorably, will you want to be a villan?
These are all very necessary changes but they will be for nothing if it can all be undone by a bought off congress.
The solution was provided by the founding fathers and was changed by the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929 in order to "control the house of representatives".
The repeal of the Permanent Apportionment Act would change our House of Representatives representation ratio from 1-700,000+ to 1-15,000 with the total number of representatives not to exceed 15,000.
This could be done cost effectively through the use of a vertual meeting envirnment for congress in order to eliminate both travel costs and number of staff per representative.
End the Fed!!!!
These are all very necessary changes but they will be for nothing if it can all be undone by a bought off congress.
The solution was provided by the founding fathers and was changed by the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929 in order to "control the house of representatives".
The repeal of the Permanent Apportionment Act would change our House of Representatives representation ratio from 1-700,000+ to 1-15,000 with the total number of representatives not to exceed 15,000.
This could be done cost effectively through the use of a vertual meeting envirnment for congress in order to eliminate both travel costs and number of staff per representative.
I would like to see target goals of full employment and zero deficit. This article can serve as the basis for understanding how to get there:
http://earthchurch.blogspot.com/2011/09/employment-debt-deficit.html
I get tired of hearing “the wealthy” say we have a PROGRESSIVE tax system, and they’re doing us all favors by paying higher rates! We have a REGRESSIVE tax system!!
The truth is our largest companies (GE, Exxon, Halliburton, etc.) incur such high security costs overseas, not to mention the incalculable risks, they can’t possibly afford to price them in! Let’s face it, Exxon has a free US Navy protecting their fleets of tankers, this includes any company shipping products across seas, such as Apple, INC. Not to elaborate on the moral hazard risks of our largest banks and insurance companies; they ALL pass the costs down to the medium-large companies, who in turn, pass what they can further down, in a “pressure-down” system. Maybe this is an economic necessity -for the massive human resources (the other 99%) to insure against failures with taxation or conscription- and would therefore not insult me. What insults me is what we are taught in US business schools: that our tax system is “progressive”; this to me seems utterly FALSE!!
Indeed, excessively taxing the lower and middle classes has probably been useful to political power and capital since the beginning of time; lying about it is new, however (but serves a purpose): it makes everyone feel better to believe we have a “progressive” tax scheme -and it makes everyone look good.
I dislike intensely hearing people say things like, "I was fortunate, so it's my duty to share." These moral arguments are shill!!
~
Below is a link to a simple graph of what I mean; the idea is so old, and the graph so simple, it takes work to understand why we don’t accept it.
http://kissbrothers.com/graphics/pictures/trading.jpg
Essentially, the “benefits and entitlements” are insurance payments to the “lower classes” for when things go very wrong, and they have, many, many times -since Byzantium.
Sadly the Wall Street crowd is amused but certainly not fearful as the occupation protests aren’t hurting them in the least. They also know that those in the senate and congress whose campaign coffers they regularly fill will never enact legislation to fully protect the 99%. If anyone wants to really hurt the bankers and investors suddenly cutting off their flow of money would do it in short order. The protesters should advocate that the 99% demand that by 28 Oct 2012, the anniversary of Black Friday, the crash of 1929 that the banks do the following or we will simply stop paying our mortgages, credit cards and loans:
BANKING: Free personal checking accounts with deposits and debits credited the day they occur rather than sit on deposits to make someone overdrawn so as to stick them with fees and penalties and the elimination of all ATM / debit card related fees.
CREDIT CARDS: Permanently lower credit card interest rates to 7% and eliminate all fees.
STUDENT LOANS: Reduce all student loan interest permanently to 3.25% and extend them by ten years.
FIRST MORTGAGES: Reduce all first mortgage principals to actual current market values, extend the loan by ten years and permanently drop the interest rate to 3.25%.
SUBORDINATE MORTGAGES: Strip any and all subordinate mortgages if they, combined with the first mortgage, exceed the true market value of the home.
What can they do? Foreclose on every house in the country? Call and harass every one with a credit card or loan? India could never stand-up that many call centers. They'd be completely powerless for once and would go into full panic mode and do so quickly as their friends in congress and the senate could do absolutely nothing to turn the cash spigot back on. They'd know the fear of the impending loss of everything just as they caused countless millions.
I gave this country twenty-two years of honorable military service from which I became disabled. I did NOT serve and defend the 1% so that they could rape, pillage and plunder among the bottom 99%; rather I served the 99% and view the one-percent as but another enemy of everything for which this nation stood at its founding. This is why I most strongly advocate economic warfare for that is all they will understand as their lives, their world and their god is money – money that they steal from the bottom and will not rest until they have the last cent. Anything less than cutting off the cash flow from the bottom will do nothing and bring no change.
I believe we should try to keep it simple. We cannot change human nature. We cannot get 99% of people to agree to save the environment, ensure a single-payer health care system, stop wars, or really any single goal. However, 99% of people will agree to an ideal; they want their voices to play a role in their government. James Madison ( the "Father of the Constitution") wanted a large House of Representatives, one of his greatest fears was a too small House. He wanted each Representative to represent no more than 50,000 citizens. The House was envisioned to grow with the country, but in the early 1900's congress decided to limit the House to 435 people. This was a mistake. Let's try to fix this error by changing the law to reflect 50,000 people per Representative.
This is a very reasonable set of requests that, if enacted, would have a significant effect on lessening the economic inequality that is destroying our nation.
I am a little dubious of whether # 8 could possibly have any political traction. One must understand that the "personhood" of corporations goes back to the 1820s and 1830s in the United States and that unraveling their legal status is not simple matter.
I do have an additional demand that I hope may be seriously considered: the 40X rule.
Rather than simply tax the wealthy, we should require that companies distribute more equitably the profits that a given company makes. The chief executive officer of the Federal government—the President—does not make more than 40 times what the lowest paid, Grade 1 step 1, government worker makes.
Let’s take that pay scale as a model for corporations and require that no company pay its top earners more than 40 times what the lowest wage earner makes. If the CEO of GreedCo wants to make $10 million a year, then the lowest paid worker at GreedCo must be paid at least $250,000.
The 40X rule, of course, does not obviate the need to tax the unproductive scions of inherited wealth.
DEMAND: Ban Genetically Modified Food!!
I have to say I'm a little suspicious of Buffet's intentions. I mean the guy made billions over his entire life (80+ years of it) and when he is close to the end and already has more than he could ever spend he wants to change the rules on all of his peers? Where was he 40 years ago with this idea? Add to the fact that this guy is the preeminent financial genius of our time. Something is rotten in Omaha.
As an addendum to the ending corporate personhood, there should be a demand to end corporate taxation. Hear me out. I know it sounds crazy at first.
The current system allows politicians to use an accounting trick to take advantage of the limited understanding of finance that the average Joe/Jane has. They convince us to vote for corporate taxes under the ruse that corporations actually pay taxes, when in reality they just collect them from individuals (and disproportionately the poor) and pass them on to the Government.
I know this is counter-intuitive, but if you've been involved in any financial aspect of a corporation you would see that it is true. Essentially, inside companies they decide on a profit margin they need to keep Wall Street happy, then adjust prices, costs (including labor), and dividends to make those numbers work. When taxes go up, they adjust those factors to make the numbers work. The only situation where a company would eat that tax increase would be in a situation where their competitors weren't also subject to the same taxes. As long as they know all their competition has the same cost increase, they know that they can increase prices without losing a competitive pricing edge.
This pass through comes from reduced wages, increased prices on consumer goods, and reduced dividends in our retirement accounts. Yes. All investors are not Warren Buffet. Your retired grandparents are more than likely living off investment income as you will someday.
Worse yet, it is a form of DOUBLE taxation. The money is taxed when it is earned by the corporations (us collectively) and then again when it is distributed to us.
Politicians love this arrangement, because they can easily get the financially illiterate to vote for tax increases on these fictional entities and pretend it is a tax on some fictional entity. Better yet, we have been conditioned to think of these corporations as the bad guys just so we don't have any qualms about sticking it to them (remember them=us)
If we just taxed individuals directly there would be a heck of a lot more transparency in the system and politicians wouldn't be able to game us like this.
DEMAND: Dissolve the 501(c)(3) corporation The Commission on Presidential Debates!! Return the process to the League of Women voters. Allow 3rd, 4th, 5th, parties into the Presidential debates!!!!
See the Equal Access Amendment
https://www.facebook.com/groups/152631684794770/doc/216291868428751/
BREAK UP THE ZOMBIE TOO-BIG-TO-FAIL BANKS
We need the Federal Government to break up the "too big to fail" banks.
The giant banks are dragging down the economy down because they won't purge off the dead weight of the real estate bubble. They aren't refinancing mortgages and other loans because if they show a loss on their balance sheets, investors might get spooked. They have, in other words, gone ZOMBIE. They are dead flesh, doing nothing but making more dead flesh: reluctant to lend, to refinance, to do what they should be doing to get healthy again.
They will never solve the problem themselves because, face it, their stock value is all they have.
We need the FDIC to take them down (just as they do with smaller failing banks), shut them down, carve them up, and sell them off - now!
i would like to add a repeal of the The Federal Reserve Act (ch. 6, 38 Stat. 251, enacted December 23, 1913, 12 U.S.C. ch.3) is an Act of Congress that was written by Carter Glass that created and set up the Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the United States of America, and granted it the legal authority to issue Federal Reserve Notes (now commonly known as the U.S. Dollar) and Federal Reserve Bank Notes (a.k.a. Red Seal Notes) as legal tender
My list:
Cap on executive earnings - ban bonuses over $100,000, limit salaries to something at least vaguely reasonable, say $1,000,000/year. If a loophole is discovered, close it;
Kill golden parachutes;
Abolish professional lobbyists;
Establish lifetime term limits for congress;
Require anyone who wants to run for public office to live on a $50,000/year government stipend for two years before the election they're aiming for. Hell, you could implement that by requiring they sign up for a stint in the military first - if you're going to be given the power to start a war, you should damn well know what that means to the people who will be fighting it;
Stop the spending war modern elections have turned into. Require all candidates to contribute the money they raise to a pool, which is split equally between all candidates regardless of their personal contribution;
I suggest we limit executive salaries to $300,000 or $500,000, but anything is a start.
Possibly tie the limit to the mean salary of the corp's employees. Something like 300% of the mean could be a decent cap - and it would encourage higher pay for the rank and file, rather than crazy bonuses based on arcane internal metrics.
7 correctly identifies a major issue but proposed solution (a ban on accepting jobs in a corporation a regulator once regulated and vice versa) is too blunt an instrument and too punitive of the good and honest who will be hurt with the rotten apples. Also, you want to be able to cull regulators with intimate knowledge of the industry they are supposed to regulate. However, this issue is HUGE and the risks of this back-scratching must be mitigated.
I would propose any combination of the following, though 1 is a must:
Strengthening of current anti-corruption laws (mainly dealing with communications, disclosure, and bribery) and strengthening of enforcement. Enforcement is key to boost deterrence.
Cooling off period. A gap between when they leave the regulatory/corporate job and can legally accept the corporate/regulatory job respectively. 4 years? 5 years?
Strengthening of the current ex parte contact rules. I am not sure how much the current rules vary by regulator, but here is one example http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/ex-parte-rules-2011. This is part of item 1.
External 'chaperone' to ex parte contact. In other words, a legally created watch dog and potential whistle blower who must also receive the appropriate protections against whistle blower persecution.
How about pass a bill that requires our leaders to understand what a global economy means. We shall not give away anymore of our jobs(these aren't just manufacturing jobs, High tech jobs are virtual non-existant in this country as a result of corporate outsourcing to other countires) Until we understand how we are going to replace those jobs for Americans!
We need to have a demand addressing Clean energy, high speed rail, bike friendly infrastructure, and end to subsidizing the meat industry, health care for all, and addressing climate change.
Yes but not the climate change mistake. Taxing AIR via BANKfunded CARBON TRADING MARKETS run by corporations and&ruled by politicians is anti-cap?
Please join the CHANGE WALL STREET campaign: http://www.changewallst.info/
--- Move your money to community-friendly banks that deserve to thrive.
--- Boycott unethical banks.
--- Pressure Congress to regulate banks and Wall Street.
Community-friendly banks deserve to thrive.
CHANGE WALL STREET http://www.changewallst.info/
Here is a simplified draft of the flyer I created that am distributing at the occupy Jacksonville event on saturday. I wanted to keep it one page and direct. And addendums or editing suggestions are welcome. Thank you.
We are Gathered.
A general assembly declaration of demands and common purpose.
We are gathered in direct defiance of tyranny.
We are gathered to restore our democracy from the grips of plutocratic reign.
We are gathered to demand the rights and privileges of free universal education and health care that are social quality of life standards among all industrialized nations.
We are gathered to demand the establishments of universal unionized employment, a living wage standard in all employment, and full workers rights and benefits that are social quality of life standards among all industrialized nations.
We are gathered to demand increased protection and conservation of our natural resources from financial exploitation and the establishment of universalized clean energy standards that environmental integrity standards among all industrialized nationas
We are gathered to demand increased protections and regulation of our food supply from financial exploitation.
We are gathered to demand the end of perpetual warfare and the dismantling of the military industrial complex and the reconstruction of our domestic infrastructure.
We are gathered to demand the enforcement of social justice through due process protections to end discrimination based on race, religion, age, gender, and sexual orientation.
We are gathered to demand increased regulations to end the erosion and commoditization of our individual privacy.
We are gathered to declare that corporate entities are not human beings and deserve no recognized legal rights and privileges based upon humanistic premise.
We are gathered to declare that we will not further tolerate a concentration of wealth and power intent to bring forth a new world order of globalized neo-feudalistic serfdom.
We are gathered for the generations which stood before us and those that shall stand after us.
We are gathered to declare that we do not exist to serve the 1% that exploit through means of wealth, production, and political power.
We are gathered to declare that we are the 99% not of wealth but of mass.
And so we are gathered…. And so we shall Occupy.
Here is a simplified draft of the flyer I created that am distributing at the occupy Jacksonville event on saturday. I wanted to keep it one page and direct. And addendums or editing suggestions are welcome. Thank you.
We are Gathered.
A general assembly declaration of demands and common purpose.
We are gathered in direct defiance of tyranny.
We are gathered to restore our democracy from the grips of plutocratic reign.
We are gathered to demand the rights and privileges of free universal education and health care that are social quality of life standards among all industrialized nations.
We are gathered to demand the establishments of universal unionized employment, a living wage standard in all employment, and full workers rights and benefits that are social quality of life standards among all industrialized nations.
We are gathered to demand increased protection and conservation of our natural resources from financial exploitation and the establishment of universalized clean energy standards that environmental integrity standards among all industrialized nationas
We are gathered to demand increased protections and regulation of our food supply from financial exploitation.
We are gathered to demand the end of perpetual warfare and the dismantling of the military industrial complex and the reconstruction of our domestic infrastructure.
We are gathered to demand the enforcement of social justice through due process protections to end discrimination based on race, religion, age, gender, and sexual orientation.
We are gathered to demand increased regulations to end the erosion and commoditization of our individual privacy.
We are gathered to declare that corporate entities are not human beings and deserve no recognized legal rights and privileges based upon humanistic premise.
We are gathered to declare that we will not further tolerate a concentration of wealth and power intent to bring forth a new world order of globalized neo-feudalistic serfdom.
We are gathered for the generations which stood before us and those that shall stand after us.
We are gathered to declare that we do not exist to serve the 1% that exploit through means of wealth, production, and political power.
We are gathered to declare that we are the 99% not of wealth but of mass.
And so we are gathered…. And so we shall Occupy.
Here is a simplified draft of the flyer I created that am distributing at the occupy Jacksonville event on saturday. I wanted to keep it one page and direct. And addendums or editing suggestions are welcome. Thank you.
We are Gathered.
A general assembly declaration of demands and common purpose.
We are gathered in direct defiance of tyranny.
We are gathered to restore our democracy from the grips of plutocratic reign.
We are gathered to demand the rights and privileges of free universal education and health care that are social quality of life standards among all industrialized nations.
We are gathered to demand the establishments of universal unionized employment, a living wage standard in all employment, and full workers rights and benefits that are social quality of life standards among all industrialized nations.
We are gathered to demand increased protection and conservation of our natural resources from financial exploitation and the establishment of universalized clean energy standards that environmental integrity standards among all industrialized nationas
We are gathered to demand increased protections and regulation of our food supply from financial exploitation.
We are gathered to demand the end of perpetual warfare and the dismantling of the military industrial complex and the reconstruction of our domestic infrastructure.
We are gathered to demand the enforcement of social justice through due process protections to end discrimination based on race, religion, age, gender, and sexual orientation.
We are gathered to demand increased regulations to end the erosion and commoditization of our individual privacy.
We are gathered to declare that corporate entities are not human beings and deserve no recognized legal rights and privileges based upon humanistic premise.
We are gathered to declare that we will not further tolerate a concentration of wealth and power intent to bring forth a new world order of globalized neo-feudalistic serfdom.
We are gathered for the generations which stood before us and those that shall stand after us.
We are gathered to declare that we do not exist to serve the 1% that exploit through means of wealth, production, and political power.
We are gathered to declare that we are the 99% not of wealth but of mass.
And so we are gathered…. And so we shall Occupy.
Here is a simplified draft of the flyer I created that am distributing at the occupy Jacksonville event on saturday. I wanted to keep it one page and direct. And addendums or editing suggestions are welcome. Thank you.
We are Gathered.
A general assembly declaration of demands and common purpose.
We are gathered in direct defiance of tyranny.
We are gathered to restore our democracy from the grips of plutocratic reign.
We are gathered to demand the rights and privileges of free universal education and health care that are social quality of life standards among all industrialized nations.
We are gathered to demand the establishments of universal unionized employment, a living wage standard in all employment, and full workers rights and benefits that are social quality of life standards among all industrialized nations.
We are gathered to demand increased protection and conservation of our natural resources from financial exploitation and the establishment of universalized clean energy standards that environmental integrity standards among all industrialized nationas
We are gathered to demand increased protections and regulation of our food supply from financial exploitation.
We are gathered to demand the end of perpetual warfare and the dismantling of the military industrial complex and the reconstruction of our domestic infrastructure.
We are gathered to demand the enforcement of social justice through due process protections to end discrimination based on race, religion, age, gender, and sexual orientation.
We are gathered to demand increased regulations to end the erosion and commoditization of our individual privacy.
We are gathered to declare that corporate entities are not human beings and deserve no recognized legal rights and privileges based upon humanistic premise.
We are gathered to declare that we will not further tolerate a concentration of wealth and power intent to bring forth a new world order of globalized neo-feudalistic serfdom.
We are gathered for the generations which stood before us and those that shall stand after us.
We are gathered to declare that we do not exist to serve the 1% that exploit through means of wealth, production, and political power.
We are gathered to declare that we are the 99% not of wealth but of mass.
And so we are gathered…. And so we shall Occupy.
Here is a simplified draft of the flyer I created that am distributing at the occupy Jacksonville event on saturday. I wanted to keep it one page and direct. And addendums or editing suggestions are welcome. Thank you.
We are Gathered.
A general assembly declaration of demands and common purpose.
We are gathered in direct defiance of tyranny.
We are gathered to restore our democracy from the grips of plutocratic reign.
We are gathered to demand the rights and privileges of free universal education and health care that are social quality of life standards among all industrialized nations.
We are gathered to demand the establishments of universal unionized employment, a living wage standard in all employment, and full workers rights and benefits that are social quality of life standards among all industrialized nations.
We are gathered to demand increased protection and conservation of our natural resources from financial exploitation and the establishment of universalized clean energy standards that environmental integrity standards among all industrialized nationas
We are gathered to demand increased protections and regulation of our food supply from financial exploitation.
We are gathered to demand the end of perpetual warfare and the dismantling of the military industrial complex and the reconstruction of our domestic infrastructure.
We are gathered to demand the enforcement of social justice through due process protections to end discrimination based on race, religion, age, gender, and sexual orientation.
We are gathered to demand increased regulations to end the erosion and commoditization of our individual privacy.
We are gathered to declare that corporate entities are not human beings and deserve no recognized legal rights and privileges based upon humanistic premise.
We are gathered to declare that we will not further tolerate a concentration of wealth and power intent to bring forth a new world order of globalized neo-feudalistic serfdom.
We are gathered for the generations which stood before us and those that shall stand after us.
We are gathered to declare that we do not exist to serve the 1% that exploit through means of wealth, production, and political power.
We are gathered to declare that we are the 99% not of wealth but of mass.
And so we are gathered…. And so we shall Occupy.
I'd like to see some sort of proposal that any financial institution that accepted public bail out money must either put x amount of money back into lending, or MUST lower their interest rates on credit cards and mortgages to no more than 5% above prime. This would free up a lot of money to create demand and jobs again.
Let me start by saying: The comment about Honesty act or Nothing hidden act, brilliant. Lets keep the name simple. And can we remove the comments that are not serious? THey are meant to distract us really working at this!
I suggest for NOTE 4: On the top of the corporate crimes list we should have: BP oil spill, Outsourcing of jobs, intimidation of workers, forced creation of NAFTA, conrol of media ex: Murdoch empire, we can go from there.. more ideas please.
Let me start by saying: The comment about Honesty act or Nothing hidden act, brilliant. Lets keep the name simple. And can we remove the comments that are not serious? THey are meant to distract us really working at this!
I suggest for NOTE 4: On the top of the corporate crimes list we should have: BP oil spill, Outsourcing of jobs, intimidation of workers, forced creation of NAFTA, conrol of media ex: Murdoch empire, we can go from there.. more ideas please.
Let me start by saying: The comment about Honesty act or Nothing hidden act, brilliant. Lets keep the name simple. And can we remove the comments that are not serious? THey are meant to distract us really working at this!
I suggest for NOTE 4: On the top of the corporate crimes list we should have: BP oil spill, Outsourcing of jobs, intimidation of workers, forced creation of NAFTA, conrol of media ex: Murdoch empire, we can go from there.. more ideas please.
I suggest for NOTE 4: On the top of the corporate crimes list we should have: BP oil spill, Outsourcing of jobs, intimidation of workers, forced creation of NAFTA, conrol of media ex: Murdoch empire, we can go from there.. more ideas please.
The only way to ensure real reform is get big money out of politics. Perhaps this could be done through the tax code, some examples: 1) Limit tax deduction for political contributions to $50 per person or origination a year. 2) Remove any tax exempt status for pacs and super pacs 3) Tax all pacs and super pacs at 35% 4) Tax all campaign funds left over from an election at 50% (the only way to avoid this tax is if donated to a charity or the US Government for debt reduction) 5) Do away with the $2 contribution on tax returns for presidential elections; replace it with a box to donate money for national debt reduction
There is a typo in the 4th demand as well as the MLK quote.
These are rational changes that all can agree with. Thia needs to replace the demands that are asserted by some of the fringe members in order for the masses to get on board and really be the 99% !
I'd say we should be for 1. FDR's unrealized Economic Bill of Rights http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=effDfpKYcVo and 2. direct democracy to KEEP what we win by keeping the people in power. The best project for direct democracy is led by Mike Gravel: http://Vote.org
Do you want to think about the shortcomings of the current democratic process too? I mean part of feeling disenfranchised surely is because neither democrats nor republicans represent you and care about you, right?
The whole system is set up to favour the big parties. There's gerrymandering. There is the idea that you give one party free reign for two or 4 years. Is this good? Or do you think it's better to have a system where there are several parties, some being one-issue-parties like pro-environmental or pro-economy and billsget approved with shifting majorities?
What about ranked voting like the australians do, which gives much better results to compromise candidates or -solutions?
I think the demands should be as simple as campaign reform that keeps politicians from being able to be bought by the wealthy few, level the election playing field, no more contributions from businesses, no more extreme amounts of donations from the wealthy few. Once the government isn't in the pockets of the 1% and they are acting on behalf of the people again the rest will work itself out.
Did you think maybe you could try emulatign the Tea Party and picking your own candidaites. Then pay attention to what they say and do on a regular basis and if they are not keeping their promises, you can vote them out and try a better person? Just saying, it seems to be working for them. They got Obama to cave. Taxes haven't gone up.
Thats a nice theory, but it doesn't work in practice. The main reason being most people like me have lives, we work, we have children, and million and one things to do a day. I care enough to keep track but in order for that to work everyone would have to care enough to keep track, and thats just not going to happen. Whats wrong with wanting to able to trust the people we vote into office to operate on our behalf with out us having to watch they're every step for fear of corruption. Isn't the much better solution to remove the corruption?
I totally agree with this. We need leaders. How about this guy? He nailed it out of Zucotti Park when he spoke yesterday in front of the CNN cameras. Jeffrey Sachs is highly respected and I think most would agree with how he lays it out. Very bold http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8svbm4WYmU&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I agree completely with #1
here's the link to the article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903918104576504650932556900.html
WEALTH CAP: Congress should inact a law regulating the accumulation of wealth called a wealth cap. A stock broker told me that her goal is to earn $800,000 a year. I suggested to her that if she earned that amount then the minimum wage should be raised to $80,000 a year. It is my view that the gap between the maximum wage and the minimum wage should not be more than ten. Similarly physical wealth is limited. It is not GOD. So a cap on the accumulation of wealth is necessary so as not to jeopardize the welfare of the many for the obsessive compulsive few.
What about a single law mandating that no one at a company could make more than 100x their lowest paid employee? Any excess profit would either have to be reinvested in the company (new jobs, equipment, etc.) or returned to shareholders. If a CEO gets 100 stock options, then all employees at the company must also get at least 1 share each. Any income that exceeds the 100-to-1 ratio is taxed at 100%.
Obviously, this is still pretty extreme to allow a CEO to make 100 times their lowest paid employee, but at a time when a single hedge fund manager can be paid more than $5 BILLION in one year (almost 1 million times an annual minimum wage job!), moving this back to 100-to-1 would be a major course correction. Is one person really worth 1 million other people?!!?
If minimum wage is ~$10,000/yr. a 100-to-1 ratio allows a CEO to be paid $1 million per year. If a CEO wants to be paid $10 million, then they better be able to improve the company to a point where the lowest paid employee gets $100,000 per year. Otherwise, tough luck CEO. Want $100 million for the CEO? Can you pay everyone at the company $1 million?!! I thought not.
Reasons this could work are as follows: 1) Simplicity: 100-to-1 is even easy to chant 2) Immune to the "big government" charge, since companies have the choice to reward their workers/shareholders directly rather than let excessive income go to the government. 3) Would not hurt small business (do not make more than 100x their employees).
This seems to be proposed several times in the comments, with varying ratios. I think most places, nightly cleaning staff is brought in from an outside company. They are not technically employees of the company they are cleaning. Those guys would not count as the lowest paid worker, though they probably are... I don't know how yet whether that makes sense or not, but just pointing that out.
Looks good but could you people please have a look at the utopia list from http://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-for-occupy-wall-st-moveme/ ? And maybe figure out which list it is to be? After all both of your lists are from he same website.
Has anyone read/seen recent news? This "list" has almost completely sidelined the movement. MSM is reporting the above list of demands as, "defining" the movement. And if that is the case, I would agree with their assessment as of it being very shallow minded. The feeling I get from the writer (and many others here) is like, "Gee, we can easily do better than the Constitution.....any day of the week!"
It may be misinformation but it is PUBLICITY! lol, lol, lol
RE: NOTE 4, "We can't assume everyone knows why these demands are necessary." Note 4 is absolutely critical. Why?
Here’s the wake-up call: uninformed voters, disinformed voters, and non-voters together are the root cause of America’s economic crisis, high unemployment, the right-wing Republican (rwGOP) House majority, and the presence of, as a metaphor, Farrelly Brothers (1994) “Dumb and Dumber” (rwGOP) in the Senate and House.
It’s not because the country is moving to the right… it’s because the rwGOP Big Lie disinformation campaign is effective when, typically, fewer than 40% of registered voters actually vote, clearly, tens of millions of Americans don’t take voting as a serious responsibility. Too many don’t bother to do the hard work of informing themselves from primary sources and critically evaluating major issues, candidates, or legislation. Instead, millions vote based on disinformation, gullibly believing Fox News provides truthful, balanced news. Millions more rely on main-stream media, not realizing too many reporters have abdicated fact-checking, report whatever is stated—fact or lie--as a balanced perspective, and thus propagate rwGOP lies and disinformation. And still more millions aren’t even paying attention, consumed by the daily demands of work and/or parenting. At least 29,000,000 more (Huffington Post), who voted in 2008, didn’t vote at all in 2010. Apparently, they believed their vote didn't matter or that not voting had no consequences.
Whether one votes or not, either way, there are consequences. The apathy and cynicism of non-voters and the irresponsibility of uninformed and disinformed voters enables right-wing fascism and treason to take root in America.
HENCE, explaining to all Americans why these demands are necessary is critically essential.
'NOTE 4, "We can't assume everyone knows why these demands are necessary." This statement can't be overstated or emphasized enough. Why?..'
Though I agree with the symptoms of the mindwash which is courtesy of the 5 major media corps, I don't think its one party or another. It is purposeful by TPTB.
At the very least, THE PEOPLE are being informed through CHAT, videos, links and more. Reform is possible through small baby steps of compassion, understanding and information.
WE WILL NOT BE SILENT!
We can easily determine whether it's "one party or another": look who controls Congress--those Senators and Representatives are elected.
What led the electorate to give the right-wing control?
The media has indeed embraced the cult of "balanced reporting", giving equal weight to fact or lie, as too many reporters don't bother with fact-checking. And it doesn't matter that people have access to on-line information--it's just another medium for information flow. If it's not factual, it's still misleading or disinforming, regardless of the medium.
People need good information to make good decisions.
Only factually-informed people who are not silent will contribute to Occupy Wall Street's success. Hence, we need an electorate comprised of as many informed people as possible.
A campaign to educate the uninformed, misinformed and disinformed is essential to changing Congress and OWS's success.
If you are going to present something with a 3-day response window, keep in mind the congressional recess schedule. You have to catch them between Oct 10th and 17th or you are screwed until Nov.
http://www.thecapitol.net/FAQ/cong_schedule.html
How about a demand to forgive student loans for people living in poverty? If you flip through the pages at WeAreThe99% it is a theme in almost every post, that someone struggling to find the money for rent or food is ALSO paying student loans.
I've been working for "direct" democracy for 22 years. Most all of us who've been in this fight for awhile actually want what the Swiss have and call "co-determination" in which both the people AND Parliament make laws. This is the ultimate "check and balance". It keeps Parliament more humble and representative. AND it curbs "mob rule."
By far the best project for this in the US is led by famed former Senator Mike Gravel: http://VOTE.org It's the main reason he ran for President in 2008, but the media hardly let him talk about it. As Noam Chomsky says, "The elite hate democracy more than anything."
The economic demands listed here are great. But you need a method to KEEP the nation on track. What Gravel and us propose keeps people in power permanently. Switzerland has had great success with national ballot initiatives for over a century. Please contact me for any info and help on this: evan (at) vote (dot) org I live in Boulder, CO
6 and #8 have to be constitutional amendments.
www.GetMoneyOut.com proposed amendment is already out there, with over 100,000 signatures in 5 days (and counting).
these should be first on the list ... as long as corporations can BUY both elections AND candidates, nothing else will stick.
we all saw obama waffle then give in on extending bush tax cuts. it's GOT to be in the constitution that they can't be influenced or bought.
I agree with the entire list. but I would also add that the Pentagon and the Fed must have full and complete audits.
"Rumsfeld said 2.3 Trillion is missing from the Pentagon" - "The books are COOKED." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kpWqdPMjmo
As far as oversight, The DOJ MUST have more than sufficient funding to investigate all the whistleblower cases so that they go after major fraud the way a pitbull will go to town on a juicy bone.
Anatomy of a $30 Billion Medicare Crime
http://www.truth-out.org/anatomy-crime/1317665985
"Fraud is an annual $250 billion business, and at least $100 billion of that is siphoned from Medicare and Medicaid. Recovering billions of dollars from these crimes would go a long way in protecting the health of all of our citizens, not just program beneficiaries."
[...]
"McClellan estimates that his case is worth $30 billion to the government. Yet, the DOJ has declined to pursue it, too. Instead, it's in the pile of 1,300 other whistleblower cases under investigation. That figure is up significantly from the 900 or so cases that were stalled at the end of the Bush administration. To be fair, the department has long been understaffed when it comes to health care investigations. But in 2009, the DOJ and the Department of Health and Human Services were given an additional $198 million to combat fraud. Yet, those funds haven't helped. Not only were total fraud convictions lower that year, so were filings of new prosecutions.
Last year, the DOJ recovered $3 billion in false claims, $2.5 billion of that from health care cases. But that's just a drop in the swamp. It's gotten so that even if a case is settled, many pharmaceuticals simply write it off as the cost of doing business. After all, if you're selling $44 billion worth of drugs a year, a $2.3 billion fine is lunch money."
Please address our arcane and outdated economic system. Specifically the existence of people / unregulated institutions that control literally trillions of dollars in global capital that answers to no legitimate government, i.e.; governments that "govern" the people from where this capital originates. There should be a global ban on ALL unregulated pools of capital and especially a direct ban on any financial institution that is backed by taxpayer dollars i.e.; through insurance of citizens deposits, offering any services, loans, accounts or any fiduciary services whatsoever to these unregulated organizations.
Further, any institution that is backed by taxpayers / citizens should be banned from trading / offering trading services, credit or having any fiduciary role or role otherwise with respect to unregulated financial products.
These laws need to be in place now. A global effort should be established to eradicate all unregulated pools of capital.
PLEDGE: I have a desire to completely do away with “unregulated markets” of all kinds and “unregulated financial derivatives” of all kinds. In a world with nearly 7 Billion people, highly interconnected and mutually destined to live the same fate, there no longer exist any positive human element to Trillions of Dollars swathing around betting for or against any asset class or created asset class with the sole objective of raking as much money out of the global financial system as possible irrespective of the consequences of their actions on the lives, destinies or wellbeing of the human beings their actions touch.
These unregulated institutions function outside of the regulatory structures of any nation, global governing body, or regulated institutions, answer to no person or persons in any jurisdiction with which they operate and seek to make money irrespective of their impact on the human beings they may have positively or negatively affected. They need to be eliminated or regulated. They need all funding by regulated financial institutions to be terminated. Their products need to be liquidated. We need them no more.
All 401k accounts should go to cash now and stay in cash until the government fixes our vastly broken "free market" system. With thousands of people employing ever sophisticated technology with the sole purpose of taking as much cash out of the "free markets" and putting it in their pockets (clearly 60-80% of all volume in the "regulated markets" is being dictated by institutional traders, unregulated money), it is unwise for any hard working American to even contemplate putting money into this very broken system. I fear a entire generation of poverty stricken retirees within the next 5 years once again asking for a federal bail out of their worthless retirement accounts.
We need a 4th body of government that is the people. Public Referendums. Then we can do things like this ourselves without taking to the streets all the time.
Lose personal comments like "It will blow your mind" and "while they're at it"
It comes across very immature. You all are going to have a lawyer look over all the documents you plan on submitting to congress, right?
Otherwise this is a great start and I am excited this is happening!
it's a draft. those phrases are for US, not the government.
While Koch-Glitsch was conducting its internal probe of illicit payments for contracts, the U.S. government was investigating Koch’s European unit on another front: sales to Iran.
On Aug. 14, 2008, investigators from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security met with George Bentu, who had worked as a sales engineer from 2001 to 2007 for Koch-Glitsch in Germany, Bentu says. In a four-hour interview at the U.S. consulate in Frankfurt, the officials asked about documents showing details of the company’s trades with Iran, he says.
Lobbying Washington
The Koch brothers have vaulted into the American political spotlight in recent years. Koch Industries has spent more than $50 million to lobby in Washington since 2006, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group that tracks political donations. The company opposed derivatives regulation and greenhouse gas limits.
A Bloomberg Markets investigation has found that Koch Industries -- in addition to being involved in improper payments to win business in Africa, India and the Middle East -- has sold millions of dollars of petrochemical equipment to Iran, a country the U.S. identifies as a sponsor of global terrorism.
Koch Industries is obsessed with secrecy, to the point that it discloses only an approximation of its annual revenue -- $100 billion a year -- and says nothing about its profits.
The most visible part of Koch Industries is its consumer brands, including Lycra fiber and Stainmaster carpet. Georgia- Pacific LLC, which Koch owns, makes Dixie cups, Brawny paper towels and Quilted Northern bath tissue.
By September of that year, the researchers had found evidence of improper payments to secure contracts in six countries dating back to 2002, authorized by the business director of the company’s Koch-Glitsch affiliate in France.
“Those activities constitute violations of criminal law,” Koch Industries wrote in a Dec. 8, 2008, letter giving details of its findings. The letter was made public in a civil court ruling in France in September 2010; the document has never before been reported by the media.
Egorova-Farines wasn’t rewarded for bringing the illicit payments to the company’s attention. Her superiors removed her from the inquiry in August 2008 and fired her in June 2009, calling her incompetent, even after Koch’s investigators substantiated her findings. She sued Koch-Glitsch in France for wrongful termination.
In May 2008, a unit of Koch Industries Inc., one of the world’s largest privately held companies, sent Ludmila Egorova-Farines, its newly hired compliance officer and ethics manager, to investigate the management of a subsidiary in Arles in southern France. In less than a week, she discovered that the company had paid bribes to win contracts.
Blocking access to the Capitol won't work. All members of congress have access to special entrances not accessible by the public. Even if we were to block direct access to garages, they have tunnels they can take from other locations into the building. It would only be a symbolic blocking.
well we can always stare them down as they pass.
That might be well worth it.
The following table of marginal tax rates is designed to discourage vast income disparity. x is the natianal average income.
income marginal rate 0 - x 0% x - 10x 20% 10x - 100x 40% 100x - 1000x 60% over 1000x 80%
Income from devidends are taxed equal to income from work.
An income tax is the most degrading and totalitarian of all possible taxes.
Its implementation wrongly suggests that the government owns the lives and labor of the citizens it is supposed to represent.
There are other ways for the government to get money. Like taxing luxury goods, ending corporate loopholes, capital gains tax, sales tax, tariffs, etc.
a sales tax tends to hurt those at the bottom because that means a higher percentage of their income goes to taxation. a luxury tax though seems like a good idea.
personally i don't find income tax degrading; it's part of the common bond about what it means to a citizen of a nation. in theory, we get back what we put in in the form of services that would be poorly provided by the free market. if i were a millionaire, sure i could purchase those services just fine, but then i'd have a lot of unhappy (sick, uneducated, etc.) neighbors and the quality of my life would suck.
that said, i hear your opinion voiced a lot, and therefore wonder where the middle ground is.
I personally have an issue with the 16th amendment, and the fact that we went 126 years without federal income tax.
To me this symbolizes the moment our country took the dangerous turn toward authoritarianism.
It creates unnecessary class friction.
The following table of marginal tax rates is designed to discourage vast income disparity. x is the natianal average income.
income marginal rate 0 - x 0% x - 10x 20% 10x - 100x 40% 100x - 1000x 60% over 1000x 80%
Income from devidends are taxed equal to income from work.
The following table of marginal tax rates is designed to discourage vast income disparity. x is the natianal average income.
income marginal rate 0 - x 0% x - 10x 20% 10x - 100x 40% 100x - 1000x 60% over 1000*ave 80%
Income from devidends are taxed equal to income from work.
The following table of marginal tax rates is designed to discourage vast income disparity. x is the natianal average income.
income marginal rate 0 - x 0% x - 10x 20% 10x - 100x 40% 100x - 1000x 60% over 1000*ave 80%
Income from devidends are taxed equal to income from work.
Can someone show how the Citizens United case has caused an election to be bought? And can someone explain how corporations, if they are not people and incapable of speech, are able to create an advertisement and pay a radio station to put it on the air? Someone somewhere is creating the speech. Someone somewhere is paying for it to be published. So, to prevent them from doing so just because they use their company name is a restriction of speech, no?
If corporations are like people, their form of free speech is in money that can be donated to campaigns in unlimited amounts. This can corrupt politicians or grease the wheels of already corrupted politicians so that they get elected and pass bills favorable to the corporation, instead of a different candidate who would pass bills favorable to the people.
Instead, we have to treat corporations as being MADE OF PEOPLE, rather than people themselves. This would mean that the CORPORATION can't donate to politicians, only those in charge of the corporations could, reducing the amount they are able to give and giving the voice back to actual people. Does this help?
They will do it all over again if the government doesn't get a new check & balance by the people. We need public referendums.
“money as political speech” is an exclusive right of individual people and groups of willing people organized for the purpose of their political agenda but: Should be limited to ($1 total, adjusted for inflation, per person per week or comparable plan) for lobbying, paid advertising, and other mass media. Sponsorship of anything with a political message or effect should be considered political speech through mass media and limited to $1 per person, or sponsorship as described in Step 3. Other than limiting lobbying, paid advertising, and other mass media, it is not right or practical to stop a person from spending their own money on political speech.
A corporate entity no right to express any political opinion, other than honest complete, non-bias facts. Leadership of a corporate entity does not have a right to represent the corporate entity’s political opinion because the entity is not allowed political opinions, and the entity itself can’t join politically active groups or sponsor a political message
1 TRILLION DOLLARS FOR STUDENT DEBT RELIEF FOR STRUGGLING FAMILIES, MORTGAGE PAYMENT RELIEF FOR STRUGGLING FAMILIES AND HOMELESSNESS, and other social causes. (p.s. really like your demands list so far.)
We need a NATIONAL REFERENDUM!
We should be able to make these laws ourselves!
I agree with another poster that a bill should only have items on it pertaining to the bill... no tacking on other crap that has nothing to do with the bill to get it snuck in and passed.
Here's my two cents on listing Occupy _ demands, a poster ( http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2124449/TooBigPosterWeb.jpg ) I dreamed up this morning. Share it widely; Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein will thank you ;-) Courage!
Thank you. I'm in. I support this list of goals.
Ladies and gents the 16 amendment was not properly ratified. All we need to do is enforce the laws that exist.
I think 8 (eliminate corporate personhood) is particularly important. For publicly accessible media that clearly makes this point see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5kHACjrdEY
I dont understand. We KNOW these cats are corrupt. We know they are in bed with Wall Street, yet we are asking them to fix the problem????
Not asking. Applying nonviolent leverage to force them to fix the problem. See the tactics part.
Look if you raise taxes on the rich, they can just move their wealth. If you rise the taxes on corporations you kill competition and send jobs out of the country! This is what they want. DONT MAKE THOSE TYPES OF DEMANDS!
I would add to this list of demands, or possible the next 'bite of the apple', the "Percentage Mandate"... This is an idea I came up with recently. Basically, a law would be passed mandating that all American-based companies keep AT LEAST 25% of all their manufacturing, assembly, laboratory, factory, customer service/call center jobs in the US. If they have already outsourced them, they will have to bring them back! If we look at Apple as an example: They have over a MILLION manufacturing jobs, and every single one of them is somewhere in Asia! Under the percentage mandate, at least 250,000 of those jobs would be returned to the US, employing US citizens... And that's just ONE company! Check out more about the mandate on my fb page: www.facebook.com/25rule
YES!!!!!!
Are you really so dense?
If we instituted a law like that, companies would just up-and-leave the US. Entirely. Germany or Ireland would love it if Apple were to move its corporate headquarters to Germany or Ireland. Hell, they would probably give Apple a tax holiday just to entice them.
Did you have to be so hostile???
I am not a banking expert, and have not studied the Glass-Steagall Act, but to assist in truly separating Banking and all other Financial Investment/Speculation (which can never be eliminated, it's human nature), the focus needs to be in FDIC Insurance.
Unless I'm incorrect, a major complaint is that taxpayers, through FDIC insurance have/are bailing out a lot of banks that gave poor loans and to cover their higher risk non-banking losses, that were all under one roof as a 'bank'
If you make it very, very difficult to obtain FDIC Insurance, i.e. giving it out to only to the 'plain Jane', boring banks, or ones that serve the simplest, practically risk free loans (or basically just home loans), but not insuring all other investment companies (who clearly will breach their 'Chinese Walls' time and time again), you will have solved 99% of the problem.
It is an impossible goal to eliminate speculation, it's human nature. It is a very real goal to separate the playing fields so that those who want to speculate can, but those that don't, aren't also dragged down by it when it goes bad.
Your first phrase sums up this entire movement. Occupy Wall Street is a leaderless wandering group of morons who are not experts at anything business or finance-related, and yet they make demands as if they have a real understanding of the subjects they are talking about. It is truly a case of the ignorant leading the ignorant.
Hilarious. Kinda scary, but hilarious.
your post was entirely unhelpful towards solving the problems that america faces.
Sorry. The implication of my post is that you people should just leave all this to us experts in the finance sector.
MAJOR SPOILER:
We are not trying to screw you people over. We are actually on the same side. If we win, you win.
although in my 1st phrase I do state that I am not a banking expert, I do have a finance degree and have worked in the markets, even as a stockbroker!! Analyzed sectors, specific companies, recommendations for portfolio investors, etc. In over 25 years of continually learning about the financial sector, I came to the conclusion that one of the Achilles heel's of the banking sector is easy to obtain FDIC insurance.
while I agree with you, cwb2547, that this movement should eventually match up working groups with people who have experience and background in those fields, I disagree with you when you say "you people should just leave all this to us experts in the finance sector" - that's what got us all in this huge mess in the first place!!
I'm sorry you felt you needed to defend yourself.
Your ideas are appreciated. We are, and will always, have opportunity to learn. At the very least, Occupy Wall Street is helping with the REEDUCATION OF THE 99%.
We are all part of the 99%. Thank you all for sharing your time, your energy, your ideas, and your comments. STAND & DEFEND against The Global Financial Terrorists! We Will Not Be Silent!
Love this. Great start. We need to make some of these a Constitutional Amendment and we need to repeal the 16th Amendment
not sure if we should keep the sarcastic stuff like "Hmmmm." Just state the corruption plainly. This steak doesn't need pepper.
All your points start with more government intervention. Instead of giving the government more power over you, why not look at that old piece of papers the founding fathers wrote and remove the unauthorised powers self granted by the government. They knew what oppressive and corrupt government was and chose to turn from it, why do you look to the government and regulation to fix the problem it caused? Why not just legislate "everybody love everybody RIGHT NOW!" we could call it the will Ferrell act?
liked this section
'...Instead of giving the government more power over you, why not look at that old piece of papers the founding fathers wrote and remove the unauthorised powers self granted by the government.'
Three points for the occupy movement to get behind: 1: Strip corporations of their personhood 2: Axe private campaign financing. 3: Close the revolving door btwn Wall Street and Washington
Eliminate For Profit Health Care.
These were my own thoughts prior to reading this. Keep up the good work. Packrat
I like it. The first three simply level the playing field. Again, I wish this was the message that was getting through. Media coverage and external perception instead seems to focus on "non productive messages", i.e. somehow having the top 1% in the crosshairs in some type of "class warfare." When that is what people hear, it's much easier to dismiss.
We need to start getting this to places other then the main media outlets. Someone go poke Emmanuel Goldstein over at 2600. He has a brain and a microphone....
Thom Hartmann might be willing to read some of this on his radio program.
I think number three is kind of unneeded. The descision of the court was proper, it was only applied to corporations because of their personhood status. Justice Kennedy wrote: "If the First Amendment has any force, it prohibits Congress from fining or jailing citizens, or associations of citizens, for simply engaging in political speech." He also noted that since there was no way to distinguish between media and other corporations, these restrictions would allow Congress to suppress political speech in newspapers, books, television and blogs. Ask them to reverse Citizen, and we are back at square one, ask them to reverse personhood for corps and its over.
I think number three is kind of unneeded. The descision of the court was proper, it was only applied to corporations because of their personhood status. Justice Kennedy wrote: "If the First Amendment has any force, it prohibits Congress from fining or jailing citizens, or associations of citizens, for simply engaging in political speech." He also noted that since there was no way to distinguish between media and other corporations, these restrictions would allow Congress to suppress political speech in newspapers, books, television and blogs. Ask them to reverse Citizen, and we are back at square one, ask them to reverse personhood for corps and its over.
I think number three is kind of unneeded. The descision of the court was proper, it was only applied to corporations because of their personhood status. Justice Kennedy wrote: "If the First Amendment has any force, it prohibits Congress from fining or jailing citizens, or associations of citizens, for simply engaging in political speech." He also noted that since there was no way to distinguish between media and other corporations, these restrictions would allow Congress to suppress political speech in newspapers, books, television and blogs. Ask them to reverse Citizen, and we are back at square one, ask them to reverse personhood for corps and its over.
Rienstate, prosecute, protect, tax, revamp, limit and eliminate. I can remember those things of someone asked me. Pretty simple.
This list looks quite excellent. Is anyone working on NOTE 4?
Here's the list of recommendations that I have--one of which is in the above list of demands:
1) Make it impossible for corporations to be defined as people under the law. This removes their ability to lobby, to donate to politicians or political partners, right to habeus corpus, etc.
2) Tax the wealthy (the top 1%) to the tune of 50% or more of their income, with extremely heavy capital gains taxes. This removes their ability to use money to heavily influence government even if they find loopholes that let them donate.
3) Bring back heavy estate taxes on large estates. This helps to break down the increasing development of a wealthy American aristocracy.
4) Outlaw lobbyists.
5) Heavily regulate companies, and increase regulatory fines to levels where those who commit illegal acts like knowingly polluting waterways or releasing killer pharmaceuticals will be charged 200% or more of the profit they could make on these acts rather than a paltry 10% or less.
6) Break up corporate conglomerates. Particularly, make it illegal for any corporation to own a media company. Corporate control over the media is an enormous danger, as should be obvious by how little media attention these protests have been getting in the US.
7) Do not allow any member of the board of directors of one major corporation to also be a member of the board of directors for any other major corporation as well.
Demands: Pretty good for a first round.
This one is unnecessary if you strike at the root: the need for monetary reform. End the fractional reserve lending system that creates over 99% of the currency (or at least ratchet down to a reasonable level no more than 4:1). This is the banksters's primary power. Without it Glass-Steagall is not needed.
Spot on. Yes, indeed.
Yes--however, in number 8 you address this anyway. But correct, of course.
Whether or not this tax is a good idea, making it a part of a revolutionary movement is not a good idea. Change the system. Then start looking at how to pay for it. Besides, in this proposal you tip your hand and show yourselves to be led mainly by partisans on the so-called "left". This proposal brings you shame.
Yes.
Yes, with caveat: must be written to do what you intend while not stifling speech of organized groups.
Indeed.
Yes! And this negates the need for number 3. Santa Clara County Vs. Southern Pacific Railroad was decided and falsely reported in the record as giving "personhood" to corporations. This is/was wrong.
Not bad for a start. I'm only truly against #3, and really on the grounds that it hurts your movement by painting a partisan stripe on you.
The main thing you're missing:
Monetary reform. I know you hear cries to "End The Fed". But the truth is greater than The Fed's mis-dealings and insider knowledge/manipulations that cause and let the oligarchs profit from the bubbles. The greater truth is this: There should be no such thing as a "National Debt". Why does a supposedly sovereign nation borrow money when it has the ability to create it on its own? It's been done before (England's tally sticks, Rome's low-grade metal currency, Lincoln's greenbacks during the Civil War) and is still done today (island of Guernsey). If you end the fractional reserve practice (or severely limit and let the spoils go to The People), you will have cut the banksters' power at the source. The source of heir power is that they issue the currency every time you, I, or the government take out a loan. At least this should not be the case with government! NO MORE NATIONAL DEBT!
Whether you usually agree with Dennis Kucinich or not, you should check out his NEED Act. It is not completely perfect (he has the money power under the executive, whereas it should be separate from the other branches....but maybe Dennis was feeling shy about actually proposing the need for a new 4th branch of government), however besides that, he has the deal right: Ratchet up reserve requirements. Take the currency-issuing power back. Let the government be creative with using that power for the betterment of society. Tax only to extract money from the system to ward off inflation.
The partisan stripe was painted long before the list of demands was drafted and will continue even if #4 is omitted.
4 should be dropped. No doubt, no way, no how will this tax do anything but restrict the middle class. This tax is backed by the very people you saying you are demonstrating against. You must be an Obama supporter. Don't you see by now that his policies are right in line with Wall Street?
give some concrete facts about how taxing the wealthy would hurt the middle class. not just opinion pieces.
we've continued to cut taxes on the rich and on corporations but what we've wound up with is huge income disparity, a stagnant job market, and continual price inflation in everyday goods. we need to restore some fiscal sanity, and more: we need to invest in the 99% so that we can have real economic mobility again.
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/217685/20110921/raising-taxes-on-the-rich.htm
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2006/04/Hertz_MobilityAnalysis.pdf
1 is huge here. It was the Bliley Act that made these institutions "too big to fail." And that is a MAJOR reason why there is no accountability on Wall Street; because that act removed the need for them to be accountable.
I also agree with #2.
We should also demand that derivatives be outlawed.
Everyone PLEASE keep in mind that this list CANNOT be radical in nature, nor can there be too many demands. If either is the case then this movement will go nowhere. I think there need to be a few, 3 or 4 at the most, things that the majority of Americans can agree on and get behind. Power is in numbers folks, and the majority of Americans are not radical. But we can all agree on the fact that Wall Street is entirely too powerful, so lets focus our list on ways to hit them where it hurts, their pockets.
i support this
End the fed and legalize pot and prostitution it's like killing a million birds with 2 stones
There need to be "citizen councils" to monitor corporations so they operate under a socialist/economic model: no lobbying of government leaders whatsoever strict environmental regulations guaranteed jobs, living wage and profit-sharing for all health insurance for all education for all
I think Citizens United should not just have legislation to reverse its effects it should be deemed unconstitutional. If you could say $ is the new religion, we were founded on a separation of Church and state. Half the battle is getting money out of our elections. Perhaps also requiring by law that politicians get free air-time during election season. So that they don't have to worry about raising so much $$ in the first place. And make pharmaceutical and insurance lobbyists limit their access to congress or abolish them. NO CORPORATIONS IN OUR GOVERNMENT! SEPARATE THE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR!
its all about declining available net energy (redundant, i know), the fiancial side show is a side show, it could be less damaging to getting on with learning to live meaningful lives within limits, but it probably won't.
Seriously, ending the fed must be on this list. http://occupywallst.org/forum/key-intel-for-ows-focus-your-attention-get-the-fac/
Where's the dismantle the Fed Reserve clause?
I think it's very important that we have a graduated tax system that makes sense. The rich may have money that's owned privately, but it was made publicly- that is, it was made off of the people. When money is taken out of circulation and held in vast amounts in private hands, there is a shortage of money, and the government is forced to print more money that they don't have, causing government debt and inflation. The money needs to circulate.
You need to understand economics
They are not hoarding it, they are feeding it back into the economy by investing in the stock market, I thought. That gives companies (including small ones that are listed) much needed capital to buy more equipment, hire people, etc? I think it's circulating therefore.. I think it will circulate less if the "buffet tax reform" makes them pay 35% (like income tax) rather than existing 15% capital gains tax for those top 1%.. We should still pass that rule though -- I just don't know the argument to let more money circulate is the real reason.
The argument about circulation i think is that the government always immediately spends ( and unfortunately them some ) the money that it has. Moreover, the government is required to spend that money here in the USA, corporations and the wealthy can send that money anywhere. Right now it's like they are vacuuming up money from the 99% and it's never trickling back down. Increased taxation would help to rebalance the curve by freeing money to properly invest in our nation ( and pay down our debt! )
I like it. Nothing too controversial. I'd also like to see all the bail out money paid back, with interest, now that the crisis is over.
The Recession officially ended June 2010...
According to this table, most of it actually was repaid? And in many cases, the government actually profited as an investor (on the interest, or by buying low / selling high).. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troubled_Asset_Relief_Program Ally Bank (formerly GMAC Mortgage) is the notable exception, they should have just been allowed to go under though.
You should add that from each tribal reservation shall be elected to Congress one Representative and one Senator. The Native Americans owned this land before it was invaded, exploited and taken over by the corrupt. They were slaughtered, repressed, starved, raped, and forced to relinquish their lands and traditions. To this date they have no position in our government which gives them the respect they are due. They have no solid representation at the national level. If we're going to fix the corruption in government, we need to include them in our movement as well.
What about the Indian who doesn't want to be on a reservation or to be part of the "reservation system"??
Issue a national usury law. As it stands, states can independently set the usury rate, which means that credit card companies, payday lenders, banks, and insurance companies can simply incorporate in whatever state will allow them to jack up the interest rate the highest. This amounts to a crippling tax on the poor.
Secondly, reinstitute the public option into the healthcare reform act.
Thirdly, the existing student loan industry should be completely dismantled and rebuilt. Loan companies and colleges are working in lockstep to maximize profit, while screwing students (particularly disadvantaged ones) who will then start off their professional lives behind the 8-ball. Institute caps on college tuitions and re-include student loans in bankruptcy forgiveness laws.
Taft-Hartley should be repealed. It infringes on the ability of unions to organize and join forces effectively.
Immigration reform - clemency for persons who are not committing crimes. Illegal immigrants are often treated like slaves, live in fear for their lives, and often pay taxes for services they can't use (that's taxation without representation, incidentally).
Allow credit card interest to be deducted from income taxes.
Reinstitute a progressive graduated income tax.
Have shorter term limits on the judiciary branch!
FORGIVE STUDENT LOAN DEBT, PLEASE. I WOULD LOVE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS FUCKING ECONOMY IF I HAD NO STUDENT LOANS FROM A FOR PROFIT SCHOOL.
/caps
I would be happy with restoring bankruptcy protections to student loans. If this were to happen, I would file bankruptcy the following day. My student loan debt is like a 50 ton pillow on my face. I can't breathe. I have worked so hard my whole life and have nothing to show for it. I am educated but I never made the kind of money to pay back my loans and they are now almost 3 times what I borrowed. Mid 40s now with no end in sight. No plan for retirement. Only the sad reality that I will be working myself into the grave.
Agreed! Education should be free in this country!
What is free?
You should also link the movie "Too Big To Fail"
let the people know what happened!
Get ride of the Electoral Vote Process. Let all debate for the Presidental Elections, not just Dem and Rep!
Oh, Hells yes!
Otherwise, GREAT JOB! I VOTE YES!
Where is the petition?
We need a way to leverage the offending banks to pressure Congress into passing the proposed "Demands" legislation.
The "Demands For Congress" reflect necessary Congressional legislative action. However, the 112th Congress is controlled by right-wing Republicans (rwGOP), Their 30-year agenda, since Reagan, is 1) to devolve America’s Democratic Republic, by and for the people, to a Plutarchy, a government by and for the very wealthy and corporations; and 2) to establish inverted Socialism where everyone except the Plutarchists share massive debt and hardship caused by 30+ years of deregulation and small government policy, predatory loans, unregulated derivatives, tax cuts, two wars of choice, and obstructing every effort to restore health to the American economy and ending high unemployment.
The rwGOP would rather reduce life on Earth than reduce corporate profits.
Consequently, we need a way to leverage the offending banks to pressure Congress into passing the proposed legislation.
Here's an idea: http://www.changewallst.info/
The objective is to use significant financial leverage on the banks, so they will want to pressure Congress to pass the proposed legislation.
How? Promote a national, highly visible campaign that encourages people to close their accounts at offending banks. Alternate accounts can be opened with non-offending banks, including credit unions, Green banks, and community banks, thus shifting deposits from banks with unethical business practices to ethical banks.
I would suggest the following additions:
1) Introduction of specific demands regarding home foreclosures see: http://occupywallst.org/forum/a-modest-proposal-re-foreclosures-bailouts/
2) Deal with existing debt laws via reintroduction of Usury laws which, until recently, prohibited many of the predatory lending practices that led to the existing credit crisis.
Audit the Fed: H.R.459 — Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2011 (Introduced in House – IH)
HR 459 IH
112th CONGRESS 1st Session
H. R. 459
To require a full audit of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal reserve banks by the Comptroller General of the United States before the end of 2012, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HR 459 (House) Dear Representative,
Please co-sponsor and/or support HR 459, an effort to audit the Federal Reserve.
Recently, it has come to light that there is little to no accountability to the people on the part of the Federal Reserve. While the citizens of this country are required by law to give an accounting of every penny they come in contact with, the Federal Reserve has never been held to the same standard. During this time of extreme economic crisis, the people deserve an accounting of where our money is going.
Currently there are 176 co-sponsors for this legislation, and it is enjoying bi-partisan support. Your efforts in supporting this important legislation would go a long way in proving to your constituents that you not only hold the Federal Reserve to the same standard as you do your constituents, but it would also show that you believe in transparency. Anything less than support for this resolution suggests that you are in favor of secrecy and a lack of accountability to the people who pay the bills. We pay the tab; we have a right to know where our money is going.
Unlike recent bills that you voted in favor of that had hundreds of pages and just a few hours to read, this bill can be read in under 5 minutes. I encourage you to take the time to read it, and then move to support it.
Thank you in advance for your attention on this important legislation. I have every expectation that you will do right by your constituents and support this measure.
Sincerely,
If these demands represent a participatory democratic process, at least add in the demand to audit the federal reserve!
Reintroduced on 01/26/2011 as HR 459, Ron Paul’s bill to audit the Federal Reserve now has 176 co-sponsors, and the numbers keep growing! HR 459′s companion bill in the Senate, S 202, has already attracted 7 co-sponsors. Audit the fed: HR 459, The Federal Reserve Transparency Act, comes up for vote in Congress. It has real potential to pass — BUT only if we educate and rally the people to support it and get our Congresspeople to put it to vote and pass it.
Could you not add one request of at least 15% of the occupy wall street people, which is the simple request to audit or end the federal reserve.
Well, if the corporations are listed as "persons" they should rightly pay the same % in taxes that I do. RIGHT?
It's great to see a list of concrete demands that would produce real change and restore this country on the path to its ideals. I deplore those who advocate trashing our great democratic experiment, begun over two centuries ago, which has its flaws, but also has a long history of self-renewal and reinvention built into itself. Let's work on these 8 proposals and restore some integrity to the system.
New discoveries and cultural achievements can take place in even the most distant, out‑of‑the‑way places. When schools will begin to explain the meaning of life as that of spiritual self‑perfection, the flow of people into natural surroundings will increase. Also, the formation of Cooperatives will afford the possibility of the production of high quality, hand‑crafted goods. These same Cooperatives will serve to help the State balance its budget. The establishment of Cooperatives, partially funded by the State, will allow them to build means of communication and maintain the forests and waterways, provide medical care, local police, caretakers and many more things which are necessary for a working Cooperative.
All schools and amusement centers should also be maintained by Cooperatives under the authority of the State. In addition, Cooperatives, by their very nature, will contribute indirect taxes to be used to balance the budget. This will reduce the huge amount of direct taxation of the people which has always been a source of discontent. Since indirect taxes come from so many different areas they, in effect, become invisible. The many Cooperatives will form a network of localities throughout the State and will require little local supervision, thus there will be no need for huge public buildings along with their lethargic bureaucracies. From the wonderful work of H. Roerich
I think you just described all the suburbs in America.
oh brother! this is a pipe dream and reminiscent of some kind of hope and change b.s. I've got news for you kids...D.C. is part of the problem (or at least the way the system is currently structured). Until we get money out of politics, this shit ain't gonna change. I am saddened to see so many of you think that government can fix this. How about a more constructive and immediate message - if enough people pulled their money out of the big banks and moved it to small community-based banks or credit unions, if enough people vowed to quit using their credit cards, if enough people refused to vote for politicians who pay lip service to reforms but actually vote to maintain the status quo, then a strong message would be heard and heeded.
I agree with everything on the list, you forgot about repealing the patriot act, restoring habeas corpus etc and having serious dialogue of what to do with all the prisoners in Gitmo. And what about the national debt? There will always be the discussion of how to pay for it and where those funds will come from and there is also the problem of our heavy boots in foreign lands. What of all the bases? What would become of our commitment in iraq and afghanistan?
1, 2, 3 and 4 are perfect where they are in that order.
if yuor organization name is occupy wall street- the important stuff up front. Glass Steagall re implementation is the most important to be achieved first. without a break up of the banks- problems will continue. .
7 isnt that important. individuals have every right to earn a living for themselves. it makes sense to let people who have experience to broaden /apply their experience in a different, yet related position. ON THE OTHER HAND - disclosure, trading bans, or blind trusts by congress and regulators should be strengthened.
6 is silly. individuals and businesses have every right to speak to the government about legislation. these bullet points are a form of lobbying.
5 is silly. what is needed is reorganization of and elimination of regulators to make it work more effectively. -thus eliminating loopholes, regulatory arbitage. disclosure and trading limits on staff more effective.
:: : : : : : MOST IMPORTANT DEMAND IS THIS : : : : : JAIL ALL WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CURRENT ECONOMICAL CRASH !
Lets say for example ...
1 . Richard S. Fuld, Jr. << One KEY person who is sesponsible for the current economical crash
James Cayne
Henry Paulson
Alan Greenspan
The list can go on !
This is a good documentary MADE by CBC Radio Canada HANDED to Aljazeera ... The MEN who crashed the world !
http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/meltdown/2011/09/2011914105518615434.html
FIND ALL OF THEM AND JAIL ALL OF THEM !
:: : : : : : MOST IMPORTANT DEMAND IS THIS : : : : : JAIL ALL WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CURRENT ECONOMICAL CRASH !
Lets say for example ...
1 . Richard S. Fuld, Jr. << One KEY person who is sesponsible for the current economical crash
James Cayne
Henry Paulson
Alan Greenspan
The list can go on !
This is a good documentary MADE by CBC Radio Canada HANDED to Aljazeera ... The MEN who crashed the world !
http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/meltdown/2011/09/2011914105518615434.html
FIND ALL OF THEM AND JAIL ALL OF THEM !
I'm happy with this list. Most important to me are 3, 6 and 9.
Campaign finance reform needs to be here, too.
I'm happy with this list. Most important to me are 3, 6 and 9.
Campaign finance reform needs to be here, too.
I'm happy with this list. Most important to me are 3, 6 and 9.
Campaign finance reform needs to be here, I think.
I'm happy with this list. Most important to me are 3, 6 and 9.
Campaign finance reform needs to be here, I think.
I'm happy with this list. Most important to me are 3, 6 and 9.
Campaign finance reform needs to be here, I think.
I'm happy with this list. Most important to me are 3, 6 and 9.
Campaign finance reform needs to be here, I think.
I'm happy with this list. Most important to me are 3, 6 and 9.
I'm happy with this list. Most important to me are 3, 6 and 9.
I'm happy with this list. Most important to me are 3, 6 and 9.
I'm happy with this list. Most important to me are 3, 6 and 9.
I'm happy with this list. Most important to me are 3, 6 and 9.
9 is irrelevant when considering the overall demands. it's the wild card of your focus.
I also realize the importance of "focus" is irrelevant, but that demand just seemed so far outfield it threw even me. personally i think the candidates are tools of a larger distraction for the opression against which we stand and shouldn't even be considered. but i also realize change starts from the ground up.
We also need to get away from only two parties in government. It's always either a dominance or a stalemate. Nothing important is getting done, we need some tie breaker parties in there. Look up proportional representational and single member districts. We need a combination of those instead of just one. More representation, less indecision.
imho the maximum wage of any person in a company should be 4x the lowest paid worker in that company.
I would add a full audit of the federal reserve and then a perp walk of the wall street criminals. This system is at the heart of our troubles.
Capitalism in and of itself is a faulty system. We base (or is supposed to be anyways) on a competitive capitalistic system, ensuring that each individual is given the right to choose between competitive alternatives, eliminating monopolies, and giving every participating member of society a voice to tell the market what it is we demand. There is too much government coercion in capitalism, it is corrupt, it has turned into corporatism. We need to go back to the basics, of which, most were proposed in the list of demands. POWER TO THE PEOPLE
Once again, I must stress that capitalism IS NOT the problem, but rather, as your've concluded; our capitalistic system has actually become CORPORATISM. And THAT IS THE PROBLEM. And THAT will not be changed by suggestions like #4 in the list of demands. I say, great job in coming together "OCCUPY WALL STREET," but if anyone thinks a few weeks of dialogue can even begin to accurately address problem which have become such over decades.....all I can say is SLOW DOWN, lest you all need to start over again after being torn apart by those who have been in this game for alot longer than any of us.
What about Education that will not put people in enslaved position due to the loans that had to be borrowed to pay for skyrocketing expenses.
Can we say that a society is free if its education is not free, or if it is accessible only those who can financially afford to pay for it, or to those who are willing to go into extreme loan debt to acquire it.
If this is not one of the most fundamental means of personal freedom, than truly I do not know what it is.
I want to conclude Education is not a commodity. And if we want to talk about some serious restructuring of a society for the sake of common good how could we not include in here?
http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/02/04/the-student-loan-swindle/
Education is free. Go to a library, read some books. If you want a shiny degree from a prestigious school and have a couple years of co-eds, you will have to pay for it.
A strong list. The only point I would maybe massage a bit, is to allow for some meaningfully-accessible (organized, searchable, and online) public record of all expenditures and functions of office (lobbying, meetings, duties, etc). I'm aware that this is, in reality, quite a marvel to ask, but it's something that— as a mechanism— would lead to other solutions long after the occupation has ended; whereas many of the specific demands could be simply overturned once more.
Also, maybe this has been mentioned elsewhere, but the list does not need to be reduced necessarily, only prioritized. This might prevent squabbling and lead to even greater gains than expected (or at least hold the possibility open).
My only disagreement with this is that number 8 should be number 1. Outside of that, we're golden.
Great list of demands, I agree on all of them. Have their been any thoughts about demanding a better voting system than the current and critically flawed Diebold systems and questionable results thereof?
Had that on there because I totally agree. But the list got too long and unwieldy so tried to narrow its focus a bit. You can see these mostly go after Wall St and corporations. 95% of the people I've heard from seem to think the list should be less than 10 items. It killed me to take that off though because it's so crucial. My thought is we can't get everything at once so we get a win on 9 items and then go after 9 more. We need the American public to join in this movement so the first batch seems crucial...must have broad appeal and impact. Then in the second wave maybe go after vital things like these that we see as crisis level but others might not. Is that reasonable? I honestly don't know what alternative we have if we're going to limit length and go after a list that's achievable to get one in the win column.
Many people including the news media think that OccupyWallst doesn't have a list of specific demands. Are these our formalized list of demands ? When are we presenting these demands to our representatives ? Why don't we create an Android, Iphone app and web app and ask every smartphone/Computer user to vote on these demands. If we get one million official digital signatures, that is a strong proof/message for representatives to act on these. We can leverage http://www.avaaz.org/en/ expertise or tools to make this happen. Avaaz is a great platform for creating and expanding petitions online.
8 is the most important or urgent demand of all in the list. If this demand is not accepted, Sarah Palin can be the president of United States next year.
I agree that #8 is the most important and urgent of the demands. There is a grassroots group that has been working for a time now that is informing the people that we need a constitutional amendment that says something like corporations are not people therefore they do not have the right to freedom of speech, money is not speech. All of this demands are very good.
http://movetoamend.org/ This group has no party or political agenda, it is a group of people genuinely concerned about where greedy corporations are taking this country
I am aware of this group. Thanks for sharing the link here.
Two Cents Comment:
Yes, equality is being demanded of us all..... Let us PLEASE hold the space of "US, US, US...." do NOT succomb to "US AND THEM" polarized energies.... we all want freedom.... even those who have lost their way TEMPORARILY in the temptation and living out of greed (which is essentially like a child afraid of not having enough attention or cookies)......all facilitators and space holders of the growing Occupy Movement please "occupy" the ongoing presence of wisdom, fierce non-judgement and diligent compassion towards all and especially those that are suffering from their temporary "lack consciousness"...... we are applying creative tension to balance what is not balanced..... holding the space, or rather LIFTING THE SPACE, will pull others and all the support needed into the communion we all know is nature's true harmony.
BE THE PRESENCE & EQUALITY YOU WISH TO SEE IN OTHERS.
Strength Building Suggestion:
Organize daily inentional meditations which simply illustrate and exemplify the slowing of the machine (literally having the collectives of the Occupy Movement sitting still in complete present moment awareness that is active with the realization and INTENTION that ALL will be drawn to the wisest attention and actions that will serve the whole). Be mindful to remind all locations NOT to succomb to negative polarity emotions & energy exchanges which only attract more of the same. Let's organize daily intention/meditation times so that ALL individuals throughout the entire Occupy Movement can link together, plug into and further charge the collective concsiousness. Invite people all over and from other organizations to "plug in" simultaneously at these times for more charge. My name is Sadhu (Sadhu Serves on Facebook) and I'm in Miami at the moment and will bring this to the meetings we're having this saturday here. Please contact me if you'd like to streamline this more together! LOVE
Suggestions on Collective, Synchronized Meditation Timing & Collective Intentions:
Example- 7am and 7pm daily for 30 minute collective intention/meditation windows in each time zone in all locations.... and for sure a 30 minute synchronized time zone window where all zones, all locations are linked....4pm Eastern matched with Central and Pacific would work for this.
*A very simple guide and overall conscious intention for the meditations can be something like this:
"May wisdom, compassion for all and right action prevail in all beings and in all circumstances. May my conscious presence bring out the best in myself and the best in others during this collective meditation and at all times. I AM, YOU ARE, WE ARE.... ONE."
Sincerely In Service,
Sadhu in Miami, FL.
These are excellent and would receive widespread support. # 6 ought to be stronger, though. I would not be satisfied with "limiting" the influence of corporate lobbyists. It needs to be eliminated. The surest way to do this is to publicly finance all elections and forbid all outside donations, from people or corporations. There needs to be a firewall between elections and money if we want a meaningful democracy.
Yes, equality is being demanded of us all..... Let us PLEASE hold the space of "US, US, US...." do NOT succomb to "US AND THEM" polarized energies.... we all want freedom.... even those who have lost their way TEMPORARILY in the temptation and living out of greed (which is essentially like a child afraid of not having enough attention or cookies)......all facilitators and space holders of the growing Occupy Movement please "occupy" the ongoing presence of wisdom, fierce non-judgement and diligent compassion towards all and especially those that are suffering from "lack consciousness"...... we are applying creative tension to balance what is not balanced..... holding the space, or rather LIFTING THE SPACE, will pull others into the communion we all know is nature's true harmony. Organize daily inentional meditations which simply illustrate and exemplify the slowing of the machine (literally having the collectives of the Occupy Movement sitting still in complete present moment awareness that is active with the realization and INTENTION that ALL will be drawn to the wisest attention and actions that will serve the whole). No screaming is necessary, no big statements or lengthy speeches, no spilling of negative polarity emotions which only attract more of the same.... Be still and KNOW that GOD (HIGHER INTELLIGENCE) is both at hand and will be and that we ARE the equality that demands to manifest. Let's organize daily intention/meditation times so that ALL individuals throughout the entire Occupy Movement can link together, plug into and further charge the collective concsiousness. Invite people all over and from other organizations to "plug in" simultaneously at these times for more charge. My name is Sadhu (Sadhu Serves on Facebook) and I'm in Miami at the moment and will bring this to the meetings we're having this saturday here. Please contact me if you'd like to streamline this more together! LOVE
Yes, equality is being demanded of us all..... Let us PLEASE hold the space of "US, US, US...." do NOT succomb to "US AND THEM" polarized energies.... we all want freedom.... even those who have lost their way TEMPORARILY in the temptation and living out of greed (which is essentially like a child afraid of not having enough attention or cookies)......all facilitators and space holders of the growing Occupy Movement please "occupy" the ongoing presence of wisdom, fierce non-judgement and diligent compassion towards all and especially those that are suffering from "lack consciousness"...... we are applying creative tension to balance what is not balanced..... holding the space, or rather LIFTING THE SPACE, will pull others into the communion we all know is nature's true harmony. Organize daily inentional meditations which simply illustrate and exemplify the slowing of the machine (literally having the collectives of the Occupy Movement sitting still in complete present moment awareness that is active with the realization and INTENTION that ALL will be drawn to the wisest attention and actions that will serve the whole). No screaming is necessary, no big statements or lengthy speeches, no spilling of negative polarity emotions which only attract more of the same.... Be still and KNOW that GOD (HIGHER INTELLIGENCE) is both at hand and will be and that we ARE the equality that demands to manifest. Let's organize daily intention/meditation times so that ALL individuals throughout the entire Occupy Movement can link together, plug into and further charge the collective concsiousness. Invite people all over and from other organizations to "plug in" simultaneously at these times for more charge. My name is Sadhu (Sadhu Serves on Facebook) and I'm in Miami at the moment and will bring this to the meetings we're having this saturday here. Please contact me if you'd like to streamline this more together! LOVE
Something like this...
Fairness and not greed...
BELOW THIS BRIEF INTRODUCTION is a numbered "LIST OF PROPOSED DEMANDS" we would make in DC. These would not be empty demands. They would be made in the context of engaging in non-violent direct action / peaceful non-resistance, proven tactics that produce real results. Clearly the language would need to be edited and certainly grow more specific (hoping you'll help with that), but you get the idea.
TACTICS: WHY DIRECT NON-VIOLENT ACTION?
It's pretty simple. It works. It's worked for MILLIONS OF PEOPLE. Non-violent direct action is what made the civil rights movement and Indian independence from the British possilble. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said: "The purpose of our direct-action program is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation."
We should make the demands below very publicly at a press conference a few days after arriving in DC. When doing so, we should give a clear deadline of 3 days for a firm written commitment with signatures from at least 60% of members of House and 60% of the members of the Senate to pass these bills by the end of the year. If this commitment on the full slate of demands is not met by midnight on the 3rd day (which it won't be) we should be prepared to non-violently block access to all or part of the Capitol complex the next morning by traditional proven non-violent tactics. The purpose is to bring the leaders of the House and Senate to the negotiating table.
NOTE: There are always entrances because there is always a point where people who work there have to leave the public street and enter secure space. We should focus our non-violent direct action and civil disobedience on those entrances no matter where they move them because these are, by definition, always accessible.
----- LIST OF PROPOSED DEMANDS -----
CONGRESS PASS HR 1489 REINSTATING GLASS-STEAGALL ACT. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass–Steagall_Act --- Wiki entry summary: The repeal of provisions of the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933 by the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act in 1999 effectively removed the separation that previously existed between investment banking which issued securities and commercial banks which accepted deposits. The deregulation also removed conflict of interest prohibitions between investment bankers serving as officers of commercial banks. Most economists believe this repeal directly contributed to the severity of the Financial crisis of 2007–2011 by allowing Wall Street investment banking firms to gamble with their depositors' money that was held in commercial banks owned or created by the investment firms. Here's detail on repeal in 1999 and how it happened: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass–Steagall_Act#Repeal . If we wanted to have a BIG IMPACT and we were able to have only one slogan that we could paint on signs and chant during marches within earshot of press, it would be "PASS HR 1489. REINSTATE GLASS-STEAGALL" or "RE-IN-STATE the ACT GLASS-STEAGALL. IT MAKES THE WALL STREET GAMES ILLEGAL"
USE CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORITY AND OVERSIGHT TO ENSURE APPROPRIATE FEDERAL AGENCIES FULLY INVESTIGATE AND PROSECUTE THE WALL STREET CRIMINALS who clearly broke the law and helped cause the 2008 financial crisis in the following notable cases: (insert list of the most clear cut criminal actions). There is a pretty broad consensus that there is a clear group of people who got away with millions / billions illegally and haven't been brought to justice. Boy would this be long overdue and cathartic for millions of Americans. It would also be a shot across the bow for the financial industry. If you watch the solidly researched and awared winning documentary film "Inside Job" that was narrated by Matt Damon (pretty brave Matt!) and do other research, it wouldn't take long to develop the list.
CONGRESS ENACT LEGISLATION TO PROTECT OUR DEMOCRACY BY REVERSING THE EFFECTS OF THE CITIZENS UNITED SUPREME COURT DECISION which essentially said corporations can spend as much as they want on elections. The result is that corporations can pretty much buy elections. Corporations should be highly limited in ability to contribute to political campaigns no matter what the election and no matter what the form of media. The Supreme Court decision is really weird. Read it when you have a chance. The justices who argued for unlimited corporate contributions thought that wouldn't have an adverse effect on democracy and wouldn't undermine the citizen's view of legitimacy of elections. I'm not sure there's a word for that it's so strange.
CONGRESS PASS THE BUFFETT RULE ON FAIR TAXATION SO THE RICH AND CORPORATIONS PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE & CLOSE CORPORATE TAX LOOP HOLES AND ENACT A PROHIBITION ON HIDING FUNDS OFF SHORE. No more GE paying zero or negative taxes. Pass the Buffet Rule on fair taxation so the rich pay their fair share. (If we have a really had a good negotiating position and have the place surrounded, we could actually dial up taxes on millionaires, billionaires and corporations even higher...back to what they once were in the 50's and 60's.
CONGRESS COMPLETELY REVAMP THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION and staff it at all levels with proven professionals who get the job done protecting the integrity of the marketplace so citizens and investors are both protected. This agency needs a large staff and needs to be well-funded. It's currently has a joke of a budget and is run by Wall St. insiders who often leave for high ticket cushy jobs with the corporations they were just regulating. Hmmm.
CONGRESS PASS SPECIFIC AND EFFECTIVE LAWS LIMITING THE INFLUENCE OF LOBBYISTS AND ELIMINATING THE PRACTICE OF LOBBYISTS WRITING LEGISLATION THAT ENDS UP ON THE FLOOR OF CONGRESS.
CONGRESS PASSING "Revolving Door Legislation" LEGISLATION ELIMINATING THE ABILITY OF FORMER GOVERNMENT REGULATORS GOING TO WORK FOR CORPORATIONS THAT THEY ONCE REGULATED. So, you don't get to work at the FDA for five years playing softball with Pfizer and then go to work for Pfizer making $195,000 a year. While they're at it, Congress should pass specific and effective laws to enforce strict judicial standards of conduct in matters concerning conflicts of interest. So long as judges are culled from the ranks of corporate attorneys the 1% will retain control.
ELIMINATE "PERSONHOOD" STATUS FOR CORPORATIONS (Sorry Mitt Romney)
RE-ESTABLISH THE PUBLIC AIRWAVES IN THE U.S. SO THAT POLITICAL CANDIDATES ARE GIVEN EQUAL TIME FOR FREE AT REASONABLE INTERVALS IN DAILY PROGRAMMING DURING CAMPAIGN SEASON. The same should extend to other media.
Be sure to see "Why We Fight" and "Inside Job" if you haven't already.
And keep one thing in mind. This is from Martin Luther King, Jr.:
"Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks to so dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent-resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word "tension." I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.
The purpose of our direct-action program is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. I therefore concur with you in your call for negotiation."
Here's the entire "Letter from the Birmingham Jail": http://abacus.bates.edu/admin/offices/dos/mlk/letter.html . It's a treasure and is as timely as ever.
Also, here's a short video from BBC to inspire you. It gets pretty extraordinary about halfway through: http://youtu.be/lqN3amj6AcE
I agree: We need a non-violent way to motivate Congress to pass the proposed legislation.
However, with all due respect, the method proposed by "monkey1" would just be a temporary nuisance to Congress members--how would it motivate them to do anything more than call Crowd Control?
Please consider this idea; imo, this would create the type of tension Plutarchists understand: http://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/#comment-11870
Also, we might consider using The Point http://www.thepoint.com/ to get agreement from the needed critical mass of people to take the decided course of action (such as closing their bank accounts). The Point enables people to optionally join/agree anonymously; once the needed critical mass is achieved, everyone acts at once (say, close their accounts on the same day)
would love to see an addition preventing all legislative offices from creating policies with out voter backing. too much of this has been done to increase pensions for politicians. also if a person holding a political office or government office is found guilty of crimes against the state or country he or she is representing imho they should not be eligable to receive a pension once dismissed from office.
Something like this...
Fairness and not greed...
BELOW THIS BRIEF INTRODUCTION is a numbered "LIST OF PROPOSED DEMANDS" we would make in DC. These would not be empty demands. They would be made in the context of engaging in non-violent direct action / peaceful non-resistance, proven tactics that produce real results. Clearly the language would need to be edited and certainly grow more specific (hoping you'll help with that), but you get the idea.
TACTICS: WHY DIRECT NON-VIOLENT ACTION?
It's pretty simple. It works. It's worked for MILLIONS OF PEOPLE. Non-violent direct action is what made the civil rights movement and Indian independence from the British possilble. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said: "The purpose of our direct-action program is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation."
We should make the demands below very publicly at a press conference a few days after arriving in DC. When doing so, we should give a clear deadline of 3 days for a firm written commitment with signatures from at least 60% of members of House and 60% of the members of the Senate to pass these bills by the end of the year. If this commitment on the full slate of demands is not met by midnight on the 3rd day (which it won't be) we should be prepared to non-violently block access to all or part of the Capitol complex the next morning by traditional proven non-violent tactics. The purpose is to bring the leaders of the House and Senate to the negotiating table.
NOTE: There are always entrances because there is always a point where people who work there have to leave the public street and enter secure space. We should focus our non-violent direct action and civil disobedience on those entrances no matter where they move them because these are, by definition, always accessible.
----- LIST OF PROPOSED DEMANDS -----
CONGRESS PASS HR 1489 REINSTATING GLASS-STEAGALL ACT. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass–Steagall_Act --- Wiki entry summary: The repeal of provisions of the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933 by the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act in 1999 effectively removed the separation that previously existed between investment banking which issued securities and commercial banks which accepted deposits. The deregulation also removed conflict of interest prohibitions between investment bankers serving as officers of commercial banks. Most economists believe this repeal directly contributed to the severity of the Financial crisis of 2007–2011 by allowing Wall Street investment banking firms to gamble with their depositors' money that was held in commercial banks owned or created by the investment firms. Here's detail on repeal in 1999 and how it happened: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass–Steagall_Act#Repeal . If we wanted to have a BIG IMPACT and we were able to have only one slogan that we could paint on signs and chant during marches within earshot of press, it would be "PASS HR 1489. REINSTATE GLASS-STEAGALL" or "RE-IN-STATE the ACT GLASS-STEAGALL. IT MAKES THE WALL STREET GAMES ILLEGAL"
USE CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORITY AND OVERSIGHT TO ENSURE APPROPRIATE FEDERAL AGENCIES FULLY INVESTIGATE AND PROSECUTE THE WALL STREET CRIMINALS who clearly broke the law and helped cause the 2008 financial crisis in the following notable cases: (insert list of the most clear cut criminal actions). There is a pretty broad consensus that there is a clear group of people who got away with millions / billions illegally and haven't been brought to justice. Boy would this be long overdue and cathartic for millions of Americans. It would also be a shot across the bow for the financial industry. If you watch the solidly researched and awared winning documentary film "Inside Job" that was narrated by Matt Damon (pretty brave Matt!) and do other research, it wouldn't take long to develop the list.
CONGRESS ENACT LEGISLATION TO PROTECT OUR DEMOCRACY BY REVERSING THE EFFECTS OF THE CITIZENS UNITED SUPREME COURT DECISION which essentially said corporations can spend as much as they want on elections. The result is that corporations can pretty much buy elections. Corporations should be highly limited in ability to contribute to political campaigns no matter what the election and no matter what the form of media. The Supreme Court decision is really weird. Read it when you have a chance. The justices who argued for unlimited corporate contributions thought that wouldn't have an adverse effect on democracy and wouldn't undermine the citizen's view of legitimacy of elections. I'm not sure there's a word for that it's so strange.
CONGRESS PASS THE BUFFETT RULE ON FAIR TAXATION SO THE RICH AND CORPORATIONS PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE & CLOSE CORPORATE TAX LOOP HOLES AND ENACT A PROHIBITION ON HIDING FUNDS OFF SHORE. No more GE paying zero or negative taxes. Pass the Buffet Rule on fair taxation so the rich pay their fair share. (If we have a really had a good negotiating position and have the place surrounded, we could actually dial up taxes on millionaires, billionaires and corporations even higher...back to what they once were in the 50's and 60's.
CONGRESS COMPLETELY REVAMP THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION and staff it at all levels with proven professionals who get the job done protecting the integrity of the marketplace so citizens and investors are both protected. This agency needs a large staff and needs to be well-funded. It's currently has a joke of a budget and is run by Wall St. insiders who often leave for high ticket cushy jobs with the corporations they were just regulating. Hmmm.
CONGRESS PASS SPECIFIC AND EFFECTIVE LAWS LIMITING THE INFLUENCE OF LOBBYISTS AND ELIMINATING THE PRACTICE OF LOBBYISTS WRITING LEGISLATION THAT ENDS UP ON THE FLOOR OF CONGRESS.
CONGRESS PASSING "Revolving Door Legislation" LEGISLATION ELIMINATING THE ABILITY OF FORMER GOVERNMENT REGULATORS GOING TO WORK FOR CORPORATIONS THAT THEY ONCE REGULATED. So, you don't get to work at the FDA for five years playing softball with Pfizer and then go to work for Pfizer making $195,000 a year. While they're at it, Congress should pass specific and effective laws to enforce strict judicial standards of conduct in matters concerning conflicts of interest. So long as judges are culled from the ranks of corporate attorneys the 1% will retain control.
ELIMINATE "PERSONHOOD" STATUS FOR CORPORATIONS (Sorry Mitt Romney)
RE-ESTABLISH THE PUBLIC AIRWAVES IN THE U.S. SO THAT POLITICAL CANDIDATES ARE GIVEN EQUAL TIME FOR FREE AT REASONABLE INTERVALS IN DAILY PROGRAMMING DURING CAMPAIGN SEASON. The same should extend to other media.
Be sure to see "Why We Fight" and "Inside Job" if you haven't already.
And keep one thing in mind. This is from Martin Luther King, Jr.:
"Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks to so dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent-resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word "tension." I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.
The purpose of our direct-action program is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. I therefore concur with you in your call for negotiation."
Here's the entire "Letter from the Birmingham Jail": http://abacus.bates.edu/admin/offices/dos/mlk/letter.html . It's a treasure and is as timely as ever.
Also, here's a short video from BBC to inspire you. It gets pretty extraordinary about halfway through: http://youtu.be/lqN3amj6AcE
Lobbyist : to conduct activities aimed at influencing public officials and especially members of a legislative body on legislation (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lobbyist)
Sounds a lot like what is going on here.
So far I think that the demands are excellent. No hyperbole, just a well thought out list of actions that need to be taken.
As I said before, ever since the CIA killed JFK (Gerald Ford was on Warren Commission, Ronald Reagan was on the Rockefeller Commission on CIA Activities in the US, which whitewashed CIA involvement, Bush Sr. was head of CIA) . . . all presidents were selected by the plutocrats and corporations found loopholes in the laws to fund elections. Ending corporate personhood (one of the most popular "demands" for OWS) will change little or nothing. ABOLISH MONEY!
Many famous ppl believed in eliminating money. Edward Bellamy wrote a novel called "Looking Backwards" 1887. The book was very popular and was a part of the Populist Party agenda.
http://666ismoney.com/MoneyQuotes.html
Great ideas here. But writing laws that will die in Congress won't get us the change we want. First, change the system. We must de-legitimize it. Show our public contempt for the Misusers of the Universe, the Abusers of the Earth and their paid political lackies by LAUGHING THEM OUT. Then Vote Them Out.
Our laughter and mockery should ring in their ears and echo in every city of this country -- indeed, of the planet.
-- Embrace the contradictions with love, and keep it peaceful.
If you agree with this list and are so inclined, please send out the following message to those who are restless for change:
SUBJECT LINE: HERE'S SOMETHING WE CAN DO TODAY. Please spread the word about this specific LIST OF PROPOSED DEMANDS FOR CONGRESS
BODY OF MESSAGE: It's time for a change in this country. We can all feel it. But sometimes it's hard to know what to do next. Here's a suggestion on what we can do next. All 3 of these things can be done today. It'll only take 5 minutes and it will make a real difference.
Read this list and comment on it: https://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/ . The more people who comment, the more clear, convincing and contagious the list will get. Your suggestion matter.
Take 2 minutes, call your congressional office and advocate for numbers 2 and 4 on the list. Calling your congressional office may seem like a small thing but it actually has a big impact. Any congressional staffer will tell you that careful records are kept of the phone calls that come in and it has a real impact on how the congress person votes and what legislation they support or propose.
Please help make this message go viral and forward it to people who are as concerned about our country's future as you are.
Your suspicion regarding the important point 3 can be rationalized: it is a desperate move by those in power - who already feel their power slipping - to retain power. To me this is an indication that radical change (the like of which we hope for) is imminent - as the actions of those in control to preserve the status quo will become more desperate, direct and obvious. Which sadly may mean the transition will become confrontational and not provoked by the movement, despite all efforts to avoid this.
Great point re their desperate move. I hear what you're saying about confrontational on their part but I think using Gandhi and King's powerful methods of active non-violent resistance (that worked to help free millions against very very oppressive regimes) we can keep things out in the light. The darkness can't survive that bright light and we always have the ability to shine it. They can't stop us. Every time they try, our numbers will increase tenfold. :)
Please consider sending something like the following to your American friends.
HERE'S SOMETHING WE CAN DO TODAY. Please spread the word about this specific LIST OF PROPOSED DEMANDS FOR CONGRESS
It's time for a change in this country. We can all feel it. But sometimes it's hard to know what to do next. Here's a suggestion on what we can do next. All 3 of these things can be done today. It'll only take 5 minutes and it will make a real difference.
Read this list and comment on it: https://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/ . The more people who comment, the more clear, convincing and contagious the list will get. Your suggestion matter.
Take 2 minutes, call your congressional office and advocate for numbers 2 and 4 on the list.
Calling your congressional office may seem like a small thing but it actually has a big impact. Any congressional staffer will tell you that careful records are kept of the phone calls that come in and it has a real impact on how the congress person votes and what legislation they support or propose.
Please help make this message go viral and forward it to people who are as concerned about our country's future as you are.
I agree with everything you say here. I guess my point was - and I think is consistent with yours - to mitigate the risk of possible confrontation initiated by existing governance even when there is no (reasonable rationale) basis for confrontation e.g. like the pepper-spray incidents.
The following post raises a potentially powerful mitigation strategy on the basis that any potential confrontation will take place with police / armed forces.
https://occupywallst.org/forum/short-factual-bullet-point-flyers-for-police-about/
Eliminate Corporate Personhood and Elect Ron Paul !
Eliminate Corporate Personhood and Elect Ron Paul !
The Secret Of Oz http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swkq2E8mswI
Our government has created such a scam and ponzi scheme with OUR money. Very complex laws, regulations, etc. They laugh at us. They are probably sitting there saying "these commoners have no idea what they are talking about". They have duped and deceived us time after time after time. So we need to be shrewd and smart. We need financial and economic advisers that understand economic systems and policy and lawyers on our side. But most importantly we need people with integrity and principles that care. To fully understand and educate ourselves on these federal laws and regulations would take years. WE don't have years in this occupation.
These demands do nothing to address the core issues of how the state of affairs of America has arrived at this point. And it certainly won't fix the economic issues or bring back jobs to Americans. And, you cannot tell Americans that they cannot send their money or invest overseas. Keep it simple people! Focus on the main core of the issue and lets take it from there. As I see it, it begins with the FED. We need state centralized and community banks and a change in our monetary policies. We need to address government spending, wars, etc. There were a myriad of issues that brought us to this point not just corporations. If we do not focus and address the core issues NOTHING will change and this movement will be in vain. Not to mention we will lose support.
" As I see it, it begins with the FED "
absolutely agreed ! And this should even be number one on the list. if the shenanigans that have gone on in the FED are not tackled and stopped head on, your list of 9 other items are nothing more than a band aid solution
These items address the Occupy Wall Street theme that started this. Doesn't mean it ends there but a foot in the door that makes sense and gives people some idea of the focus of the group before it tackles the larger problem. Trust me, that larger problem will take a while to get everyone on board and in sync.
I like it alot. very good list.
Thanks. Please help spread this link!
Related to 6, 7 & 8. Stipulate that it will be considered ILLEGAL for any Corporation, or any Lobbyist representing a Corporation, to set foot in Washington D.C. with the intention of manipulating or influencing a government official. Also, propose LIMITED TERMS for all Washington Bureaucrats. No more lifelong terms for anyone in Washington D.C. Remember, Obama's campaign slogan was, "When I am President, you won't see any more lobbyists roaming the halls of Congress." What happened to THAT promise Mr. Obama?
End the corporate banking cartel. Kick the rockefellers the the rothchild's and any other corporation they are associated with out of our government and our country.
Demand an end to illegal, terminal wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Truth commission for 9-11.
I think these are great demands. I have a suggestion for the format of presentation. I believe that the demands should sound something like this:
I demand that we at least begin the process of creating a system that links and divides the economic sector and the political sector in such away that is no longer benefits the few a the expense of the many but instead makes it possible for as many people to live healthy lives as possible. Then offer an outline of how to START restructure the system... like the ideas now perhaps cut a few out or/ and doubling up so that corporate personhood number four and combined togther..this will enable the "foot in the door" technique which is a psychological way to get sales or demands. It means one small demand jsut to GET IN.. while keeping the the door Opne for possiblities later. TI is also llike offerring a deal.. can evene make ti sound more deal liek by saying something like this is what we hope for eventually but to be resonable e this is what we will bargain for.. then later come back and push for more.
Then LATER come back and do it agin... pushign for the rest of the lsit adn at soem point ENDING the FED.
" at some point ENDING the FED."
hear hear
I like the way you think. Need to figure out how to dial it in as you suggest. Maybe that's part of the tactical section. As I understand it, those who are really good at this non-violent action thing have a very good idea of exactly how the group they're engaging in action against will react. So they plan each move out, having the appropriate action linked up with the predictable reaction. That's why non-violence works so well because no matter what the group subject to direct action does, it doesn't look good. Gandhi, King and others always made sure the cameras were right there when the reaction happened. It was hardly ever an accident. They were masters. And it forced the other party to the negotiating table. I suspect the other party would often forget soon after....and then King / Gandhi would remind them. This works. It just plain works. Now all we have to do is live up to their legacy and be inspired and informed by it in our own small way.
I haven't talked about it yet, but it is important to note that both King and Gandhi saw the good in people and won because they did not hate them. They absolutely did not. They actually loved the other party who was doing the oppressing (the form of love King called "agape" -- love of humanity that comes from a recognition that the moral arc of the universe bends towards justice). King and Gandhi loved the other party that was doing the oppressing so much that King and Gandhi worked tirelessly to help set them right. The setting right came from non-violently acting in a way that illuminated the injustice, brought it out of the shadows and into the light. Injustice can't survive in the light of day.
I love the Cornel West quote "Justice is what love looks like in public."
GhandiKingMindset,
I Love your mindset! :-)
Discussing tactics, I think first start with what can be done ASAP. If we call congress, numbers 2 and 4 could be in the works very quickly. If we are reasonable and specific, then things will happen.
I agree with starting on what's possible right now and pushing on every front. It seems that many times when people disagree on tactics, they're both right. We need direct action in DC in a week or two on ideas similar to these but we also need to call our representatives on Capitol Hill right now. I used to work for a congressman and I can tell you that the congress person and his senior staff pay very close attention to the call / email / letter count. Then need to know how the tide is flowing. It totally matters when you call your congressional office. I know because I used to be one of the people you were speaking with when you called.
Definitely soread the word for people to call their congressional office. So glad you said that. And please help spread word of this list as much as possible. The more people who see it, the more good ideas we can incorporate and the more presentable, convincing and contagious we can make it. :) I would encourage everyone to send a message to their friends and other like-minded people that says:
Hi there. It's time for a change in this country. We can all feel it. But sometimes it's hard to know what to do next. Here's a suggestion on what we can do next. Please consider doing all 3 of these things today. It'll only take 5 minutes:
Read this list and comment on it: https://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/ . The more people who comment, the more clear, convincing and contagious the list will get. Your suggestion matter.
Take 2 minutes, call your congressional office and advocate for numbers 2 and 4 on the list.
Calling your congressional office may seem like a small thing but it actually has a big impact. Any congressional staffer will tell you that careful records are kept of the phone calls that come in and it has a real impact on how the congress person votes and what legislation they support or propose.
Please help make this message go viral and forward it to people who are as concerned about our country's future as you are.
I totally agree: The best thing we can do, is be united in our intention, and voice - ex: be present for change, and tackle 1 issue at a time; ex: forgiving student load debt: there's now over 400,000 signatures to forgive student loan dept already - if all occupying took that on, and all of us, standing by them in spirit, and in action, flooded the system with 1 point of action, there's no way they can not take action. And then the next, and then the next.
I propose criteria (if there hasn't been already: for choosing that one thing:
I trust you all to make the right decision, but I think the following are most important:
6.
7.
8.
1.
Prudent banking and Congress LOL. The Congress has always ACTED as if their banking policies were prudent. Their prudence IS what forced the creation of the Federal Reserve Board. Their insatiable spending and BORROWING practices from the conclusion of the American Civil War until the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 forced our government to accept the terms of their creditors (IE Fed Res Board).
Those are great. Where do I sign the petition?
I'm sure everyone is going to add their two sense, here is mine. Do something about the Federal Reserve! It is like the beating heart of our banking system.
A lot of people have said that. Is there any pending legislation (HR __ ) that we could refer to? The more of that kind of thing the better because then those wearing engaging with direct action have fewer or no excuses.
H.R.459 — Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2011 (Introduced in House – IH)
HR 459 IH
112th CONGRESS 1st Session
H. R. 459
To require a full audit of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal reserve banks by the Comptroller General of the United States before the end of 2012, and for other purposes.
My suggestion would be to concentrate on fixing congress. It is the root of a lot of these problems. Congressmen uncountable to the people may pass demands 1-8 and still water them down to the point they don't make a difference Have you looked at fixcongressfirst.org and the work of Lawrence Lessig? It is very similar to demand #9 and in my opinion they really do get at the root of the problem.
Thanks, I'll look into that? Can you provide just a blurb on what you think are the key 3 pieces that we'd want to advocate from that?
Basically right now electoral districts are rigged so they go democrat or republican every time. With open primaries anyone can go and vote in the primary even if they are not registered with that party. Second (this is more iffy for a lot of people) candidates who renounce contributions from sources other than private citizens could apply for state assistance to campaign. I think they don't have a concrete plan yet but if you could talk to Lessig or get him to come talk to you I am sure it would be mutually beneficial.
Why are the following demands not on the table?
With all due respect... you're nuts
"Nuts"? What's nuts is to try to restore capitalism to a functioning system, when it clearly needs to be overcome.
Because the people who drafted these "demands" are conservative, reformists. They've got their heads in the sand.
If you think surrounding and shutting down Capitol Hill until 9 demands are met that eliminate a lot of the abuses that have caused people to lose jobs, savings, homes and pride is a conservative thing to do, then I definitely like you! Rock and roll.
You know of course that this list of 9 items isn't the end all be all list but we have to start somewhere and get a win in the column to swell our ranks and get that feeling of a win. It also will make a real difference on the ground in some people's lives. But should we stop there? No f'n way man.
We go back again and again, like waves beating relentlessly at the beach.
I start with the list you see because it's one that lots of American's can get behind. And when we're out there blockading entrances (counting on you to be there because clearly you have no fear), we need the press there showing middle America what's going on. When you read about what King and Gandhi did and why they were successful, you'll see that it was no accident that the press was always there.
This doesn't mean we compromise radicalism. But it does mean we don't try to eat a whole apple in one bite and it also means we're smart about getting an army on our side. It's how Gandhi beat the British wearing a bedsheet. It's how King and his supporters won civil rights legislation that has improved the lives (not perfected but improved the lives) of millions of people.
You can be as sweeping and radical as you want in words. But I'll take "first bite at the apple" deeds over "I want everything now" words any day.
You can't beat these folks at the power game with violent power. But you can beat them with non-violent power.
King explained the use of active non-violent resistance as follows in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”:
"Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks to so dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent-resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word "tension." I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth. . . The purpose of our direct-action program is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation.”
Is something that requires congressional action the best move for an "easy win?" If that's true, seems we'd have more luck at the local, legal, or business level. Like getting someone to resign, someone to be indited, or some place to shut down.
Then roll that into a new campaign for legislation down the road.
Oh, I'd like to see us go at the local level too. I'm not an either-or kind of guy. I think it's both. We'll shut down the entrances to the Capitol (10,000, 20,000, 40,000, 100,000 of us and you and others perhaps work with local General Assemblies to push at local level. Let's squeeze 'em non-violently with direct action at both ends of the spectrum. I like your thinking.
Probably because people don't think things have gotten that bad yet.
We'll see?
Excellent list. I especially like #6. You should bring this up in the General Assembly and see if all the protesters feel like they can unite behind this list and start spreading it from there.
Can someone read it at GA since I can't be there?
Yes. A group of us will be presenting it soon. btw, I have commented to you before.. There is a group of us working off of your ideas and will be adding a few more, like an end to golden parachutes etc.
Its... beautiful...
Glad you like the list. It all came from suggestions in this forum. All I did with the help of others is assemble them. Please spread the link to this as much as possible https://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/
And we have to get Michael Greenber on case, former head of CFTC (when is worked for us!) he's currently working with Congress on what's wrong with the Dodd-Frank Bill--He will GET IT RIGHT FOR US, once again... http://www.michaelgreenberger.com/doddfrank.html
I'll come back to you on these, but by and large, sound! Well done.
This all came from comments on this forum. Please spread the word by spreading this link. Thanks :) https://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/
There is a discussion going on over here: https://occupywallst.org/forum/you-need-to-write-a-manifesto-get-bigger-crowds-an/#comment-8099
About something of a preamble to the demands, so far I have:
"Occupy Wall Street Is a group of citizens who have come together to highlight and correct the corruption in Wall Street. Occupy Wall Street, who's members being sovereign individuals, not beholden to any corporation or higher entity, not affiliated with any particular political party, or exclusively funded by any one entity. It is with this freedom from coercion that Occupy Wall Street lists the common goals of its members.
<List of goals and objectives> "
How does that sound? How would you change it? Anybody can answer.
Create sign and send petitions. The more inputs we have the better. http://occupywallst.org/forum/create-sign-and-send-petitions/
A site to submit issues have them collected, collated and submitted. www.lobbydemocracy.com
OUR BANNER/OUR CAUSE
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. July 4, 1776
The LOGICAL objective of this movement is to take your demands to the D.C. Bureaucrats that SCREWED this Country into bankruptcy. I worked on Wall Street for Fidelity Investments. The only reason Wall Street gets away with ANYTHING is because Washington D.C. manipulated the laws of this land to allow them to do so! You made your presence known on Wall Street. Good job. Now, it is time to change the Country by changing Washington D.C. and marching on the White House.
if you want to blame corruption you better find broken laws instead of fail in making profits or you will look funny very fast.
Then how would you change this preamble to reflect that?
well cant doubt you came together for that, but is it a worthy goal to strive for? is it the truth of the matter?
I don't know, I would not yet count myself among the ranks of the Occupy movement as i have yet to see a clear goal form them.
So I am trying to work out a common goal, to see where the members see this movement going.
my suggestion is to drop this effort and get a clear picture yourself of what you think needs to be done to change the stuff that is your concerns in daily life. the corruption sentiment wont last, glass-steagle might be a "success" if you count success as being advocated by obama since 3 years and not change a thing in your daily life.
agreed that the reformist demands are ridiculous. but there are possibilities in the protest that could lead in another direction. my favorite one so far is "one day the poor will have nothing left to eat but the rich!"
the point of my questions is not to find out what I should think, I am very aware of my own opinions and what effects my life and how. What I am trying to do is find out if this movement aligns enough with my views and how I would go about actualizing those views for me to support it.
GandhiKingMindset has the perfect LIST OF DEMANDS that addresses the corruption in Washington D.C. which has caused the mess our Country is facing. You are putting the "cart in front of the horse" by attacking Wall Street first and foremost. That is why pariscommune is warning you by saying, "you will look funny very fast".
I am not trying to direct the movement or attacking anything, just trying to get a clear picture on the motives of the movement because there is no clear consensus on goals.
I know revg33k. I was just suggesting a couple of guys that have some darn good ideas. npowell85 and GandhiKingMindset have some very good ideas that are more suitable for a real confrontation with Washington D.C. and the bureaucrats. Wall Street is just the beginning...
I agree, but the movement needs to pick one direction and focus like a laser and burn through in a straight line to the core or risk being marginalized.
Exactly. Who is going to do that? Who is running the show there on Wall Street? Does anybody really know?
these are my questions :D
I just had a scary thought. Maybe this site isn't really sponsored by the OWS Movement at all. Here we are... all bickering on this site among ourselves... and maybe this site was started by Homeland Security to "flush out" potential terrorists? I noticed that 'whoever' is in charge of the OWS Movement is not including anyone else's ideas into their LIST OF DEMANDS. Maybe they don't even read this blog? Maybe 'whoever' is in charge of the OWS Movement is just a pawn of Michael Moore and his next Media campaign. Damn. It's all beginning to make sense now.
thats funny... Last night the site went down for repairs for like 30 minutes and I found myself checking out my window every couple minutes for the proverbial black suburbans, and trying to remember just what I had said in all my posts
Ha! I'm actually keeping all my posts in a Word document for future reference...
Hey, don't worry, I'm not keeping anyone else's blog posts in my Word document. Just mine. But, you have to admit, there HAS to be someone from the Fed watching this site. They probably have a small team of hackers obtaining IP-addresses and GPS-coordinates on all of us. he he
I'm sure they are... but whats a bit of constructive criticism... nobody is talking about hurting anyone and only a couple crazy's have talked about total gov overhaul... I just want a couple simple changes. I don't think we are the ones they will be worried about
Oh, I know. I'm just joking. They are probably watching this site so that they know where to ramp up security and where to give the police a heads up. "Uh. Oh. Here they come..."
Careful your tinfoil hat is showing LoL
Why else do you think the Government is building 300 FEMA camps nationwide... each to hold 10,000 to 20,000 people. This is all a trap. Ha!
I like the list on this page the most.. it's been through more than a couple revisions. Point 1 about glass-steagall is easy to get behind when you tie it to the mortgage crisis. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass%E2%80%93Steagall_Act
At the very least I would like to see something added on student loan debt. I am somewhat skeptical of the process of making demands, but at the very least this needs to be part of the discussion. The protections the student loan industry currently have are criminal and need to be overturned:
http://www.collegescholarships.org/research/student-loans/
I agree. It is totally left out. Why? Free society with not-free education.
And here I am not even talking about capitalism, or free market, none. And yet, you managed to take it out of discussion.
Why?
It hink hittign wall street is a good start, though I udnerstnad the whoel why not WAShington the FEd copmelaitn. Wall Street however is wehre the daily mony is made. TI's hit them in teh pocket bbooks. Perhaps someone sohudl mentoin that so peoepl understnad
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You did a great job on this. Thanks. Another good documentary is The Warning.
THE SYSTEM IS AT BROKEN, SO THINK BIG
MAKE THREE CHANGES TO THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION
ABOLISH THE SENATE. THE SENATE has proven to be inimical to democracy, and serves only to promote the OLIGARCHY, and completely thwart the WILL of the CITIZENS.
ABOLISH THE PRESIDENCY. THE PRESIDENCY has become the corrupt handmaiden of the OLIGARCHY, engaging in unrestrained internal, or domestic, corruption, and criminality, and externally engaging in continuous wars of empire to plunder foreign sovereign states of their resources.
EXTEND THE HOUSE TERM TO THREE, OR FOUR, YEARS.
Divided government, the system of deliberate gridlock, or power vacuum, instead of promoting democracy, destroyed it.
Power is too diffuse, or fragmented, and generates a power vacuum, filled with bribes from a permanent, and intransigent, OLIGARCHY, which now has complete de facto control of the Nation, which it rules solely for its own benefit, separate from interests, and wishes. of the CITIZENS.
THE SYSTEM WHICH WOULD FOLLOW IS A UNICAMERAL PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY, containing it's own internal self correcting dynamic.
THE SYSTEM will contain the Executive.
CITIZENS would dominate this system, and be able to inflict decisive and total electoral punishment on all politicans, and parties, which displease them every four years.
Bump.
9: Hugo Chavez for US President 2012!
On the buffet rule, I would like to see the focus changed from "RICH" "POOR" , "RESPONSIBLE" "IRRESPONSIBLE" "BIG GOVERNMENT" "SMALL GOVERNMENT" jargon that simply and intentionally prevents progress, changed to reality! A government requires funds to operate. It gets those funds through taxation. When the tax base is determined by economic factors (consumption) it is mere suicide to reduce one's ability to consume by taxation! There is not one iota of consumption by a corporation that is not credited prior to taxation for the same reason! Why is it we think we can apply different rules to the people and expect it to work. In the past, when necessary, our government has taxed the excess where it existed and thus protected consumption rather than reduce it! It has worked every single time and the economy has flourished! We have perverted reality over "FAIR" long enough! Common sense dictates that a tax that reduces one's ability or desire to consume at leisure, reduces net tax received as a result. When consumption ends and excess begins, the opportunity to tax without influence one's life style also begins. When the excess above and beyond consuming at leisure is such that it itself is used to simply create more excess, we have entered a whole new ball park. The person has made his own choices as to consumption to fulfill needs and anything beyond that is simple greed! This area can be taxed at leisure as the need arises and still allow the person move in the direction chosen. Those that might claim that this would stymie anything would be professing that those who would be impacted would put it under a mattress rather than make something with it. "Humans are a greedy lot"! For every one that may choose to step out of a capitalist endeavor as a result, there are ten waiting to fill the void! I happen to like our capitalistic society or to put it as the dictionary does "Dominance of the private capitalist"! Through their efforts, we have the ability to assist their endeavor and provide for a life ourselves. I do not begrudge them the fruits of their labor one bit! Illegal alien issues would not exist if it were not a successful methodology! But that is not really what we have! We have a dominance "by", not "of" the private capitalist" The commission of "Anarchy" does not occur on Main Street or outside a building on Wall Street, it occurs when the rule of law or supreme power is rendered inefficient as, or when, the law is written by those who simply serve Wall Street! I shall lawfully object
If you want to join an organization that is professional and courteous with real world American ideals based upon the constitution and freedom, I suggest you all join your local Tea Party. Otherwise move to Venezuela.
The democrats have embraced this group of racist bums - having sex and doing drugs in public. You don;t know how good you have it here until its gone.
You lazy hippies are now the REAL Ta Baggers..
here I suggest a united voice (but in Chinese, so, one should ask somebody who can understand Chinese to translate), which has the power of change the world:
尽管，越来越多的人已经意识到了社会的不公，开始起来反抗，然而，大部分人并不知道正确的出路是什么。呐喊的声音不能汇聚一致，将很无力，将难有成效。这里，我说出一条可能的出路，供大家参考。
群众呐喊的声音应该一致如下：
政府和资本家们——你们是人类的精英，我们当初因为信耐你们而把资本和权利交给你们，可惜你们滥用你们的才智，只知道为自己累积财富；你们滥用你们的武力，只知道用于维持自己的统治地位。你们无权再支配全人类共同所有的生产材料，无权再支配本该属于人民的军队。你们要么洗心不再为自己而追名逐利，而是全心全意为人民而生产经营；要么下台，让拥有更高智慧和慈悲心的新时代领袖来掌管政权和资本。
所有的垄断企业——你们必须放弃“追求利益最大化”的企业宗旨，必须转变为以最大化降低生产成本、减少员工劳动时间但不准裁员和降低工资，必须以服务大众为宗旨。你们不是少数资本家的，始终是归全民所有。不能全心全意为人民的管理者请下台，让人民来选择垄断企业的管理者。
全地球的公民——你们必须团结起来，心怀慈悲而非私心，崇尚高尚的精神追求，以全人类的共同觉醒与物质、精神自由为奋斗目标。
http://translate.reference.com/
junglylion This link works well on many language translations. Sample of your whole submission translated from Chinese to English.
尽管，越来越多的人已经意识到了社会的不公，开始起来反抗，然而，大部分人并不知道正确的出路是什么。呐喊的声音不能汇聚一致，将很无力，将难有成效。这里，我说出一条可能的出路，供大家参考。
群众呐喊的声音应该一致如下： Although, more and more people have realized the injustice of society, began to revolt against, however, most people do not know what the correct way. Cry sounds the same can not be brought together, will be very weak, will hardly be effective. Here, I give a possible way out for your reference. Cries the voice of the people should be the same as follows:
政府和资本家们——你们是人类的精英，我们当初因为信耐你们而把资本和权利交给你们，可惜你们滥用你们的才智，只知道为自己累积财富；你们滥用你们的武力，只知道用于维持自己的统治地位。你们无权再支配全人类共同所有的生产材料，无权再支配本该属于人民的军队。你们要么洗心不再为自己而追名逐利，而是全心全意为人民而生产经营；要么下台，让拥有更高智慧和慈悲心的新时代领袖来掌管政权和资本。 Government and capitalists - you are the elite of mankind, because we had the letter and put your resistance to your capital and the right, but unfortunately you misuse your intelligence, only know their own wealth; you abuse your force, knowing only to maintain their dominance. You have no right to control the production of materials for all mankind, no right to control the army that belongs to the people. Or wash your heart is no longer seeking fame and wealth for themselves, but the production and management for the people wholeheartedly; or step down, so have a higher wisdom and compassion of a new era of leaders to take over political power and capital.
所有的垄断企业——你们必须放弃“追求利益最大化”的企业宗旨，必须转变为以最大化降低生产成本、减少员工劳动时间但不准裁员和降低工资，必须以服务大众为宗旨。你们不是少数资本家的，始终是归全民所有。不能全心全意为人民的管理者请下台，让人民来选择垄断企业的管理者。 All monopolies - you have to give up the "profit-maximizing" business purposes, must be changed to maximize the lower production costs, reduce staff working hours but are not allowed to layoffs and lower wages, must be to serve the public for the purpose. You are not a few capitalists, has always been owned by the whole people. Managers can not wholeheartedly for the people please step down, allowing people to select the monopolies of the managers.
全地球的公民——你们必须团结起来，心怀慈悲而非私心，崇尚高尚的精神追求，以全人类的共同觉醒与物质、精神自由为奋斗目标。 All citizens of the Earth - you must unite, heart compassion rather than selfishness, advocating the pursuit of a noble spirit, awakening humanity in common with the material and spiritual freedom as the goal.
diverse and trivial demands make little sense in solving the fundamental problem...we should find out the final solution....that's why I suggest this...
wish somebody can translate it....
This actually suggested a final solution....(and maybe, is the only applicable one...)
but is evolutional...and will bring about a brand new society...
We needd to rally around ONE demand. This is not hard. Nobody fears this movement. ONE demand. How hard is this?
DEMAND ALL MEMBERS OF CONGRESS RESIGN.
Imagine for a second if ENOUGH of you and Americans get behind this. Imagine how wall st would react. Now imagine a newy elected congress, one that would be forced to represent US not wall st banks/insurance co's. WE CAN DO THIS. But we have to get behind one demand that is instantly understood.
--paparazzinc.com john v
Read more on my blog please. Then pass this around until it catches fire...
The read the bills act, free universal healthcare, a 50 cent tax on every stock trade for social security, term limits on every political position.
Press Release Operation Occupy October 10, 2011 Many have inquired as to the specific aim of Operation Occupy. In fact it has been unclear as to the purpose behind the movement. It is important to know that Operation Occupy is not affiliated with any political party or special interest group. The sole mission of Operation Occupy is to let the current government and financial establishments know that all Americans are tired of the economic and fiscal irresponsibility. It is time to stand up and let our voices be heard. The mission of Operation Occupy is as follows: In 2007 America was promised “hope” and “change”. Instead we saw hundreds of billions of dollars poured into our banking system. This “stimulus” left our country with upside-down mortgages and people forced out of their homes at a rate greater than in any time in our country’s past. If this was not bad enough, continued use of “stimulus” packages have been crippling the value of the US dollar globally. The most recent Obama Jobs Act will again funnel “stimulus” money, hundreds of billions of dollars that really do not exist, into our economy to create jobs that are going to be temporary at best. It is obvious that there is a clear effort from within the White House to disassemble America by destroying our economy. America is not being fiscally responsible and more and more citizens are becoming financially disabled. The US banking system is being used as the catalyst to produce this outcome. If we continue on this reckless path, it will only take four more years under this current regime to bankrupt America.
Operation Occupy represents an opportunity for Americans to stand up for economic responsibility and let the current leadership in Washington DC know that our votes in 2012 will just be the beginning of putting our country back on track. The only true “hope” and “change” will not come from one man, but will come from a unified effort of all Americans. Increasing Government and the power of our banking system will never be successful. America must invest in private industry and developing corporate growth within our own borders. It is only through these fundamental investments that the US dollar will once again strengthen and our citizens will prosper. If we truly want to provide support to our country’s disabled, elderly, veteran, and other indigent citizens; we must have economic strength. If we want to create jobs and insure individual financial security; we must have economic strength. If we want to invest in education on all levels; we must have economic strength. If we want to have quality teachers, firefighters, police, social workers, and other public servants; we must have economic strength.
Operation Occupy has one clear unified message that can be summarized with our battle cry, “Our Banks Are Murdering America. Obama is in bed with the banks!”
This is nothing more than a GOP partisan screed, and as such should be ignored.
Press Release Operation Occupy October 10, 2011 Many have inquired as to the specific aim of Operation Occupy. In fact it has been unclear as to the purpose behind the movement. It is important to know that Operation Occupy is not affiliated with any political party or special interest group. The sole mission of Operation Occupy is to let the current government and financial establishments know that all Americans are tired of the economic and fiscal irresponsibility. It is time to stand up and let our voices be heard. The mission of Operation Occupy is as follows: In 2007 America was promised “hope” and “change”. Instead we saw hundreds of billions of dollars poured into our banking system. This “stimulus” left our country with upside-down mortgages and people forced out of their homes at a rate greater than in any time in our country’s past. If this was not bad enough, continued use of “stimulus” packages have been crippling the value of the US dollar globally. The most recent Obama Jobs Act will again funnel “stimulus” money, hundreds of billions of dollars that really do not exist, into our economy to create jobs that are going to be temporary at best. It is obvious that there is a clear effort from within the White House to disassemble America by destroying our economy. America is not being fiscally responsible and more and more citizens are becoming financially disabled. The US banking system is being used as the catalyst to produce this outcome. If we continue on this reckless path, it will only take four more years under this current regime to bankrupt America.
Operation Occupy represents an opportunity for Americans to stand up for economic responsibility and let the current leadership in Washington DC know that our votes in 2012 will just be the beginning of putting our country back on track. The only true “hope” and “change” will not come from one man, but will come from a unified effort of all Americans. Increasing Government and the power of our banking system will never be successful. America must invest in private industry and developing corporate growth within our own borders. It is only through these fundamental investments that the US dollar will once again strengthen and our citizens will prosper. If we truly want to provide support to our country’s disabled, elderly, veteran, and other indigent citizens; we must have economic strength. If we want to create jobs and insure individual financial security; we must have economic strength. If we want to invest in education on all levels; we must have economic strength. If we want to have quality teachers, firefighters, police, social workers, and other public servants; we must have economic strength.
Operation Occupy has one clear unified message that can be summarized with our battle cry, “Our Banks Are Murdering America. Obama is in bed with the banks!”
Citizens United must be priority number one. Nothing gets done without that step!!!! We already know regulation is not possible until citizens united is reversed and wall street money is removed from politics. Also, just so you all know, fox nation posted a COMPLETELY BOGUS list of demands. I suggest you all post about the fallacy. Its absurd.
Bring back jobs back to america, all our jobs going to india ,china
ban all IT out sourcing work to india, china , the more we out source more we lose jobs in america
What about FREE healthcare like in France, the U.K, Japan and so on?
nothing is free - their healthcare is paid for by their taxes.... instead we should make it so Health insurance companies and Hospital corporations have to become non-profit accross the board. Then all the "profits" would have to be funneld back into system and things like people not having the money for their prescriptions and many other things that cause people to sacrafice their health due to money constraints would disappear. In addition there would need to be a sallary cap for all CEO's part of the non-profit healthcare system in order to prevent them from putting the profits into their pockets!
Please ADD - NO MORE USURY INTEREST RATES!
All credit card debt, all loans, etc are subject to STATE USURY LAWS.
All loans should be recast with low interest rates.
Interest rate caps are dangerous, sir/madame. Want to keep interest rates low? Foster genuine and well regulated competition, and limit interest rate spikes on delinquent credit card borrowers.
Who is going to pass these laws?
If you rely on the 'business as usual' politicians nothing will happen. The first step is better politicians. That means getting involved and cutting out the usual suspects:
Labor unions (associated w/ racketeers and organized crime),
Professional agitators (Tavis Smiley, Keith Olberman, that Huffington sales-lady),
Losers (Barack Obama, Lady Gaga, Bill McKibben),
Les Arrogants ('Smilin' Al Gore),
Billionaires (Ted Turner, anyone from Hollywood),
etc. Yr most effective states-persons are likely to be unattractive/ugly, speak badly and will not be able to Dance With the Stars (think Winston Churchill). Yr states-person is likely to be a white person.
The next step is to GET REAL. Obama's record was available for all who would take five minutes and check it online. People who believed Obama was anything other than a finance industry stooge were suckers.
Finally: the good ol' days are OVER. Peak oil is REAL, on a dollar basis it took place in 1998 (check EIA for yourself) and the reason your future is crumbling is because the cheap fuel to run America and the rest of the waste-based world is gone.
There are only two processes that matter: accountability and conservation.
Conservation, conservation and more conservation. All else is folly.
I'm sorry if not that informed on a lot of the issues, so this may seem naive but I think a lot of issues with greedy fat cats be resolved if we could enact a income cap. Say CEOs can only make 200 times annually the income of their lowest paid worker. Regulate the greed. Also regulate their ridiculous bonuses, they are laying off worker left and right but taking multi-million dollar bonus. I would say that they shouldn't be able to get more than their annual income in bonuses, annually. Still a good deal for the "elite" 400 times the pay of their lowest paid worker, and I bet everyone would be making more than minimum wage. I know many people reading this are saying but that not how a free country works, well this country isn’t truly free (never has been) and it definitely isn’t working. In fact I think it's broke.
r come we should be looking at our own participation in the relationship. Stop supporting the corporations .Collectively refuse to give them any money. This will involve the personal commitment to give up certain conveniences that these companies provide.Stop paying them period. Get rid of your television.Stop patronizing the media.Maybe if we actually sit and talk with our family's rather than zoning out into purchase programming our lives will be richer. Refuse to buy overseas products especially china; who has been waging financial warfare with the US since we began relations with them. Buy American. It Creates jobs.They enticed our corporations by providing labor and manufacturing at dirt cheap prices.The result was a few executives getting rich and millions of Americans losing their jobs.You really don't need the sub-par quality merchandise they are peddling. Don't buy it. The congress is doing what it is doing because no one is telling them to do things differently. Make your voice heard by finding out who your local representatives are and tell them what you think. It is your obligation as a citizen. If you are not fulfilling that obligation and encouraging others to do the same you have no right to complain about what your representatives are doing.
I agree with the amendments being proposed and would like to add your list. 9)MAKE IT ILLEGAL FOR ANY MEMBER OF CONGRESS TO PASS LEGISLATION THAT DIRECTLY EFFECTS HIS OR HER FINANCIAL PROFILE. If you pass a law that makes you rich you go to jail. 10)ELIMINATE THE EXCHANGE OF MONEY AND "PERKS" FROM THE LOBBYING PROCESS.All groups wishing to put their views before congress must present their views before an independent qualifying panel (to determine validity of viewpoints presented) then be allowed to appear before congress to attempt to sway opinion buy means of logical debate.If you accept money as a public official from a special interest group you go to jail. 11)CREATE A FAIR FINANCIAL PLAYING FIELD FOR ANYONE WISHING TO BECOME A PUBLIC OFFICIAL.ALL CANDIDATES ARE ALLOTTED A CERTAIN EQUAL CAMPAIGN BUDGET. Eliminate the ability of any candidate to buy an election.
I would love to see acted upon is Congress having the same access (or lack therreof) to health care and retirement benefits as we do. .
Was just at an OWS gathering here in Rutland VT. O BOY! These guys are not what I thought. I was told they wanted younger people out front, as I made my way I was rushed and squeezed out by about 6 older folks. As I stepped out of the way, i was told again to go out front, I replied "I keep getting squeezed out so I guess I have to stand back." Then came the one guy who was surrounded by other folks. As he spoke, they repeated, all while being video recorded. According to this guy and the followers, "across the nation, all 49 states must unify..." Yes, 49 states. You know what? I'm not following this anymore, I'm re-electing President Obama.
How about rallying around one demand...
DEMAND ALL MEMBERS OF CONGRESS RESIGN.
Simple. Powerful. Covers all points.
--paparazzinc.com john v
Perfect demand.
This will also help take action of demand # 2
These are all good, but if the true concern is the corporate takeover of the government' I propose that all stakeholders of corporate America (customers, vendors, suppliers, tenants, lenders, landlords, etc) should be able to vote for an elected representative in the corporation, someone with whom the citizens can proxy their vote.
If corporate America controls the government, then corporate America should be controlled by the people, and the United States can return to being a republic, with any lost democracy, regained. No?
Proof of concept and much work to follow.
Cw
Considerations:
1 - Any business with over 10 employees automatically becomes a worker owned co-operative.
2 - Publicly traded stocks are a financial instrument only, granting no ownership rights over a company.
3 - All laws, regulations, treaties, etc. (beyond BoR) automatically "sunset" after no more then 10 years, requiring a re-vote to be reenacted.
4 - All "major legislation" requires a national vote, such as military actions, NAFTA, etc.
5 - Any elected or appointed government official or government employee who is convicted of a crime, is automatically sentenced to double the average penalty a private citizen would receive, with no chance for probation, parole, early release or pardon.
6 - All weapon restrictions (except for NBCE weapons and for currently serving felons) are scrapped.
7 - Legalization / decriminalization of all drugs.
1 - Any business with over 10 employees automatically becomes a worker owned co-operative.
2 - Publicly traded stocks are a financial instrument only, granting no ownership rights over a company.
3 - All laws, regulations, treaties, etc. (beyond BoR) automatically "sunset" after no more then 10 years, requiring a re-vote to be reenacted.
4 - All "major legislation" requires a national vote, such as military actions, NAFTA, etc.
5 - Any elected or appointed government official or government employee who is convicted of a crime, is automatically sentenced to double the average penalty a private citizen would receive, with no chance for probation, parole, early release or pardon.
6 - All weapon restrictions (except for NBCE weapons and for currently serving felons) are scrapped.
7 - Legalization / decriminalization of all drugs.
How about if we forget about the Occupy Wall Street movement for a while and start an Occupy Main Street movement? Instead of making demands on Wall Street we should make demands on ourselves.
We could demand;
We take personal responsibility for our own choices. Instead of demanding higher wages, work to improve our education and skills to make ourselves more desirable to employers.
We take personal responsibility for our families. Treat your spouse and children with respect. Spend time with them. Lead by example.
We take personal responsibility for our children. Demand that they do better in school, be more physically active, treat people with respect and become productive adults.
We take personal responsibility for our properties. Mow our lawns, shovel our snow, rake our leaves, paint our houses…
We take personal responsibility for or government. Vote. Attend board meetings. Become more aware of what or representatives are doing. Become politically active.
We take personal responsibility for our finances. Stop spending more than we earn. Take care of necessities before purchasing luxuries.
We take personal responsibility for our health. Lose weight. Stop smoking. Get some exercise. Eat properly.
We take personal responsibility for our environment.
We take personal responsibility for our communities. Attend church, volunteer, help your neighbors…
The first step in becoming a better nation is to become better citizens. Change the things you have control over first; yourselves and your actions. Then you can start demanding that others follow your lead.
Being more skills to make more money is great, but incase you have not noticed, wages have either gone stagnant or declined in the US.
Here are my demands:
If everyone was paid equally, we would get paid $127,000 per year. Everyone would be wealthy. There would be virtually no social problems.
Since democracy is a big change, here are some transitional demands:
CITIZEN DIVIDEND: Make income tax a flat 50% on all income, no deductions. After you pay for govt expenses, use the remaining to pay every adult a $40,000 per year dividend as their share of the planet nature gave to humanity. That will reduce inequality, permanently end poverty and solve nearly every social problem we have.
FREE CREDIT: Give every citizen access as a right to the Federal Reserve discount window so that they can get a zero interest mortgage for a home or car regardless of credit. This will cut your mortgage in half.
SALARIED EDUCATION: Not only should education be free, students should be paid an income while they get educated. Education is an investment, not a consumption item, so students should be paid a salary to get trained.
FULL TRANSPARENCY: Make society fully transparent by requiring full disclosure of all private and public sector information and data in a central database so you have the same level of access to an organization's data as its CEO gets.
If everyone was paid equally, the dollar would flatten out completely and we would not get paid anywhere near $127k. Resources are scarce so no one would be "wealthy" we'd all just be somewhere from poor to below-average.
1) After you pay for gov't expenses, why are you paying every adult back? That would be worth 0 as it decreases the purchasing power of the dollar ... which in turn would make bread and everything else more expensive.
2) It would lead to undue strain as there is a nonzero chance of mortgage failure (especially if you screw with the dollar with your other demands).
3) If students get paid, and teachers get paid ... then who's doing the paying? Everyone else?
4) Are you including the private information of everyone's finances? Where do you draw the line? Better yet, how would the government draw the line?
I'm not sure where you got your economics understanding from, but it is wrong.
Yes resources are scarce, but the US produces $15 trillion in goods and services, enough to give every worker $127k worth in today's dollars. The dollar does not lose its value because income is allocated equally. The dollar only loses its value if we stop producing or if we print new money without increasing production.
Inflation is caused by printing new money, not be redistributing EXISTING money. If we had a million dollars and I kept $900k and gave you $100k, the dollar would still be worth exactly the same if I later decided to keep $500k for myself and give you $500k.
Eliminating interest does not eliminate the chance that someone may not be able to pay back their loan.
Education would be paid for through taxes.
Only business information would be transparent, not personal information. So I would know what you got paid at your job, but I would not know how you spent your money.
If I can get a guaranteed loan for my house and car, why exactly would I bother making payments? If I get the same paycheck regardless of how much value I create or how much I innovate, why do I not surf the Internet all day instead of working? I guess you could solve that with a rigid authoritarian government with harsh criminal penalties for not supporting the State cause enough. That sounds oddly familiar...
If you don't make the payments on your mortgage, your mortgage payment will be deducted directly from you paycheck. If you lose your job and still refuse to pay your mortgage, you will be foreclosed on and kicked out.
And if you get a job that you refuse to work at and surf the internet all day, you will get fired, just like you would today.
I don't know what kind of fantasy world you want to live in but not letting someone keep a house they refuse to pay for and firing someone from a job they refuse to work at is not harsh or the working of a rigid, authoritarian government.
If you want to be an adult in this world, you need to be responsible. And yes that is oddly familiar to how the US government currently operates because it is the only way for a rational society to operate.
This system would work. If ned Flanders was overlord of the world.
The system will work with or without a world overlord.
Wow. You are in for some surprises when you visit the real world occupied by actual people with flaws and self-interest as a priority. I've probably met a half dozen people in my life that would meet the standard of ethics that would be required for all of us to make any of these work.
Are you responding to my post? You need flawless people and people without self interest to make a system that pays everyone enough to be wealthy to work!?! I don't get what you mean.
address student loan, e.g. sutdent once they found a job, the tax money goes to pay for the student loan
end the fed, like the book written by Ron Paul
End Corporate State of America, the Land of the Fee and Debt slavery.
Depreiciate the national debt, not depreciate our money, it can be done
restrict the congressional term to 4 years.
get rid of FDA , create a new agency. no more revolving door for big pharma and big food. no more monsanto. Label the food as gmo or none gmo
no more tax loopholes in bermuda,
breakup any corporations that are too big to fail
get rid of patriot act
no more subsidies to big agra, revamp the entire agricultural system. fire Monsanto former ceo as head of USDA Tom Vilsak
create organic farmers infrasture, don't neglect the small farmers.
better social program creates better kids (winner takes all society ,breeds criminals) therefore more money goes into prison.
in canada health care in handled by province. everyone can see doctor for free.
Time has come now, we must choose side, be a slave or be a rebel.
I choose rebel.
First off I am an Iraq war veteran, I have a masters degree in education and I am having trouble finding reasonable employment. I am the 99% however I want to share with you some information that will blow your mind and show you how to actually protect yourself from the recession and even profit from it.
THIS IS THE INFORMATION THAT THE 99% NEEDS! Not the spoon feed garbage the media and government keeps dishing out.
http://theelevationgroup.net/presentation/register.php?a_aid=160973&a_bid=290b868b
I have even started my own blog that helps the 99%, sign up at www.advicefourlife.com
1) Repeal law that allows Monsanto to sue farmers who use their non-GMO seed for planting is it got contaminated by a near-by fiels planted with Monsanto GMO seed. 2) Allow farmers to sue Monsanto for contaminating their non-GMO crop which can not be used for planting a new non-GMO crop which is more valuable than GMO crops.
how do i give this guy points?
Let's just hope that Obama is voted out, he is a major part of the problem. He bailed out his puppetmasters more than once.
Was just at an OWS gathering here in Rutland VT. O BOY! These guys are not what I thought. I was told they wanted younger people out front, as I made my way I was rushed and squeezed out by about 6 older folks. As I stepped out of the way, i was told again to go out front, I replied "I keep getting squeezed out so I guess I have to stand back." Then came the one guy who was surrounded by other folks. As he spoke, they repeated, all while being video recorded. According to this guy and the followers, "across the nation, all 49 states must unify..." Yes, 49 states. You know what? I'm not following this anymore, I'm re-electing President Obama
Yikes. Sounds like some pretty misinformed people out there. Sorry you had that experience at your local gathering. But please don't lose hope, that is not the face of the movement or representative in any way judging on what I am seeing locally and in NY. I'm not telling you who to vote for (especially given the choices we currently have, enough said!) but please continue to follow and support the movement and its aims.
your right but is inaction that will lead to a GOP victory really the best option? granted I don't think the guy who comes after Obama will last more the one term either. Anyone who can get the money and media backing to reach that office is already tainted.
I love "Playing For Change" and their music compilations:
http://goldmanbanksters.com/heroes/all-people-count/ War/No More Trouble or http://goldmanbanksters.com/heroes/all-people-count/ Somewhere over the Rainbow - Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DpGlQ2lK6g
get rid of blackwater
Are we talking about Blackwater mercenaries? Gary Jackson?
Blackwater Changes Its Name to Xe (02/13/09): http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/14/us/14blackwater.html
I think Monsanto bought them... They are going to force us to eat their GMO food.