Forum Post: Refining Occupy's Message
Posted 12 years ago on Oct. 7, 2012, 6:16 p.m. EST by fitzfilmfx
(2)
from Sherman Oaks, CA
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Apologies if this has been discussed before in earlier threads. Also, sorry for not making this write up more succinct.
When I first heard of Occupy wall street I was very interested in it's cause, and it's message. The movement seemed to galvanize the 99% to take action, but has since dwindled. The movement seems to contain a variety of woe's that need to be taken care of in government, and I do agree that all of these issues with the way we are governed must be looked at.
In my humble opinion, one of these problems must take priority over all other things. It is the root of our problems. Yes it is money, the classic root of all evil, but it is foolish to think we can rid ourselves of money. To be clear it is money in politics, and that has it's own beginning. Campaigns.
Campaign finance reform should be the most important issue on the mind of every american, Republican or Democrat, it doesn't matter. We're in the same boat. The average wealth of the US Congress is $911,510 in 2009. I'm only too certain that it is more now. It goes up every year.
So why do we let rich people run our lives? Because if you make $50,000 a year, you cannot run for office. I, like most people, do not have the funds it takes to run for office, and now with the outcome of Citizens United being what it is, this is only more true. I'd have to be a millionaire to run, or have millionaire friends.
What do we do about it? This is where Occupy Wallstreet can be a strong and united voice. The 99% vs the 1%, rallied behind a common goal.
What if we had no campaign ads. What if we only had publicly funded debates. What if the requirements to run were based on logical principles rather than on…who has nice hair? Perhaps a well laid out proposal for the economy, for education, for public health, etc, would be required to run.
I'm sure there are millions of ideas floating around out there, I'd love to hear them.
I'm very pleased to hear from you.
there are many campaign finance ideas out there - but when all is said and done there really is only ONE place to start.
We can do what 80% of Americans say they want
We can do what 1,900,000 Americans signed
We can do what 363 local & state resolutions call for
We can do what 1,309 American mayors endorsed
Virtually every OWS goal –
jobs, taxes, government honesty, energy, environment, economy
all go back to EXACTLY one place
MONEY IN POLITICS
And there is EXACTLY one first step:
╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬
A constitutional amendment to
Overturn Citizens United and Corporate Personhood
╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬
▬► http://corporationsarenotpeople.webuda.com ◄▬
╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬═╬
For a complete analysis of the amendment issue,
http://corporationsarenotpeople.webuda.com
no password or signup
JOIN our OWS Working Group:
http://nycga.net/groups/restore-democracy
REGULAR MEETINGS:
Wednesdays 5:30-7:30PM @ 60 Wall St – The Atrium
Please check it out & let me know what you think
Thank you yes, this is exactly what I'm talking about. What about using the larger scale of the Occupy Movement to push the message to more people? I'll be posting a lot more within your group.
FreeDA http://occupywallst.org/forum/free-democracy-amendment/ Until the majority of eligible voters can be united behind a common cause that transcends the political party lines of division, there will be no change. Both electoral and non-electoral direct action can be taken at the grass roots level but there has to be an established organization willing to organize it.
Through the use of affidavits, the voters themselves can stand united in removing money from politics by creating the condition that will only allow the non-corporate candidates of their choice http://occupywallst.org/forum/freeda-template/ to receive their votes.