Forum Post: Specific Demand And Action List For Washington, DC
Posted 13 years ago on Sept. 27, 2011, 6:50 p.m. EST by GandhiKingMindsetResist
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* CLEAR LIST OF DEMANDS FOR CONGRESS when we engage in direct action at the Capitol complex (feel free to add or edit) *
INVESTIGATE, ARREST AND TRY 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 and no disclosure is required about who's giving to who. 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 without disclosure 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.
ACTION ON GLASS-STEAGALL 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 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.
CONGRESS PASS THE BUFFETT RULE ON FAIR TAXATION SO THE RICH AND CORPORATIONS PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE & CLOSE CORPORATE TAX LOOP HOLES INCLUDING PROHIBITION ON HIDING FUNDS OFF SHORE. Pass the Buffet Rule on fair taxation so the rich pay their fair share. (If you really had a good negotiating position and had the place surrounded, you could actually dial up taxes on millionaires, billionaires and corporations even higher. But this would require direct non-violent blockades / action in New York and DC to get the broad public support necessary).
CONGRESS COMPLETELY REVAMP THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION AND STAFF IT AT HIGHEST AND LOWEST LEVELS WITH PROFESSIONALS WHO GET THE JOB DONE PROTECTING THE INTEGRITY OF THE MARKET THEREBY PROTECTING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND INVESTORS. Also, this agency needs a large staff and needs to be well-funded.
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 ENACT SPECIFIC LAWS THAT EFFECTIVELY BUILD A WALL BETWEEN THE DEFENSE INDUSTRY AND THE U.S. MILITARY. If we're going after corruption and also trying to reduce all the unnecessary wars that are costly in so many ways (most importantly costly in terms of human life on both sides), then this is the GRANDDADDY OF ALL REFORMS. Any of you who have seen the award winning widely popular documentary "Why We Fight" will realize the HUGE impact of this. Here's a snippet of Eisenhower's brave speech.
"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together."
That's from part 5. Entire text here: http://www.h-net.org/~hst306/documents/indust.html .
Here is short youtube video of speech here. It'll give you shivers. He was so brave: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUXtyIQjubU
But be sure to see "Why We Fight" if you haven't already. I'd put it right up there with "Inside Job" as incredibly informative and well researched and highly watchable (if not RIVOTING).
Please 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
And here's a short video from BBC to inspire you. It gets pretty extraordinary about halfway through: http://youtu.be/lqN3amj6AcE
WE NEED TO BLOCK THE ENTRANCES TO THE CAPITOL USING NON-VIOLENT PEACEFUL DIRECT ACTION.
8 of the 9 justices (all but Thomas) upheld and even encouraged disclosure laws in campaign financing. A federal disclosure act actually flew through the House in the wake of Citizens United but was filibustered in the Senate by a 59-41 vote (Republicans were united in their opposition, Democrats in their support). Just a small correction on an otherwise invaluable demand list!
Occupy USA Four Demands: 1) Stop the Wars, bring all troops back. 2) Abolish the PATRIOT Act. 3) End Corporatism, no more corporate tax breaks and bailouts. 4) End the FED, abolish the private banking cartel, and refuse to pay them any more interest or debt.
THING OTHER THAN WATCH THE BOOB-TUBE!
I agree with everything but #4. The reason is simple. Buffet is a con man. He supported the end of Glass-Steagall. (Does OWS people know that). He lobbied hard for loopholes for the fifthy rich elite, like him, when there was tax reform.
When there is a new tax, trust me Buffet and his cronies will be hidden away, lobbying for loopholes for him, Gates and others. What they are trying so hard to do is give the final death blow to the middle class, which actually creates more jobs than the mega corps. You don't need to be drying up the capital of what is left of the middle class.
Having said that please understand what the General Assembly and #OWS should be discussing that would resolve the problems with the global elite banking cartel:
We need to put JP Morgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, all those banks and investment firms who own the Federal Reserve and engineered this economic crisis through their FRAUDULENT ACTS of using credit default swaps and derivatives, AND BRING A LEGAL ACTION IN NY AND ELSEWHERE THAT PUTS THESE INSTITUTIONS INTO FINANCIAL RECEIVERSHIP, AGAINST THEIR WILL, AND LOCKS DOWN ALL THEIR ASSETS BEFORE THEY CAN GET THEM OUT OF THE COUNTRY.
We need to examine how much of our federal, state and local governments debt is due to the FRAUDULENT ACTIONS OF THESE ENTITIES THROUGH CREDIT DEFAULT SWAPS AND DERIVATIVES and wipe it off the books.
We need to reduce or totally liberate students from all of the federal student loans to help stimulate credit and them going to start businesses, etc.
We need to end the Federal Reserve as we know it. The US Government should take control over it and it not be owned by private banks who give no funds but immediately charge us interest on our money for them to "manage" it. The private Federal Reserve has shown themselves as malfeasants and incompetents as how they engineered this Depression, the Great Depression and many recessions that were caused from how they played with the money supply.
The US government needs to print our own currency in relation to the budget. See the movie the Secret of Oz, which is on You Tube, for a more detailed explanation. This award winning documentary was on PBS.
We need to have a permanent ban from big mega corporations, such as the Bank of America, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, from every having their minions resign from their cushy jobs and go to work in the U.S. Department of Treasury, Presidential appointees, etc. LIkewise Big Pharma and Big Agra should be banned from the FDA and the Dept. of Agriculture. Once someone goes to work for one of these companies, which creates a tremendous conflict of interest, they should forfeit their right to serve in government. We have a large enough population where we do not need corporate whores in government.
(Continued to Part 2)
I think you forgot one of the MOST important demands and that is to END THE FED.
My name is Roger Raffee. I am not anonymous. I propose the formation of a committee with the goal of transforming our political system from monopolistic capitalism to equality driven democratically environmentally sustainable capitalism that requires we take in to account the true social costs of all legislation and regulation. I propose we call our committee "CPR", the "Committee for Progressive Responsibility". Our committee recognizes that our goal is most likely a "lost cause" but this lost cause is the most noble of all lost causes, to save our world and create a better world for our children and our descendents. A liveable world with true justice and equality for all. I propose we attempt to work within our existing political system by petitioning our government to achieve the changes we seek. I propose we begin by circulating a petition to stop all sales of automobiles that are not globally greenhouse safe in each state in the USA. Then we begin circulating other petitions designed to achieve our goal and shake the foundations which this current corrupt system is built upon. Read of my direct experience with some of the blue blood corporate elite who run your internet and your country here: http://gemm-ayudahelper.blogspot.com/2009/10/interview-with-gemm-ceo-roger-raffee.html
Thank you, -Roger Raffee
Please mention Student loans- (At least private loans) should be dischargeable. 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. 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. To all the people that disagree- do you understand that everything else you can buy is bankruptable? A credit card, a fancy vacation, etc.... so, forcing people to pay for something that they can no longer afford is cruel. It is a human rights issue.
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.
-congress & senate should pass the 1/2% increase on the top 1% until the economy improve -congress & senate should pass the President's Job Act -tax all lobbyist 10% for offering a gift and tax congressional officials 10% each for accepting the gift -tax all financial institutions that received a bail out 10% on income gains after receiving the bail out -tax all individuals 10% that received a bonus, from a company that received bail out funds -tax all companies and individuals 10% on income gains who participated in packaging, receiving, grading or trading mortgages that created the economic crisis -allow the Bush tax cuts to expire -extend unemployment until the economy improve -do not decrease Social Security or increase the retirement age
Suggest removing these demands...they only buy in to the corporate media spin that unless there are clear objectives the activists are a bunch of fools. Don't play into that game. Setting up a list of deamnds like these might isolate people from the cause; the cause being REBELLION against social, policial, environmental injustice. This is enough of a cause. Occupy for Wall Street should be for all who are discontented with the ramifications of 'the system'. It must maintain 'post-partisanship' and be a hub for sharing information and different points of view from the various discontented.
I think in order to get results, the demands must be well written and free of personal opinion such as using words such as weird and strange. Demand1. Yes of course the wallstreet criminals need to be punished but in all fairness they can only be prosecuted for the laws that were in place at the time. All with time to sitin front of capital buildings can study and talk and come up with laws to prevent it from happening in the future, and lobby for them and put this as part of demand one.
it is striking that the ecology of our planet is not given any emphasis. The profit machine is destroying the very life support system of our planet. It is destroying the livelihoods of the myriad innocent creatures who bring the life support system into existence. Oppression and injustice are not just destroying humans, they are destroying everything.
COMMON SENSE SOLUTIONS to fix the economy and jobs crisis...
Lower the SS retirement age to 62, early retirement to age 60. Free up middle and upper management and lower positions for younger, healthier, less expensive workers.
Remove the cap on Social Security contributions to pay for new and future retirees.
Limit consumer credit interest rates to 15% max. This will reduce consumer debt and promote consumption without costing taxpayers a cent.
Lower the eligibility age of Medicare to zero. It's an insurance (not a health care) program. Younger, healthier contributors will dramatically drive down cost and increase savings. Employers will be out of the health care business.
Rescind the Bush tax cuts immediately on those making over $250K and increase the rates on those making over $1M+ to Reagan era rates.
Rewrite underwater mortgages by "splitting the difference" between current market value and what is owed, (4% -30 yr. fixed) both parties take a hit, homeowners have incentive to stay and pay and banks are not stuck with vacant, non- performing assets.
Make all educational expenses tax deductible.
Problem solved.
so you are saying that the "1%" paying 40% of the income tax top 10% paying 70% and lower 50% paying no income tax isn't fair enough for you
How am I supposed to take you seriously when in your first demand you can't even cite one case of wall street crime? Other people aren't going to do your homework for you. Wall street and the wealth gap are just symptoms of other, bigger problems like the fed and our monetary system. Also if your main issue is wall street buying politicians shouldn't you be occupying dc? it's all fine and good to have a protest but if you don't even understand the problems how are you going to present any solutions?
Please, add to the list of demands:
The federal government shall relinquish powers which constitutionally belong to the state or to the people. Per the 10th Amendment, powers not granted to the United States were reserved to the States or to the people.
Source: http://www.law.cornell.edu/anncon/html/amdt10_user.html This includes abolishing the federal Department of Education.
Regarding State Sovereignty:
OWS should promote: Declaration of Nullification which reads in part: “…our constitutional contract with the United States of America that the states of that union are as sovereign as foreign states and that they give up only so much of their sovereignty so as to allow for the execution of those powers enumerated and assigned to the federal government in the Constitution.” Source: http://www.dailypaul.com/129468/declaration-of-nullification
Repeal the Real ID Act and ban any form of federal ID. We are each citizens of our respective states.
Protect USA’s national sovereignty by ending the North American Union and NAFTA.
Discover who financed each aspect of the 9/11 attacks.
Discover who had access to nanothermite (high tech explosive material which, in liquid form, can be painted onto a surface and is not volatile while in liquid form making it safe and easy to transport and apply.) Nanothermite chips were found at ground zero and confirmed by several labs. Source: Bentham Science, the Open Chemical Physics Journal http://www.benthamscience.com/open/tocpj/articles/V002/7TOCPJ.htm
Prosecute corporations for human rights violations at home and abroad, such as oil drilling which polluted the Amazon basin, causing childhood leukemia and loss of food sources for the local people. Require that reparations be made to individuals and that the land be cleaned until free of toxins.
Ban patents on life, including genetically modified seeds, natural seeds, and the genetic engineering of humans. Revoke existing patents.
Prosecute Monsanto for claiming (and prosecuting) farmers for illegally growing crops from Monsanto patented seeds when in fact the farmers never planted such seeds nor sought to obtain Monsanto seeds.
Repeal the Military Commissions Act (which deems people as enemy combanants, denying them rights under the Geneva Convention).
Ban the criminalization and intimidation of children who were smuggled across the border. Children cannot be held accountable for the actions of others.
Prosecute actions taken to devalue the American dollar as acts of treason.
End the Federal Reserve and personal income tax (which is an unconstitutional tax).
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!
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!
Someone posted this on my wall and I don't know how to respond. Can anyone help? "How do you define fair share? Secondly, a corporation is not an entity. It is made up of and owned by people. The Supreme Court was giving the corporations the same rights as unions and other groups."
Stop with the lists of demands! We don't need them! What we need is a system that works! The General Assembly works because everybody has their voice heard. Everybody is truly equal. Without a system like that, the rest of this stuff doesn't matter.
Collectively you have got to start putting forth ideas and/or proposals are pointed at the laws, codes, and constitution that may be able to address the concentration of wealth, the need to redemocratize America, and are supportive of keeping the 99% healthier.
I say protest the White House. They are the ones who keep bailing out the fat cats on Wall Street. During the last bailout, how much did any of you protesters get? I didn't get anything. How much did GM get? BILLIONS. Doesn't matter they paid it back, who does the White House keep bailing out. The day 4 million dollars is split between the American people is the day I feel the wealth has been split evenly. Of course the unions are protesting because they already got their bailout. Screw the rest of us. You are all wrong!!! I'm moving my protest to the White House!!!!!!!!!!!!1
I say protest the White House. They are the ones who keep bailing out the fat cats on Wall Street. During the last bailout, how much did any of you protesters get? I didn't get anything. How much did GM get? BILLIONS. Doesn't matter they paid it back, who does the White House keep bailing out. The day 4 million dollars is split between the American people is the day I feel the wealth has been split evenly. Of course the unions are protesting because they already got their bailout. Screw the rest of us. You are all wrong!!! I'm moving my protest to the White House!!!!!!!!!!!!1
If you want to do something REALLY constructive then actually organize yourselves and march on Washington DC and "demand" that Barack Obama surrender the Oval Office. Then lets turn the "Captains" chair over to someone that I believe is genuinely sincere about wanting to "Restore America". The person I am referring to is Ron Paul. I absolutely believe he would put the country well on the road to recovery.
This is NOT Wall Street! Its the manipulators....They control the press, the courts, the Justice Department, Congress, and local police. They line the pockets of politicians to run for office. They stack government with their own people in unelected jobs. In the end, it is not corporate greed, it is the greed of Market Manipulators that are simply a parasite that feed upon the system and anyone who dares to expose them, and they will attack with a vengeance using the police powers of government and label what they say as conspiracy theory to discredit their accusers. Do not be fooled and attack the decoy. If you want reform, know who your enemy truly is! It is not Wall Street. It is the parasites that feed on it.
This is NOT Wall Street! Its the manipulators....They control the press, the courts, the Justice Department, Congress, and local police. They line the pockets of politicians to run for office. They stack government with their own people in unelected jobs. In the end, it is not corporate greed, it is the greed of Market Manipulators that are simply a parasite that feed upon the system and anyone who dares to expose them, and they will attack with a vengeance using the police powers of government and label what they say as conspiracy theory to discredit their accusers. Do not be fooled and attack the decoy. If you want reform, know who your enemy truly is! It is not Wall Street. It is the parasites that feed on it.
"WE NEED TO BLOCK THE ENTRANCES TO THE CAPITOL USING NON-VIOLENT PEACEFUL DIRECT ACTION."
And I would stand with you. As long a non-violent doesn't mean we allow ourselves to be dispersed, beaten, or arrested. It is fine to go with a mindset of nonviolence, but if they send the dogs on you then you have a right to shoot that dog.
End the Fed and stop giving billions of dollars each year to Israel. Look up AIPAC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKEtxWbVE4c
These demands are beyond clueless, and venture into demented. What ARE they thinking?? Regulation didn't work so ... we need MORE of it. There's a REASON why big companies like WalMart support regulation like the minimum wage -- it makes life harder for their competition.
Free markets! Force the big companies out from under their big brother and make them WORK to please us. Capitalism isn't the enemy -- Mercantilism is!
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.
Misguided, Playing into the hands of the Elite. As my friend Sonia said, how can you deal with the Devil and hope for something new? Order out of Chaos, friends, the banksters are "eating this up" and licking their lips with joy. GO AFTER THE FED! and as my friend Frankie G said OCCUPY YOUR HOMES! Occupy the City of London and END THE FED. Stop playing by the rules. Barter/Trade/Grow Gardens/Know your neighbors/Create community/ END ALL student loand debt; stop foreclosures; end the fed. all the other stuff the OWS protesters are doing is playing into the hands of the elites, showing the cops your faces, providing a situation for chaos, (agent provacateurs) and then Boom, Fema camps, Police state and ORDER OUT OF CHAOS. I know you want to do something, but folks, this is naiive.
Misguided, Playing into the hands of the Elite. As my friend Sonia said, how can you deal with the Devil and hope for something new? Order out of Chaos, friends, the banksters are "eating this up" and licking their lips with joy. GO AFTER THE FED! and as my friend Frankie G said OCCUPY YOUR HOMES! Occupy the City of London and END THE FED. Stop playing by the rules. Barter/Trade/Grow Gardens/Know your neighbors/Create community/ END ALL student loand debt; stop foreclosures; end the fed. all the other stuff the OWS protesters are doing is playing into the hands of the elites, showing the cops your faces, providing a situation for chaos, (agent provacateurs) and then Boom, Fema camps, Police state and ORDER OUT OF CHAOS. I know you want to do something, but folks, this is naiive.
Why don't you folks just ask why the 14th amendment doesn't specifically state "Natural" before the word citizen. Ask them what the heck the problem was with Santa Clara county versus Pacific Railroad that fooled us into accepting corporate personhood where a government is present and representative of, by and for the people? A firm grasp on citizenship will guarantee a government representative of, by and for the people. The natural ones. The way our founding fathers left it before corporations hijacked the gift of citizenship. Remove the hoodwink that premises the illusion of right of corporate citizenship and you are free in the persuit of happiness, folks. Until then...well...you're stuck with that growth model that seems to be working so well...
But how do we compete against a massive global system of industry barons and their heirs? The answer is simple; by not supporting their companies. Boycotting is still one of the most powerful forces in the universe, and we the people have it at our disposal. If Helium refused to bond with Hydrogen, then the sun would no longer generate heat. While this may be an extreme example, it is an applicable metaphor for those who feel like overturning the current system is an impossible task. It can be done, and it must be done. If we the people educate ourselves on where the money goes and then respond accordingly, we could shut the system down overnight and demand a massive upheaval. By boycotting companies that we view as detrimental to our society, we will shift the power and political focus from the ultra-rich to us. The right wing republicans that currently call themselves the tea-party are in practice no different, and quite a bit more insane than, the monarchs of Europe during the revolutionary period. They certainly are not the revolutionaries that revolted against England by throwing tea into Boston Harbor, and rather are very much aligned with the elite wealth class of America. We the people can however take the spirit of Boston Harbor for ourselves, and refuse to purchase unnecessary goods and services that perpetuate the madness of our ultra-capitalist economic system. We must boycott the industries that are perpetuating the increasing wealth disparity and pushing us into poverty, and then demand of our government an adoption of Democratic Capitalism as our system of economics.
All this is patchwork:
Please visit the following sites: http://www.democratic-capitalism.com/
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/708507790/protest-to-prosperity-occupy-wall-street-pamphlet
God-damnit GandhiKing listen to me! Listen to me for once in your life! he he (just kidding).
GandhiKing, again, good job. But now I see Anonmous187, Jaster, and ExtremePacifist along with MYSELF and many others asking FOR THE TENTH TIME... if you could please add the following to these demands... the list will be nearly complete: 1) Stop the Wars, bring all troops back home. 2) Abolish the PATRIOT Act. 3) End Corporatism, no more corporate tax breaks and bailouts. 4) End the FED, abolish the private banking cartel, and refuse to pay them any more interest or debt. Thanks! Again, excellent work. :oD
Good job on the demands: Also we need to take money out of politics completely. Sign the "Take Money Out" petition: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dylan-ratigan/get-money-out-join-100000_b_983427.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#sb=911868,b=facebook
Unveil the truth about 401ks. There is no assurance or guarantee of a secure income. There is no limitation on fees. There is no certainty what you will be charged in taxes upon withdrawal. There is no certainty that government can't confiscate this money either directly or indirectly. Unveil the conflict of interest between congress and Wall Street relative to influence on retirement selections. Mandate an FDIC or other insured off Wall Street 401k selection. Make 401k and IRA limits equal, without forcing contributions to a company plan. This is just the beginning.
401ks gouge, preventing retirement savings from growing to levels that provide retirement security. Research shows that pension funds pay 46% less in fees than the average 401k.
One of the first ways that the corporations bled the middle class was by freezing and eliminating pensions. Unfortunately, except for the very well off, there is no substitute that allows a comfortable retirement.
THEY wrote the rules, THEY influenced the rules, THEY control the game. THEY are the ones who created what I call the Wall Street System of Retirement. A 401k is a financial contract with the government. Would you believe me if I told you, that the conventional understanding of retirement was highly developed and promoted by Wall Street? They created the dream and got people to put money there. This history and idea of retirement is a socialist idea.
We can make a million demands, and if the movement lasts long enough we will GET some of them. The question is, will it change anything? There is only ONE thing that will change anything and that is to take control of our Government back. To do that you have to take the money OUT of running for office.
The corporations and ultra rich have power. That power IS money. If you do not let them use it, they LOSE their power. So, we have to insist that it NOT take money to run for Government office. ANYONE should be able to run. The MESSAGE is what is important NOT how much money they have. Right now 80+% of the time the candidate with the most money wins. That has to stop!
Campaign finance reform is what we want! REAL campaign finance reform! If we implement a system that allows any individual to collect say 1000 signatures and gain access to local media, then gain support that would qualify them for State media, then gain support to qualify for Regional media, and finally gain support to qualify for national media, there would be NO MONEY required. ALL forms of media could be REQUIRED to offer equal time to ALL such candidates! The example used here may not be the only way to do this, but it IS an example of how we could structure campaign finance reform that would remove the power of money. That is ALL we should be after.
First, we regain control of our Government, and THEN we address all those other issues. We cannot let them give us anything less than TOTAL Control of campaign finance AND the COMPLETE removal of the need for money to run!
Campaign finance reform is what we want!
"WE NEED TO BLOCK THE ENTRANCES TO THE CAPITOL USING NON-VIOLENT PEACEFUL DIRECT ACTION."
Yes, I think that the occupy movement thus far has done a pretty good job of drumming up spectacle. Now it is time for real action with clear demands. The other occupy events are getting bigger, it is time for our voice to be unified. Where can the 99% find common ground?
I certainly support the 1st demand that you lay out. I also agree with the second and would add language about criminalizing corporate (or even for profit in general) lobbying. There is no reason that for profit organizations should be allowed to pay their way to the ears and minds of our politicians. I also support getting rid of the Fed though that is a much more difficult one for the government to deliver on and it seems harder to define what should happen once the fed is gone. It's also harder for most people to understand. I personally would rally behind removing the Fed, but do not think it would hurt the movement to move forward without it.
I have been talking to people non-stop about the movement. A lot of the people I talk to are reluctant to show up without knowing what the clear demands will be. A lot of people are afraid to align with anarchists and hippies who speak in general anti-government anti-business tones. If we don't get focused our moment will slip away.
Nationalize the Federal Reserve and its assets. Revoke any immunity clause and hold Geithner, Bernanke, Greenspan and others fully accountable. Institute a transition period to restore the U.S. Treasury. Then abolish the Federal Reserve by transferring all of its roles and responsibilities to a publicly oriented U.S. Treasury. Issue silver coins so that money becomes a storehouse of wealth, not just a medium of exchange. Re issue silver backed certificates ... from the U.S. Treasury. Criminalize financial capitalism, because credit is a public utility. Incentivize savings, not debt through more credit. Hold a bonfire of Federal Reserve-issued fiat currency in front of all Federal Reserve banks. ~ PETER HEBERT, author of MORTGAGED AND ARMED (on Amazon.com) and DEATH BY BANKING (coming soon). Info@FreedomHousePress.com
People keep forgetting to demand an end to the Federal Reserve Bank.
I really like this list. It asks for things that are important, but not so radical that mainstream Americans will be put off. I agree with the suspicions about the Buffet Rule. Instead of promoting his version of it, we should promote treating capital gains the same as any other income for those who earn their living through investment.
Or another idea that just occurred to me:
a ballot-initiative-styled process, whereby citizens could:
1) collect enough signatures to hold a vote at the next election on the revocation of the corporate charter of any corporation doing business within their state's borders?
or at least (if an out-of-state corporation couldn't have its charter revoked)...
2) allow citizens to vote to banish an out-of-state corporation from doing business in their state?
Have you thought about calling for the resignation, effective immediately, of all politicians who have accepted Koch money, BoA money, Wells Fargo money, JP Morgan money, etc?
I love a lot of what you say. There are a couple i need to learn more about to comment on properly but one thing that is missing is talk about ending the Federal Reserve, the most important demand that should be on anyones mind. Please have your groups do research on the Federal Reserve.
These demands are missing the core issue, witch is: The people need the right to vote for revoking corporation charters if the corporation acts agents the public interest. Also It NEEDS to be illegal for a corporation or donate or to offer a service to any public servent for any reason. Also it needs to be illegal to make any campaign donation over a certain amount. All donations should be in the public eye and open for all so see.
Also you guys need to pull down the YES MEN video from BBC it makes you guys look naive that you have it on here still
HOW ABOUT REMOVE EVERY POLITICIAN CURRENTLY IN OFFICE...... Let's all look at what Iceland did in 2009!!!!
You mean handcuff all of them. That's what needs to happen.
actually, I am all for that they are all corrupt....if you were caught being a hypocrit they should be arrested for fraud
THING OTHER THAN WATCH THE BOOB-TUBE!
I agree with everything but #4. The reason is simple. Buffet is a con man. He supported the end of Glass-Steagall. (Does OWS people know that). He lobbied hard for loopholes for the fifthy rich elite, like him, when there was tax reform.
When there is a new tax, trust me Buffet and his cronies will be hidden away, lobbying for loopholes for him, Gates and others. What they are trying so hard to do is give the final death blow to the middle class, which actually creates more jobs than the mega corps. You don't need to be drying up the capital of what is left of the middle class.
Having said that please understand what the General Assembly and #OWS should be discussing that would resolve the problems with the global elite banking cartel:
We need to put JP Morgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, all those banks and investment firms who own the Federal Reserve and engineered this economic crisis through their FRAUDULENT ACTS of using credit default swaps and derivatives, AND BRING A LEGAL ACTION IN NY AND ELSEWHERE THAT PUTS THESE INSTITUTIONS INTO FINANCIAL RECEIVERSHIP, AGAINST THEIR WILL, AND LOCKS DOWN ALL THEIR ASSETS BEFORE THEY CAN GET THEM OUT OF THE COUNTRY.
We need to examine how much of our federal, state and local governments debt is due to the FRAUDULENT ACTIONS OF THESE ENTITIES THROUGH CREDIT DEFAULT SWAPS AND DERIVATIVES and wipe it off the books.
We need to reduce or totally liberate students from all of the federal student loans to help stimulate credit and them going to start businesses, etc.
We need to end the Federal Reserve as we know it. The US Government should take control over it and it not be owned by private banks who give no funds but immediately charge us interest on our money for them to "manage" it. The private Federal Reserve has shown themselves as malfeasants and incompetents as how they engineered this Depression, the Great Depression and many recessions that were caused from how they played with the money supply.
The US government needs to print our own currency in relation to the budget. See the movie the Secret of Oz, which is on You Tube, for a more detailed explanation. This award winning documentary was on PBS.
We need to have a permanent ban from big mega corporations, such as the Bank of America, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, from every having their minions resign from their cushy jobs and go to work in the U.S. Department of Treasury, Presidential appointees, etc. LIkewise Big Pharma and Big Agra should be banned from the FDA and the Dept. of Agriculture. Once someone goes to work for one of these companies, which creates a tremendous conflict of interest, they should forfeit their right to serve in government. We have a large enough population where we do not need corporate whores in government.
(Continued to Part 2)
THING OTHER THAN WATCH THE BOOB-TUBE!
I agree with everything but #4. The reason is simple. Buffet is a con man. He supported the end of Glass-Steagall. (Does OWS people know that). He lobbied hard for loopholes for the fifthy rich elite, like him, when there was tax reform.
When there is a new tax, trust me Buffet and his cronies will be hidden away, lobbying for loopholes for him, Gates and others. What they are trying so hard to do is give the final death blow to the middle class, which actually creates more jobs than the mega corps. You don't need to be drying up the capital of what is left of the middle class.
Having said that please understand what the General Assembly and #OWS should be discussing that would resolve the problems with the global elite banking cartel:
We need to put JP Morgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, all those banks and investment firms who own the Federal Reserve and engineered this economic crisis through their FRAUDULENT ACTS of using credit default swaps and derivatives, AND BRING A LEGAL ACTION IN NY AND ELSEWHERE THAT PUTS THESE INSTITUTIONS INTO FINANCIAL RECEIVERSHIP, AGAINST THEIR WILL, AND LOCKS DOWN ALL THEIR ASSETS BEFORE THEY CAN GET THEM OUT OF THE COUNTRY.
We need to examine how much of our federal, state and local governments debt is due to the FRAUDULENT ACTIONS OF THESE ENTITIES THROUGH CREDIT DEFAULT SWAPS AND DERIVATIVES and wipe it off the books.
We need to reduce or totally liberate students from all of the federal student loans to help stimulate credit and them going to start businesses, etc.
We need to end the Federal Reserve as we know it. The US Government should take control over it and it not be owned by private banks who give no funds but immediately charge us interest on our money for them to "manage" it. The private Federal Reserve has shown themselves as malfeasants and incompetents as how they engineered this Depression, the Great Depression and many recessions that were caused from how they played with the money supply.
The US government needs to print our own currency in relation to the budget. See the movie the Secret of Oz, which is on You Tube, for a more detailed explanation. This award winning documentary was on PBS.
We need to have a permanent ban from big mega corporations, such as the Bank of America, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, from every having their minions resign from their cushy jobs and go to work in the U.S. Department of Treasury, Presidential appointees, etc. LIkewise Big Pharma and Big Agra should be banned from the FDA and the Dept. of Agriculture. Once someone goes to work for one of these companies, which creates a tremendous conflict of interest, they should forfeit their right to serve in government. We have a large enough population where we do not need corporate whores in government.
I could go on. But if you run this by #OWS you'll find many of you will agree. You have to be careful when you argue for taxes on corporations because the substantial number of corporations that exist in this country really are Subchapter S type corporations. Maybe you should target this tax on PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANIES if you want a tax. You need to see how this all could turn on you by eliminating the small business owner.
The reason that people like Buffet and the other elite want that tax is to eliminate more competition.
Think about it, WHEN YOU ARE SINGING THE SAME TUNE AS THE ELITE THEN THAT SHOULD TELL YOU THAT YOU NEED TO DIG FURTHER. I'm a life long Democrat, and it turns my stomach to no end, that Barry Obama is doing the bidding on the Wall Street military industrial complex and banks who want to see us occupy and kill innocent people.
Obama is there front man. Ask yourself if Bush was still in power or Obama was white, don't you think we'd have strong bashlash and demonstrations over Kenya? After all we are allowing our CIA funded Al Quaida to go into Libya and lynch black Africans and black Libyans? No, Obama is the one they chose to do this because they planned to expliot his race. What is so tragic is that Barack Obama does not "get it" he's being used for evil. Instead, he revels on killing people with drones without an arrest warrant or a constitutional trial.
I don't like Al Quaida either, in fact, they're disspicable scum of the earth. But when we forget to give people legitimate trials, act within the frame of our Constitution, are we not just as disspicable?
Think this through.
THING OTHER THAN WATCH THE BOOB-TUBE!
I agree with everything but #4. The reason is simple. Buffet is a con man. He supported the end of Glass-Steagall. (Does OWS people know that). He lobbied hard for loopholes for the fifthy rich elite, like him, when there was tax reform.
When there is a new tax, trust me Buffet and his cronies will be hidden away, lobbying for loopholes for him, Gates and others. What they are trying so hard to do is give the final death blow to the middle class, which actually creates more jobs than the mega corps. You don't need to be drying up the capital of what is left of the middle class.
Having said that please understand what the General Assembly and #OWS should be discussing that would resolve the problems with the global elite banking cartel:
We need to put JP Morgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, all those banks and investment firms who own the Federal Reserve and engineered this economic crisis through their FRAUDULENT ACTS of using credit default swaps and derivatives, AND BRING A LEGAL ACTION IN NY AND ELSEWHERE THAT PUTS THESE INSTITUTIONS INTO FINANCIAL RECEIVERSHIP, AGAINST THEIR WILL, AND LOCKS DOWN ALL THEIR ASSETS BEFORE THEY CAN GET THEM OUT OF THE COUNTRY.
We need to examine how much of our federal, state and local governments debt is due to the FRAUDULENT ACTIONS OF THESE ENTITIES THROUGH CREDIT DEFAULT SWAPS AND DERIVATIVES and wipe it off the books.
We need to reduce or totally liberate students from all of the federal student loans to help stimulate credit and them going to start businesses, etc.
We need to end the Federal Reserve as we know it. The US Government should take control over it and it not be owned by private banks who give no funds but immediately charge us interest on our money for them to "manage" it. The private Federal Reserve has shown themselves as malfeasants and incompetents as how they engineered this Depression, the Great Depression and many recessions that were caused from how they played with the money supply.
The US government needs to print our own currency in relation to the budget. See the movie the Secret of Oz, which is on You Tube, for a more detailed explanation. This award winning documentary was on PBS.
We need to have a permanent ban from big mega corporations, such as the Bank of America, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, from every having their minions resign from their cushy jobs and go to work in the U.S. Department of Treasury, Presidential appointees, etc. LIkewise Big Pharma and Big Agra should be banned from the FDA and the Dept. of Agriculture. Once someone goes to work for one of these companies, which creates a tremendous conflict of interest, they should forfeit their right to serve in government. We have a large enough population where we do not need corporate whores in government.
I could go on. But if you run this by #OWS you'll find many of you will agree. You have to be careful when you argue for taxes on corporations because the substantial number of corporations that exist in this country really are Subchapter S type corporations. Maybe you should target this tax on PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANIES if you want a tax. You need to see how this all could turn on you by eliminating the small business owner.
The reason that people like Buffet and the other elite want that tax is to eliminate more competition.
Think about it, WHEN YOU ARE SINGING THE SAME TUNE AS THE ELITE THEN THAT SHOULD TELL YOU THAT YOU NEED TO DIG FURTHER. I'm a life long Democrat, and it turns my stomach to no end, that Barry Obama is doing the bidding on the Wall Street military industrial complex and banks who want to see us occupy and kill innocent people.
Obama is there front man. Ask yourself if Bush was still in power or Obama was white, don't you think we'd have strong bashlash and demonstrations over Kenya? After all we are allowing our CIA funded Al Quaida to go into Libya and lynch black Africans and black Libyans? No, Obama is the one they chose to do this because they planned to expliot his race. What is so tragic is that Barack Obama does not "get it" he's being used for evil. Instead, he revels on killing people with drones without an arrest warrant or a constitutional trial.
I don't like Al Quaida either, in fact, they're disspicable scum of the earth. But when we forget to give people legitimate trials, act within the frame of our Constitution, are we not just as disspicable?
Think this through.
THING OTHER THAN WATCH THE BOOB-TUBE!
I agree with everything but #4. The reason is simple. Buffet is a con man. He supported the end of Glass-Steagall. (Does OWS people know that). He lobbied hard for loopholes for the fifthy rich elite, like him, when there was tax reform.
When there is a new tax, trust me Buffet and his cronies will be hidden away, lobbying for loopholes for him, Gates and others. What they are trying so hard to do is give the final death blow to the middle class, which actually creates more jobs than the mega corps. You don't need to be drying up the capital of what is left of the middle class.
Having said that please understand what the General Assembly and #OWS should be discussing that would resolve the problems with the global elite banking cartel:
We need to put JP Morgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, all those banks and investment firms who own the Federal Reserve and engineered this economic crisis through their FRAUDULENT ACTS of using credit default swaps and derivatives, AND BRING A LEGAL ACTION IN NY AND ELSEWHERE THAT PUTS THESE INSTITUTIONS INTO FINANCIAL RECEIVERSHIP, AGAINST THEIR WILL, AND LOCKS DOWN ALL THEIR ASSETS BEFORE THEY CAN GET THEM OUT OF THE COUNTRY.
We need to examine how much of our federal, state and local governments debt is due to the FRAUDULENT ACTIONS OF THESE ENTITIES THROUGH CREDIT DEFAULT SWAPS AND DERIVATIVES and wipe it off the books.
We need to reduce or totally liberate students from all of the federal student loans to help stimulate credit and them going to start businesses, etc.
We need to end the Federal Reserve as we know it. The US Government should take control over it and it not be owned by private banks who give no funds but immediately charge us interest on our money for them to "manage" it. The private Federal Reserve has shown themselves as malfeasants and incompetents as how they engineered this Depression, the Great Depression and many recessions that were caused from how they played with the money supply.
The US government needs to print our own currency in relation to the budget. See the movie the Secret of Oz, which is on You Tube, for a more detailed explanation. This award winning documentary was on PBS.
We need to have a permanent ban from big mega corporations, such as the Bank of America, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, from every having their minions resign from their cushy jobs and go to work in the U.S. Department of Treasury, Presidential appointees, etc. LIkewise Big Pharma and Big Agra should be banned from the FDA and the Dept. of Agriculture. Once someone goes to work for one of these companies, which creates a tremendous conflict of interest, they should forfeit their right to serve in government. We have a large enough population where we do not need corporate whores in government.
I could go on. But if you run this by #OWS you'll find many of you will agree. You have to be careful when you argue for taxes on corporations because the substantial number of corporations that exist in this country really are Subchapter S type corporations. Maybe you should target this tax on PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANIES if you want a tax. You need to see how this all could turn on you by eliminating the small business owner.
The reason that people like Buffet and the other elite want that tax is to eliminate more competition.
Think about it, WHEN YOU ARE SINGING THE SAME TUNE AS THE ELITE THEN THAT SHOULD TELL YOU THAT YOU NEED TO DIG FURTHER. I'm a life long Democrat, and it turns my stomach to no end, that Barry Obama is doing the bidding on the Wall Street military industrial complex and banks who want to see us occupy and kill innocent people.
Obama is there front man. Ask yourself if Bush was still in power or Obama was white, don't you think we'd have strong bashlash and demonstrations over Kenya? After all we are allowing our CIA funded Al Quaida to go into Libya and lynch black Africans and black Libyans? No, Obama is the one they chose to do this because they planned to expliot his race. What is so tragic is that Barack Obama does not "get it" he's being used for evil. Instead, he revels on killing people with drones without an arrest warrant or a constitutional trial.
I don't like Al Quaida either, in fact, they're disspicable scum of the earth. But when we forget to give people legitimate trials, act within the frame of our Constitution, are we not just as disspicable?
Think this through.
Hang in there!
THING OTHER THAN WATCH THE BOOB-TUBE!
I agree with everything but #4. The reason is simple. Buffet is a con man. He supported the end of Glass-Steagall. (Does OWS people know that). He lobbied hard for loopholes for the fifthy rich elite, like him, when there was tax reform.
When there is a new tax, trust me Buffet and his cronies will be hidden away, lobbying for loopholes for him, Gates and others. What they are trying so hard to do is give the final death blow to the middle class, which actually creates more jobs than the mega corps. You don't need to be drying up the capital of what is left of the middle class.
Having said that please understand what the General Assembly and #OWS should be discussing that would resolve the problems with the global elite banking cartel:
We need to put JP Morgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, all those banks and investment firms who own the Federal Reserve and engineered this economic crisis through their FRAUDULENT ACTS of using credit default swaps and derivatives, AND BRING A LEGAL ACTION IN NY AND ELSEWHERE THAT PUTS THESE INSTITUTIONS INTO FINANCIAL RECEIVERSHIP, AGAINST THEIR WILL, AND LOCKS DOWN ALL THEIR ASSETS BEFORE THEY CAN GET THEM OUT OF THE COUNTRY.
We need to examine how much of our federal, state and local governments debt is due to the FRAUDULENT ACTIONS OF THESE ENTITIES THROUGH CREDIT DEFAULT SWAPS AND DERIVATIVES and wipe it off the books.
We need to reduce or totally liberate students from all of the federal student loans to help stimulate credit and them going to start businesses, etc.
We need to end the Federal Reserve as we know it. The US Government should take control over it and it not be owned by private banks who give no funds but immediately charge us interest on our money for them to "manage" it. The private Federal Reserve has shown themselves as malfeasants and incompetents as how they engineered this Depression, the Great Depression and many recessions that were caused from how they played with the money supply.
The US government needs to print our own currency in relation to the budget. See the movie the Secret of Oz, which is on You Tube, for a more detailed explanation. This award winning documentary was on PBS.
We need to have a permanent ban from big mega corporations, such as the Bank of America, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, from every having their minions resign from their cushy jobs and go to work in the U.S. Department of Treasury, Presidential appointees, etc. LIkewise Big Pharma and Big Agra should be banned from the FDA and the Dept. of Agriculture. Once someone goes to work for one of these companies, which creates a tremendous conflict of interest, they should forfeit their right to serve in government. We have a large enough population where we do not need corporate whores in government.
I could go on. But if you run this by #OWS you'll find many of you will agree. You have to be careful when you argue for taxes on corporations because the substantial number of corporations that exist in this country really are Subchapter S type corporations. Maybe you should target this tax on PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANIES if you want a tax. You need to see how this all could turn on you by eliminating the small business owner.
The reason that people like Buffet and the other elite want that tax is to eliminate more competition.
Think about it, WHEN YOU ARE SINGING THE SAME TUNE AS THE ELITE THEN THAT SHOULD TELL YOU THAT YOU NEED TO DIG FURTHER. I'm a life long Democrat, and it turns my stomach to no end, that Barry Obama is doing the bidding on the Wall Street military industrial complex and banks who want to see us occupy and kill innocent people.
Obama is there front man. Ask yourself if Bush was still in power or Obama was white, don't you think we'd have strong bashlash and demonstrations over Kenya? After all we are allowing our CIA funded Al Quaida to go into Libya and lynch black Africans and black Libyans? No, Obama is the one they chose to do this because they planned to expliot his race. What is so tragic is that Barack Obama does not "get it" he's being used for evil. Instead, he revels on killing people with drones without an arrest warrant or a constitutional trial.
I don't like Al Quaida either, in fact, they're disspicable scum of the earth. But when we forget to give people legitimate trials, act within the frame of our Constitution, are we not just as disspicable?
Think this through.
Hang in there!
THING OTHER THAN WATCH THE BOOB-TUBE!
I agree with everything but #4. The reason is simple. Buffet is a con man. He supported the end of Glass-Steagall. (Does OWS people know that). He lobbied hard for loopholes for the fifthy rich elite, like him, when there was tax reform.
When there is a new tax, trust me Buffet and his cronies will be hidden away, lobbying for loopholes for him, Gates and others. What they are trying so hard to do is give the final death blow to the middle class, which actually creates more jobs than the mega corps. You don't need to be drying up the capital of what is left of the middle class.
Having said that please understand what the General Assembly and #OWS should be discussing that would resolve the problems with the global elite banking cartel:
We need to put JP Morgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, all those banks and investment firms who own the Federal Reserve and engineered this economic crisis through their FRAUDULENT ACTS of using credit default swaps and derivatives, AND BRING A LEGAL ACTION IN NY AND ELSEWHERE THAT PUTS THESE INSTITUTIONS INTO FINANCIAL RECEIVERSHIP, AGAINST THEIR WILL, AND LOCKS DOWN ALL THEIR ASSETS BEFORE THEY CAN GET THEM OUT OF THE COUNTRY.
We need to examine how much of our federal, state and local governments debt is due to the FRAUDULENT ACTIONS OF THESE ENTITIES THROUGH CREDIT DEFAULT SWAPS AND DERIVATIVES and wipe it off the books.
We need to reduce or totally liberate students from all of the federal student loans to help stimulate credit and them going to start businesses, etc.
We need to end the Federal Reserve as we know it. The US Government should take control over it and it not be owned by private banks who give no funds but immediately charge us interest on our money for them to "manage" it. The private Federal Reserve has shown themselves as malfeasants and incompetents as how they engineered this Depression, the Great Depression and many recessions that were caused from how they played with the money supply.
The US government needs to print our own currency in relation to the budget. See the movie the Secret of Oz, which is on You Tube, for a more detailed explanation. This award winning documentary was on PBS.
We need to have a permanent ban from big mega corporations, such as the Bank of America, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, from every having their minions resign from their cushy jobs and go to work in the U.S. Department of Treasury, Presidential appointees, etc. LIkewise Big Pharma and Big Agra should be banned from the FDA and the Dept. of Agriculture. Once someone goes to work for one of these companies, which creates a tremendous conflict of interest, they should forfeit their right to serve in government. We have a large enough population where we do not need corporate whores in government.
I could go on. But if you run this by #OWS you'll find many of you will agree. You have to be careful when you argue for taxes on corporations because the substantial number of corporations that exist in this country really are Subchapter S type corporations. Maybe you should target this tax on PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANIES if you want a tax. You need to see how this all could turn on you by eliminating the small business owner.
The reason that people like Buffet and the other elite want that tax is to eliminate more competition.
Think about it, WHEN YOU ARE SINGING THE SAME TUNE AS THE ELITE THEN THAT SHOULD TELL YOU THAT YOU NEED TO DIG FURTHER. I'm a life long Democrat, and it turns my stomach to no end, that Barry Obama is doing the bidding on the Wall Street military industrial complex and banks who want to see us occupy and kill innocent people.
Obama is there front man. Ask yourself if Bush was still in power or Obama was white, don't you think we'd have strong bashlash and demonstrations over Kenya? After all we are allowing our CIA funded Al Quaida to go into Libya and lynch black Africans and black Libyans? No, Obama is the one they chose to do this because they planned to expliot his race. What is so tragic is that Barack Obama does not "get it" he's being used for evil. Instead, he revels on killing people with drones without an arrest warrant or a constitutional trial.
I don't like Al Quaida either, in fact, they're disspicable scum of the earth. But when we forget to give people legitimate trials, act within the frame of our Constitution, are we not just as disspicable?
Think this through.
Hang in there!
Can I suggest something that could act as a One Demand (since people keep asking for that)? CHANGE THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM. If America gets one of proportional representation (we in New Zealand have MMP, which functions okay- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed-member_proportional_representation), progress could be made towards hiring a government who actually represents the people, rather than the elected dictatorship America has at the moment. The system is deeply broken and long overdue for reform.
Ummmmm, yeah, why isn't abolishing the Federal Reserve on that list? Perhaps at number one.
Whoever drew up this list just understands basic economics and doesn't understand the hidden hand in all of this, which is the Fed. A bunch of private unnamed people fund the Fed, and control the printing presses of debt-backed money that perpetually lower our standard of living by printing more money. To me that's more important than correcting the Goldman-Sachs and any other commercial, or investment bank.
The Federal Reserve basically gives Wall Street, and the City of London the power to control the economy of the United States. That should be #1 dumb asses.
Instead, it seems your trying to bash capitalism, while ignoring the root of many problems, the Fed. Sounds like the Obama-Buffet Marxist swindle.
The real problems are not the millionaires, or even some billionaires. But the few trillionaire families that have accumulated their family wealth for generations, and now have vast amounts of wealth through stealth.. The real power behind the scenes will never be brought to justice, but you may get lucky and see a few billionaires behind bars at 'club fed'.
"Let me issue and control a Nation's money and I care not who makes its laws"
That is where the root of the problems lie, in families like that.
I thought we had no specific demands.
BUFFETT RULE IS SELF NEGATING! #4 WILL NOT HELP- it's like putting money from their right pocket into the left, it makes NO SENSE!
The whole idea of income tax is asinine. Direct tax must be equal and apportioned according to our Constitution. The only way a person pays his/her "fair share" is through a consumption tax. Our Founding Fathers understood and spoke to this matter as well.
The wealthy CONSUME more than the poor. They buy the "best" and spend more on travel, etc. If our federal government levied a consumption tax, then the wealthy would pay more and the poor would pay less. We have been brain washed into believing an income tax is necessary and/or just. Our income tax pays the interest that the Federal Reserve Bank racks up.
End the Fed; abolish the IRS; shrink the federal government, and institute a consumption tax (with no loopholes or "rebates") to run the nation. Let the states take care of their own citizens, and let's save this Republic.
Right now I can think of the following things... Dissolve the electoral college that actually has final say-so on electing the president, we count all votes why not go by them? Decrease the weapons budget and alot it to education which would increase grant money to give to students and schools. Criminalize lobbying, since lobbyists are the ones sent to bribe and badger elected officials into taking their side. They're given "all expenses paid" trips on behalf of corporations to "look the other way" or pass/deny laws in their favor. Subsidize or give larger grants to organic farms and lower the over production of corn. Give tax cuts to businesses that bring their product production BACK to the United States, since those ones are trying to create jobs. And can there be punishment to the House and Senate for taking so long to work TOGETHER to pass the budgets?
How about "STOP FORECLOSURES. ALLOW HOMEOWNERS TO RENEGOTIATE MANAGEABLE PAYMENT PLANS" People are being driven from their homes largely as a result of the mortgage crisis created by the repeal of the Glass–Steagall Act (see #3 above).
Also "ESTABLISH A MAXIMUM RATIO BETWEEN THE HIGHEST AND LOWEST SALARIES OF CORPORATE EMPLOYEES" According to the Washington-based Institute for Policy Studies "The national ratio for CEO-to-worker pay grew 20 percent from last year to hit a whopping 325 to 1."
And "TAX CAPITAL GAINS AT THE SAME LEVEL AS EARNED INCOME" See http://faireconomy.org/wealth_vs_work
The tax code needs to be reformed for sure. But more thought needs to go into getting it right.
Student debt needs to be on the list of demands. Look at the pictures on the Tumblr page (We are the 99%) of all those people financially crippled for committing the crime of going to college!
my wishlist--- 1-End the Patriot Act
2-Get rid of TSA X RAY Machines and groping in airports, fire execs.
3-Clean up the FDA & the EPA
4-End capitol punishment
5-Free Bradley Manning and pay him, give him free college
6-Hire Julian Assange as a consultant. Wikileaks is the best thing that ever happened to Democracy.
7-declare amnesty for student debts over $10,000
8-Make free medical schools to bring down healthcare costs.
9-Make some green jobs in every state. Make corporations contribute.
How about a cap on insurance companies' and big pharma prices?
Here are a couple of suggestions:
Health care reform? Rising Costs of Colleges and higher interest on student loans? Unemployment Levels and work being sent off to other countries where they can pay less for labor? Pulling our military out of all other countries, start acting like a Country not an Empire?
You're list so far is great, very detailed, but reading the signs in videos and pictures I've seen the things listed above are also concerns from folks there.
It's not so simple as just telling the government to "make college cheaper." You need specific action items. Nobody on Wall Street or in Washington can just make the decision and say "ok, college will be cheaper now." Same goes for your other points. The only one that the government could just up and decide to do would to pull back out troops, but that doesn't really fit in with Occupy Wall Street's purpose of fighting corporate greed.
They need to push debt derivatives onto the exchange (open) market.
what happened to the federal reserve? and to use of natural resources???
There also needs to be more regulation in commodity trading. Basically, in the 90's and/or early 2000's (I don't remember exactly when) a bunch of trading companies where granted status as "hedgers" which allowed them to trade in commodity futures and force prices to constantly increase, REGARDLESS of supply and demand.
There is a very good article I read on it some time ago, but for now all I can find is this, which is also a good article but not as good as the one I read before: http://davefactor.blogspot.com/2011/03/so-why-is-gas-really-so-expensive.html
I'll keep looking for the other article.
UPDATE: Here it is. The author took down the page, but listed his sources. I liked his explanation better, but the sources are worth a read.
How Goldman Sachs Created the Food Crisis
I know I am late, but you forgot one: TERM LIMITS ON THE SUPREME COURT. Minimize it to 12 years, or four presidential terms. We have had a Supreme Court whose membership stayed almost unchanged from Reagan to Bush Jr. , and so its ability to adapt to change remained stagnant for decades. The life term enables political parties to have an unhealthy influence on the makeup of a court because, although a judge is in theory meant to be impartial, he owes his appointment to a specific President in a particular party (and his judicial record was chosen as it aligns with the aims of the party.) Otherwise, it is notable that there are no rules governing campaign contributions of Supreme Court judges.
I have no idea who you are GandhiKing... but you are the only one making sense here. Taking your demands to Washington D.C. is the only answer. It is the only thing that will work. It is the only thing that has ever worked. And I like your 'first draft' of demands. Wall Street occupation will only piss off the community of NYC. Take your demands to Washington D.C.; and THEN things will really start to happen with this movement.
People,
You need to understand that Rule#4 Buffet rule is not the fair share. Every individual works for 8 hrs a day. A teacher who earns 100$ a day works harder than a CEO who earns 30,000$ a day. Now a tax of 30% on both is unfair. There should be no tax on the teacher and the CEO should pay 90% tax above 5000$ a day no less. Here's why, CEO's taxes are low, his take home pay is higher. He will not keep money in savings/checking account but invest in commodities like Crude, Copper, Corn, Soya and creates artificial demand in the market. Because of his artificial demand, everybody else has to pay higher price at the pump, grocery store. In case, he loses money on his investments, he might take more risks at his company to bring additional revenue and hence higher salary for himself. Greed is only active among wealthy. We need to curtail greed, otherwise it's the end of human civilization.
http://littleg-ideas.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-to-curtail-greed-in-democracy.html
We can change the constitution if we want to. Like for example, there should be no trial no case without JURY. It is undemocratic to have any trial without diverse jury. For ex., judges affiliated to a political ideology will abuse the powers once they hold the power in their hands.
Just calling it a clear and specific list doesn't mean it's actually clear or specific. A lot of this is pretty general. Do you have any idea HOW to go about getting any of these things done? And again, in Citizens United the Supreme court upheld the disclosure provisions, so most of what you say in number 2 is false.
I guess your definition of clear and specific is different than mine. At the top I wrote "feel free to add or edit". So ..... feel free.
I think I was about as specific as you can get online about tactics. Please read the post again and I think you'll agree. Citing civil non-resistance benefits and finishing with "We need to block the entrances to the capitol using non-violent peaceful direct action." Do you want me to specify the length of the zip ties we should use to band together in human chains?
I'm confused because you're here and interested but your approach is sort of non-participatory and dismissive. Jump in any time.