Forum Post: Suggestions for Focus
Posted 12 years ago on Oct. 4, 2011, 12:55 p.m. EST by slewis
(7)
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Your effort is inspirational. Please do everything you can to continue. Many of us will support you as much as we can.
I have two thoughts/suggestions for a request/demand focus for Occupy Wall Street:
1) Eliminate corporate personhood 2) Public financing of elections
These are things that can actually be done, are/would be widely supported, and are focused on removing the influence of corporate power on our political process. In my opinion, these changes need to occur in our system of doing politics, before public-focused policies can actually be introduced.
Thanks again for your efforts, and for listening. There are many people behind you.
END the FED.
NONE of this stuff is going to help unless we change the fact that we have been duped into using funny money (i.e., fiat currency backed by NOTHING)
They WILL hyperinflate us into the gutter in order to default on the debt by printing it away.
Hi mgiddin1. I'm sympathetic with your point, but I think that for this moment it's ambitious. It is one of many things that need restructuring IMHO, but first I think the political system needs to be made (more) responsive to people's needs...and reducing the influence of corp money on politics (ending corp personhood, public financing of elections) I think are doable right away.
You could be right. Even if Ron Paul were president, he wouldn't be able to abolish the Fed right away.
However remember that until we have sound money, the populace will be slaves to the government and the Federal Reserve (which ofcourse is neither Federal nor does it have any reserves)
We need to focus on things like this that will make the system fair again, then we can become a political party and use the system as it was intended in order to fight for what we want.
Hi anonymous...I agree completely with you...get the political system working for people again (instead of corporations) and many other things will follow (e.g. alternative parties, changes to tax structure, etc). I think that that's the key (fairness in the system, rather than everything being rigged by control of $$).
Term Limits in place of campaign finance reform and I'm with you. Wall Street's support of the major parties and major candidates sets up an imbalance of power that is prone to abuse. Remove lifetime-party (Wall Street) politicians and it will be harder for a single power base like Wall Street to railroad the people. No more lifetime politicians will yield more team-spirited public servants who serve their time then move on. Serving in congress will be more like serving as an enlisted soldier than the present lifetime of glory and power that serves Wall Street's agenda.
Hi Williamforstrength, Thanks for the comments. I don't think that term limits is likely to be as effective as true election financing reform (e.g. public financing only for all election costs)...but of course that's open to debate and other points of view. I agree that careerism in politics is a huge problem, but I think that if the elections process were to really work (which it doesn't now)...I suspect that careerism would be less of a problem.
We must use the ballot box to effect rational change. When a rational Term-Limits model is adopted, along with a rational Tax Code, the 99% will take control of our democracy. This can be done through a third party or through adoption of the models by the current paties (fat chance!). WWW.SOPHOCRACY.COM is a good point of departure. Send link to all you know so that the movement will have coherence and a stated mission. We must effect change like grownups if we want to be taken seriously.
Flat Tax and Term Limits. I'm in.
Check the link after the edit mark on this page for a working list of goals http://occupywallst.org/forum/first-official-release-from-occupy-wall-street/
and this Warning from the original Tea Party before it got hijacked http://occupywallst.org/forum/an-open-letter-and-warning-from-a-former-tea-party/
Thanks revg33k. I browsed through and will contribute. I think the list of facts and grievances can/could be followed up with a list of possible/desired/required remedies...and I would encourage a including removing corporate control of our political process (e.g. ending corp personhood, which increases their control...i.e. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5kHACjrdEY ...and by fixing this arcane and money-driven process of selecting representatives.
As I said, visit WWW.SOPHOCRACY.COM for a FOCUS.
Hi JeffKnox. Thanks for the link. Although I agree with the overall goal (increase faith/trust in political process) ...I think their can/could be a number of fixes. I happen to think that reducing the influence of corporate money (by ending corp personhood, and is likely to be more important/effective at doing that than tax reform (which I agree is needed as well), or term limits (if the election process actually works for people, then term limits follow IMHO).