Forum Post: The Top 10 Things OWS should be doing...
Posted 12 years ago on Nov. 22, 2011, 12:56 p.m. EST by newearthorder
(295)
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Put pressure on the justice department to actually have an investigation into the fraud that caused the financial crisis and required us to bail-out the banks and financial institutions. Then, make sure they know it will never happen again.
Find every individual in every bank who gamed the system and made 'liar loans' for people who had no business buying a home, and if the evidence is sufficient, file charges against them for fraud. Anyone who would think about doing that again would think twice. If there is no punishment no one will have the incentive to stop doing it.
Make an amendment to Dodd-Frank that says no bonuses will be allowed to the executive officers of any corporation within 7 years of filing for government bankruptcy protection.
Freeze all student loans until unemployment is less than 6% for at least 3 quarters in a row. If it goes above 7%, freeze it again. (All student loan debt could have been paid off if we had gotten out of Iraq just 5 months sooner.
Put the tax rates back to the way it was when Ronald Reagan took office. It seems like conservatives would get behind that. It would make the top rate 70% of everything over (about) $370,000 a year.
Make banks and financial institutions show a completely transparent and real-time minute by minute spread sheet, accessible by anyone, that shows the institution's balance sheets, cash on hand, debt they are carrying, how many loans they are holding and have sold and the value of all that debt. (Analysts would easily be able to tell if an institution was going down a path that would show the possibility of failure and fraud.)
Get all the money out of politics. I mean, ALL the money. All campaigns would be financed 100% by the American people. No one would be allowed to accept any donations from anyone, or even use their own money. In this way the people would own the politicians instead of what ever corporation or special interest group can shovel into their coffers.
When you work for the people you will accept no money or favors from any lobbyist or special interest, or anyone, for that matter. If we pay you $170,000 a year that better be the only number on your IRS tax form. You are there to SERVE the people, not line your pockets with dirty cash.
Raise the minimum wage. Any American who is willing to work 40 hours a week should be able to put a roof over his head, pay some basic utilities, and buy some health groceries. It should be enough that we will eliminate the 'working poor'. If you have a full-time job you will be ok.
Let's solve at least one problem, homelessness. I propose we start a national lottery program where ALL of the profits go to getting all homeless people off the streets and help them get the treatment and housing they need.
It's a good list. I'd suggest a few revisions, but I like it as a whole:
5 might be practical politically because Republicans would have some cover in going for Reagan-era taxes. Unfortunately, we ran huge deficits under those tax breaks. Under the Clinton-era tax breaks we ran a surplus budget all the way until the Bush Tax Cuts. So, I'd advocate a stronger push for simply letting all the Bush Tax Cuts end. (For more on that, see: http://thegreatrecession.info/blog/2011/11/bushwhacked-by-the-bush-tax-cuts-for-the-rich )
6 is probably not doable because banks would be opening everything to their competitors. What we've lacked is a Federal Reserve that faithfully policed those balance sheets and the regulations we once had to assure those balance sheets were solid.
7 is a fantastic idea.
8 is not doable because people enter political office with income streams that will continue whether they do anything or not, and you cannot expect them to just give all of that away.
Keep talking it up. The benefit of a movement is putting ideas out there and seeing which ones of all that you suggest rise like cream to the top.
--Knave Dave http://TheGreatRecession.info/blog
Thanks, it's a start.Good suggestions.
I want you to go to this post. I want you to speak truth to power!. Say it once, say it twice. Say it loud. Say it proud. I'm down with the KTC. The Revolution starts here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGaRtqrlGy8&feature=related
http://occupywallst.org/forum/make-a-stand-join-the-clan/
The Revolution starts here! No one can silence the Revolution! :P
great list, but not the systemic , strategic, or imperative top ten.
http://occupythiswiki.org/wiki/Main_Page
It's a first draft. I would edit with more input. I just thought it would be a good place to start. Of course, I would rather get a consensus on the top ten.
http://occupythiswiki.org/wiki/Toshiba
This is a great list. We really need to have a concise list of demand to comply with our goal "to end the monied corruption of our Democracy". I would be extremely happy if number 1 on your list was done by itself. All banking criminals would be recused from being part of this investigation.
Thanks, I know it's hard to get people to read long posts, so well done. We need to occupy the justice department.
BTW,...Do you know what Wall St. was before September 17th?
It was preoccupied...haha
You are right. We need to groups, one to keep the activism going and the other to flat out do research. We need to assemble accurate facts quickly. We then need to present them in a concise and easily understood manner. We also need the authorities to know just how annoyed we are at what these criminals have done. There has been far too much diplomacy in the past.
In Obama's case, he has probably accepted money for his campaign from even some of the criminals. He should not feel in any way beholding to them. The people will understand. All we want is for these criminals, in Wall Street and elsewhere, to be bought to account, and for the monied corruption of our Democracy to be fixed.
I think that homelessness is a completely artificial problem designed to drive up real estate prices.
At least here in Canada, there are enough empty buildings which are kept heated all through the winter (so the pipes don't burst), to accommodate all the homeless people. They let the homeless freeze to death in the streets outside, instead of allowing them into completely empty, heated buildings. For money.
The homeless problem in Canada and the USA started in the 80s with Ronald Reagan (and Prime Minister Brian Mulroney) kicking the mentally ill out of mental hospitals to try and survive in the streets. Some of these homeless ended up getting hooked on crack cocaine too, since it's more profit for crack dealers.
The national lottery is a good idea.
I just wanted to point out that it's NOT a lack of money, or a lack of jobs, or a lack of available housing...it's a political agenda. There needs to be more long term mental health care facilities, more nursing and social workers, and more affordable housing and transitional housing.
NOT more private prisons. NOT more militarized Police Forces. NOT any more 'no sleeping in the park allowed' laws. NO MORE criminalization of poverty.
It could all start changing with the stroke of a pen.