Forum Post: We are the people: a declaration of solidarity with honest Americans driven homeless, while national traitors thrive within pillared walls. We are the outcry: how can this happen in America?

This is probably an outdated topic. I believe the Occupy movement has found its best focus in protesting foreclosures. Good going. Actions speak louder than words.

However I only just read the 'vision statement' of November 22 at MichaelMoore.com. http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mike-friends-blog/where-does-occupy-wall-street-go-here

I assume such statements have already evolved. Hopefully. In my opinion, that 10-point statement is much too long, sappy and over-defensive. It is like ten ways of saying, "I am not a witch." My own suggestion:

"We are the people: a declaration of solidarity with honest Americans driven homeless, while national traitors thrive within pillared walls. We are the outcry: how can this happen in America?"

By the way, Michael Moore then followed up those ten 'committee visions' with his own ten 'proposals.' Most of them good. All of which however are more than has been achieved since the founding of the republic. It is fine that Moore promotes awareness of everything in his books and movies. However when there is a movement going, I think it is time for focus. In my opinion, for what little it is worth, the following three are Moore's most relevant and most forceful suggestions.

1. Investigate the crash of 2008, and bring to justice those who committed crimes. This seems Moore’s clearest and most relevant suggestion.

2. Reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act, limiting the abilities to form large banks, thus returning us to the era when no banks were “too big to fail.” A worthy proposal but which needs a suggestion for improving the viability of small banks.

3. Require all Americans to pay the same percentage of income to Social Security. Thus increasing the social security payments of millionaires from 0.6% to 6%. However it might be more practical, and also call more shame upon the opposition, to ask for millionaires to pay 1/2 what others pay, or only 3%. Since after all, so many voters seem to believe that millionaires are a special class that deserves extra privilege. (After we get them paying 3%, on the basis of their being a special class, then maybe we can discuss whether or not America should have a special class. If Americans don't want a special class, then maybe we get another 3%. One step at a time.)

The following three of Michael Moore’s proposals are also worth considering, but more difficult to achieve.

1. Assess a penalty tax on moving American jobs overseas. However Moore suggests no such penalty for companies that are not profitable. It seems unclear how this might be put into practice and what the effect might be.

2. End all foreign wars, and thus save $2 billion per year, and thus fix America’s roads and infrastructure. This might be good but Moore does not state it very clearly. He begins his suggestion #6 with a broad and undefined statement to “reorder our nation’s spending priorities.” Also, “ending all wars” this year says nothing about starting a new war next year. I suggest instead, “Strictly budget the foreign military budget to $1 billion.” This might have a better achievability, save plenty of pocket money, and serve better in the long-range future to confine military expenses to limited actions with broad-based support.

3. The board of directors of large corporations must be partly elected by the company’s workers. Another erudite suggestion. However Moore demands that 50% of the board be worker-elected, claiming that this is successfully practiced in Germany. According to the German web page: Centre for Corporate Governance: German workers only elect 1/3 to 1/2 of the “Aufsichtsrat” which oversees the “Vorstand” which is the active management board. An American equivalent would seem to be 35% of the board, which would deliver significant leverage.

The remainder of Micheal Moore's proposals also are worthy of respect, but seem either far-fetched or to confine their appeal to left-wing sympathies. Michael Moore should of course continue to develop his views, but not suggest to confine or overburden the Occupy movement, the most unique value of which is its broad-based support.

However as I said, all of this seems rather outdated. I believe the Occupy movement has found its best focus in protesting foreclosures. Good going. Actions speak louder than words.