Forum Post: What is Occupy Wall Street's Plan for Fixing the Economy?
Posted 12 years ago on Nov. 19, 2011, 1:25 a.m. EST by OccupyMonsterdotcom
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This content is user submitted and not an official statement
I want to see a statement by this movement to outline what steps this country needs to take in order to fix the economic crisis we are in. If this movement cannot offer any solutions, then everyone should just go home.
I nominate to fix the economic crisis:
http://occupywallst.org/forum/inflation-is-the-only-answer/#comment-385660
Just and effective. It's only a start, we have important political reform demands as well, but you asked specifically about the current economic crisis.
"look at presidential candidate's websites.. they list their views, goals, etc. on what they would do if they were president.." Because they are running for elected office, where policy gets made. OWS isn't. People don't have to have prepared legislation to express frustration with problems within the society. OWS' message has been quite clearly heard. The entire national dialogue has changed. Two months ago all the press and congress was going on about was deficits. No one was talking about economic injustice, the wealth gap, and the problem of money in politics. Now that conversation is front and center in the public dialogue. Every pundit, every news show is discussing wealth inequality. That's the effect of OWS. Political leaders develop legislation and enact policy, and social movements like OWS exist to give voice to the people. We get the politicians we ask for, and with the support of movements like OWS, political leaders whose views align with those people will find political support. That's the essence of the system. "Solve all the world's problems or go home" is not an effective or practical argument to make.
You are trying to change public policy right? You don't have any talking points? You don't feel like you have to list your views anywhere for people to easily find? How is the average person supposed to know if they agree with your movement or not? Politicians aren't going to align themselves with you unless the public likes you... and right now people don't know what the hell you stand for.
exactly, couldn't have said it better myself.
Get money out of politics!
You need more than a sentence to fix things.
Occupy is facilitating conversation, the conversation is diminishing the schism of 30 years of Corp media domination of the message. The schism is of the 99% the majority. By Nov 2012 "We the People" will transform the Congressional Progressive Caucus to majority, 50% + one in the House, a 2/3's majority in the Senate. We will do the same in 39 states legislatures. Over the next two years, all else will follow.
Prosecute all those involved in predatory lending, insurance scamming on derivatives, and bribing politicians.
That should take care of most of congress, and all of the banksters, as well as the Fed.
predatory lending??? If you were dumb enough to buy a house you couldn't afford.. then its your own damn fault. I'm sick of trying to protect the idiots of this country.
you said it. less complaining, more fixing.
Cookbook to create 20 million jobs. http://anoncentral.tumblr.com/post/12064319904/cookbook-for-creating-21-million-jobs-in-the-us-by
get rid of money in politics. take taxes from the corporations to fund a new publkic works program promoting clean energy and rebuilding our infrastructure. this worked for fdr and should work now. ive noticed the one thing in americas power grid that everyone is over looking. if every power pole in america had a solar panel on it then you would have your huge new solar array. there are hundreds of ideas about how to push the economy into a start but untill we get money out of politics it wont matter. we will b in the same situation agian fast.
Thank you SO much for that lovely ultimatum. We many millions of US citizens do, of course, exist solely to satisfy your personal need for answers.
1) How about YOU start by sharing what YOUR own seasoned and educated understanding of the issues are - the biggest issues, NOT partisan and political party stuff, since that is small potatoes.
2) Please be encouraged to keep educating yourself beyond what may be your own safe cubicle or home space where all may be in great perfectitude (sic). This means reviewing varying discussions, articles, books, and lectures/discussions by varied viewpoints. Including real people outside of your own small circle of same opinions.
3) And this is my SERIOUS point: Really, the situation we are in takes a lot of vocalizing and posting of situations and agendas, in order for such a massive number of people to move into a more directed understanding what problems are symptoms and results of the 2-3 biggest realities that DO need to be refined, addressed, and worked through.
Keep in mind, while no one of us can speak for all of us, here is an observation:
The majority of resources, income, wealth, and decisions are in the hands of an extreme few who have co-opted the playing field for themselves. Therefore, the outline of what steps this country will need to take will take time and commitment, and some political, social, and policy actions - hopefully by an additional cadre of future leaders/representatives in our local, state, and national government. (Hey folks, that can mean YOU/ME!!)
The steps will need to offer a balanced list of what will: 1) Increase revenue for socioeconomic growth (more resources rather than starving resources) 2) Streamline and modernize various systems which DO need to see cutting in how funds are used and misused (military, social, loopholes, subsidizing, etc.) 3) Serious decrease in the acceptable and allowed accumulation of non-value adding resources in the hands of the very few, in favor of the funding and evolving of resources that strengthen the entire socioeconomic base of the country - so ALL of us, especially those who really DO add great value, have the resources, incentives, and rewards that come from our ideas, work, and moving forward. 4) Serious investment in this country's needs - education, infrastructure, and intellectual capital. Note that I say investment - not taking cash from one to give to another, but using the resources and wealth we make/have to systematically enhance the ability of most of us to actually grow and increase those and new resources and wealth.
Does this help as something to think about? I hope so.
Be well!
Honestly, I don't know how to fix the economic situation we are in.. but I am not the one blocking traffic, the subways.. camping outside city hall. YOU ARE!! Since you found it necessary to get everyone's attention.. I want to hear what you have to say other than complaints about the current situation.. I want you to have a solution. Otherwise what you are doing is pointless.
Hallo. Given that you are here responding, it is not pointless. You are being required, by the actions of others, to sit up and pay some attention. I do have a solution:
Get your OWN hiney in gear and be part of the solution, rather than complaining about a minor inconvenience to you that is the result of many people trying to define then move to solve the problem.
I think OWS should be a starting point for people who want to fix the economy through alternative methods. It can be a starting point to hold meetings on how to make that happen, to pass out educational materials on different alternative economic ideas, to pass out books, etc... To what degree is that happening as of now? I can't say for sure. It can be a greeding ground for discussions relating to credit unions, labor unions, worker cooperatives, community currencies, gift economies, etc... And from there, I say, we need to take it farther. In Argentina, they began to occupy factories. If people are laid off, maybe we ought to threaten the same. When issues arise, OWS can be a ground for action. So, I support the movement, though I do think it needs to link to other movements. Again, whether or not that is happening as of now, I can't say for sure. For example, I am very supportive of the website: http://www.geo.coop. Aside from that, I have seen things possibly springing out of this, such as Bank Transfer Day. Also, occupying homes upon which people were facing foreclosure. So, yes, maybe the movement itself doesn't have a viable, working plan. A number of progressive sources do. The Green Party. Grassroots Economic Organizing. US Federation of Worker Coops. Indymedia. IWW. Z Communications. Whatever it would be. OWS ought to be the link that brings these to the forefront and demands real change.
I have to agree with Monster. I have read the declaration but find it to be lengthy. I can appreciate the desire to have a "protest event" to bring attention to these issues but at this point there needs to be some triagulation and clarification of goals and outcomes here. The issues cited by protesters are mixed, many, and so inter-related that its difficult to explain to another person. Today I sat in the car with my 81 year old mother-in-law talking to her about it and she kept asking, "well what is it exactly that they want, what do they propose to do?". So what is that? There needs to be a plan. Start small- what are the top 3 issues? Health care for all? Free education? A cease on outsourcing jobs to other countries? pick the big three- from the 3 the others will folllow.. It occurs to me there are persons of great talent here amongst us that are likely unemployed with time on their hands- is this the only forum in which to post such things? Is there no other way to grab attention on the internet without hooking people with negative images of protesters being beat down? Is there no one with 1% money and 99% spirit? Someone who is in a position to shed even more light on this cause? Where is Michael Moore? Where is Hollywood? Some might criticize saying they would love to make money from your protest struggle-so be it - use them for exposure as you have been ill-used, but please be very clear about what it is you want.
And perhaps consider rather than a continuous occupation of a park more organized protest events. Its cold, its dangerous and the cops want to clear the park to keep people safe. At this point your noble protest has attracted an undesireable element that endangers you all.
Here you go
OWS is not anticorporation and anti-banks. It is against corporations that abuse their power and are infiltrating our government. It is against the abuse of the monetary system that the federal reserve is responsible for. We have a debt based privatized monetary system that is not in the constitution. The abuse of Wall Street, the federal reserve, and the government has caused our US dollar to decrease in value drastically over the past 14 years.
Propose a bill to end the patriot act.
Propose a bill to end massive contributions from lobbyists, unions, and corporate influences. The "supreme" court ruled McCain-Feingold unconstitutional. Obviously the supreme court is corrupt. They claimed that "McCain-Feingold" denied "free speech" even though 1: Money isn't free and 2: 100% of US citizens still would have had freedom of speech and the ability to contribute to campaigns. So how was the supreme court able to say it suppresses free speech? Another fact, a lot of corporations are owned through many investors. Sometimes these investors are foreigners. I didn't know foreigners in other countries were allowed to participate in our government. The government is supposed to be governed by it's people. I feel like most members of the government have never read the constitution.
End all of the wars and save trillions of dollars on future spending.
I'd say propose a bill to nationalize the federal reserve but that bill has already been created and is being reviewed by the Financial Institutions and Credit Committee. Look up The National Emergency Employment Defense Act of 2011. Nationalize the fed. The current system of the federal reserve is not in accordance with Section 1, Article 8 of the constitution.
All these rich people keep telling us that our country is in massive debt... all the while they keep making more money. These rich people are members of congress and the president.
"Both parties are rotten - how could they not be, given the complete infestation of the political system by corporate money on a scale that now requires a presidential candidate to raise upwards of a billion dollars to be competitive in the general election?"
THE WAR IN IRAQ IS BASED ON LIES from Bush to Obama it's still the same war monger.
It's Time to Change: Economy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-bknltXSgE
The anti-economy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmVBNvjzWvw
We Have a Plan: Resource Based Economy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5OQjZln8RE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
Project earth: Resource Based Economy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDhSgCsD_x8
http://thevenusproject.com/
As for steps towards such a system (from within the current monetary/political systems) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfld3zeeDZE
http://thrivemovement.com/the_12_sectors-economics
How about "Audit the Federal reserve'?
ok.. you need to stop it with the blogs, the forums, twitter..protests on the subway (seriously?).. you all act like a bunch of unorganized children
None of these ideas are posted on the main navigation of your website.. how are people supposed to know about any of them.. should people know to dig through your forums until they find the particular post.. are they supposed to find that blog post after searching for it in google? Your movement has no unified message.. no unified goals..
look at presidential candidate's websites.. they list their views, goals, etc. on what they would do if they were president.. they have talking points.. you have none of these things.. and this is why this movement will fail. They know how to communicate with the media.. you do not.
If voice of one single man - nothing, voices of millions can be a path to change of World. ... If you want know :- "What will win crisis?". Please! It a Truth! ... http://occupywallst.org/forum/world-financial-crisis-and-unemployment/
The 99% Deficit Proposal http://october2011.org/blogs/kevin-zeese/99-s-deficit-proposal-how-create-jobs-reduce-wealth-divide-and-control-spending
Tax Issues
http://occupywallst.org/forum/forum-topics/#comment-172872
discuss Fed, bank and wall street issues The Economy
http://occupywallst.org/forum/forum-topics/#comment-172190
reforming the government
http://occupywallst.org/forum/forum-topics/#comment-172194
Unions
http://occupywallst.org/forum/forum-topics/#comment-300633
income and wage issues
http://occupywallst.org/forum/forum-topics/#comment-172520
I didn't ask for ramblings on a forum.. I want to see an official statement, press release, etc. on what your movement stands for, and what your plan is on fixing the economy.
I wouldn't discount what has already been written
the link I posted above is not a rambling forum post. It is a very detailed, specific document that requires careful reading. Take the time.
If a forum post is the Official Statement by the OWS movement... then you guys are in really bad shape.
Why isn't there a link to it on the front page of your website?
jesus.. that's not even your document? Occupy Washington DC is something else? You guys totally set yourselves up for failure.. YOU HAVE NO LEADERSHIP
What good is that document if no one reads it?
This is what you do:
Then maybe this movement would get some credibility
Still can't wrap your head around that "no leadership" bug? Ah well, will have to let that go for now. I'd say OWS movement has credibility when advice to the 1% on how to squash it goes for 850,000 and GOP Governors are being schooled on how to talk about OWS. http://www.stripersonline.com/t/826870/im-scared-of-this-anti-wall-street-effort-im-frightened-to-death-said-frank-luntz-r
We have our plan we know what we want. There is no press release. Stop unfair economic inequality. Look this movement isn't going stop. The masses are mobilized. The answers are clear. Get educated. The debate has begun...
Limit corporate rights as citizens, reduce lobbying by corporations to influence political decisions, stop the unregulated sale of deritatives, tax capitol gains, that is the one percent basically doesn't pay taxes on most of their income, the 99 percent well all we have is our salary. Use the extras to help fund school and health care. College debt should be eliminated. In terms credit default swaps they are still legal and partly are what's causing Europe to collapse, funny how the elites don't learn.
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Only certain businesses that outsource and take advantage of the people and their employees.
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No Lizzy,research neoliberalism. Free trade has done nothing but harm the poor in the third world. http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/1204-02.htm http://news.yahoo.com/photos/south-korean-protest-against-free-trade-agreement-1320547102-slideshow/
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I agree with you that the US has done a number on the world. As an American, I'm not at all proud of the behavior of our government. Hope I wasn't to hard on you in my response to your post about Britain. I am of British heritage myself, and I have a mixture of pride and shame when it comes to Brit history. It seems that in many cases, the US has taken the worst of past British behavior and adopted it. (As in the East India Tea Company).
just as efficiently - bill gates and jobs would be just a little less rich .. they certainly wouldn't starve
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who cares what gates does.. he could do the same if he had not went offshore. if all those jobs were here.. there would be a 20% instead of a 1%.. problem fixed.
how can that be.. in a sense,, the corporations are boycotting the workers .. spending the least they can and eliminating jobs.. and that is what is driving the economy into recession.
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yes but not to detriment of the country that supports them.. when america falls into a third world state,, how does that help business?
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yes.. cause i would be making more money if the money were kept where it belongs.
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no the 1% s standard of living would decrease. they would have to put all that money into the american economy.. increasing my standard of living and that is what has to happen in order to keep the standard we have now.
Not true
http://killuminati.isgreat.org/banks.html