Forum Post: Why are we here?
Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 11, 2011, 2:07 a.m. EST by SaidShirazi
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If Wall Street is the problem, what is the solution? There are two problems with Wall Street. One is that it hasn't been working very well lately. The other is that when it does work, it kills us. Should we talk about socialism? Should we talk about the Democratic Party?
We are here because we can't find decent jobs to feed ourselves. For thirty years we've had crumbs from the table and now the crumbs are gone. We can't afford textbooks or the time to read them. We can't afford to get sick or to take care of our loved ones when they get sick. Our lives are getting worse, not better. We've been digging our own graves and now we're six feet deep.
I think many of us agree on what needs to be done. The banks that were too big to fail need to be broken up. The trillions that they were given need to be paid back. The rich need to start paying their share of taxes. The jobs we sent to Mexico and China need to come home. The soldiers we sent to Iraq and Afghanistan need to come home. The fathers and the husbands sent off to the prisons need to come home.
What is it going to take to get these things done? Everything it takes is right here. Just stand your ground. Stand your ground and the mountain will come to you. Stand your ground and the river will change its course. Stand your ground today and tomorrow will be born.
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Here's an article that looks at the protests in a historical perspective.
http://politics.salon.com/2011/10/08/occupy_wall_street_a_historical_perspective/singleton/
It's worth noting that previous protests in US history were similarly decentralized with multiple grievances.
Check out this image from the library of congress:
http://media.salon.com/2011/10/Historical-Context-460x307.jpg
7 hour day.
Police Brutality
Work or Wages.
Provides a little context to the criticisms the msm and right-wing talking heads have toward OWS.
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http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=74823456
Beautiful words Said. Most of us know damn well why we're here, and we're way past tired of having to repeat it. Now it's in the street. The words to express our frustrations are forbidden, so they hit many people hard. We need to talk about capitalism and socialism and why one is our state religion and the other is taboo, even though it is obvious that the former has many merits and the latter has many flaws. It's like trying to be a carpenter but believing that nails are inherently corrupt, and settling with a pile of nice 2x4s in a teepee.
In response to the title: Nobody knows.
Enough of these Fat Cats......
What do we want?
We're not really sure yet!
When do we want it?
Now!
The Wall Street solution is that we have to get back to what a share in a company was supposed to be about. Investment in a business for a return of the profits. Not speculation and trading shares in the hope that the share price will go up. As we all know Wall Street belongs in Vegas, not New York. Anything that does not directly relate to investing in a company should be illegal. Too many schemes have been concocted by Wall Street that siphons off money from the 99%. This is the real problem that needs a solution.
I'm a proponent of not allowing federal tax returns for corporations that pay no federal taxes in the first place. That's not unreasonable and the only reason it's possible, much less legal, is that our so called representation is bought and paid for. So the original poster has found the crux of the matter, how DO we fix these things?
The only taxes that should be applied in my opinion is on individuals as income tax. There should be a no tax on a corporation if all of the profits are returned to the owners of the corporation, the shareholders. The cleanest system would be only an income tax if only corporations would distribute profits. Apple apparently has almost 70 billion in cash that should be distributed to the owners of the company. They would then go out and spend that money and circulate it in the economy. We have to use the simplest solution whenever possible. A simpler tax code would of course mean less accountants and tax lawyers! Pity that!
I don't see those companies handing that money over to anyone any time soon.
I agree. Sadly that is why we have to have laws and that is what government is supposed to do.
Which brings us back to square one because the lawmakers have been bought off.
Is that not what this movement is trying to change?
This is true, but getting them to reform the very system that feeds them is going to be nigh on impossible. I'm in, but color me skeptical.
I like your optimism. It is possible but difficult. All we need is around 50.1% of the people to vote for the candidate or candidates who support our ideas!!
As long as they're not on the take. Rare critters the unbribable. So rare that my spell check doesn't even recognize the word unbribable (No shit ;-)