My new interest (# OCCUPY WALL STREET)

[eon]

I've been a cynic for a long time. I knew from the days of school that what I was being told about forgetting about my passions in order to pursue college for some type of viable career was just not worth it. My credit was ruined after being defrauded by bad college book sellers, I cannot buy a house and have been slowly rebuilding credit for years. The whole climate of education and credit has always been on my interests, but I never saw coming what has happened recently. When I saw the film Capitalism, a love story, I was blown away.

Our country has been wrecked by banks and money-driven politics. Wall street banksters crashed the entire economy in 2008 and stole tax money afterward so they could keep giving bigger and bigger bonus while the rest of us (MILLIONS of people) lost homes, life savings, and our entire future. The USA has been hijacked by these kleptocrats. The entire world feels the effects in many ways. This is the top 1% wealthy in the country, and they hold more power than millions upon millions of the common citizens, combined.

They think they were going to get away with it. We're not going to take it any more.

For nearly two weeks now, we have a team of people of all types, who have set up camp for the long haul in downtown New York, to send the message to America, the government, and the criminals responsible for stealing all of our futures. We are Occupy Wall Street. We are the 99%.

400 of the richest Americans will no longer be allowed to go on holding all the power in this country. We will see it restored to ALL the people.

This is not about left or right. This is about forward. We have no future if we do not fight to take it back, today.
I had to share this. The media did its best to ignore the movement's beginnings, obviously because of its direct ownership by the banksters we're trying to revolt against. Even if you cannot contribute, donate, or join a local solidarity event / group, you can still help spread the word. Do you want this futureless climate to be allowed to continue? We are all part of the 99% they have robbed. Democracy must be reclaimed.

 

[Droopy]

Eon, are you saying that you personally are in New York and have set up camp? I only found out about this movement a few days ago via YouTube, it seems interesting. More interesting is that fact that there as been very little media coverage of it.

 

[eon]

I'm not from new york. I've been waiting for this to begin for years. It is the pure fulfillment of what I've been told me whole life wasn't really the case and that I was just being paranoid and anti-capitalist to be rebellious.

Declaration of the Occupation of New York City
Posted on September 30, 2011 by NYCGA
As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.

As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.

They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.
They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses.
They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.
They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.
They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless nonhuman animals, and actively hide these practices.
They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.
They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.
They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.
They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility.
They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.
They have sold our privacy as a commodity.
They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press. They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.
They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.
They have donated large sums of money to politicians supposed to be regulating them. They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.
They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantive profit.
They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.
They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.
They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.
They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad. They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.
They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts. *

To the people of the world,

We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.

Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.

To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.

Join us and make your voices heard!

*These grievances are not all-inclusive.

http://nycga.cc/2011/09/30/declaration-of-the-occupation-of-new-york-city/

 

[Geordie]

I think bailouts and everything is useless. What we need is a more inclusive society where everyone's views are considered.

Is it surprising to you that those countries that use the mixed-member proportional systems like Germany and New Zealand are still going strong, while other forms of democracy do not do as well?

We need inclusion of as many sensible opinions as possible

 

[Geordie]

I feel this is not a capitalism problem, this is an issue of us being more aware of what's happening around us.

We need to work out a better alternative together.

 

[Occasional_Demon]

Personally, I do think that one of the core issues is capitalism. America, IMO, would be the epitome of capitalism, and now we are seeing its unfairness. The problem IMO with capitalism is that it encourages a dog-eat-dog world, where people use whatever means possible to get ahead - at the detriment of other humans. It's a short-sighted system that promotes self-interest over the wellbeing of all.

You can guess by now that I'm a staunch leftist.

I'm a supporter of the Occupy movement on principle, and I follow the Occupy movement in my own city closely, because I feel like it is about time people took up a stance against the inequality that exists in the world today. About ten years ago, the anti-globalisation movement, with similar principles, was starting to take off around the globe until 9/11 happened and everyone's attention was diverted to the War on Terror, so I'm glad that issues about inequality are being discussed again.

 

[Geordie]

We need to drive inequality all the way, even in the adversity of crisis. Never let the ill effects of globalization fly past us.

 

[eon]

well, it's fair to say that capitalism is not the core issue. the core issue is corruption, plain and simple. the government no longer represents the people, and we are seeing the result on all fronts that drive these inequalities further as further. the common person doesn't have a voice in government speaking for their interests. you could perhaps assert that capitalism's root concept drives this very corruption (government becoming so sponsored BY these capitalistic entities that it's essentially employed by them) however I think back to a time when I wasn't yet born, and capitalism & government were doing well, a relative golden age where a middle class thrived and had opportunities, fair housing, health coverage, and a pension. basically, for around 30 years, America has been run like a corporation. capitalism derailed when it decided it was ok to stop offering jobs to Americans, and hire workers elsewhere instead. I'd say that government should have protected anerica's most valuable natural resource--- it's jobs. but didn't. thanks, capitalism

 

[Geordie]

Well we have removed the heads of government in all governments, or at least weaken them, except the ones in Canada and maybe New Zealand through the current wave of changes - what more do we need to change?

 

[Occasional_Demon]

@eon: even thirty years back, there were HUGE issues in America. Huge. It's easy to look back on a certain time period with rose-coloured spectacles but the reality is, back then, there was still a massive gap in resources between the rich and the poor.

IMO, the rise of the internet, the subsequent proliferation in media sources and the increased ease of spreading media has meant that people in general have become more aware of issues with inequality.

Blaming immigrant workers for America's plight is short-sighted and ignores the fact of why immigrant workers were hired in the first place - for corporations to earn a greater profit by hiring cheaper labour. That, IMO, is the problem. Also, look at the minimum wage in America. It's a barely liveable wage. What is it in some places, $8/hr or something ridiculous? Everyone - immigrant or not - deserves a liveable wage.

The health system in America is ridiculous, really. It's capitalist to the core, in that the basic premise is that you can get services depending on how much you can afford. If you're poor or on limited insurance, then you're basically screwed.

Removing heads of state is not the solution - the solution is to change the government system, period. Concepts such as universal healthcare and universal or subsidised education eminently possible, for starters.

 

[Geordie]

Removing heads of state is not the solution - the solution is to change the government system, period. Concepts such as universal healthcare and universal or subsidised education eminently possible, for starters.

If only more governments can see the benefits of universal education and healthcare.

 

[Occasional_Demon]

A lot of the more sensible governments do, because a healthy and educated population = a better society overall. The majority of people who are ill want to be better and want to be productive citizens of society - so, therefore it's logical sense to propose that healthcare is available for all.

One of the problems that I perceive about American culture in general - and I mean this in the sense of an objective outsider looking in - is the attitude of self-reliance. Which is not a bad idea per se, except it gets carried too far by some parts of their society and it becomes, "I'm fine, why should I help you?"

 

[Geordie]

One of the problems that I perceive about American culture in general - and I mean this in the sense of an objective outsider looking in - is the attitude of self-reliance. Which is not a bad idea per se, except it gets carried too far by some parts of their society and it becomes, "I'm fine, why should I help you?"

This is the most important aspect of American culture that I still feel puzzled.

If the doors to opportunities close because of various reasons to some people, then governments will have to try opening them again.

 

[eon]

I'm not talking about immigrants. Americans had their jobs ripped out from under them, and then companies opened facilities outside of the us, elsewhere, in other countries that don't have labor laws. I think the things that could be fixed, once corruption is purged out, would be health, education, housing, and parents' rights like paid time to raise a new baby & later homeschool if they wish

 

[Occasional_Demon]

Those goals are easily obtainable in America but again, the whole, "I'm fine, why should I help you?" mentality is the biggest stumbling block. One of the ways the government can finance universal healthcare, universal education etc. is through raising taxes. There was already a furor with some elements of American society over Obama's attempt to reform healthcare in the states, with a lot of arguments based around the fact that some people, didn't want to "pay for freeloaders".

It's a fundamental problem in American culture, IMO.

The other issue in America is the widely-help myth of the "level playing ground". The myth holds that everyone starts off the same, and their success in life is determined solely by their willingness to work hard. Which, in truth, is utter ********. Parents and ancestors bestow advantages on future generations. Someone born in a trailer park does not have the same start to life as a Rockfeller.

In Australia, I don't mind paying my taxes because it means that if I need emergency healthcare, I can rock up at a hospital and be seen to, without any financial repercussions.

 

[Geordie]

The other issue in America is the widely-help myth of the "level playing ground". The myth holds that everyone starts off the same, and their success in life is determined solely by their willingness to work hard. Which, in truth, is utter ********. Parents and ancestors bestow advantages on future generations. Someone born in a trailer park does not have the same start to life as a Rockfeller.

In Australia, I don't mind paying my taxes because it means that if I need emergency healthcare, I can rock up at a hospital and be seen to, without any financial repercussions.

I feel really out of place in my country, which combined the worst feature of a corrupted developing country and a know-nothing, do-nothing first world country. I feel frustrated.