Wall Street Protests

[sexobon]

The White House is looking for ideas on how to create jobs without going through Congress. If you have any, you can now submit them directly:

From: Nancy-Ann DeParle, The White House (info@messages.whitehouse.gov)
Date: Friday, November 04, 2011 3:28 PM
To: [sign up distribution]
Subject: You Tell Me

[Email edited/condensed by sexobon]

" ... If you have an idea for something President Obama can do without the help of Congress, or know of a program in your community that needs to go nationwide, I want to hear from you. ... And as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, I want to make sure that the President hears about plenty of proposals ... For the past few weeks, I've been leading a series of meetings here at the White House to come up with steps we can take right now to create more jobs -- without Congress. ...That's why President Obama has signed orders to streamline research grants for entrepreneurs, help families refinance their mortgages, and make it easier for graduates to repay their student loans. ... Now we're looking for more ideas just like these, concrete steps we can take right away to put people back to work and help make communities stronger. ... Submit your recommendations at WhiteHouse.gov/Advise. I'm really looking forward to hearing what you have to say."

[ZenGum]

The message?

There are lots of specific things that people are angry about, which does lead to this 'no clear message' appearance.

Most of these specific complaints can be traced back to the way the political arm of government (as opposed to the administrative arm) is functioning (or disfunctioning) at present.

And this is traced back to one complaint that almost everyone at the Occupy movements seems to share. The super-rich have too much influence in politics - so much that they have essentially taken control and are running it for themselves. The majority of western governments, which are supposed to be various kinds of democratic republics, have been corrupted into plutocracies with regular show elections.

Most people accept that money will always bring influence, and that this cannot be eliminated entirely. However, it CAN be reduced, in some cases by a great deal. This, I think, is the core demand of the Occupy movement.


tl;dr version: Less plutocracy, more democracy.

[SamIam]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

The message?

There are lots of specific things that people are angry about, which does lead to this 'no clear message' appearance.

Most of these specific complaints can be traced back to the way the political arm of government (as opposed to the administrative arm) is functioning (or disfunctioning) at present.

And this is traced back to one complaint that almost everyone at the Occupy movements seems to share. The super-rich have too much influence in politics - so much that they have essentially taken control and are running it for themselves. The majority of western governments, which are supposed to be various kinds of democratic republics, have been corrupted into plutocracies with regular show elections.

Most people accept that money will always bring influence, and that this cannot be eliminated entirely. However, it CAN be reduced, in some cases by a great deal. This, I think, is the core demand of the Occupy movement.


tl;dr version: Less plutocracy, more democracy.

Exactly!

[classicman]

Then they all better start going after their governmental reps and stop wasting time on wall street and/or whatever. THAT is where the change will have to come from.
The Big bad corp execs will laugh at them in the cold rain and snow.

[classicman]

Thats one of the things that sorta bugged me about occupy philly. seemed as though all the protesters were standing around singing and dancing, banging drums or playing music. They weren't really "protesting" or at least what I thought that meant.
Then again, I went early on, maybe its different now. Doesn't seem like it from on tv though.

[ZenGum]

I'm sure there are drum circles.

Well, you've got to do something to keep yourself, you know, occupied.

Thanks folks, I'll be here all winter, try the spit-roast squirrel.

Seriously, the ongoing presence is enough of a protest. And I think the location is as good as any, and better than in Washington. If it was in Washington, aimed at the politicians, it would be easy to focus on the failures of politics and so overlook (what I think is) the central claim, that the problem is the relation between the very rich, as symbolised by Wall Street, and politics a la Washington.

[SamIam]

Originally Posted by classicman

Then they all better start going after their governmental reps and stop wasting time on wall street and/or whatever. THAT is where the change will have to come from.
The Big bad corp execs will laugh at them in the cold rain and snow.

What good would it do to go after the government reps? In my experience, they hardly even ever read any letters I send them. Now and then I'll get a form letter for reply.

My congressman isn't going to listen to me. I can't afford to put a few crisp new thousand dollar bills in the envelope along with my letter.

[HungLikeJesus]

That's the problem - they prefer used 10s and 20s, with non-consecutive serial numbers.

[SamIam]

Originally Posted by HungLikeJesus

That's the problem - they prefer used 10s and 20s, with non-consecutive serial numbers.

Silly me. I should have known that. I'll run over to our local money launderer right now and exchange all my thousand dollar bills.

[classicman]

Originally Posted by SamIam

What good would it do to go after the government reps?

They're the ones who can enact change.
You really think a thousand people out front of their office is gonna be ignored? F*kkers gotta leave sometime...

[SamIam]

Originally Posted by classicman

They're the ones who can enact change.
You really think a thousand people out front of their office is gonna be ignored? F*kkers gotta leave sometime...

Of course they won't be ignored. The Senator or Congressman will simply lift up his phone, and before you can even shout "freedom," SWAT will be there in force with tear gas and tasers as well as their guns. The next day you'll read in the paper how terrorists tried to take over Senator Slimebelly's office, but thank God they were captured and are now being questioned at Gitmo which has been reopened for just such an eventuality.

[classicman]

I hope that post was in jest, because it would be all over the internet.
The MSM would have a friggin field day with that move.

[ZenGum]

The congresspeeps can bring about change. They just don't want to. They have been nicely fed and tamed by the plutocrats. They've got "consultancy" deals to look forward to.

[Lamplighter]

PDX Mayor Sam Adams is between a rock and hard place.
The Portland Police Association (union) is one, Occupy Portland is the other.
So far, our Mayor has made the right decisions.
Hopefully, Mayor Bloomberg can continue to do the same.

ABC News
Nov 6, 2011

It would seem that Mayor Michael Bloomberg would be a natural foe
for protesters now in their seventh week on Wall Street's footstep
But the billionaire mayor has thus far avoided taking decisive action
against the encampment protesting economic inequality and corporate greed.

Bloomberg may not be able to keep that distance for long, however.
Local officials displeased with noise and sanitation complaints
at the site have been notching up the pressure on City Hall.

And park owners may yet choose to clear out the group
on trespassing charges, causing a potential showdown with police
<snip>

The mayor has made clear he fears that anger driven by economic
dissatisfaction can breed chaos.
He has declared violence that befell California will not happen in New York.

That's part of the reason the mayor won't step in to evict,
said one of the protesters, Justin Stone-Diaz.
"He may try, but he also knows that if something goes wrong
we can't control what happens," he said.

.

[SamIam]

Originally Posted by classicman

I hope that post was in jest, because it would be all over the internet.
The MSM would have a friggin field day with that move.

It was my twisted sense of humor coming out. Things aren't that bad. Yet.