I'm going to list what I think should be the main goals of the Occupy/99% movement, because I keep hearing people say they don't understand what the movement is for. Note that these are solely my opinion, and not meant to be a commandment or proclamation as I am not in any sense filling any kind of leadership role with the Occupy/99% movement, nor am I connected with such. I'm more like a cheerleader for the movement.
A friend recently sent me the following video, with the comment "Lie, somewhat true, or pretty much all true? I spent this past Saturday purchasing material at Home Depot to rebuild closets in my new house. I have more respect for the young black dude who cut my wood for me at Home Depot than all the port operation protesters in all the cities, combined. There is more integrity in the pinky finger of that young kid than all of these protesters."
My friend Jack's comment has merits, but it doesn't tell the whole story. For example, how many people applied and got turned down for the job held by the 'young black dude'? Why were they turned down? Why was he hired? He was obviously the most qualified, but how many equally qualified people were turned down for lack of similar jobs in the same industry? How many small, family-owned lumber yards were put out of business by the better financed Home Depot? How many jobs were lost as a result of that process? Extrapolating that to other industries, how many truly small businesses and jobs have been lost to the growth of ever-larger corporations in hardware, dry goods, groceries, produce, clothing, books, electronics, music, etc.? Are we really better served by mega-bigbox-stores? Cheaper prices isn't telling the whole story either. Bring back Anti-trust enforcement.
Here's the link to the vid:
http://www.mrconservative.com/2011/12/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-occupy-wall-st-participant/
I usually I hear this kind of disparaging talk from Tea-baggers, who are probably miffed at having their 'movement' co-opted by the Republican Party. Never mind that Right-Wing Christian Republicans created the Tea Bag Party as a revamp of the plain old Right Wing.
It makes me laugh every time I hear an ignorant right-wing conservative bash Occupy/99% protestors by pointing out the stuff they buy. They say "ah-hah!!" and paint the protestors in hypocrisy, as if their main goal is to destroy all corporations and institute USSR/China-styled communism or something. This comes out of that tired old McCarthy tactic of labeling your enemies as communist conspirators, a type of fear-mongering carried on by modern day Tea-bagger Republicans, who might as well be called the "I Don't Wanna Pay Anything For Anyone But Myself!" Party. This tactic was used to justify the deportation of Charlie Chaplin, a man who was anything but a communist. The smug smile at the end of the commentator's video says it all. The real annoyance for the commentator is that he might be asked to sacrifice anything out of his own cushy privileged lifestyle. "It's all about me." My job, my house, my flatscreen, my 401k. Me, me, me. The Tea Party is the Me Party. I guarantee you that when this songbird loses his job, he'll be singing a different tune.
This kind of propagandary tactic is currently common among conservatives who like to completely ignore any and all of the goals that I list below, themes which you can see repeated over and over on the signs of the protestors. On these signs there are a few saying anti-corporate rhetoric, almost nobody calling for the wholesale destruction of our capitalist republic, and no one expressing anti-entrepreneurship. The Right Wing lobby would like you to believe otherwise.
All past attempts at reforming 'the system' have failed by this point. Occupy protestors see that the normal channels of addressing their grievances with government have been corrupted. Elections are corrupted by moneyed interests. Legislation is corrupted by lobbyist influence. Elected officials have been corrupted by both and listen to no one else. Health reforms have benefitted health and drug corporations more than they have reformed. Election reforms have had almost no effect. Lame attempts at reform of the financial system have resulted in more taxpayers' money being given to the banks, no arrests or prosecutions in the industry, and continuing lax enforcement of the rules. Attempts at government spending reform and economic stimulus have stalled as a result of one party (Republicans) putting its political goals ahead of the country, and the other party lacking the will to come down hard enough on Wall Street. The only hope is that the Occupy movement can call enough attention to these issues to create change and real reforms. The way to do that is through civil disobedience.
Some people have complained that the Occupy movement has disrupted businesses or hurt jobs and commerce as witnessed by the longshoremens' refusal to participate in the recent west coast port shutdowns. I bet that there were more than a few shopkeepers and traffic workers put out by the Civil Rights marches, but nobody's crying about it now.
Some of the detractors say that the Occupy movement has run out of steam, that's it's already been co-opted by anti-social forces. Jack says "It started out as an inspiring movement; now it's a mob. Yes, I do believe that most Americans are like sheep, easily fooled with short attention span. However, there are also those of us who truly care, but no longer see the protesters as representing them. Also, start with a loud "statement" (a la marches), then move to the next phase, right? Not continue to shout and annoy; it's now a "noise", dismissing return."
Some of the detractors say that the Occupy movement has run out of steam, that's it's already been co-opted by anti-social forces. Jack says "It started out as an inspiring movement; now it's a mob. Yes, I do believe that most Americans are like sheep, easily fooled with short attention span. However, there are also those of us who truly care, but no longer see the protesters as representing them. Also, start with a loud "statement" (a la marches), then move to the next phase, right? Not continue to shout and annoy; it's now a "noise", dismissing return."
If that's the case then the country is truly doomed, Jack. :-( If Americans are not mature enough to face up to our problems honestly and demand needed reforms then eventually we'll be no more relevant than any typical former european power or banana republic and no more prosperous than any African country in a couple of decades. China will rule, they already own most of our debt:
http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/tic/Documents/mfh.txt
IMPORTANT GOALS FROM OCCUPY/99%
For anyone who is still confused about what Occupy/99% movement represents, here is a simple description of what I believe are and should be its main goals:
1. REFORM THE ELECTIONS PROCESS, AND GET THE MONEY OUT OF POLITICS. Reform the elections process so that lobbyists aren't writing legislation. Reform the system so that it isn't always the one with the most money wins. Make voting day a national holiday, or at least on a weekend, so that more people can vote. Promote literacy. Bring back the free press.
2. REFORM THE BANKING SYSTEM. Regulate banks. Abolish the Federal Reserve. Reinstate Glass-Steagall, whose purpose was to prevent another Depression, but unfortunately it may be too late. Bring criminal wrongdoers to justice, including any top Wall Street brass and government officials, such as at Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Standard and Poors, Moody's, and the SEC, who engaged in corrupt practices leading up to the 2008 banking meltdown and housing crisis.
3. REFORM THE CORPORATE-CAPITALIST SYSTEM. Notice I said REFORM, not abolish. It's funny how Tea-baggers hear 'communism!' whenever 'reform' or 'socialism' are mentioned. Yes, I said SOCIALISM. Some of America's best institutions are socialist, such as the military, police, fire, post office, roads & highways, and public universities. That doesn't mean that everything should be nationalized or socialized, but the really important services that everyone relies on for the least amount of disruption to their individual pursuits of happiness, should be socialized. Per-capita income and living standards are higher in socialist-democratic nations. Why can't we learn from them? Out of some misplace notion of national pride? Put more power in the hands of minority shareholders, and puts limits on officer compensations. No bad CEO should be allowed to profit off of ruining a company with a 'golden parachute'. No CEO can work 1,000 times harder than any worker in his company, so why should he be paid 1,000 times as much? No CEO is 1,000 times smarter than the average worker either. Also, bring back Anti-trust enforcement.
4. GIVE US SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, PLEASE. People worried about bad government-run healthcare should take a close look at what we have now: insurance company-run healthcare. When a person goes to their overpriced HMO for healthcare they have to fight to get necessary procedures from the doctor, whose pay is docked by the HMO every time they provide a procedure. At least with government-run healthcare that patient would have a voice. Better yet, how about we let the government compete with the insurance companies to provide better service?
5. PUT AN END TO CORPORATE PERSONHOOD. Corporate personhood is nothing more than a tax-dodge, plain and simple. Corporations were originally created to protect investors from being sued for actions and debts of the companies behind the corporations. That's all well and good, but the protections of the corporation have been expanded way beyond its useful purpose to that of being a tax-dodging device, a device for avoiding government regulations, and a political elections manipulating device. The Supreme Court recently decided that corporations have the same right to free speech that people do, allowing them to influence elections. That is a wrong decision, and it needs to be corrected with a constitutional amendment.
6. REFORM THE MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX. Military companies influence our government to excessively commit to wars, skirmishes, and clandestine operations, resulting in much bloodshed with the purpose of higher profits for those companies. Reform of the corporate-capitalist system should help with this.
7. REFORM EDUCATION. Do everything possible to make sure that every child has an equal chance to be educated from preschool through college. Redistribute funding equitably to do this. Yes, I said REDISTRIBUTE. If an innocent child doesn't deserve an equal chance at the pursuit of happiness, then who does? It's extremely short-sighted to cut education funding in the present, without thinking about the future effects of having a less-educated populace. We are currently suffering from a shortage of knowledgeable workers amidst high employment as a result of short-sighted education cuts in the past, leading companies to bring in foreign labor for high-paying tech jobs.
8. PUT AMERICA AND THE ENVIRONMENT FIRST. The trend has been for our leaders to put themselves and their friends first, their favorite political parties, religious institutions, and industries second, their local districts and the American public third, and future generations last. It's time for us to reverse that order. Preserve resources (including our children's education) and the environment for future generations. Don't let our leaders selfishly squander these precious resources for their short-term profits. There is more than enough abundance to share and preserve for the future. We shouldn't allow miserly people to hoard, squander, and waste the nation's resources. Current planning looks ahead about four-five years. We should be planning 100 years ahead of time. Enough said.
1. REFORM THE ELECTIONS PROCESS, AND GET THE MONEY OUT OF POLITICS. Reform the elections process so that lobbyists aren't writing legislation. Reform the system so that it isn't always the one with the most money wins. Make voting day a national holiday, or at least on a weekend, so that more people can vote. Promote literacy. Bring back the free press.
2. REFORM THE BANKING SYSTEM. Regulate banks. Abolish the Federal Reserve. Reinstate Glass-Steagall, whose purpose was to prevent another Depression, but unfortunately it may be too late. Bring criminal wrongdoers to justice, including any top Wall Street brass and government officials, such as at Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Standard and Poors, Moody's, and the SEC, who engaged in corrupt practices leading up to the 2008 banking meltdown and housing crisis.
3. REFORM THE CORPORATE-CAPITALIST SYSTEM. Notice I said REFORM, not abolish. It's funny how Tea-baggers hear 'communism!' whenever 'reform' or 'socialism' are mentioned. Yes, I said SOCIALISM. Some of America's best institutions are socialist, such as the military, police, fire, post office, roads & highways, and public universities. That doesn't mean that everything should be nationalized or socialized, but the really important services that everyone relies on for the least amount of disruption to their individual pursuits of happiness, should be socialized. Per-capita income and living standards are higher in socialist-democratic nations. Why can't we learn from them? Out of some misplace notion of national pride? Put more power in the hands of minority shareholders, and puts limits on officer compensations. No bad CEO should be allowed to profit off of ruining a company with a 'golden parachute'. No CEO can work 1,000 times harder than any worker in his company, so why should he be paid 1,000 times as much? No CEO is 1,000 times smarter than the average worker either. Also, bring back Anti-trust enforcement.
4. GIVE US SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, PLEASE. People worried about bad government-run healthcare should take a close look at what we have now: insurance company-run healthcare. When a person goes to their overpriced HMO for healthcare they have to fight to get necessary procedures from the doctor, whose pay is docked by the HMO every time they provide a procedure. At least with government-run healthcare that patient would have a voice. Better yet, how about we let the government compete with the insurance companies to provide better service?
5. PUT AN END TO CORPORATE PERSONHOOD. Corporate personhood is nothing more than a tax-dodge, plain and simple. Corporations were originally created to protect investors from being sued for actions and debts of the companies behind the corporations. That's all well and good, but the protections of the corporation have been expanded way beyond its useful purpose to that of being a tax-dodging device, a device for avoiding government regulations, and a political elections manipulating device. The Supreme Court recently decided that corporations have the same right to free speech that people do, allowing them to influence elections. That is a wrong decision, and it needs to be corrected with a constitutional amendment.
6. REFORM THE MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX. Military companies influence our government to excessively commit to wars, skirmishes, and clandestine operations, resulting in much bloodshed with the purpose of higher profits for those companies. Reform of the corporate-capitalist system should help with this.
7. REFORM EDUCATION. Do everything possible to make sure that every child has an equal chance to be educated from preschool through college. Redistribute funding equitably to do this. Yes, I said REDISTRIBUTE. If an innocent child doesn't deserve an equal chance at the pursuit of happiness, then who does? It's extremely short-sighted to cut education funding in the present, without thinking about the future effects of having a less-educated populace. We are currently suffering from a shortage of knowledgeable workers amidst high employment as a result of short-sighted education cuts in the past, leading companies to bring in foreign labor for high-paying tech jobs.
8. PUT AMERICA AND THE ENVIRONMENT FIRST. The trend has been for our leaders to put themselves and their friends first, their favorite political parties, religious institutions, and industries second, their local districts and the American public third, and future generations last. It's time for us to reverse that order. Preserve resources (including our children's education) and the environment for future generations. Don't let our leaders selfishly squander these precious resources for their short-term profits. There is more than enough abundance to share and preserve for the future. We shouldn't allow miserly people to hoard, squander, and waste the nation's resources. Current planning looks ahead about four-five years. We should be planning 100 years ahead of time. Enough said.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
1. CALL YOUR PRESIDENT, CONGRESSPERSON, ASSEMBLYPERSON, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. Tell them how you feel. Tell them what you want for your children, your grandchildren, and your great-grandchildren. Write them a letter. Write them an email. Tell them what you're willing to sacrifice, and what changes you want to see happen. Tell them how to pay for it. Tell them what they must sacrifice to make reform happen. They're supposed to be your servants, after all.
2. SUPPORT AMENDMENT EFFORTS TO OVERTURN THE SUPREME COURT'S CITIZENS UNITED VS. FEC DECISION.
3. SUPPORT OCCUPY. SPREAD THE WORD OUT. Make noise, and help Occupy protestors make noise, in whatever way you see fit. Progress has been made. The banks reversed their attempts to charge for debit card use, and the amendment efforts got started. Encourage your elected officials to respect the constitutional rights of protestors, especially the right to assemble and to free speech. They are your rights too. The noise is annoying, but that's the whole point. It's a lot harder to ignore the needs of the homeless and unemployed when they are camped out in front of your doorstep. It's a lot harder to ignore the need for reforms if a lot of a people are screaming for reform, demanding reforms.
4. READ. INFORM YOURSELF. GET EDUCATED. Think for yourself, learn, and don't automatically assume the position of political pundits. They may not really care about your needs, and they might be wrong.
5. VOTE
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