'Occupy' Protests

[Blunt Force Trauma]

Somehow I'm have an issue translating this. . .



to this. . .

[FirBirGir]

Shhh, that's the secret ingredient!

[hitchcockgreen]

Soylent Green popcorn? What have you sick bastards done?!!?

[hitchcockgreen]

339502_217418118325119_100001707973399_573957_1788512869_o.jpg

[Ded10c]

That sounds fair.

[FirBirGir]

I"ll say it again - term limits for all elected officials. We don't need career politicians....

Oh, and saw this: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45040659/ns ... qi8KLI8BBk

If this works, I'm starting an Occupy my Mortgage campaign. It's really, really not fair I have to pay for my house for 20 years. Who's going to join me on my front lawn?

Eddy

[Ded10c]

I just skim-read this and thought it had a valid point. Also, signs.

[FirBirGir]

I no long think it's valid to say they have no demands. I think everyone there has a demand, they aren't necessarily the same demand.

Some want student debt relief. Not sure how this fits into the corporate greed mantra, each student made a conscious decision to invest in an education. Like any investment, you have to make wise decisions. There are affordable schools, and for the most part, employers aren't overly impressed by the name of the school you attended. Not enough to bump your compensation enough to pay off those student loans that were racked up.

Per your Signs' link above, some want the job's bill, to rebuild the US infrastructure and to have a surplus budget. OK, a very tall order but not impossible. The only quick thing I can think of to start down this road is to freeze all current spending; that includes all military, business and social spending - 100% across the board. That would mean no job's bill or student debt relief in the short term but there's no way to spend your way to a budget surplus. Growing the economy is going to take a lot longer than politicians want to admit. We've been propping it up with deficit speniding it's going to slump every time we stop.

They want to be heard - OK, that is heppening but if you want to be respected, you have to respect other's opinions. Chasing Fox News out doesn't make you more credible. It makes you look foolish...

Others want whatever they want. So far, I haven't seen more than 50-60 have a similar point of view. In the big scheme of things, this is just noise. Noise alone is not going to make a difference. You need to push and promote and sweat and vote. So far, I'm not seeing that from the vast majority of protestors. Winter is coming and it won't be kind to the movement.

Eddy

[Blunt Force Trauma]

The only quick thing I can think of to start down this road is to freeze all current spending; that includes all military, business and social spending - 100% across the board. That would mean no job's bill or student debt relief in the short term but there's no way to spend your way to a budget surplus.

Eddy

Don't you mean a freeze on increased spending?

When I see people complaining about insane college debt wearing high-end designer clothing, carrying premium tech, eating expensive catered lunches of high fat, non-nutritious food. . . I just can't take them seriously.

And here's the classic debate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... Zr9c1zYaOE

[FirBirGir]

I mean freeze spending at the current level, means about the same thing. We are spend crazy at the moment and it's not helping the economy enough to warrant continuing the spending.

If you haven't seen it, take a good look at the trends. The last 3 years are insane (the other years are bad but pale in comparison). Blame who you want but the reality is staring us in the face. This kind of spending will destroy us.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USDebt.png

[Blunt Force Trauma]

You're singing to the choir.

This video is years old but still strikes a chord of how much trouble we're in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yREOUxo6Qdc

[Sno]

If this works, I'm starting an Occupy my Mortgage campaign. It's really, really not fair I have to pay for my house for 20 years.
Eddy

[Ded10c]

[hitchcockgreen]

Hehe I think I posted a link to that picture elsewhere in the forum, AHadley.

I don't think the core group of protesters are wearing designer clothing. I suppose that would depend on which location you were looking at. The thing is that all kinds of groups will just show up to take advantage of the protest to bring their own complaints.

Saying that OWS is all about whiny rich kids complaining about their student loans is akin to saying that it's all about white power because some Neo-Nazis showed up at one point.
What's interesting now is that you're now seeing a lot of Marines and vets leading marches in New York. Gotta love that.

[Blunt Force Trauma]

This got national attention on NPR today.

http://news.yahoo.com/iraq-war-vet-inju ... 20379.html

[FirBirGir]

Like I said, everyone has demands; just no common ones. Each subgroups grabs some air time when they can get it. And I agree, a ton of special interests groups are trying to glom onto OWS...

Eddy

[Dx.]

Man i hate paying school tax and i don't go to school or have kids. Hasn't anyone protested paying school taxes for a lifetime?

[hitchcockgreen]

I don't drive but pay for roads. Maybe I should protest.
I also jaywalk a lot, maybe I should protest my tax dollars going towards cross walks.

There are common demands for OWS, btw. Depending on what media source you're watching you may or may not know of them.

[FirBirGir]

What are the common ones? I read all the different articles from different sources. The different media bias's will seek people that align with their political, social or economic opinions - socially liberal writers find a group within the protest that are talking about their social change, tea party types can find the "less government" protestors and report on them. It's easy to pick and choose because of the diversity represented. And that diversity equates to fractured complaints and messages. It's not good or bad, it just is.

Eddy

[Dx.]

I don't drive but pay for roads. Maybe I should protest.
I also jaywalk a lot, maybe I should protest my tax dollars going towards cross walks.

Sounds like you still use the roads to me.

http://www.ptcc.us/tenreasons.htm