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10-13-2011, 10:39 AM
(This post was last modified: 10-13-2011, 10:40 AM by TennisMom. Edited 1 time in total.)
I am solidly behind the OWS protesters, which shouldn't surprise too many of my fellow forumites. 
Are there any events taking place in Medford or anywhere else in our local area? Or is it just an ad hoc conglomeration of people? I am wondering because the Ashland Plaza has a very motley crew roaming around near the fountain. They don't look like protesters, although they have some signs and have scribbled with chalk all over the walkways. They just look like the usual people who hang out there. I sympathize with those in need but also feel like it would be nice to be able to sit on one of the benches for a bit. They are all taken up by pseudo-protesters. I don't know what they want. Does anyone? 
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"Don't turn no head. Don't catch no eye" Gillian Welch
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http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=27...271&ref=nf
We'll be at Alba park at noon tomorrow. Hope to see you there!
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(10-14-2011, 06:10 AM)jackie_treehorn Wrote: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=27...271&ref=nf
We'll be at Alba park at noon tomorrow. Hope to see you there!
And what are your wants?
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(10-14-2011, 07:18 AM)Tiamat Wrote: And what are your wants?
Easy I and the majority of the others want the power given back to the people. I don't understand personally how the media has a hard time understanding this....
Well actually I do. Since they're corporate owned entities they're going to focus on the weirdos in the crowd to make the movement look as bad as possible.
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(10-14-2011, 06:10 AM)jackie_treehorn Wrote: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=27...271&ref=nf
We'll be at Alba park at noon tomorrow. Hope to see you there!
Hey Jackie, how the hell are you?  I am definitely going tomorrow even though I have work scheduled Saturday. The least I can do is show up for a couple hours. I want to be counted.
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Good for you guys. The DH and I may show up also.
My sincere hope is for this action to translate into votes against the GOP. The democrats haven't been perfect but the GOP has done nothing except to divide people on hot-button issues like gay marriage and abortion. Yesterday they all voted on a bill called 'Protection of Life' or something like that. Never mind that 'life' for many people today means no home, job or medical care.
Talk about fiddling while Rome burns...
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The Democrats staff the "Comfort Sweets" of The Pubs.
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I was there.
Not a huge turn-out. Maybe 150 folks?
Crowd was well behaved, no vulgar shouting, no obscene stuff, and no conflict with a couple of people with opposing signs.
Loud speaker system totally inadequate so could not hear most remarks.
All things considered, not much happened. Preaching to the choir, at least there was a few folks who showed up to witness for the "movement".
This thing (IMHO) will have to start generating a more organized front. Might have been good to have someone there with an email signup sheet. It would have been a good place to have petition to sign. A dynamic speaker who could rally the crowd would have been a good move.
So, one of you might consider talking the bull by the horns and become a local leader. God knows they need one.
My own view: This is about lack of money funding the economy. The wealthy have tons of it, but are not willing to risk it. So, few (if any) jobs are being created. Sounds like a perfect time for organized labor to start moving and reinvent it's self to attract the masses. We could threaten to shut this economy completely down. Wall Street respects only power. What they have been hearing is a kind of "begging".
Time to get tough. Not in the way Hoffa Jr. suggested, but tough in the real sense: Millions of people collectively arm in arm telling our institutions that they must risk capital to get a return on capital and wage earning people who will spend are their only real hope. Because, If we don't come to work, they go broke. Many of us are already suffering. Their turn to stay awake at night worrying.
Together we can move mountains. The little gathering I attended today was, frankly, pathetic and could not move a mole hill.
We have one over ridding self interest: Dinner.
Let's make sure we ALL eat!
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I'm disappointed you don't have pictures of open sex next to human feces. Imaham had us all primed.
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10-15-2011, 06:37 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-15-2011, 06:38 PM by Yeshuah Hamashiach. Edited 2 times in total.)
In NYC where it belongs . Are you interested in going to NYC ?
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As I said, this will all be for nought if it doesn't translate into Ballot Box Power.
Obama's Jobs Bill was defeated last week. Oh, the GOP is saying it was a 'bi-partisan vote' because seven democrats didn't support it. The fact is that not a single GOPer supported it. Nary a one. What they did instead was pass a "Protection of Life Act" which will ensure... Nothing. Talk about Nero fiddling while Rome burns.
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(10-16-2011, 12:55 PM)TennisMom Wrote: As I said, this will all be for nought if it doesn't translate into Ballot Box Power.
Obama's Jobs Bill was defeated last week. Oh, the GOP is saying it was a 'bi-partisan vote' because seven democrats didn't support it. The fact is that not a single GOPer supported it. Nary a one. What they did instead was pass a "Protection of Life Act" which will ensure... Nothing. Talk about Nero fiddling while Rome burns.
Pitiful.
Wouldn't it be cool if a sunspot or some kind of electrical storm totally wiped out television for, I don't know, just 2 or 3 weeks? I truly feel some of our countrymen/women would awaken from their tv slumber and look around. I feel they would be startled at where we've all been taken to.
Pardon me while I dream!
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(10-14-2011, 07:42 AM)jackie_treehorn Wrote: (10-14-2011, 07:18 AM)Tiamat Wrote: And what are your wants?
Easy I and the majority of the others want the power given back to the people. I don't understand personally how the media has a hard time understanding this....
Well actually I do. Since they're corporate owned entities they're going to focus on the weirdos in the crowd to make the movement look as bad as possible.
I just don't get it. Give power back to the people? really? power to the people 
What the hell does that mean? and haven't corporations been around for ever? are they made up up people? many people who invest? IMO the reason this country is one of the richest countries in the world. The reason we actually have all of the super rich that all of a sudden seem to be the REASON for our financial woes.
It Is because of capitalism.
Now capitalism is such a bad thing? Is this movement simply a bunch of people wanting a handout from the rich?
From what I see this movement seems to be a lot of people who think that Americas wealthy people are the reason the economy is F***ed up.
I think the problem is that we let too many regulations get Deregulated and a lot of greedy bastards took total advantage and that our government runs on those who lobby for the same rich bastards.
It's also a no brainier that the more we shipped our jobs over seas the sooner our economy would suffer.
Other than the ones who just protest to protest I have to assume that most who protest have lost their homes? or jobs?
Can anyone you here who want to join these protests say that?
I'm just having a hard time understanding just what can be accomplished by protesting?
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(10-16-2011, 01:11 PM)Crone Wrote: (10-16-2011, 12:55 PM)TennisMom Wrote: As I said, this will all be for nought if it doesn't translate into Ballot Box Power.
Obama's Jobs Bill was defeated last week. Oh, the GOP is saying it was a 'bi-partisan vote' because seven democrats didn't support it. The fact is that not a single GOPer supported it. Nary a one. What they did instead was pass a "Protection of Life Act" which will ensure... Nothing. Talk about Nero fiddling while Rome burns.
Pitiful.
Wouldn't it be cool if a sunspot or some kind of electrical storm totally wiped out television for, I don't know, just 2 or 3 weeks? I truly feel some of our countrymen/women would awaken from their tv slumber and look around. I feel they would be startled at where we've all been taken to.
Pardon me while I dream!
OK they look around and then what? they awaken from their slumber and then do what? Am I the only one totally confused?? Now it's TV that's the problem 
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(10-16-2011, 01:48 PM)tvguy Wrote: (10-16-2011, 01:11 PM)Crone Wrote: (10-16-2011, 12:55 PM)TennisMom Wrote: As I said, this will all be for nought if it doesn't translate into Ballot Box Power.
Obama's Jobs Bill was defeated last week. Oh, the GOP is saying it was a 'bi-partisan vote' because seven democrats didn't support it. The fact is that not a single GOPer supported it. Nary a one. What they did instead was pass a "Protection of Life Act" which will ensure... Nothing. Talk about Nero fiddling while Rome burns.
Pitiful.
Wouldn't it be cool if a sunspot or some kind of electrical storm totally wiped out television for, I don't know, just 2 or 3 weeks? I truly feel some of our countrymen/women would awaken from their tv slumber and look around. I feel they would be startled at where we've all been taken to.
Pardon me while I dream!
OK they look around and then what? they awaken from their slumber and then do what? Am I the only one totally confused?? Now it's TV that's the problem
Nope, I too am confused. This a movement looking for a cause. It's true that a small percentage of people have most of the wealth. Nothing new about that. What is new of course is that the banking system tanked (a number of causes) and wiped out our "middle class". Note however, that the middle class had used their houses as an ATM machine, were under water, and had few reserves on which to fall back. Labor demand tanked along with capital, and while industry is begging for skilled people in some specific places, most are not able to find work. Our workforce must have upgraded skills.
Yes, we were screwed by Wall Street. Remember however, that millions of middle class folks were part of Wall Street...they chose to swim the sharks and you know how that ends.
Whatever the reasons, and they are many, that we are hurting, it's mostly about lack of jobs for people who are willing and able to work. Those who control capital (NOT Wall Street...The Street only deals in the trading of capital) are unwilling to invest in those places that would create jobs.
Our problem is with the many institutions who control us. The federal government, the very wealthy who control most of the capital (Again, not Wall Street) our Unions who have failed to offer collective bargaining as a way to join our voices:
The Federal Government: Regulation is an absolute necessity in monitoring our major capital flow. We have seen what happens when that regulation is relaxed. Without government oversight, greed will rob us blind.
The wealthy who control most of the capital: The richest "400 families" need to be publicly identified and shamed for not having faith in our country, our people, and being too weak and afraid to risk capital investment. They don't need to hurt in the way the unemployed and poor hurt. They simply need to feel the pain of lesser returns on that investment, at least in the short term. They could fix 90% of our fiscal problems by investing.
Our Unions: Are living in 1948. A very few are progressive but most are staid and unbending in their hard nosed attitudes to compromise with investors. When business does well, working people should have more security and good working conditions. It does not mean they should gain wealth in the way the investors do. Labor too, is market driven, and there is a price for what our labor is worth. Unions should RIGHT NOW be on street corners all over this country shouting the story of COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, and why the single individual is without power. Collective bargaining alone will not solve our problems. It will however, move us into a defined group who will have people to speak for us. An informed and active membership can keep collective bargaining progressive and free of corruption.
So yea, what ARE we doing out there? Let's hope it can be defined and that those of us at the grass roots can help make meaningful and effective changes.
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When will we hold politicians and powerbrokers in this country responsible for believing risk should be socialized, but wealth must be privatized?
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(10-16-2011, 04:38 PM)Crone Wrote: When will we hold politicians and powerbrokers in this country responsible for believing risk should be socialized, but wealth must be privatized?
With all due respect, Crone, this "bumper sticker" can be misleading. While I like the sentiment, it's just wonder if it's factual.
TARP money has been paid back. We can argue until the morning light about the "too big to fail" thing, but far too many financial experts felt it was necessary. The real mistake was that the people who made the banks whole, neglected to litigate it completely. they failed to require the banks to put the money back into the economy with loans to qualified organizations. Poulsen claims it was oversight, and has taken responsibility for the mistake. For what his word is worth.
The power brokers are just that: They weld immense power in many ways and they always will. We can only hope to regulate them with laws authored by our government. Our president, and our "hell no" controlled congress has been in bed with these obscenely rich people. I wonder if "we" should not be demonstrating in front of the White House and Congress rather than wall street.
We, the "little people" also have immense power. Our history of a bunch of farmers and tradesmen securing our freedom from England is our guiding light. But, we must be focused, our goals in sync, and our efforts directed to the right place.
We have been "cursed to live in interesting times".
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What does Power to the people mean? I grew up believing in a value system. Study hard, good education, good job, work hard and live.
Today I see the gimme society because I deserve it.
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