Occupy Wall Street (2 Viewers)

[MaxThreshold]

HOnestly the only place I hear about AWS anymore is in the FFA.

My local paper is covering it on small campuses all over my neck of the woods in SoCal. Small but numerous protests popping up all over here. This is not even taking into account the national and regional coverage. If anything it's gaining steam.

You can't honestly believe it's gaining steam, can you? This thing has been over for at least 2-3 weeks now. I think the only reason it's getting any play is because, well, you live in CA. Otherwise known as the left coast.

 

[Fensalk]

Somebody better tell Frank Luntz that OWS is pointless and having no effect:

There are a lot of spineless republicans afraid to stand for what they believe. In contrast, look at Newt. Newt's rise in the polls is solely because he strongly articulates republican beliefs. Voters want a champion. Being afraid to say certain terms that we've used for so long makes you look like a weak leader. If you can't even say what you believe, why should we vote for you?

 

[Fensalk]

HOnestly the only place I hear about AWS anymore is in the FFA.

My local paper is covering it on small campuses all over my neck of the woods in SoCal. Small but numerous protests popping up all over here. This is not even taking into account the national and regional coverage. If anything it's gaining steam.

You can't honestly believe it's gaining steam, can you? This thing has been over for at least 2-3 weeks now. I think the only reason it's getting any play is because, well, you live in CA. Otherwise known as the left coast.

A lot of people struggle to move beyond anecdotal evidence to see the big picture. Especially when its personal.

 

[Daywalker]

HOnestly the only place I hear about AWS anymore is in the FFA.

My local paper is covering it on small campuses all over my neck of the woods in SoCal. Small but numerous protests popping up all over here. This is not even taking into account the national and regional coverage. If anything it's gaining steam.

You can't honestly believe it's gaining steam, can you? This thing has been over for at least 2-3 weeks now. I think the only reason it's getting any play is because, well, you live in CA. Otherwise known as the left coast.

A lot of people struggle to move beyond anecdotal evidence to see the big picture. Especially when its personal.

Perhaps that's why I mentioned SoCal in my post genius. To give some context. Only 10% of the entire U.S. population here.

 

[Rayderr]

I would hope that most everyone would agree that the use of pepper spray when police are surrounded by a mob who refuses to let them pass to their vehicles, is acceptable.

 

[Fensalk]

HOnestly the only place I hear about AWS anymore is in the FFA.

My local paper is covering it on small campuses all over my neck of the woods in SoCal. Small but numerous protests popping up all over here. This is not even taking into account the national and regional coverage. If anything it's gaining steam.

You can't honestly believe it's gaining steam, can you? This thing has been over for at least 2-3 weeks now. I think the only reason it's getting any play is because, well, you live in CA. Otherwise known as the left coast.

A lot of people struggle to move beyond anecdotal evidence to see the big picture. Especially when its personal.

Perhaps that's why I mentioned SoCal in my post genius. To give some context. Only 10% of the entire U.S. population here.

California is NOT a barometer of the nation. They voted Jerry Brown governor when the rest of the nation was sweeping in republicans. SoCal is pretty much the only area in the nation that cares about the NBA and is bored with the NFL.

 

[Daywalker]

HOnestly the only place I hear about AWS anymore is in the FFA.

My local paper is covering it on small campuses all over my neck of the woods in SoCal. Small but numerous protests popping up all over here. This is not even taking into account the national and regional coverage. If anything it's gaining steam.

You can't honestly believe it's gaining steam, can you? This thing has been over for at least 2-3 weeks now. I think the only reason it's getting any play is because, well, you live in CA. Otherwise known as the left coast.

A lot of people struggle to move beyond anecdotal evidence to see the big picture. Especially when its personal.

Perhaps that's why I mentioned SoCal in my post genius. To give some context. Only 10% of the entire U.S. population here.

California is NOT a barometer of the nation. They voted Jerry Brown governor when the rest of the nation was sweeping in republicans. SoCal is pretty much the only area in the nation that cares about the NBA and is bored with the NFL.

I did not say CA was a barometer of the nation. I said the OWS movement is gaining steam here. NY and D.C seem to be the vocal pts. Now it's gaining steam in CA. So in general I think the sentiment is on the rise not declining. OWS is not as popular in the beltway now nor was it three months ago.

 

[Fensalk]

HOnestly the only place I hear about AWS anymore is in the FFA.

My local paper is covering it on small campuses all over my neck of the woods in SoCal. Small but numerous protests popping up all over here. This is not even taking into account the national and regional coverage. If anything it's gaining steam.

You can't honestly believe it's gaining steam, can you? This thing has been over for at least 2-3 weeks now. I think the only reason it's getting any play is because, well, you live in CA. Otherwise known as the left coast.

A lot of people struggle to move beyond anecdotal evidence to see the big picture. Especially when its personal.

Perhaps that's why I mentioned SoCal in my post genius. To give some context. Only 10% of the entire U.S. population here.

California is NOT a barometer of the nation. They voted Jerry Brown governor when the rest of the nation was sweeping in republicans. SoCal is pretty much the only area in the nation that cares about the NBA and is bored with the NFL.

I did not say CA was a barometer of the nation. I said the OWS movement is gaining steam here. NY and D.C seem to be the vocal pts. Now it's gaining steam in CA. So in general I think the sentiment is on the rise not declining. OWS is not as popular in the beltway now nor was it three months ago.

Like I said, just because you think its gaining steam in California doesn't mean its on the rise.

 

[cr8f]

Occupy tells Newt to take a bath

Newt Gingrich told Occupy Wall Street protesters to "go get a job, right after you take a bath." Funny coming from a filthy rich politician who is rolling in dirty money. Since leaving the House of Representatives over a decade ago in a cloud of ethics violations, Newt has amassed a fortune of between $7.3 million and $31 million by the peddling of political influence. He has been personally paid $840,000 by the Chamber of Commerce, more than $1.6 million from Freddie Mac, and $575,000 from Growth Energy, an ethanol lobby. His for-profit "think tank", the Center for Health Transformation, was founded to lobby on behalf of health insurance and pharmaceutical corporations, such as Wellpoint and Pfizer. His 527 group, American Solutions for Winning the Future, was funded by big oil and coal companies and worked to oppose climate change legislation and promote offshore drilling. Newt peddles political influence and corrupts our democracy so he can maintain his $500,000 account at Tiffany's. Filthy.

On Monday, Newt is in town to raise money from the 1%. OWS will be there to greet him. Join us, at 11:30 AM at 37th and Park, to tell Newt to "take a bath", and clean our politics of the corrupting influence of corporate money.

Get creative! I don't want to be the only one in a bathrobe!

In addition he trumpeted in the kind of obstruction we see in the GOP today. When not in power they block anything from getting done, like the child who goes home with the ball if he doesn't play QB.

 

[JerseyToughGuys]

This would never happen if it weren't for the occupy movement. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/29/usa-taxes-idUSN1E7AS26020111129UPDATE 1-U.S. Republicans back payroll tax cut extension Tue Nov 29, 2011 6:59pm EST By Richard CowanWASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. Congress on Tuesday threw their support behind a payroll tax cut extension, trying to blunt charges ahead of 2012 elections of favoring wealthy Americans over middle-class workers.Until Tuesday, Republicans had been lukewarm on extending President Barack Obama's payroll tax cut for workers, indicating they were open to negotiating it but never explicitly backing a measure, which the White House says will boost the country's sputtering economic recovery.

loal

 

[JerseyToughGuys]

This would never happen if it weren't for the occupy movement.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/29/usa-taxes-idUSN1E7AS26020111129

UPDATE 1-U.S. Republicans back payroll tax cut extension

Tue Nov 29, 2011 6:59pm EST

By Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. Congress on Tuesday threw their support behind a payroll tax cut extension, trying to blunt charges ahead of 2012 elections of favoring wealthy Americans over middle-class workers.

Until Tuesday, Republicans had been lukewarm on extending President Barack Obama's payroll tax cut for workers, indicating they were open to negotiating it but never explicitly backing a measure, which the White House says will boost the country's sputtering economic recovery.

Yeah, no way would Republicans ever get rolled into supporting a tax cut without OWS.

I believe the dialogue has been substantially affected by the OWS movement. How much did you here in mainstream media about income inequality pre OWS? VERY little. Of course reasonable people can disagree but I think Republicans have become much more attuned to the issue. We got a 80 page thread talking about the issue whereas it had come up relatively rarely before. That's been happening all across the country in various venues. 99% as a metaphor is here to stay.

I seriously don't think it gets passed without OWS. We'd be talking about how the american people need more pain in order for recovery to take place. Or something like that. I really don't get shrinking the economy to recovery but that seems to be the general republican strategy.

 

[Bogeys]

Occupy tells Newt to take a bath

Newt Gingrich told Occupy Wall Street protesters to "go get a job, right after you take a bath." Funny coming from a filthy rich politician who is rolling in dirty money. Since leaving the House of Representatives over a decade ago in a cloud of ethics violations, Newt has amassed a fortune of between $7.3 million and $31 million by the peddling of political influence. He has been personally paid $840,000 by the Chamber of Commerce, more than $1.6 million from Freddie Mac, and $575,000 from Growth Energy, an ethanol lobby. His for-profit "think tank", the Center for Health Transformation, was founded to lobby on behalf of health insurance and pharmaceutical corporations, such as Wellpoint and Pfizer. His 527 group, American Solutions for Winning the Future, was funded by big oil and coal companies and worked to oppose climate change legislation and promote offshore drilling. Newt peddles political influence and corrupts our democracy so he can maintain his $500,000 account at Tiffany's. Filthy.

On Monday, Newt is in town to raise money from the 1%. OWS will be there to greet him. Join us, at 11:30 AM at 37th and Park, to tell Newt to "take a bath", and clean our politics of the corrupting influence of corporate money.

Get creative! I don't want to be the only one in a bathrobe!

In addition he trumpeted in the kind of obstruction we see in the GOP today. When not in power they block anything from getting done, like the child who goes home with the ball if he doesn't play QB.

This is priceless coming from you and your championing of this tactic in Wis.

 

[Idiot Boxer]

Occupy tells Newt to take a bath

Newt Gingrich told Occupy Wall Street protesters to "go get a job, right after you take a bath." Funny coming from a filthy rich politician who is rolling in dirty money. Since leaving the House of Representatives over a decade ago in a cloud of ethics violations, Newt has amassed a fortune of between $7.3 million and $31 million by the peddling of political influence. He has been personally paid $840,000 by the Chamber of Commerce, more than $1.6 million from Freddie Mac, and $575,000 from Growth Energy, an ethanol lobby. His for-profit "think tank", the Center for Health Transformation, was founded to lobby on behalf of health insurance and pharmaceutical corporations, such as Wellpoint and Pfizer. His 527 group, American Solutions for Winning the Future, was funded by big oil and coal companies and worked to oppose climate change legislation and promote offshore drilling. Newt peddles political influence and corrupts our democracy so he can maintain his $500,000 account at Tiffany's. Filthy.

On Monday, Newt is in town to raise money from the 1%. OWS will be there to greet him. Join us, at 11:30 AM at 37th and Park, to tell Newt to "take a bath", and clean our politics of the corrupting influence of corporate money.

Get creative! I don't want to be the only one in a bathrobe!

In addition he trumpeted in the kind of obstruction we see in the GOP today. When not in power they block anything from getting done, like the child who goes home with the ball if he doesn't play QB.

This is priceless coming from you and your championing of this tactic in Wis.

It is Politics in the 21st Century 101 and it is the same script no matter which party is running the play.

 

[Bogeys]

Occupy tells Newt to take a bath

Newt Gingrich told Occupy Wall Street protesters to "go get a job, right after you take a bath." Funny coming from a filthy rich politician who is rolling in dirty money. Since leaving the House of Representatives over a decade ago in a cloud of ethics violations, Newt has amassed a fortune of between $7.3 million and $31 million by the peddling of political influence. He has been personally paid $840,000 by the Chamber of Commerce, more than $1.6 million from Freddie Mac, and $575,000 from Growth Energy, an ethanol lobby. His for-profit "think tank", the Center for Health Transformation, was founded to lobby on behalf of health insurance and pharmaceutical corporations, such as Wellpoint and Pfizer. His 527 group, American Solutions for Winning the Future, was funded by big oil and coal companies and worked to oppose climate change legislation and promote offshore drilling. Newt peddles political influence and corrupts our democracy so he can maintain his $500,000 account at Tiffany's. Filthy.

On Monday, Newt is in town to raise money from the 1%. OWS will be there to greet him. Join us, at 11:30 AM at 37th and Park, to tell Newt to "take a bath", and clean our politics of the corrupting influence of corporate money.

Get creative! I don't want to be the only one in a bathrobe!

In addition he trumpeted in the kind of obstruction we see in the GOP today. When not in power they block anything from getting done, like the child who goes home with the ball if he doesn't play QB.

This is priceless coming from you and your championing of this tactic in Wis.

It is Politics in the 21st Century 101 and it is the same script no matter which party is running the play.

I agree, don't really like it but I like some of the crap they put out when they compromise even less. Seems like they take the worst ideas from both partys and pass those instead of the best. It was the fact of who posted that that really made it funny to me considering the body of work he has in the FFA.

 

[DrJ]

This would never happen if it weren't for the occupy movement. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/29/usa-taxes-idUSN1E7AS26020111129UPDATE 1-U.S. Republicans back payroll tax cut extension Tue Nov 29, 2011 6:59pm EST By Richard CowanWASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. Congress on Tuesday threw their support behind a payroll tax cut extension, trying to blunt charges ahead of 2012 elections of favoring wealthy Americans over middle-class workers.Until Tuesday, Republicans had been lukewarm on extending President Barack Obama's payroll tax cut for workers, indicating they were open to negotiating it but never explicitly backing a measure, which the White House says will boost the country's sputtering economic recovery.

Yeah, no way would Republicans ever get rolled into supporting a tax cut without OWS.

Paying for it is another story....

Kind of strange choice of words - as if tax cuts are some form of spending.

 

[DrJ]

This would never happen if it weren't for the occupy movement.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/29/usa-taxes-idUSN1E7AS26020111129

UPDATE 1-U.S. Republicans back payroll tax cut extension

Tue Nov 29, 2011 6:59pm EST

By Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. Congress on Tuesday threw their support behind a payroll tax cut extension, trying to blunt charges ahead of 2012 elections of favoring wealthy Americans over middle-class workers.

Until Tuesday, Republicans had been lukewarm on extending President Barack Obama's payroll tax cut for workers, indicating they were open to negotiating it but never explicitly backing a measure, which the White House says will boost the country's sputtering economic recovery.

Yeah, no way would Republicans ever get rolled into supporting a tax cut without OWS.

I believe the dialogue has been substantially affected by the OWS movement. How much did you here in mainstream media about income inequality pre OWS? VERY little. Of course reasonable people can disagree but I think Republicans have become much more attuned to the issue. We got a 80 page thread talking about the issue whereas it had come up relatively rarely before. That's been happening all across the country in various venues. 99% as a metaphor is here to stay.

I seriously don't think it gets passed without OWS. We'd be talking about how the american people need more pain in order for recovery to take place. Or something like that. I really don't get shrinking the economy to recovery but that seems to be the general republican strategy.

Warren Buffet made his wonderful statement about how he should pay more in taxes on August 15. That got tons of play in the mainstream media. OWS didn't start until a month later and didn't start getting press until about 2 weeks in.

The whole "my tax rate is lower than my secretary" schtick started back in 2007. This stuff has been getting airplay in some form or another since Bush gave the greedy, corrupt, wealthy aristocrats a piece of the tax cuts.

 

[belljr]

So no mention of the woman OWS protestor who took a job on WALL ST.?

 

[belljr]

I usually don't follow things too closely but heard thit, this morning.Was this the news channels only taking the clips they wanted to spin it or was this OWS member only leaking the clips..

 

[Jojo the circus boy]

I'm sure it was OWS editing it as appropriate.

 

[SacramentoBob]

Someone explain this new tactic to me.

Occupy protests move to foreclosed homes

Occupy protests move to foreclosed homes

By MANUEL VALDES, Associated Press – 40 minutes ago

SEATTLE (AP) — The Occupy Wall Street protests are moving into the neighborhood.

Finding it increasingly difficult to camp in public spaces, Occupy protesters across the country are reclaiming foreclosed homes and boarded-up properties, signaling a tactical shift for the movement against wealth inequality. Groups in more than 25 cities held protests Tuesday on behalf of homeowners facing evictions.

In Atlanta, protesters held a boisterous rally at a county courthouse and used whistles and sirens to disrupt an auction of seized houses. In New York, they marched through a residential neighborhood in Brooklyn carrying signs that read "Foreclose on banks, not people." Los Angeles protesters rallied around a family of five who plans to reclaim the home they lost six months ago in foreclosure.

"It's pretty clear that the fight is against the banks, and the Occupy movement is about occupying spaces. So occupying a space that should belong to homeowners but belongs to the banks seems like the logical next step for the Occupy movement," said Jeff Ordower, one of the organizers of Occupy Homes.

The events reflect the protesters' lingering frustration over the housing crisis that has sent millions of homes into foreclosure after the burst of the housing bubble that helped cripple the country's economy. Nearly a quarter of all U.S. homeowners with mortgages are now underwater, representing nearly 11 million homes, according to CoreLogic, a real estate research firm.

They just want handouts for everything now? Forgiven student loans. Free homes given to them. Yeah, this will resonate.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Someone explain this new tactic to me.

Occupy protests move to foreclosed homes

Occupy protests move to foreclosed homes

By MANUEL VALDES, Associated Press – 40 minutes ago

SEATTLE (AP) — The Occupy Wall Street protests are moving into the neighborhood.

Finding it increasingly difficult to camp in public spaces, Occupy protesters across the country are reclaiming foreclosed homes and boarded-up properties, signaling a tactical shift for the movement against wealth inequality. Groups in more than 25 cities held protests Tuesday on behalf of homeowners facing evictions.

In Atlanta, protesters held a boisterous rally at a county courthouse and used whistles and sirens to disrupt an auction of seized houses. In New York, they marched through a residential neighborhood in Brooklyn carrying signs that read "Foreclose on banks, not people." Los Angeles protesters rallied around a family of five who plans to reclaim the home they lost six months ago in foreclosure.

"It's pretty clear that the fight is against the banks, and the Occupy movement is about occupying spaces. So occupying a space that should belong to homeowners but belongs to the banks seems like the logical next step for the Occupy movement," said Jeff Ordower, one of the organizers of Occupy Homes.

The events reflect the protesters' lingering frustration over the housing crisis that has sent millions of homes into foreclosure after the burst of the housing bubble that helped cripple the country's economy. Nearly a quarter of all U.S. homeowners with mortgages are now underwater, representing nearly 11 million homes, according to CoreLogic, a real estate research firm.

They just want handouts for everything now? Forgiven student loans. Free homes given to them. Yeah, this will resonate.

I would imagine that with people who have lost their homes or fear that they could lose their homes, yes it will resonate. This tactic is being used for the same reason as the others to this point, to draw attention to an issue.

 

[dharmapunk]

For JTG and all my straight-laced i-pals: I've found your hero, and he makes comics.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Someone explain this new tactic to me.

Occupy protests move to foreclosed homes

Occupy protests move to foreclosed homes

By MANUEL VALDES, Associated Press – 40 minutes ago

SEATTLE (AP) — The Occupy Wall Street protests are moving into the neighborhood.

Finding it increasingly difficult to camp in public spaces, Occupy protesters across the country are reclaiming foreclosed homes and boarded-up properties, signaling a tactical shift for the movement against wealth inequality. Groups in more than 25 cities held protests Tuesday on behalf of homeowners facing evictions.

In Atlanta, protesters held a boisterous rally at a county courthouse and used whistles and sirens to disrupt an auction of seized houses. In New York, they marched through a residential neighborhood in Brooklyn carrying signs that read "Foreclose on banks, not people." Los Angeles protesters rallied around a family of five who plans to reclaim the home they lost six months ago in foreclosure.

"It's pretty clear that the fight is against the banks, and the Occupy movement is about occupying spaces. So occupying a space that should belong to homeowners but belongs to the banks seems like the logical next step for the Occupy movement," said Jeff Ordower, one of the organizers of Occupy Homes.

The events reflect the protesters' lingering frustration over the housing crisis that has sent millions of homes into foreclosure after the burst of the housing bubble that helped cripple the country's economy. Nearly a quarter of all U.S. homeowners with mortgages are now underwater, representing nearly 11 million homes, according to CoreLogic, a real estate research firm.

They just want handouts for everything now? Forgiven student loans. Free homes given to them. Yeah, this will resonate.

People tend to be motivated by greed. These folks are no different. Not really news IMO.

 

[Jojo the circus boy]

OWS protestor, accepts job on wall st.

 

[guderian]

Someone explain this new tactic to me.

Occupy protests move to foreclosed homes

Occupy protests move to foreclosed homes

By MANUEL VALDES, Associated Press – 40 minutes ago

SEATTLE (AP) — The Occupy Wall Street protests are moving into the neighborhood.

Finding it increasingly difficult to camp in public spaces, Occupy protesters across the country are reclaiming foreclosed homes and boarded-up properties, signaling a tactical shift for the movement against wealth inequality. Groups in more than 25 cities held protests Tuesday on behalf of homeowners facing evictions.

In Atlanta, protesters held a boisterous rally at a county courthouse and used whistles and sirens to disrupt an auction of seized houses. In New York, they marched through a residential neighborhood in Brooklyn carrying signs that read "Foreclose on banks, not people." Los Angeles protesters rallied around a family of five who plans to reclaim the home they lost six months ago in foreclosure.

"It's pretty clear that the fight is against the banks, and the Occupy movement is about occupying spaces. So occupying a space that should belong to homeowners but belongs to the banks seems like the logical next step for the Occupy movement," said Jeff Ordower, one of the organizers of Occupy Homes.

The events reflect the protesters' lingering frustration over the housing crisis that has sent millions of homes into foreclosure after the burst of the housing bubble that helped cripple the country's economy. Nearly a quarter of all U.S. homeowners with mortgages are now underwater, representing nearly 11 million homes, according to CoreLogic, a real estate research firm.

They just want handouts for everything now? Forgiven student loans. Free homes given to them. Yeah, this will resonate.

I really hope these guys hang around through the election.

 

[hook014]

Someone explain this new tactic to me.

Occupy protests move to foreclosed homes

Occupy protests move to foreclosed homes

By MANUEL VALDES, Associated Press – 40 minutes ago

SEATTLE (AP) — The Occupy Wall Street protests are moving into the neighborhood.

Finding it increasingly difficult to camp in public spaces, Occupy protesters across the country are reclaiming foreclosed homes and boarded-up properties, signaling a tactical shift for the movement against wealth inequality. Groups in more than 25 cities held protests Tuesday on behalf of homeowners facing evictions.

In Atlanta, protesters held a boisterous rally at a county courthouse and used whistles and sirens to disrupt an auction of seized houses. In New York, they marched through a residential neighborhood in Brooklyn carrying signs that read "Foreclose on banks, not people." Los Angeles protesters rallied around a family of five who plans to reclaim the home they lost six months ago in foreclosure.

"It's pretty clear that the fight is against the banks, and the Occupy movement is about occupying spaces. So occupying a space that should belong to homeowners but belongs to the banks seems like the logical next step for the Occupy movement," said Jeff Ordower, one of the organizers of Occupy Homes.

The events reflect the protesters' lingering frustration over the housing crisis that has sent millions of homes into foreclosure after the burst of the housing bubble that helped cripple the country's economy. Nearly a quarter of all U.S. homeowners with mortgages are now underwater, representing nearly 11 million homes, according to CoreLogic, a real estate research firm.

They just want handouts for everything now? Forgiven student loans. Free homes given to them. Yeah, this will resonate.

People tend to be motivated by greed. These folks are no different. Not really news IMO.

This seems like a very practical step to me. I wish I had a nickel for everytime I heard " Heh heh what are they gonna do when winter comes?" Well, here's their answer. Not only do they get to stay warm but they move the front lines to the perfect venue. Who's going to try to foreclose an "occupied" house? Nobody with a lick of sense.

Having said that I'm almost certain that some idiot with a sheriff's badge is going to become infamous this winter. For all the nutjobs that this movement has attracted (How could they not?) there are just as many clueless individuals on the other side. Not to mention the law and order types who are dying to make a name for themselves ala Arpaio. Hunker down for the winter and reappear next spring. That's a lot easier than disbanding and hoping people show up again.

What's striking is the way that the general public underestimates these people as a whole. It was asked earlier in this thread "Who are their leaders?" and "Who are the people rec'vng the hundreds of thousands in donations?"

Outside of this Ordower fellow does anyone know? I watch the news all the time and I couldn't tell you. And that seems to be how they want it. So they've succeeded on that front. It seems everytime they are ousted from a physical space the govt comes out looking bad, diminishing their options, so they have succeeded on that front. Wall street tried to push them to DC and they flatly refused to go, so that can be called a success.

I don't think that student loan debt will be modified as a result of all this but why would those protesters be turned away? They swell the numbers so they're encouraged to stay. Same for any other issue protesters might show up with. From an organizers perspective that tent needs to be as large as possible despite the near impossibility of these issues to be dealt with.

One thing that history has taught us is that nonviolent protest takes some time to unfold. 2012 being an election year, if they survive this winter they could gain some real influence next year. I could see them delivering large chunks of the youth vote next fall, and there are plenty of politicians who will attempt to capture those votes.

If you've read this far you're probably thinking I'm an Occupy supporter. Man, you're gonna give it to me with both barrels. Truth is, I'm more of an observer. As a history buff I feel fascinated by the strategies being played out before me. Coincidentally I watched Ghandi the other night just because it was on AMC and I hadn't seen it in 20 years. The best part of that movie is the chess match being played out between the main characters and this is fascinating in the same way. We just dont know how this one is going to end yet. I believe we'll survive as a nation either way so I chuckle a little at the talking heads on TV who look like they're going to have a stroke when addressing the latest developments. Pure theatre.

One thing I wont do is under estimate these people. When you consider the bad economic news from the global market on the horizon you have to also consider that their numbers might swell. After all, the old maxim still rings true.

" A recession is when your neighbor is laid off, a depression is when you're laid off."

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

This seems like a very practical step to me. I wish I had a nickel for everytime I heard " Heh heh what are they gonna do when winter comes?" Well, here's their answer. Not only do they get to stay warm but they move the front lines to the perfect venue. Who's going to try to foreclose an "occupied" house? Nobody with a lick of sense.

Agreed. The evictions from public squares weren't very strategically sound for the same reason. Now the occupy protests get to claim a moral victory and have plenty of video clips and pictures to rally the troops + they can move the protests indoors without seeming like they have surrendered any moral high ground.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

This seems like a very practical step to me. I wish I had a nickel for everytime I heard " Heh heh what are they gonna do when winter comes?" Well, here's their answer. Not only do they get to stay warm but they move the front lines to the perfect venue. Who's going to try to foreclose an "occupied" house? Nobody with a lick of sense. Having said that I'm almost certain that some idiot with a sheriff's badge is going to become infamous this winter. For all the nutjobs that this movement has attracted (How could they not?) there are just as many clueless individuals on the other side. Not to mention the law and order types who are dying to make a name for themselves ala Arpaio. Hunker down for the winter and reappear next spring. That's a lot easier than disbanding and hoping people show up again. What's striking is the way that the general public underestimates these people as a whole. It was asked earlier in this thread "Who are their leaders?" and "Who are the people rec'vng the hundreds of thousands in donations?"Outside of this Ordower fellow does anyone know? I watch the news all the time and I couldn't tell you. And that seems to be how they want it. So they've succeeded on that front. It seems everytime they are ousted from a physical space the govt comes out looking bad, diminishing their options, so they have succeeded on that front. Wall street tried to push them to DC and they flatly refused to go, so that can be called a success. I don't think that student loan debt will be modified as a result of all this but why would those protesters be turned away? They swell the numbers so they're encouraged to stay. Same for any other issue protesters might show up with. From an organizers perspective that tent needs to be as large as possible despite the near impossibility of these issues to be dealt with. One thing that history has taught us is that nonviolent protest takes some time to unfold. 2012 being an election year, if they survive this winter they could gain some real influence next year. I could see them delivering large chunks of the youth vote next fall, and there are plenty of politicians who will attempt to capture those votes. If you've read this far you're probably thinking I'm an Occupy supporter. Man, you're gonna give it to me with both barrels. Truth is, I'm more of an observer. As a history buff I feel fascinated by the strategies being played out before me. Coincidentally I watched Ghandi the other night just because it was on AMC and I hadn't seen it in 20 years. The best part of that movie is the chess match being played out between the main characters and this is fascinating in the same way. We just dont know how this one is going to end yet. I believe we'll survive as a nation either way so I chuckle a little at the talking heads on TV who look like they're going to have a stroke when addressing the latest developments. Pure theatre. One thing I wont do is under estimate these people. When you consider the bad economic news from the global market on the horizon you have to also consider that their numbers might swell. After all, the old maxim still rings true." A recession is when your neighbor is laid off, a depression is when you're laid off."

Big Hook fan both in the SP and here as well.

 

[cr8f]

GOP version of a jobs bill-let corporations do what they want. If they kill someone they'll lose money and be more careful next time.

This is another waste of time. Even if it passes the senate Obama will veto.

I've seen no evidence tax cuts for the rich or no regulations create jobs.Maybe they mean more jobs for undertakers and doctors.

Speaker Boehner Praises House Passage of REINS Act to Address Excessive Regulations that Hurt Job Growth

Washington (Dec 7)

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) released the following statement today after the House passed the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act (H.R. 10), Pledge to America legislation that requires Congress to approve new regulations that could hurt job growth:

“Job creators, big and small, continue to struggle in our economy – and needless red tape and excessive government regulations aren’t helping. Instead of allowing unaccountable bureaucrats to issue new rules that hurt job growth, the REINS Act requires elected lawmakers to approve any new government regulation with a major impact on our economy before it can be imposed on families and small businesses. This simple but critical reform was a key part of Republicans’ Pledge to America; it will dramatically improve transparency and accountability in the regulatory process, and will help create a better environment for private-sector job growth.

“I want to thank Rep. Geoff Davis, Chairman Lamar Smith, and Chairman David Dreier for their tireless work on behalf of the small businesses hurt by excessive regulations. And I hope Senate Democrats will take this common-sense jobs bill – which gives the American people a stronger voice in their government – and put it to an immediate vote.”

 

[hook014]

Something I've been thinking about for quite a while and cant get an answer to is this. What, specifically are the regulations that the politicians are railing against? Same question, red tape?

It never seems to be identified. It is just some vague phrase that continues to be uttered.

Can we at any point nail down the offending statutes that are impeding economic growth?

My new years resolution is to ask this question at every opportunity. Certainly it is within our purview to banish these evil statutes.

 

[cr8f]

Unnecessary arrest against Family Guy writer Patrick Meghan in L.A.

Hundreds(maybe thousands) of arrests of citizens but not one of a Wall St banker.

 

[Bonzai]

Relevant

 

[PaperBagHead]

Wow. Well worth the read.

My Occupy LA Arrest

by Patrick Meighan

My name is Patrick Meighan, and I’m a husband, a father, a writer on the Fox animated sitcom “Family Guy”, and a member of the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica.

I was arrested at about 1 a.m. Wednesday morning with 291 other people at Occupy LA. I was sitting in City Hall Park with a pillow, a blanket, and a copy of Thich Nhat Hanh’s “Being Peace” when 1,400 heavily-armed LAPD officers in paramilitary SWAT gear streamed in. I was in a group of about 50 peaceful protestors who sat Indian-style, arms interlocked, around a tent (the symbolic image of the Occupy movement). The LAPD officers encircled us, weapons drawn, while we chanted “We Are Peaceful” and “We Are Nonviolent” and “Join Us.”

As we sat there, encircled, a separate team of LAPD officers used knives to slice open every personal tent in the park. They forcibly removed anyone sleeping inside, and then yanked out and destroyed any personal property inside those tents, scattering the contents across the park. They then did the same with the communal property of the Occupy LA movement. For example, I watched as the LAPD destroyed a pop-up canopy tent that, until that moment, had been serving as Occupy LA’s First Aid and Wellness tent, in which volunteer health professionals gave free medical care to absolutely anyone who requested it. As it happens, my family had personally contributed that exact canopy tent to Occupy LA, at a cost of several hundred of my family’s dollars. As I watched, the LAPD sliced that canopy tent to shreds, broke the telescoping poles into pieces and scattered the detritus across the park. Note that these were the objects described in subsequent mainstream press reports as “30 tons of garbage” that was “abandoned” by Occupy LA: personal property forcibly stolen from us, destroyed in front of our eyes and then left for maintenance workers to dispose of while we were sent to prison.

When the LAPD finally began arresting those of us interlocked around the symbolic tent, we were all ordered by the LAPD to unlink from each other (in order to facilitate the arrests). Each seated, nonviolent protester beside me who refused to cooperate by unlinking his arms had the following done to him: an LAPD officer would forcibly extend the protestor’s legs, grab his left foot, twist it all the way around and then stomp his boot on the insole, pinning the protestor’s left foot to the pavement, twisted backwards. Then the LAPD officer would grab the protestor’s right foot and twist it all the way the other direction until the non-violent protestor, in incredible agony, would shriek in pain and unlink from his neighbor.

It was horrible to watch, and apparently designed to terrorize the rest of us. At least I was sufficiently terrorized. I unlinked my arms voluntarily and informed the LAPD officers that I would go peacefully and cooperatively. I stood as instructed, and then I had my arms wrenched behind my back, and an officer hyperextended my wrists into my inner arms. It was super violent, it hurt really really bad, and he was doing it on purpose. When I involuntarily recoiled from the pain, the LAPD officer threw me face-first to the pavement. He had my hands behind my back, so I landed right on my face. The officer dropped with his knee on my back and ground my face into the pavement. It really, really hurt and my face started bleeding and I was very scared. I begged for mercy and I promised that I was honestly not resisting and would not resist.

My hands were then zipcuffed very tightly behind my back, where they turned blue. I am now suffering nerve damage in my right thumb and palm.

I was put on a paddywagon with other nonviolent protestors and taken to a parking garage in Parker Center. They forced us to kneel on the hard pavement of that parking garage for seven straight hours with our hands still tightly zipcuffed behind our backs. Some began to pass out. One man rolled to the ground and vomited for a long, long time before falling unconscious. The LAPD officers watched and did nothing.

At 9 a.m. we were finally taken from the pavement into the station to be processed. The charge was sitting in the park after the police said not to. It’s a misdemeanor. Almost always, for a misdemeanor, the police just give you a ticket and let you go. It costs you a couple hundred dollars. Apparently, that’s what happened with most every other misdemeanor arrest in LA that day.

With us Occupy LA protestors, however, they set bail at $5,000 and booked us into jail. Almost none of the protesters could afford to bail themselves out. I’m lucky and I could afford it, except the LAPD spent all day refusing to actually *accept* the bail they set. If you were an accused murderer or a rapist in LAPD custody that day, you could bail yourself right out and be back on the street, no problem. But if you were a nonviolent Occupy LA protestor with bail money in hand, you were held long into the following morning, with absolutely no access to a lawyer.

I spent most of my day and night crammed into an eight-man jail cell, along with sixteen other Occupy LA protesters. My sleeping spot was on the floor next to the toilet.

Finally, at 2:30 the next morning, after twenty-five hours in custody, I was released on bail. But there were at least 200 Occupy LA protestors who couldn’t afford the bail. The LAPD chose to keep those peaceful, non-violent protesters in prison for two full days… the absolute legal maximum that the LAPD is allowed to detain someone on misdemeanor charges.

As a reminder, Antonio Villaraigosa has referred to all of this as “the LAPD’s finest hour.”

So that’s what happened to the 292 women and men were arrested last Wednesday. Now let’s talk about a man who was not arrested last Wednesday. He is former Citigroup CEO Charles Prince. Under Charles Prince, Citigroup was guilty of massive, coordinated securities fraud.

Citigroup spent years intentionally buying up every bad mortgage loan it could find, creating bad securities out of those bad loans and then selling shares in those bad securities to duped investors. And then they sometimes secretly bet *against* their *own* bad securities to make even more money. For one such bad Citigroup security, Citigroup executives were internally calling it, quote, “a collection of dog####”. To investors, however, they called it, quote, “an attractive investment rigorously selected by an independent investment adviser”.

This is fraud, and it’s a felony, and the Charles Princes of the world spent several years doing it again and again: knowingly writing bad mortgages, and then packaging them into fraudulent securities which they then sold to suckers and then repeating the process. This is a big part of why your property values went up so fast. But then the bubble burst, and that’s why our economy is now shattered for a generation, and it’s also why your home is now underwater. Or at least mine is.

Anyway, if your retirement fund lost a decade’s-worth of gains overnight, this is why.

If your son’s middle school has added furlough days because the school district can’t afford to keep its doors open for a full school year, this is why.

If your daughter has come out of college with a degree only to discover that there are no jobs for her, this is why.

But back to Charles Prince. For his four years of in charge of massive, repeated fraud at Citigroup, he received fifty-three million dollars in salary and also received another ninety-four million dollars in stock holdings. What Charles Prince has *not* received is a pair of zipcuffs. The nerves in his thumb are fine. No cop has thrown Charles Prince into the pavement, face-first. Each and every peaceful, nonviolent Occupy LA protester arrested last week has has spent more time sleeping on a jail floor than every single Charles Prince on Wall Street, combined.

The more I think about that, the madder I get. What does it say about our country that nonviolent protesters are given the bottom of a police boot while those who steal hundreds of billions, do trillions worth of damage to our economy and shatter our social fabric for a generation are not only spared the zipcuffs but showered with rewards?

In any event, believe it or not, I’m really not angry that I got arrested. I chose to get arrested. And I’m not even angry that the mayor and the LAPD decided to give non-violent protestors like me a little extra shiv in jail (although I’m not especially grateful for it either).

I’m just really angry that every single Charles Prince wasn’t in jail with me.

Thank you for letting me share that anger with you today.

linkETA: I see the :honda:. I thought I'd post the whole thing here though.

 

[jon_mx]

Just because it is nonviolent does not make it legal. If I steal nonviolently from someone should I be surprised if I get arrested? And if I resist arrest, should I be mad if the police have to get rough with me to get me to cooperate. Just not seeing any reason to pity these people. They wanted to get arrested in an attempt to be martyrs for their cause.

 

[DrJ]

Someone explain this new tactic to me.

Occupy protests move to foreclosed homes

Occupy protests move to foreclosed homes

By MANUEL VALDES, Associated Press – 40 minutes ago

SEATTLE (AP) — The Occupy Wall Street protests are moving into the neighborhood.

Finding it increasingly difficult to camp in public spaces, Occupy protesters across the country are reclaiming foreclosed homes and boarded-up properties, signaling a tactical shift for the movement against wealth inequality. Groups in more than 25 cities held protests Tuesday on behalf of homeowners facing evictions.

In Atlanta, protesters held a boisterous rally at a county courthouse and used whistles and sirens to disrupt an auction of seized houses. In New York, they marched through a residential neighborhood in Brooklyn carrying signs that read "Foreclose on banks, not people." Los Angeles protesters rallied around a family of five who plans to reclaim the home they lost six months ago in foreclosure.

"It's pretty clear that the fight is against the banks, and the Occupy movement is about occupying spaces. So occupying a space that should belong to homeowners but belongs to the banks seems like the logical next step for the Occupy movement," said Jeff Ordower, one of the organizers of Occupy Homes.

The events reflect the protesters' lingering frustration over the housing crisis that has sent millions of homes into foreclosure after the burst of the housing bubble that helped cripple the country's economy. Nearly a quarter of all U.S. homeowners with mortgages are now underwater, representing nearly 11 million homes, according to CoreLogic, a real estate research firm.

They just want handouts for everything now? Forgiven student loans. Free homes given to them. Yeah, this will resonate.

People tend to be motivated by greed. These folks are no different. Not really news IMO.

This seems like a very practical step to me. I wish I had a nickel for everytime I heard " Heh heh what are they gonna do when winter comes?" Well, here's their answer. Not only do they get to stay warm but they move the front lines to the perfect venue. Who's going to try to foreclose an "occupied" house? Nobody with a lick of sense.

Who do you suppose is going to get upset if they foreclose on one of the homes? Someone that's actually paying their mortgage? People that get their homes foreclosed on are already bitter, since many of those homes get left damaged or looted.

 

[MaxThreshold]

Someone explain this new tactic to me.

Occupy protests move to foreclosed homes

Occupy protests move to foreclosed homes

By MANUEL VALDES, Associated Press – 40 minutes ago

SEATTLE (AP) — The Occupy Wall Street protests are moving into the neighborhood.

Finding it increasingly difficult to camp in public spaces, Occupy protesters across the country are reclaiming foreclosed homes and boarded-up properties, signaling a tactical shift for the movement against wealth inequality. Groups in more than 25 cities held protests Tuesday on behalf of homeowners facing evictions.

In Atlanta, protesters held a boisterous rally at a county courthouse and used whistles and sirens to disrupt an auction of seized houses. In New York, they marched through a residential neighborhood in Brooklyn carrying signs that read "Foreclose on banks, not people." Los Angeles protesters rallied around a family of five who plans to reclaim the home they lost six months ago in foreclosure.

"It's pretty clear that the fight is against the banks, and the Occupy movement is about occupying spaces. So occupying a space that should belong to homeowners but belongs to the banks seems like the logical next step for the Occupy movement," said Jeff Ordower, one of the organizers of Occupy Homes.

The events reflect the protesters' lingering frustration over the housing crisis that has sent millions of homes into foreclosure after the burst of the housing bubble that helped cripple the country's economy. Nearly a quarter of all U.S. homeowners with mortgages are now underwater, representing nearly 11 million homes, according to CoreLogic, a real estate research firm.

They just want handouts for everything now? Forgiven student loans. Free homes given to them. Yeah, this will resonate.

People tend to be motivated by greed. These folks are no different. Not really news IMO.

This seems like a very practical step to me. I wish I had a nickel for everytime I heard " Heh heh what are they gonna do when winter comes?" Well, here's their answer. Not only do they get to stay warm but they move the front lines to the perfect venue. Who's going to try to foreclose an "occupied" house? Nobody with a lick of sense.

Who do you suppose is going to get upset if they foreclose on one of the homes? Someone that's actually paying their mortgage? People that get their homes foreclosed on are already bitter, since many of those homes get left damaged or looted.

Well, considering they've trashed and destroyed every place they've "Occupied" I don't know if I'd be happy as the homeowner. I imagine there will be piles of crap and urine stains on the floor amongst the garbage itself. However, I guess if you can't pay your mortgage you won't give is crap if they trash the house.

 

[PaperBagHead]

Just because it is nonviolent does not make it legal. If I steal nonviolently from someone should I be surprised if I get arrested? And if I resist arrest, should I be mad if the police have to get rough with me to get me to cooperate. Just not seeing any reason to pity these people. They wanted to get arrested in an attempt to be martyrs for their cause.

He didn't resist arrest.

 

[jon_mx]

Just because it is nonviolent does not make it legal. If I steal nonviolently from someone should I be surprised if I get arrested? And if I resist arrest, should I be mad if the police have to get rough with me to get me to cooperate. Just not seeing any reason to pity these people. They wanted to get arrested in an attempt to be martyrs for their cause.

He didn't resist arrest.

I was talking about the ones who did.

When the LAPD finally began arresting those of us interlocked around the symbolic tent, we were all ordered by the LAPD to unlink from each other (in order to facilitate the arrests). Each seated, nonviolent protester beside me who refused to cooperate by unlinking his arms...

 

[hook014]

Someone explain this new tactic to me.

Occupy protests move to foreclosed homes

Occupy protests move to foreclosed homes

By MANUEL VALDES, Associated Press – 40 minutes ago

SEATTLE (AP) — The Occupy Wall Street protests are moving into the neighborhood.

Finding it increasingly difficult to camp in public spaces, Occupy protesters across the country are reclaiming foreclosed homes and boarded-up properties, signaling a tactical shift for the movement against wealth inequality. Groups in more than 25 cities held protests Tuesday on behalf of homeowners facing evictions.

In Atlanta, protesters held a boisterous rally at a county courthouse and used whistles and sirens to disrupt an auction of seized houses. In New York, they marched through a residential neighborhood in Brooklyn carrying signs that read "Foreclose on banks, not people." Los Angeles protesters rallied around a family of five who plans to reclaim the home they lost six months ago in foreclosure.

"It's pretty clear that the fight is against the banks, and the Occupy movement is about occupying spaces. So occupying a space that should belong to homeowners but belongs to the banks seems like the logical next step for the Occupy movement," said Jeff Ordower, one of the organizers of Occupy Homes.

The events reflect the protesters' lingering frustration over the housing crisis that has sent millions of homes into foreclosure after the burst of the housing bubble that helped cripple the country's economy. Nearly a quarter of all U.S. homeowners with mortgages are now underwater, representing nearly 11 million homes, according to CoreLogic, a real estate research firm.

They just want handouts for everything now? Forgiven student loans. Free homes given to them. Yeah, this will resonate.

People tend to be motivated by greed. These folks are no different. Not really news IMO.

This seems like a very practical step to me. I wish I had a nickel for everytime I heard " Heh heh what are they gonna do when winter comes?" Well, here's their answer. Not only do they get to stay warm but they move the front lines to the perfect venue. Who's going to try to foreclose an "occupied" house? Nobody with a lick of sense.

Who do you suppose is going to get upset if they foreclose on one of the homes? Someone that's actually paying their mortgage? People that get their homes foreclosed on are already bitter, since many of those homes get left damaged or looted.

There are untold number of houses to foreclose on, I dont think anyone will dispute that. So from a tactical standpoint foreclosing on an "Occupied house" could be construed as looking for trouble. So you cant act surprised when you find it. There are a lot of people in this country living in a precarious financial condition, so I wouldn't discount any empathy that they could garner. Like any movement, this one will have its supporters and detractors both trying to spin the undecided their way. A heavy handed approach here could easily cause more harm than good if you want to see this go away. So it certainly looks to me like OWS is inviting their opponents to make a mistake, almost always a good tactical move if you're at a disadvantage.

The main point I was driving at with this post is simple. What is the longer term viability of this protest movement?

Having found a convenient way to endure the winter, what are the prospects of building momentum next spring? These questions are being posed in some pretty high placed offices as we speak. Ignoring them here won't give anyone a better understanding of what's going on.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/roo/2743819176.html

My step father gave me his old tent to use so I can occupy the financial district. I set up a few nights ago but the cops were able to kick me out by using a big german sheapard to scare me. I want a roommate to help set up a new camp and watch my back in case the NAzis with the GERMAN dog come back to kick me out. I also have a video camera we can share in case they harrass us.

I am clean and keep a neat tent. I shave and shower every other week, we can alternate so some one is always in the tent. My girlfriend will bring food so we don't have to leave. $1.00 rent is due upon our agreement and is due on the first of every month. It is not refundable as your dollar symbolizes your dedication to the tent and our cause.

cats are OK - purrr

 

[Rayderr]

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/roo/2743819176.html

My step father gave me his old tent to use so I can occupy the financial district. I set up a few nights ago but the cops were able to kick me out by using a big german sheapard to scare me. I want a roommate to help set up a new camp and watch my back in case the NAzis with the GERMAN dog come back to kick me out. I also have a video camera we can share in case they harrass us.

I am clean and keep a neat tent. I shave and shower every other week, we can alternate so some one is always in the tent. My girlfriend will bring food so we don't have to leave. $1.00 rent is due upon our agreement and is due on the first of every month. It is not refundable as your dollar symbolizes your dedication to the tent and our cause.

cats are OK - purrr

The stepfather probably gave him the tent to get his stinky ### out of the house.

 

[guderian]

So now that OWS' 'awareness' efforts have apparently succeeded in reminding people that it's government that's the threat and not big business, are they going to shut down???

(1) The overwhelming silent majority think that big government is the biggest problem. On Monday, the polling organization reported: “Americans’ concerns about the threat of big government continue to dwarf those about big business and big labor, and by an even larger margin now than in March 2009. The 64% of Americans who say big government will be the biggest threat to the country is just one percentage point shy of the record high, while the 26% who say big business [will be] is down from the 32% recorded during the recession. Relatively few name big labor as the greatest threat.”

(2) Big business and big labor aren’t as worrisome. Gallup adds: “Historically, Americans have always been more concerned about big government than big business or big labor in response to this trend question dating back to 1965. Concerns about big business surged to a high of 38% in 2002, after the large-scale accounting scandals at Enron and WorldCom. An all-time-high 65% of Americans named big government as the greatest threat in 1999 and 2000. Worries about big labor have declined significantly over the years, from a high of 29% in 1965 to the 8% to 11% range over the past decade and a half.”

(3) Even Democrats are disillusioned. Now get this: “Almost half of Democrats now say big government is the biggest threat to the nation, more than say so about big business, and far more than were concerned about big government in March 2009…. By contrast, 82% of Republicans and 64% of independents today view big government as the biggest threat, slightly higher percentages than Gallup found in 2009.”

 

[JerseyToughGuys]

GG Teat

 

[Slapdash]

link

Couple weeks old, but I came across a good discussion on income inequality and the financial sector from a pretty free market perspective. All of the podcasts on the site are very well done.

 

[joetrow]

Ron Paul Iowa Event Interrupted By Occupy Protesters

My link

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Some 20 protesters interrupted the start of a Ron Paul event at the Iowa State Fairgrounds just as the GOP candidate and Texas Representative began to speak, at about 7:30 p.m. local time.

"Ron Paul, why do you hate gays," Heaven Ryan, 16, shouted. "Why do you hate the 99 percent?"

Ryan, her mother, Heather, 39, and a man in his 20s shouted from a prepared script until their words were drowned out by the crowd of about 750, some of whom menacingly surrounded the protesters and then hustled them out.

"Freedom of speech, ain't it wonderful?" Paul said.

The protesters continued to yell near the back of the room, while a few Paul supporters stood to yell back. A staffer stood between them, asking Paul's supporters to ignore the group and remain calm. John Kurr, a 49-year-old Paul supporter, tried to reason with the Occupy group, saying the candidate is for the 99 percent.

"He's not for the corporate people, he's for the little guy," Kurr told HuffPost. "He's for everybody. He's not for Wall Street."

Some Occupy protesters agreed. As Kurr spoke to the group, one woman said she supports Paul. Another protester, 28-year-old Des Moines resident Clarke Davidson, told HuffPost he also likes Paul, but wanted to stand in solidarity with his fellow Occupiers.

Later in the event, Davidson ran toward the front of the auditorium waving a sign that said "End the Fed" and started a chant of the same.

Earlier, when Heaven was being rushed out of the auditorium, HuffPost asked her for her script. She handed it over with a wan smile....

 

[Fensalk]

link

Couple weeks old, but I came across a good discussion on income inequality and the financial sector from a pretty free market perspective. All of the podcasts on the site are very well done.

Class warfare is crass populism and never solved anything. Obama is a liberal. Liberals lead this country right now. Leading means bringing everyone together, not tearing things apart. There are tons of opportunities in America. If people feel there is no hope, try providing some like perhaps teaching people skills, or where to acquire skills to make a living.

 

[Fensalk]

So now that OWS' 'awareness' efforts have apparently succeeded in reminding people that it's government that's the threat and not big business, are they going to shut down???

(1) The overwhelming silent majority think that big government is the biggest problem. On Monday, the polling organization reported: “Americans’ concerns about the threat of big government continue to dwarf those about big business and big labor, and by an even larger margin now than in March 2009. The 64% of Americans who say big government will be the biggest threat to the country is just one percentage point shy of the record high, while the 26% who say big business [will be] is down from the 32% recorded during the recession. Relatively few name big labor as the greatest threat.”

(2) Big business and big labor aren’t as worrisome. Gallup adds: “Historically, Americans have always been more concerned about big government than big business or big labor in response to this trend question dating back to 1965. Concerns about big business surged to a high of 38% in 2002, after the large-scale accounting scandals at Enron and WorldCom. An all-time-high 65% of Americans named big government as the greatest threat in 1999 and 2000. Worries about big labor have declined significantly over the years, from a high of 29% in 1965 to the 8% to 11% range over the past decade and a half.”

(3) Even Democrats are disillusioned. Now get this: “Almost half of Democrats now say big government is the biggest threat to the nation, more than say so about big business, and far more than were concerned about big government in March 2009…. By contrast, 82% of Republicans and 64% of independents today view big government as the biggest threat, slightly higher percentages than Gallup found in 2009.”

Someone needs to show this report to the GOP. The RINOs act like the public is ready to revolt against big business.

 

[grateful zed]

Wow. Well worth the read.

agreed. i have yet to speak.

 

[Fensalk]

Wow. Well worth the read.

agreed. i have yet to speak.

Oh come on. That's the entire point of AWS. Law enforcement isn't perfect. We all know that. They want to bait law enforcement into doing making a bad decision. Then when it happens, they will amplify and repeat their version of whatever happens, using whatever "credible" sources they can find to advance the narrative along. That generates outrage and sympathy for them. This is the STANDARD playbook of liberalism.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Wow. Well worth the read.

agreed. i have yet to speak.

Oh come on. That's the entire point of AWS. Law enforcement isn't perfect. We all know that. They want to bait law enforcement into doing making a bad decision. Then when it happens, they will amplify and repeat their version of whatever happens, using whatever "credible" sources they can find to advance the narrative along. That generates outrage and sympathy for them. This is the STANDARD playbook of liberalism.

Baiting them is sitting there doing nothing illegal in a peaceful protest?Law enforcement took it upon themselves to try and silence a political point of view that they did not agree with.If this had been a tea party protester this would not have happened.