99% Movement.

[abeiros]

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

Discuss.

[Rhapsody]

There's a bunch of them occupying the Olympic Plaza here right now, and apparently they vowed to stay there as long as they possibly could. (Dunno how long they've last. It's almost time for winter here.)

What are they protesting? Just the distribution of wealth?

[Leon]

Until Americans decides to get off their ass and learn something about whats going on, nothing will really change. Yeah all of these movements going on are great and will stimulate some american into thinking, but soon the government is just going to pass some bill that will help quell the movements and then everyone will be content until it comes to bite them in the ass. The problem is US just not being educated enough to change our country for the better. Look im middle of the road (partially more conservative) and I LOVE Obama. Our congress has got to stop fighting and join hands. Its more the senate than the house of representatives on this one.

[cntrstrk14]

Its a problem with the flow of money. Politicians are given money to run for office by companies and rich individuals. They then owe favors to them.

We need to vote someone into a major political office who uses no money outside of their own donations for advertisement. They don't even need to be good, but if they can get elected then maybe it will prove others can as well. I think the Occupy Wall Street protests are great personally, and the way they are catching across the country and even now into Europe shows that it is not a small amount of people who are pissed, but people in every major city.

[dowhatnow]

Its a problem with the flow of money. Politicians are given money to run for office by companies and rich individuals. They then owe favors to them.

Something on the order of billions. Per candidate. That's disgusting.

We need to vote someone into a major political office who uses no money outside of their own donations for advertisement. They don't even need to be good, but if they can get elected then maybe it will prove others can as well. I think the Occupy Wall Street protests are great personally, and the way they are catching across the country and even now into Europe shows that it is not a small amount of people who are pissed, but people in every major city.

Do you mean people like Ross Perot or Ron Paul? I mean, no, they didn't win, but did they have an army of multibillion-dollar, multinational corporations behind them? Nope.

And personally, I'm voting for one of these "other guys" instead of the big names.

[K Mitsuhide]

I agree with cntr and dowhatnow. I plan on voting for someone who isn't being funded by corporations. I agree with Mitt Romney when he says that career politicians have basically fucked up our system. I'm literally in the middle of both parties, as well as in the middle when it comes to being a liberal or conservative. I don't agree with the absolutists who are always right no matter what, even if the world is against them. I'm not a fence-sitter, either. I pick my side based on the relevant information available at the time, as well as my own critical thinking skills.

Seriously. Our economy is fucked if we don't start doing something real to fix it. And that does not include putting the problem off for another day or just letting ourselves be sold into slavery because of our debt.

[Rhapsody]

To be honest, it's always puzzle me how such a rich and powerful country could have so much debt and be so... weak? I dunno how to describe it. D: Like, Canada is pretty well off and we have our share of debt, but it isn't anywhere near as bad as America.

How does that work?

[dowhatnow]

War.

In our 200-some-odd years of existence, we've been at war for more than half of it, whether it be the War on Drugs, the War on Terror, or what have you. We run a war machine.

And that war machine costs. A lot.

Matter of fact, the defense budget accounts for a great deal of our... er-- Total budget.

Damn fat cats.

[Leon]

Its the small wars that kill us, every other war followed an explosive american growth. Civil War, World War 1 and 2 led to explosive growth periods.

We could get out of debt really easy, but people dont want it. Cut trades with foreign nations that "cheat" the econmoic system, and raise taxes to get us out of debt in a decade, along with a constitutional amendment requiring us to clear the budget every year.

[Rhap Sodos]

I agree with cntr and dowhatnow. I plan on voting for someone who isn't being funded by corporations.

This is me being incredibly cynical about the situation, but do you have any idea how much it costs to run for political office, especially Presidency in the United States? You're talking tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars. According to the New York Times, Obama spent $750 million in his 2008 campaign, and that number is expected to rise. If they're not receiving massive amounts of donation support from Corporations, then it means they're some sort of hedge-fund baby with millions of dollars in personal wealth that they either a. inherited or b. received by doing the very things the OWS protesters are against.

I empathize with the situation; I'm a recent college graduate who has yet to land a better job then my hourly without benefits part-time gig at the local community college. I had a 3.425 GPA, was an Honors student, and heavily involved with Campus Life/Student Organizations. I have 2+ years of professional experience working at said Community College, send out on average 3 resumes a day, and still nothing.

Oh, and I have at least 40,000K in student debts to pay off.

I am a pretty much casebook example of what many of the OWS protesters are. The sad sorry fact about this situation is that it's going to be a slow, painful process. The African-American Civil Rights movement began in 1955 with the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling and continuing for the next decade and a half, if you go by Wikipedia Dates [and of course, assume that something like working towards civil rights has an end]. OWS has been going on for a month. In the quote you see a lot about the 99% Movement "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. - Ghandi".

I just don't know whether or not the movement is going to have the lasting power it needs to in act change.

[Kouta]

Well, the big question I keep seeing is "what are they protesting exactly?" Which in the end, may kill them. I feel like these people are like "Yea, we're pissed!" but a bunch of them don't know what they are pissed about. I feel that without a definite list of grievances and a definite solution in mind, they'll get nowhere.

[dowhatnow]

This is me being incredibly cynical about the situation, but do you have any idea how much it costs to run for political office, especially Presidency in the United States? You're talking tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars. According to the New York Times, Obama spent $750 million in his 2008 campaign, and that number is expected to rise. If they're not receiving massive amounts of donation support from Corporations, then it means they're some sort of hedge-fund baby with millions of dollars in personal wealth that they either a. inherited or b. received by doing the very things the OWS protesters are against.

Oh, and I have at least 40,000K in student debts to pay off.

First, you're right. It costs a lot. But isn't that what fundraisers are for? Why not have people donate to the cause of electing their choice of favorite person to the office of President of the United States rather than have a bunch of corporate bigwigs with ulterior motives do it for them? And some people with that much money didn't necessarily do anything that the OWS protesters are against. Some of them actually started legitimate (and by comparison small) businesses that were (again, by comparison, marginally) successful.

Second, where the hell did you go to school and how do you owe a reported $40M?