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Occupy Wall Street?

ohio

ohio

The Fresno Kid
Nov 26, 2001
6,649
26
SF, CA
Amazing that the US Govt hasn't figured out from watching the rest of the world that nothing crystallizes a movement like pressure. The police beatdowns/crackdowns are exactly that OWS needed to unite and hone it's message.

I think this guy nails it as the 3 items that will emerge, and coincidentally are items the Tea Party can get behind as well:
1) Repeal or amend to remove Citizens United
2) Re-institute Glass-Steagull
3) Eliminate individual politicians' control of investments and conflicted follow-up jobs in the private sector.

Why this massive mobilisation against these not-yet-fully-articulated, unarmed, inchoate people? After all, protesters against the war in Iraq, Tea Party rallies and others have all proceeded without this coordinated crackdown. Is it really the camping? As I write, two hundred young people, with sleeping bags, suitcases and even folding chairs, are still camping out all night and day outside of NBC on public sidewalks – under the benevolent eye of an NYPD cop – awaiting Saturday Night Live tickets, so surely the camping is not the issue. I was still deeply puzzled as to why OWS, this hapless, hopeful band, would call out a violent federal response.

That is, until I found out what it was that OWS actually wanted.

The mainstream media was declaring continually "OWS has no message". Frustrated, I simply asked them. I began soliciting online "What is it you want?" answers from Occupy. In the first 15 minutes, I received 100 answers. These were truly eye-opening
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JayBear

JayBear

Monkey
Apr 28, 2009
346
1
Sleeping in the bushes at Burnside
"The rogue hacker group known as Anonymous posted a YouTube video disclosing the cellphone number, email and home address of Lt. John Pike, the University of California Davis police officer who sparked worldwide outrage when he pepper-sprayed a group of student protesters over the weekend."
 
rockofullr

rockofullr

confused
Jun 11, 2009
7,342
924
East Bay, Cali
Michael Moore and Piers Morgan in the same room?

Will some sort of douche black hole be created as their collective ego's reach critical mass and collapse upon themselves?
 
syadasti

syadasti

i heart mac
Apr 15, 2002
12,690
290
VT
JohnE said:
Now it is getting silly...shutting down the port of Oakland? Why? So the 99%-ers there will be denied both the right and ability to work...
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Not quite as see on TV...

http://cleanandsafeports.org/blog/2011/12/12/an-open-letter-from-america’s-port-truck-drivers-on-occupy-the-ports/

We are the front-line workers who haul container rigs full of imported and exported goods to and from the docks and warehouses every day.

We have been elected by committees of our co-workers at the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, Tacoma, New York and New Jersey to tell our collective story. We have accepted the honor to speak up for our brothers and sisters about our working conditions despite the risk of retaliation we face. One of us is a mother, the rest of us fathers. Between the five of us we have 11children and one more baby on the way. We have a combined 46 years of experience driving cargo from our shores for America’s stores.

We are inspired that a non-violent democratic movement that insists on basic economic fairness is capturing the hearts and minds of so many working people. Thank you “99 Percenters” for hearing our call for justice. We are humbled and overwhelmed by recent attention. Normally we are invisible.

(continues)
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Westy

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
56,377
22,448
Sleazattle
MikeD said:
More of a reflection on the American consumer public than Time, I think.
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Agreed. We want bread and circus, they happily give it to us. IMO it is the complacency and ignorance of the American people that allow the "1%" to pretty much control everything. The most focused message of the occupy movement seems to be internet memes and not any real suggestions on how to solve the problem we face. It seems like a no brainier that a constitutional amendment to undo the 'corporate citizen' SC decision. But before you think about it realize that the Packers are still undefeated and something or another is going on with that fat-ass Kardashian chick. Hey look, something shiny...
 
$tinkle

$tinkle

Expert on blowing
Feb 12, 2003
14,591
6
TheMontashu said:
Unless of course you are content with the fact that Romney paid half what you did in taxes last year. If that's the case, you sir are a fool.
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huh? he paid $6.2M for 2010 (@13.9%, expected to be 15.4% for 2011). i wonder what are the unadvertised costs of CPAs & such to get his rate that low. IOW, he may be paying what appears to be a low rate, but i'm sure he's handing out the cheddar to other-than-gov't recipients. shall we now hate on all the players in the game? shall we reserve judgment for any who spends frivolously, or hoard their cash?


fyi: we regularly get our rate down to the high teens through measures including brainwashing 501(c)3s per the directives we channel from the ghosts of our founding fathers.
 
eric strt6

eric strt6

Resident Curmudgeon
Sep 8, 2001
24,704
15,715
directly above the center of the earth
no moron

I do not pay the actual % stated for my income. I take my multiple alloted deductions that my wife the Tax CPA knows about. We pay considerably less, only a moron would ignore the allowable deductions. Romney plays it the same way everyone with a brain and a good CPA does. Get over your pseudo intellectual self.
 
$tinkle

$tinkle

Expert on blowing
Feb 12, 2003
14,591
6
if there's anyone w/ moral high ground on the occupy movement, it would most certainly be the self-employed.

next, if you [at least mostly] agree w/ that, then where's all the hate come from when they get successful enough to break out nationally?

i can understand -- but not identify -- with those who hate on those who did not toil for their fortune, but beyond that....not so much
 
sanjuro

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
I support the tenets of Occupy, but not Occupy Oakland.

It has denigrated to F*** The Police protests every Saturday. Serious!

I have no clue what is the point of screwing up downtown Oakland. Is Bain Capital or Goldman Sachs in Oakland? Or a lot of one-percenters live downtown?

I would be in favor of occupying SF banks or even a visit to Orinda/Lafayette, but the OO are too chickensh*t to leave.

I enjoy the protests because I have a sporting interest in riots, but there is no point otherwise.
 
Beef Supreme

Beef Supreme

Turbo Monkey
Oct 29, 2010
1,434
73
Hiding from the stupid
$tinkle said:
huh? he paid $6.2M for 2010 (@13.9%, expected to be 15.4% for 2011). i wonder what are the unadvertised costs of CPAs & such to get his rate that low. IOW, he may be paying what appears to be a low rate, but i'm sure he's handing out the cheddar to other-than-gov't recipients. shall we now hate on all the players in the game? shall we reserve judgment for any who spends frivolously, or hoard their cash?
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I love how you guys are willing to pretend that giving money to the Mormon church is the same as paying taxes. Taxes go to support priorities that are determined by our representatives. Donations to the Mormons go to support freaky white private buildings, proselytizing in 3rd world countries, fighting gay marriage in California and a huge investment portfolio. Furthermore, since these donations are tax deductible, they result in less taxes paid and an increase in the debt. Fvck that.

There is one more thing to consider. What Romney is doing doesn't fall into normal deductions that any reasonable person would take. He takes advantage of arcane loop holes such as the carried interest credit and equity pools. Just because it is legal doesn't mean he is paying his fair share.
 
$tinkle

$tinkle

Expert on blowing
Feb 12, 2003
14,591
6
Beef Supreme said:
I love how you guys are willing to pretend that giving money to the Mormon church is the same as paying taxes.
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and i love how you guys are willing to pretend that money not going to taxes is the same as giving it to the mormon church
Beef Supreme said:
Taxes go to support priorities that are determined by our representatives. Donations to the Mormons go to support freaky white private buildings, proselytizing in 3rd world countries, fighting gay marriage in California and a huge investment portfolio.
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and i don't 100% agree w/ how our tax dollars are spent.
and that's just as relevant as your point
Beef Supreme said:
Furthermore, since these donations are tax deductible, they result in less taxes paid and an increase in the debt.
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no, spending results in an increased debt
Beef Supreme said:
There is one more thing to consider. What Romney is doing doesn't fall into normal deductions that any reasonable person would take. He takes advantage of arcane loop holes such as the carried interest credit and equity pools.
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you're saying that a reasonable person would opt to pay taxes rather than keep it? what "reason" is this based upon?
Beef Supreme said:
Just because it is legal doesn't mean he is paying his fair share.
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actually, that's the definition of fair: "here are the [tax] rules; don't break them"
 
dante

dante

Unabomber
Feb 13, 2004
8,807
9
looking for classic NE singletrack
$tinkle said:
and i love how you guys are willing to pretend that money not going to taxes is the same as giving it to the mormon church
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Money "tithed" to the church is tax deductible, allowing you to pay a lower overall tax burden. If the money wasn't given to the church, Mitt'd have to pay whatever his marginal tax rate on income was on that amount.

no, spending results in an increased debt
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You realize that debt is made up of two components, tax revenue taken in vs revenue spent, right?

actually, that's the definition of fair: "here are the [tax] rules; don't break them"
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Not really. Unfair is a group of rich people lobbying (bribing) their congressmen to give them tax loopholes to allow them to pay a lower effective tax rate. Might be legal, but certainly not fair...
 
$tinkle

$tinkle

Expert on blowing
Feb 12, 2003
14,591
6
dante said:
Money "tithed" to the church is tax deductible, allowing you to pay a lower overall tax burden. If the money wasn't given to the church, Mitt'd have to pay whatever his marginal tax rate on income was on that amount.
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is it too obvious to point out the rules are identical for all charitable deductions, not just for magical undergarment textile fronts?
dante said:
You realize that debt is made up of two components, tax revenue taken in vs revenue spent, right?
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correct; my attempt at pithiness was clumsy.

perhaps my explanation should have included the fact that charitable deductions result in lessening the burden on other tax-payer funded programs (food banks, hospitals, homeless shelters, & other assorted philanthropic vehicles)
dante said:
Not really. Unfair is a group of rich people lobbying (bribing) their congressmen to give them tax loopholes to allow them to pay a lower effective tax rate. Might be legal, but certainly not fair...
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fair is the golden rule
 
JetTeach

JetTeach

Monkey
Aug 18, 2011
511
0
dante said:
Money "tithed" to the church is tax deductible, allowing you to pay a lower overall tax burden. If the money wasn't given to the church, Mitt'd have to pay whatever his marginal tax rate on income was on that amount.
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If the money wasn't given to the church, Mitt'd found some other place to donate it.
 
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