Occupy Jax is coming...

[FayeforCure]

I agree with Simms.  If the protestors truly want to change the status-quo, they are protesting at the wrong venue.  Try going to Washington and protesting at the WhiteHouse and the Capitol, not within the doors of Wall Street. 

I agree that things are really effed up too.  But I also know there's a way to change that besides protesting to the point that you prevent hard-working Americans from being able to do their jobs and bring food home to their families:  You VOTE!!!

That's precisely our point: Wall Street OWNS the White House and the Capitol!!!

Also most messages in DC get out by all kinds of daily protests there. Those anti-war protests in DC sure helped 
Besides, we all have plenty of money to travel to DC and take off from work.........now don't we?

For those of us who have tried that route........it's a lost cause.

Take it local...........all across the US!

95% of incumbents get re-elected due to gerry-mandered districts. Message: your vote doesn't count!!

[second_pancake]

I agree with Simms.  If the protestors truly want to change the status-quo, they are protesting at the wrong venue.  Try going to Washington and protesting at the WhiteHouse and the Capitol. 

I agree that things are really effed up too.  But I also know there's a way to change that besides protesting to the point that you prevent hard-working Americans from being able to do their jobs and bring food home to their families:  You VOTE!!!

Yeah, why no just have your message be drowned out by all kinds of daily protests in DC. Those anti-war protests in DC sure helped 
Besides, we all have plenty of money to travel to DC and take off from work.........now don't we?

For those of us who have tried that route........it's a lost cause.

Take it local...........all across the US!

95% of incumbents get re-elected due to gerry-mandered districts. Message: your vote doesn't count!!

You left off the statement which indicating that I was referring to Wall Street, not Jacksonville.  How convenient.

[FayeforCure]

I agree with Simms.  If the protestors truly want to change the status-quo, they are protesting at the wrong venue.  Try going to Washington and protesting at the WhiteHouse and the Capitol. 

I agree that things are really effed up too.  But I also know there's a way to change that besides protesting to the point that you prevent hard-working Americans from being able to do their jobs and bring food home to their families:  You VOTE!!!

Yeah, why no just have your message be drowned out by all kinds of daily protests in DC. Those anti-war protests in DC sure helped 
Besides, we all have plenty of money to travel to DC and take off from work.........now don't we?

For those of us who have tried that route........it's a lost cause.

Take it local...........all across the US!

95% of incumbents get re-elected due to gerry-mandered districts. Message: your vote doesn't count!!

You left off the statement which indicating that I was referring to Wall Street, not Jacksonville.  How convenient.

Thank you, it's corrected.

BTW this thread is bringing out people who rarely post on metrojacksonville. Apparently it has started a much needed conversation here, and increased awareness.

It's a beautiful thing to see that we all agree on the problem.........just still collectively looking for solutions.

What inspires me, as an economist, is the Center for the Advancement of a Steady State Economy:

http://steadystate.org/

[ben says]

These people are mostly Mac users.  They all have iPods and many have iPhones.  They have cars and they most likely drive a car most suitable to their personality and their need.  They most likely rent in a property owned by a large real estate company or own a home with a mortgage held by Fannie or Freddie (not to mention the debt on that rental property is probably held by Fannie/Freddie, too).  They use GE appliances.  They have athletic equipment.  They eat food.  Their whole lives are run and guaranteed by corporations, many of which provide a great service or build a great product.  At the helms of all of these corporations are millionaires and billionaires.  And at the helm of the economy is Wall St and banks, whose setup, which was allowed under our great Constitution, has built a system that put our country at the forefront of everything in the world.  Without financial markets, we would literally still be stuck in the industrial revolution or worse.  Now bad government policies are hurting both Wall St and our manufacturers and setting us back.  Regulations are hurting our innovative spirit.

If they TRULY were against capitalism and corporations, they would do what real protesters/anti-capitalists did over a century ago and form a commune whereby they farmed and did everything on their own, all shared.

Instead, these are lazy brats expecting handouts and "changes" for nothing.  These are all people who if offered a $70K job with any of these corporations, would take it in a heartbeat and become that company's biggest fan.  Granted, I wouldn't expect that to happen because I would expect their laziness here to translate to laziness there, but the point remains.

We're getting to a point where it's not just the welfare society who expects stuff for nothing, it's college kids and now people who have been through perhaps the first rough patch in their lives.  As bad as it is now and as poor as we all are now, we still have it better than we did in the 1970s, let alone the 1930s or before.

I'll believe these people when they declare happiness that billionaire CEO Steve Jobs passed away yesterday and they start smashing their Apple products, vowing never to buy Apple products again.

Back to bad policy and regulation: why not protest those?  Democrats and Republicans are all passing bills with regulations meant to gain them political trust (as in with all these useful idiots), but that's all these regulations are good for.  Keeping the same people in office is the goal, not helping our economy.  We need a leader who will tell the American people like it really is, not ask us for favors or tell us who to love and who to hate, and tackle our POLITICAL problem of partisan crap and lies.

where ever do you get this stuff simms?

I think most people have the same opinion of Ortega raised white bread, but I certainly hope that you don't buy into that rubbish either.

Making a statement at Wall Street, on Wall Street, for Wall Street is about the smartest thing that people have done for a while.

Washington is controlled by money, not protests, take the statement to where the money is and let those bastards know that they personally have arrived on the public radar.

I have a feeling this is going to lead to one of the most effective protests in a while simply because it rewrites the script on where the conflict lies.

+1.

It baffles my why 100% of Americans aren't supporting these people.

[BridgeTroll]

These people are mostly Mac users.  They all have iPods and many have iPhones.  They have cars and they most likely drive a car most suitable to their personality and their need.  They most likely rent in a property owned by a large real estate company or own a home with a mortgage held by Fannie or Freddie (not to mention the debt on that rental property is probably held by Fannie/Freddie, too).  They use GE appliances.  They have athletic equipment.  They eat food.  Their whole lives are run and guaranteed by corporations, many of which provide a great service or build a great product.  At the helms of all of these corporations are millionaires and billionaires.  And at the helm of the economy is Wall St and banks, whose setup, which was allowed under our great Constitution, has built a system that put our country at the forefront of everything in the world.  Without financial markets, we would literally still be stuck in the industrial revolution or worse.  Now bad government policies are hurting both Wall St and our manufacturers and setting us back.  Regulations are hurting our innovative spirit.

If they TRULY were against capitalism and corporations, they would do what real protesters/anti-capitalists did over a century ago and form a commune whereby they farmed and did everything on their own, all shared.

Instead, these are lazy brats expecting handouts and "changes" for nothing.  These are all people who if offered a $70K job with any of these corporations, would take it in a heartbeat and become that company's biggest fan.  Granted, I wouldn't expect that to happen because I would expect their laziness here to translate to laziness there, but the point remains.

We're getting to a point where it's not just the welfare society who expects stuff for nothing, it's college kids and now people who have been through perhaps the first rough patch in their lives.  As bad as it is now and as poor as we all are now, we still have it better than we did in the 1970s, let alone the 1930s or before.

I'll believe these people when they declare happiness that billionaire CEO Steve Jobs passed away yesterday and they start smashing their Apple products, vowing never to buy Apple products again.

Back to bad policy and regulation: why not protest those?  Democrats and Republicans are all passing bills with regulations meant to gain them political trust (as in with all these useful idiots), but that's all these regulations are good for.  Keeping the same people in office is the goal, not helping our economy.  We need a leader who will tell the American people like it really is, not ask us for favors or tell us who to love and who to hate, and tackle our POLITICAL problem of partisan crap and lies.

where ever do you get this stuff simms?

I think most people have the same opinion of Ortega raised white bread, but I certainly hope that you don't buy into that rubbish either.

Making a statement at Wall Street, on Wall Street, for Wall Street is about the smartest thing that people have done for a while.

Washington is controlled by money, not protests, take the statement to where the money is and let those bastards know that they personally have arrived on the public radar.

I have a feeling this is going to lead to one of the most effective protests in a while simply because it rewrites the script on where the conflict lies.

+1.

It baffles my why 100% of Americans aren't supporting these people.

Is it because we still do not know  who these bastards are that we keep hearing about.  Are they Wall St traders?  Cleaning crew?  IT staff?  CEO's?  Stckholders?  Boards of directors?  All Corporations?  Some corporations?  A few corporations?

take the statement to where the money is and let those bastards know that they personally have arrived on the public radar.

For it to be personal... at least for me... I need to know who they are...

[wsansewjs]

I agree with Simms.  If the protestors truly want to change the status-quo, they are protesting at the wrong venue.  Try going to Washington and protesting at the WhiteHouse and the Capitol.  That's where all these wonderful policies are decided, not within the doors of Wall Street.  The actions taken by the major corporations in our country are reactive, not proactive.  The react to a regulation or policy or law that is put in place.  They either try to find loopholes around it so they can stay in business (I know, God forbid a company makes money, right? lol), or in the case of many mortgage companies they abide by it and then take the government's bribe:  We'll pay you 'x' if you fall on the knife for us.

I agree that things are really effed up too.  But I also know there's a way to change that besides protesting to the point that you prevent hard-working Americans from being able to do their jobs and bring food home to their families:  You VOTE!!!

You don't get the whole point. The reason there are protests EVERYWHERE on the same topic would SEND a message around the world that they are not going to tolerance any big business / corporations infiltrating their own country's political machine / local offices. It is perfectly fine for the corporations to exist and do business, but it is not okay for them to use their resources to control or influence our personal lives through the manipulations of laws and politics.

If we all went to the epicenter where the decisions / source of power, well some people can't just travel long distance because the time and money required to get there are not available because the corporations are too busy counting their own money for themselves, the 1%, not supporting the 99%.

Even the battle does go on beyond the locations, to the Internet. Anonymous is one of the most powerful group you do not want to f*** with.

Let the People like you and me speak for our own good. This can become big. This could be part of the 2012 prophecy. A global awakening of how our societies perceve upon its own members. Yes blame me for going into the conspiracy hokey dokey rubbish stuff.

In my own opinion, this Occupy Wall Street Protest is expect to triple its capacity within 2 weeks globally.

-Josh

[ghalti]

Statement issued from Zuccotti Park by the general assembly at Occupy Wall Street, copied from last night's transcript of Countdown on Current TV.

“As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies. As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members. That our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors. That a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people, and the Earth, and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power.

We come to you at a time when corporations â€" which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality â€" run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here as is our right to let these facts be known.

They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.

They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give executives exorbitant bonuses.

They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in workplaces based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation.

They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.

They have profited off the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices.

They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.

They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is, itself, a human right.

They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut worker’s health care and pay.

They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people with none of the culpability or responsibility.

They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams, but look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.

They have sold our privacy as a commodity.

They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press.

They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products, endangering lives in pursuit of profit.

They determine economic policy despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.

They have donated large sums of money to politicians, who are responsible for regulating them.

They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.

They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives, or provide relief in order to protect investments that have

already turned a substantial profit.

They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.

They purposefully kept people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.

They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners, even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.

They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad.

They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.

They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts.

To the people of the world,

We, the New York City general assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.

Exercise your right to peaceably assemble, occupy public space, create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.

To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.

Join us and make your voices heard.”

[simms3]

In this statement, nearly every action/reaction by corporations (and some of the statements are true, and some are flat out lies or exaggerations) is driven by Washington.

I happen to know that historically Wall St is connected to the Democrat party.  How inconvenient!  The proof is in the pudding, but the pudding is apparently thrown away.

Take the monopolization of farming...Congress initiated acts that provided subsidies in the 1920s and the whole thing ballooned under Roosevelt's New Deal programs.  There is a direct corellation here.  Now major ag producers are major beneficiaries of any politician that will increase subsidies or push policies that benefit...oh, say corn growers.  George Bush signed into law in 2005 a bill that mandated a higher percentage of ethanol to be mixed in with gasoline and look where we are.

Corporations have money and they can wield sizable influence, but the politicians have the power (and we elect the politicians).  I'd say truthfully the buck either stops with us, as we keep re-electing politicians who may have started out ok but have since become corrupted by all of their power, or the buck stops with our publicly elected officials.  Choose one.

And regarding Mac books, sure they were bought, but plenty of parents bought their Mac books.  Come on...Also, you fail to see my point.  Apple is a huge Wall St player as it has had the largest market capitalization of any company at one point, has relied on Wall St for issuances of debt and equity, and has relied on the complex relationships Wall St has with RE and federal programs in order to build up their business.  Steve Jobs made BILLIONS, which is more than 99.999% of anyone working on Wall St.  I admired and revered the man and I am truly saddened by his loss, but I cannot help but use him as a pawn in my argument.  Where is the backlash at Apple?  They have been a financial market participator and have benefited from the capital markets and public policy for decades!  Apple has wielded tremendous power across multiple sectors.  Apple has produced billionaires while those in the stores make low hourly wages (let's not even mention what those working to make parts for Apple make overseas).  Apple has outsourced parts and labor.  Apple has laid off thousands of people in its history.  Where's the outrage about "corporate greed" and "mass injustice?"

The auto industry.  The teachers' unions.  The Teamsters.  Big "Green Energy."  Do these people even know that the auto industry has done worse than Wall St?  Do they even realize that the teachers' unions are nearly entirely to blame for our failing public schools?  Do they realize the Teamsters union and others like the AFL-CIO have gone into business with the mob and hurt consumers significantly by hindering competition and increasing costs?  Have they heard about the recent scandals involving "green" companies receiving huge government subsidies and misusing those funds for political purposes?

Seriously, everything traces back to politicians, and then to those of us who stupidly elect or re-elect them.

Our financial system is what has allowed this country to be an economic engine and model to the world.  Our financial system is still being replicated in developing countries now so that they can have the same opportunities to grow and expand.  What's not being replicated are our silly regulations.  World organizations are quick to put in something that acts like the CME or CBOE or NYSE in a developing country, but it makes one wonder why they stop there and why they don't put in the same rules we get to enjoy here.

[monicabrbr]

NOT GOOD -

President Obama said Thursday that the Occupy Wall Street protests show a "broad-based frustration" among Americans about how the U.S. financial system works.

Obama and the unions (why are government workers allowed to bargain with tax payer $) are trying to infiltrate  this movement just like the republicans did the TEA party movement.  If this is allowed to happened we're all screwed.

I do agree with those who have stated that we have to make government accountable.  If we do that it will take care of a lot of the issues.  A lot of the reason we're in this predicament is due to regulatory capture.

[JeffreyS]

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

Mahatma Gandhi

[monicabrbr]

JefferyS - you are so reading ZeroHedge correct?

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/mike-krieger-useful-idiots#comments

[FayeforCure]

I'd say truthfully the buck either stops with us, as we keep re-electing politicians who may have started out ok but have since become corrupted by all of their power, or the buck stops with our publicly elected officials.  Choose one.

The "we have to blame ourselves" is such crap! Due to gerrymandered districts we have congressmen for life. Our Vote doesn't count!!! that's why 95% of incumbents get re-elected. Our vote is futile.

And here you go again:

Seriously, everything traces back to politicians, and then to those of us who stupidly elect or re-elect them.

Too bad Republicans like to victimize the victims once again. Never will they point to the actual perpetrators.

Our politicians are bought and paid for by the corporatists...........so, yes, we do agree that they are bad!

And the truth CANNOT be hidden anymore by a myriad of words pointing in a different direction in a desperate attempt to deflect from the REAL cause: the corporatists who OWN our government and who run the show.

[monicabrbr]

+1

[FayeforCure]

Statement issued from Zuccotti Park by the general assembly at Occupy Wall Street, copied from last night's transcript of Countdown on Current TV.

“As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies. As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members. That our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors. That a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people, and the Earth, and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power.

We come to you at a time when corporations â€" which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality â€" run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here as is our right to let these facts be known.

They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.

They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give executives exorbitant bonuses.

They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in workplaces based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation.

They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.

They have profited off the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices.

They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.

They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is, itself, a human right.

They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut worker’s health care and pay.

They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people with none of the culpability or responsibility.

They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams, but look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.

They have sold our privacy as a commodity.

They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press.

They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products, endangering lives in pursuit of profit.

They determine economic policy despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.

They have donated large sums of money to politicians, who are responsible for regulating them.

They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.

They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives, or provide relief in order to protect investments that have

already turned a substantial profit.

They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.

They purposefully kept people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.

They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners, even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.

They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad.

They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.

They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts.

To the people of the world,

We, the New York City general assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.

Exercise your right to peaceably assemble, occupy public space, create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.

To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.

Join us and make your voices heard.”

+ 300,000,000 for the huge number of Americans affected by the disasterous corporatists protecting policies.

The 1% is immune from the troubles that ail us. In fact they keep perpetuatung the problems and have magnified already un-acceptable inequality levels in the US.

There is only a land of opportunity towards insecurity and poverty for the rest of us (the 99percent)..........it's that giant sinkhole that tries to suck us all in:

[jaxnative]

Well, boys and girls, the answer seems simple enough.  Let's get Wall St.(Evil Corporations) out of Washington and Washington as far from Wall Street as possible.  Or is it only a one way street?