Forum Post: A Fulcrum Point For a New Engaged Citizenry?
Posted 12 years ago on Dec. 18, 2011, 10:21 p.m. EST by thenewgreen
(170)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
From the link below: "I think that the OWS movement is going to have (as Haldeman said re Kent) , "a direct impact on national politics". With the 2012 elections around the corner, I think the OWS movement has the ability to fundamentally alter the national conversation and to make pointed demands of our leaders".
What should these demands be is the magic question??
Article 5 Convention NOW!
Not the magic question, but the only real solution to keep government in the hands of the people and never letting the government get this out of control again is Article 5.
An Article 5 Convention with the "Greater Meaning of Free Speech" (GMFS) is the best way to ensure that the people are always in charge of their own lives, that the size of federal and state government stays proportionate to the population, and the GMFS will ensure that there can never again be the broad interpretation that purposely allowed for the loopholes of language that politicians have used against us for their own gain of power. An Article 5 Convention is our only hope of taking back our freedom and ensuring transparency of government.
http://articlevconvention.org/showthread.php?10-Templates-Letter-to-State-Representatives-request-for-house-resolution Article 5 is our first and last constitutional right. If we don't use it now, we will not have any rights. Freedom is not free. Unity is cheap compared to the demise of the nwo default with confused sheep, not free.
Educate yourselves about article V.
Lessig power point on article V http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gpbfY-atMk
Lots of facts here about Article V. Lawsuit filed against all members of congress, video. http://algoxy.com/poly/article_v_convention.html
Article V conference, Lawrence Lessig at harvard 9/25/11-other attendee video comments http://vimeo.com/31464745 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-7ikbvu0Y8
I agree that it's time to ratify the constitution. I'm not one of the people that practice "ancestor worship" as someone said in the link I'll provide below. They go on to mention that the founders "plastered ten addenda on that thing within two years of ratifying it - so it's not like they expected it to be writ in stone". As they say, "It's a living document", it's time we gave it some new breath.
Link: http://hubski.com/pub?id=7232
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No downsizing the Postal Service
No KeyStone Pipeline
two step approach to the issue of national debt:
short term: end bushite tax breaks and corporate welfare
end debate over entitlements I'm sick of hearing about it as if it were dirty. Forget privatization of social security and just shoot the next bastard who suggests otherwise [speaking for myself of course.]
public health care - forget the option part.
We need an energy policy uninfluenced by fossil fuel industry, one that takes into account the fact of global warming, and institutes a NASA like approach to solving both our need for energy and the need to reduce atmospheric carbon
No to internet censorship in any form
If they engaged in fraud - they see the judge, and the sentencing better be in line with the crime, and had better include serious restitution
End the foreclosures.
End the philosophy of a deregulated economic system - from the Universities to the policy makers
End corporate personhood
campaign finance reform - Sanders Amendment
end the two party political system
quit fucking around with the issue of terrorism - it's a crime, unless you happen to catch them on an actual battlefield - and if it is a crime, treat them in accordance with our criminal laws. No more indefinite detention
Close Gitmo - we've got large pens practically empty in the mid west. I'm sure they can handle it. Stop fucking around.
If we can't accomplish these things, the federal government will lose all credibility with the people.
There ya have it, my want list. I may add to it. We'll see.
"No to internet censorship in any form" So you want Child Porn allowed on the net????
post some - I'll shoot you myself.
Just makin sure your not some sicko. See you do want some censorship
No, I do not want censorship.
Where criminal behavior has taken place, the law should be applied to the fullest extent possible.
and no you weren't attempting to see if I was a sick bastard, you wanted to prove that indeed I do favor censorship.
I am a sick bastard. REal SIck. Just not that kinda sick.
don't piss me off.
I can imagine some other things that you would want censored. You can claim that you want the internet to be completely free , but face it, the world is a big place. There are countries where you are allowed to have a child bride. I doubt they, once they are internet capable (if they aren't already) would have to much care about putting underage pics on line. So while it may be illegal here , it's not there. So do you restrict the internet and make it more regional, so you don't have to censor such things
you break the law, you go to jail.
Who's law are you going to use on something international like the internet???
mine
Child pornography is illegal and thereby most sane people would not consider it amongst the things being wrongly "censored". Look up SOPA and read what your legislature wants to do in order to protect big business and control YOU.
I am down with almost all of what you write. My favorite is this: "quit fucking around with the issue of terrorism - it's a crime, unless you happen to catch them on an actual battlefield - and if it is a crime, threat them in accordance with our criminal laws. No more indefinite detention". -ABSOLUTELY DEAD ON!
The one I have the most concerns with is this: "No downsizing the Postal Service". -Some realities just have to be admitted to. People don't use the postal service as much anymore. This is NOT going to change, in fact its going to get less used every year. The fact that you (conceivably thousands of miles away) are having this discussion with me via the internet, says it all. Sorry, I am all for the fair treatment of displaced postal workers but it's going to HAVE to be downsized. That's just reality. If we save the USPS, then we have to save the publishing industry and book manufacturers too from the same enemy.
All of the rest, I agree with though.
as for downsizing the postal service - do you have actual numbers? I ask because I know Congress has legislated a few years ago that over 5 billion dollars of their annual budget be set aside - and there are those who claim that as of right now, the Postal Service has over paid over the last few years by 6 billion.
I don't know how that all breaks down - but my understanding is they are not in bad shape at all - not yet.
From 2007 until now it has dropped more than 20%. That is an enormous number. As the boomers age and die and the next more internet savvy generations are afoot, there will be no need for them. Private organizations like UPS and FedEx can provide the same functionality. Sorry to say, but it's a forgone conclusion and I'd rather not see my tax dollars as a subsidy for something obsolete. Shift those dollars to education. In fact, shift 80% of all my tax dollars to education and 10% to defense and 10% to welfare programs, then I'd be a happy dude.
well, see, there you do have it wrong. Your tax dollars do not fund the Postal Service. The Postal Service is funded by the sale of stamps.
Believe it or not.
I say let them keep going as long as they are in the black.
Not to beat a dead horse, but this article states that the US Postal Service has stated that they are losing 23 million dollars a DAY.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Delivering-red-ink-US-Postal-Service-looks-to-cut-cost-at-Dallas-main-PO-134936453.html
So, there I have it "right", not "wrong".
Their response will be to slowly lay off people, cut services etc. The customer service will suck and be even slower and it will drive all of this business to competitors. It will be a slow process but truth is, they should make it a quick one and shut down the USPS and give every employee a 3 year severance (partially funded by a percentage of the profit increases from FedEx and UPS).
We are living in some crazy times. We will see jobs like meter readers disappear too. As technology advances, non skilled jobs are going to go bye-bye, which is why we NEED, NEED, NEED to be investing a TON more money into education and paying teachers a LOT more $. Not just medicine, law and finance jobs should not be attracting bright people out of college, the education system should too.
well, I did qualify it by saying I think
I could easily be wrong - I haven't researched it.
but this is not, in my opinion, the time to downsize - we've got enough people out of work right now and too few new jobs coming on line.
Further - the wfaa link - is that a local Texas paper? Because if it is, I would want to see something from someone a little less apt to be . . ..
partisan
like the office of budget and management maybe. I dunno.
Definitely not the most credible source, to be sure. I just found a quick link. None the less, I think you would be hard pressed to argue that the Postal Service is still in the black. I think that one of the things helping to keep the USPS afloat is NetFlix. In fact, there are people that think if the USPS shuts down saturday deliveries, it could have a really negative impact on the company.
I don't think we need to lay off USPS employees right now either, I do think that we need to be mindful that the day IS coming though. It's wrong to ignore impending collapses. That's what got us in to this mess to begin with.
This is from 2008! "The Postal Service ended its fiscal year $2.8 billion in the red, battered by a faltering economy that cut the amount of mail being sent". Who do you think subsidized that?
not sure - but they were paying 5 billion out of their budget to suit Congress by that point I believe.
The National General Assembly meeting July 4th has a suggested List Of Grievances. As was once pointed out, it really doesn't matter what's on the list so much as that The List really exists and carries real weight.
http://www.the99declaration.org/
Article 5 Convention NOW!
Thanks a bunch. Yes, from what I understand, there are some Article 5 people working with the 99declaration. Just trying to get the awareness of ART5 to others in OWS.
OKAY ALL, SO FAR ZendDog threw their hat in the ring. I suppose the #1 thing that I would like to see demanded, is MONEY OUT OF POLITICS. Period. I think campaigns should have a set amount of money they are allotted for advertising, period. NO CORPORATE MONEY funding politics in any way shape or form.
The candidate that raises the most money wins the election 98% of the time. THIS IS WRONG. It should be the candidate with the most viable plan for our future wins 98% of the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EewGMBOB4Gg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z9WVZddH9w
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