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Forum Post: How Can We Fix A Broken America? Please EVERYONE Contribute Ideas!

Posted 9 years ago on July 1, 2014, 11:50 a.m. EST by quantumystic (1710) from Memphis, TN
This content is user submitted and not an official statement

There are a lot of things we need to do to fix America and to create a better culture and society, and perhaps that is why a coherent message from occupy wall st. never really emerged and thus solutions to the problems we face.

First you have to identify the problems. We have a political system that is ineffective and unresponsive, an economic system that is teetering on the edge of complete collapse and that destroys wealth instead of creating it, we have an aging infrastructure that is reducing productivity, and finally we have an environment that is being destroyed by the prodution of energy and the extraction of resources/manufacturing of goods and is on the verge of an irreversable tipping point. Can we all agree these 4 main problems are the base for virtually all of Americas problems and in fact the whole worlds problems?

I have a ten proposals off the top of my head to create a better America though obviously it will take these actions and many more to restore balance to all systems:

1) Legalize marijuana and hemp and psychedelics/natural medicines.

2) De-privatize the commons and vital institutions.

3) End unsustainable development, manufacturing, and production practices.

4) Rehabilitate and enhance degraded lands, wetlands, and water ways.

5) Retrofit existing infrastructure and buildings using sustainable and people/environmentally friendly techniques and practices where it is cost efficient and practical where it is not replace with new sustainable technologies.

6) Break up monopolies and too big to jail/fail and end the laws and regulations that prevent an opensource economy from innovating new products, technology, design, and practices/techniques.

7) Create options for free higher education/job training and overhaul the entire education system using new technologies, employing student specific learning plans, etc.

8) Create options for free health care and overhaul the system with an emphais on a preventative holistic approach to medicine, disease, and healing.

9) Engage in the creation of mass green public works and infrastructure projects.

10) Create laws ensuring a living wage so people can afford decent housing, clothing, and goods; as well as ensuring a minimum of two weeks paid vacation and a 32 hour/4 day work week.

I will come back later and list additional ideas and exactly what kind of actions should be taken under each concept, the positive effects each one will have, and how each idea will contribute to turning things around. Please post any additional ideas you have or thoughts. Please post any flaws you think each idea has and i will address these specifically. I want this thread to be a place for debate and for the flushing out ideas and concepts that could be central to the foundational platform for a revolutionary coalition that enacts change.

54 Comments

54 Comments


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[-] 5 points by shadz66 (19985) 9 years ago

''How to Create the Ideal Government and Society'', by Roger Copple :

USA v Belgium 0-0 aftr 90 minutes. 30 minutes extra time just started. Excellent TeamUS peformance ... so far. Come On USA .. in more ways than one !!! Read the article please !! It's a GREAT dot joiner !

EDIT : Shoot !!! Belgians just scored !! C'mon USA - 25m to get an equaliser & then penalty shoot out !

dum spiro, spero ...

[-] 2 points by quantumystic (1710) from Memphis, TN 9 years ago

i stand in solidarity with my brazilian brothers and sisters against fifa and the world cup. take that shit somewhere else.

[-] 4 points by shadz66 (19985) 9 years ago

Don't get too huffy numbnuts !!! The essence of the above post was in the link !! USA 1 Belgium 2 after 120 minutes of competitive play & the US team played great, with passion, energy & good team work !

Solidarity to The 99% Everywhere - in our beautiful world !!! Football is the true democratic, meritocratic 99% sport and microcosmic of many good things !! Read this article below for a quantum of mysticism !

''This old new class is a 'caste class.' Piketty is not only opening a conversation about class, but about caste, a point largely lost in all the commentary on his book.'' Consider that & re.football, be cool man !

spero meliora ...

[-] 3 points by BradB (2693) from Washington, DC 9 years ago

Get Money Out of Politics

Direct Democracy

A People's Veto

A Social Reserve Bank ...

Social Wealth Banking ...

given that ..everything else will fix itself ...

[-] 3 points by Crackpot (53) 9 years ago

Some Americans are probably realizing for the first time that they have/had been living in a Capitalist bubble. The USA has been unable to solve its problems with Capitalism. Now is the time to solve them.

The problems with Capitalism can’t be solved if you don’t know what Capitalism is.

Reaganomics: 32 Years of Failed Policy | Interview with Richard Wolff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F2JIHNLQSc

Capitalism and Socialism: Crash Course World History #33

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3u4EFTwprM

Communist Manifest (Das Kapital)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4WXYtoAnMs

"Karl Marx Was Right"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUaVeixiVLc

The 17 Contradictions of Capitalism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AULJlwoI3TI

The common ownership of the means of production has advantages.

[-] 3 points by publius31 (75) from Fort Lee, NJ 9 years ago

We can fix America only by making it an Actual Democracy and get rid of this bastardized representative republic. We need a Constitutional Amendment along these lines:

  1. The legislative function of the United States shall be performed directly by the people according to legislation that the people enact.
  2. The right of citizens to directly vote for the laws under which they live shall not be abridged by the United States or by any State.

so every one of the 200,000,000 citizens can vote on each law before it goes to the President to be signed or vetoed. If two heads are better than one then 200 million are better than 538. See http://www.assosactualdemocracy.com. The Government as a representative republic has served well and now it's time has come to be replaced by the Actual Democracy we all want and need: one man, one vote, on each law, not for another man to vote for or against that law.

[-] 3 points by publius31 (75) from Fort Lee, NJ 9 years ago

After a considered look I can only find one possibility: change the U.S into and Actual Democracy instead of the Representative Democracy we currently have. The people take on their responsibility as the legislature and vote directly on the laws under which they will live. Representative democracy (that Rousseau calls elected aristocracy) was needed because the population of voting citizens was too large to fit in the town square. The only way the people could have their voice, and will, put into law was through people they elected to carry the people's wishes to the debate and the vote on the laws. Today we live under the umbrella of the geocentric communication satellites and we openly debate issues over 'social media':facebook. twitter, google+, blogs upon blogs, uncountable websites, telephone communication etc. all tied together and available. So we have a source for open and raucous debate. We also vote for entertainers over our electronic devices such as 'The Voice', 'American Idol', 'America has Talent', 'x-factor', etc. We debate and vote electronically so we can debate and vote on the laws. Representatives are no longer needed. We do not have to delegate our political power to others but actually exercise it ourselves by voting on the laws. The result is 538 people, selected from a set twice that large, generally 1 from each party, won't make our laws and spend our money in ways they choose to: 'for the good of the people'. We'll vote on the laws and spend the money. The money, by-the-way, is 4 trillion dollars this year. 538 representatives spend 4 trillion dollars! Think they're qualified? More than 200,000,000 million citizens? If 2 heads are better than one how much better is 200,000,000 to 538. This is political freedom, political equality. And people will vote when they it counts, just as much as anybody else's. See assosactualdemocracy.com. Support it. Join it. Make it happen. I am an advocate.

[-] 2 points by gsw (3407) from Woodbridge Township, NJ 9 years ago

Give people governing powers with initiatives as discussed here

http://www.cusdi.org/summary_paper.pdf

Website version http://www.initiativesamendment.org

[-] 1 points by MattHolck0 (3867) 9 years ago

looks overly complex

[-] 1 points by gsw (3407) from Woodbridge Township, NJ 9 years ago

500 representative citizens who represent real Americans in economic status, ethnicity, other qualities, similar to a grand jury, shielded from corruption, would select and vet the best national initiatives everyone can vote on.

[-] 2 points by NVPHIL (664) 9 years ago

Wolf-pac.com Those are good ideas that you have but with big money owning our politicians there is not much chance of them being enacted. The root cause of all our problems is the corruption of money affecting our representatives. Once we remove that corruption we will have representatives who act for the benefit of their constituents and we can really get to work fixing our country. Vermont and California have already called for an article 5 convention to address this issue. Only 32 states to go.

[-] 3 points by quantumystic (1710) from Memphis, TN 9 years ago

how does this address the dumbing down of culture and society and the totally fucked up values and morals of this country? this has to start at the grassroots level. we have to build it ourselves and when the titanic goes down we can pull up in our party boat and save the day. watch how. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg6bP6Vw1To

[-] 5 points by Renneye (3874) 9 years ago

Excellent video 'qm'.

"This episode explores the viability and necessity of a green economy and methods to kick-start one through "green community-centers" in every major city. Kevin Danaher is an anti-globalization activist, and the co-founder of Global Exchange, and the executive producer of Green Festivals. The Green Festivals are festivals that happen annually in four cities to promote environmentally friendly ideas and products.

Directed by Joao Amorim"

[-] 1 points by turbocharger (1756) 9 years ago

That is a good video, I like that guy's style.

[-] 1 points by quantumystic (1710) from Memphis, TN 9 years ago

yeah, he is legit. there are a lot of legit people. not everyone is a sellout and not every enterprise is evil.

[-] 0 points by BradB (2693) from Washington, DC 9 years ago

agree... good vid

[-] 2 points by pigeonlady (284) from Brooklyn, NY 9 years ago

Wow. So a better America depends on anaesthetizing your mind and body so the corporations know you will never achieve the maximum potential and just be 'happy' making enough to sit in a corner tokin'. To hell with those of us who do not want to do pot, as either a moral or ethical reluctance, or those of us, like me, who are so allergic that second hand smoke from a distance and outside has twice put me in an asthma attack so bad I was hospitalized once and semiconscious in the trunk of a police car on oxygen the other, while the neighbors razzed me as weak. Being I a fetal position in the trunk of a police car, dude. That was embarrassing enough, although I don't know what might have happened if he wasn't there. Realize I get sick and have to use the emergency inhaler as well as decongestant each time, and here in Brooklyn it's frequent. Even regulated pot still has carbons and tars like cigarettes but are psychotropic in nature. not all of us want artificial experiences or mind altering substances, which your proposition means I have to inhale and as I guess just die. Other points reasonable but not all happening at once and not if everyone is messed up and sedated. Skip the drugs.

[-] 3 points by quantumystic (1710) from Memphis, TN 9 years ago

i never said any of the words you tried to put in my mouth. good try though. legalizing these substances is key for freedom and liberty. unless of course you hate freedom and liberty.

[-] 2 points by StillModestCapitalist (343) 9 years ago

We need to reduce our consumer support of the richest 1% and their golden corporate geese. In particular, GE, Wall-Mart, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, AT&T, Beyonce, Blue Cross, Comcast, Dreamworks, Honeywell International, the Koch brothers, Las Vegas Sands, Lockheed Martin, Oprah Winfrey, Starbucks, the NRA, Warren Buffet, and ALL of the pharmaceutical companies. Also, we need to stop raising money for 'cures' which will never come. Let the health care industry pay for it's own damn FOR PROFIT research and development.

and holy crap if we don't stop worshiping celebrities, then we may as well hang it up. They are NOTORIOUS for making people stupid. Especially, when it comes to economics.

[-] 3 points by quantumystic (1710) from Memphis, TN 9 years ago

i agree we do vote with our dollars everytime we make a purchase and that by bringing things/people/ideas into disscusion that don't warrant discussion and putting them into the zeitgeist and allowing a false equivalancy between an inferior or unfounded concept and a practical and applicable concept is a big problem.

i also think it should be easier to identify ethical businesses vs unethical businesses without doing a freaking background check on every step of the supply chain when you want to buy a smart phone.

[-] 1 points by quantumystic (1710) from Memphis, TN 9 years ago

also a problem with some of these companies is they basically exist in a monopoly or dualopoly type situation with very little or no competition. they must be broken up into smaller pieces so others can compete.

[-] 1 points by StillModestCapitalist (343) 9 years ago

Microsoft would be a good start.

[-] 2 points by quantumystic (1710) from Memphis, TN 9 years ago

almost all of the big industry giants opperate in these terms. there is the illusion of choice as a parent company may own many subsidiaries but they are all have the same owner in the end. we have all seen the charts on how it works. it is time to end it, to break these corporate and financial giants up. this is what will breathe life into our economy.

[-] 1 points by StillModestCapitalist (343) 9 years ago

Excellent point regarding those parent companies. I would be all for breaking them up. Unfortunately, it would take unprecedented government intervention, a massive effort by the masses like nothing ever seen before, an act of God, or a comet smashing into the Earth.

[-] 1 points by quantumystic (1710) from Memphis, TN 9 years ago

it only takes one great man to change the world.

[-] 1 points by turbocharger (1756) 9 years ago

"a massive effort by the masses like nothing ever seen before"

Exactly. If we as a people had a shred of knowledge about how to purchase to create self sustaining communities, we could do this in one year tops. We simply don't care as a unit at this point.

[-] 1 points by quantumystic (1710) from Memphis, TN 9 years ago

what kind of businesses in production, manufacturing, and distibution of products, goods, and services such as media do you think should be promoted in that case?

[-] 1 points by StillModestCapitalist (343) 9 years ago

Smaller and more necessary. We don't need to buy everything on the shelf. I realize that we can't eliminate the concept of big business. I wouldn't want to. It has a legitimate place. But it's gotten TOO BIG and TOO POWERFUL. It wasn't anywhere near this bad 30 years ago. We need to reduce our support and give that support instead to smaller businesses. Business which ARE NOT publicly traded. Preferably unincorporated.

Hell, I'd rather buy two paper cups and a roll of yarn from a yard sale then a cell phone or plan from AT&T.

[-] 3 points by quantumystic (1710) from Memphis, TN 9 years ago

i understand but what i would like you to do is really dig down inside yourself and offer some thoughtful comprehensive solutions to the problem of multinationals. what kind of business models and plans would you have the governement support if any for example? what kind of legislation would you like to see and what are the anticipated effects? please i really would like to hear from you.

[-] 2 points by StillModestCapitalist (343) 9 years ago

The government won't do right by us regardless. Not as long as they are so strongly influenced by the corporate juggernauts that we strengthen every time we buy their products and services. But like everyone else here, I do have thoughts.

A flat and strictly enforced tax rate of 25% on business profits over $100,000. No more government subsidies or tax breaks except as temporary measures for small start-ups, or in rare cases where we NEED progress made in a particular field like alternative energy, or as a temporary lifeline for any business large or small in dire need. This as one measure in order to help prevent the impact of bankruptcies. But no more outrageous favors for GE, Wall-Mart, or any other juggernaut.

Minimum state and city rates. No more exceptions. This in order to help prevent the wake of destruction left behind as jobs, wealth, and revenue are transferred from one city or state to another.

No more requirements that employers large or small provide health coverage to any employee EXCEPT for work related injuries and illnesses. Instead, regulate the LIVING SXXX out of our HORRIBLY CORRUPT health care industry.

Instead of forcing employers to provide that coverage, our government should get that health care industry reformed, get those costs, WAY DOWN, and provide assistance to anyone who needs that assistance.

I have no problem with the concept of multi-nationals as long as they play fair and pay their taxes on all profits made. I have a problem with juggernauts, their government influence, and OBSCENE profits.

I have a lot of ideas but I'm no insider, accountant, economist, professor, politician, or expert in any field. So if by 'comprehensive', you mean a full breakdown with calculations to back up every idea, you'll need to consult with one of the above. Just remember one thing.

THEY OFTEN LIE.

Here is one more to remember.

THEY CAN'T BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY IF THEY ARE DIE-HARD PARTISAN.

[-] 2 points by turbocharger (1756) 9 years ago

A 100% overhaul of k-12 education and the ability of parents to stay together (a 50%+ divorce rate wreaks havoc on a child's mind/security) may bring us the intended results as well.

[-] 3 points by quantumystic (1710) from Memphis, TN 9 years ago

what kind of changes would you make to make these things a reality?

[-] 3 points by quantumystic (1710) from Memphis, TN 9 years ago

i agree an overhaul of our educational institutions in badly needed we have new technologies and data on proven educational methods and techniques that really improve student comprehension and performance. more so than divorce which is often a byproduct of economic problems and work related pressures or demands. what we need is a re-enforcement of a positive active community with a place for ritual mystical spiritual experience and philosophical analysis as a foundational institutional aspect of community.

[-] 2 points by turbocharger (1756) 9 years ago

ritual mystical spiritual experience and philosophical analysis as a foundational institutional aspect of community. - That would probably be the #1 thing we could use at this point.

[-] 4 points by quantumystic (1710) from Memphis, TN 9 years ago

i believe that they are very critical pieces missing in modern life. an individual having a positive reinforcing community that they can have a deep, profound, and meaningful connection to is a crucial compent needed for the development of and the continued health of, the human animal. helping to create a productive and creative society flourishing and vibrant and diverse culture.

[-] 1 points by DKAtoday (33802) from Coon Rapids, MN 9 years ago

One idea in action:

We just got word that UltraViolet's ads in airports in Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, Florida, North Carolina, and Ohio were rejected. The ads simply inform women about the gender pay gap, cost of childcare, and other basic facts in each state.1 But the airports are calling them "too political" to put up, despite no political or partisan content. Can you tell the airports to stop censoring the truth?

Tell the national airports: Women deserve to know the facts. Stop censoring ads that simply tell the truth about statistics that affect women in America.

Sign the petition

The ads are part of UltraViolet's new initiative to target states with high tourism rates that also have bad policies that affect women--like no legislation to guarantee paid sick days or fix the gender pay gap.2 These states care a lot about their image--after all, they want tourists to keep coming--but rather than change their negative policies, the tourism industry is attempting to hide the truth.

Why is it that airports are allowed to target women with ads for machine gun ranges and alcohol but a list of statistics is banned?3

In the past, the American Civil Liberties Union has successfully sued airports that refused to post advocacy advertisements.4 If thousands of us speak out now, we can show airports from Nevada to North Carolina that people know the truth and won't let it be censored.

Add your name.

Thanks for taking action.

--Nita, Shaunna, Kat, Karin, Adam, Gabriela, Holly, Kaili, Kathy, and Onyi, the UltraViolet team

Sources:

  1. Women's Economic Bill of Rights, UltraViolet

  2. Ibid

  3. Ad Agencies Target Single Women, Working Mothers, The Seattle Times, March 18, 1991

As Others Pull Back, Vegas Amps Up Gun Promotions, Associated Press, February 14, 2013

  1. Anti-SeaWorld Ad Will Be Posted at San Diego Airport, NBC News, May 21, 2014
[-] 1 points by Nevada1 (5843) 9 years ago

Signed

[-] 1 points by DKAtoday (33802) from Coon Rapids, MN 9 years ago

Thanks Again - for being so very pro-ACTIVE. I do believe that taking part in such actions - Very Much Brings Real Issues To Light In The Public Eye and So Forces Attention On Needs Of Society. Only by keeping issues in the eyes of the public can we hope to make needed change in our society and in our world - by educating and also protesting in a peaceful and intelligent fashion.

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[-] 2 points by quantumystic (1710) from Memphis, TN 9 years ago

i know what i can do for me i am talking about nationwide solution and how to get there.

[-] 1 points by wickerman (62) 9 years ago

That is my suggestion. This is an individuals coming together solution. Each of us doing for ourselves, then coming together to fill in the gaps. I have heard it described as 'Peoples Capitalism' and it was what existed in preindustrial America. Each house hold producing, and trading within the community with other households. Communities then trading with other communities etc. It started then with individuals producing and looking for a market, it'll have to start the same way again.

[-] 4 points by quantumystic (1710) from Memphis, TN 9 years ago

first you have to create a community where there is none and that is easier said than done.

[-] 3 points by turbocharger (1756) 9 years ago

Very true, but I think we are going to see more decay and breaking down of classic institutions in this country as times goes by, and the planet deals with globalization and the new way of doing things. With that, we may see a return to basics.

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[-] 3 points by wickerman (62) 9 years ago

Shooz, I am beginning to believe that you are little more than a troll. Instead of being anti-libertarian, why don't we just drop the labels, and look at exactly what I posted. Is that libertarian? Maybe, but I never said anything about the rest of the crap that comes with the libertarian philosophy, so until I do stop arguing against a libertarian and start arguing with me. The system I am talking about came from the book Unforgiven, written by Charles Walters back in the 60's or early 70's, not from Alex Jones web site.

[-] -1 points by shoozTroll (17632) 9 years ago

https://occupywallst.org/forum/a-case-against-minimum-wage-laws/

Now that, is actual troll behavior.

Thinking, takes practice and you need more.

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[-] 0 points by DKAtoday (33802) from Coon Rapids, MN 9 years ago

End corp(se)oRAT tax dodging.


The petition to President Obama reads: “Tax dodging gimmicks like inversion allow major corporations to avoid paying their fair share in taxes. Crack down on tax dodging corporations by using your executive authority to eliminate tax incentives for companies to move their headquarters overseas.”

Add your name: Sign the petition ►

Walgreens made international headlines recently when it considered using a loophole called tax inversion to dodge billions of dollars in taxes.

Thanks in part to the grassroots activism of more than 75,000 CREDO activists and other progressive groups, the company ultimately backed down.1 But a dozen other major American corporations have exploited the same loophole so far in 2014 and countless others are actively considering it.2 This loophole will cost the U.S. an estimated $20 billion in tax revenue over the next decade.

President Obama could eliminate much of the tax incentive for companies to move overseas by simply invoking a law that has been on the books for decades.3 He has said in recent weeks that he’s considering cracking down on corporate tax dodgers4 – but hasn’t yet taken this basic step.

Tell President Obama: Crack down on corporate tax dodgers. Click here to sign the petition now.

A tax inversion is a shady accounting trick that allows corporations to enjoy the benefits of doing business in the United States without paying their fair share in taxes. In essence, by moving its headquarters overseas, a company is able to loan itself money and then claim tax deductions on the money it uses to pay itself back.5

Republicans in Congress have refused to take action to stop tax inversions and the Obama administration can't make this practice illegal. But the president can go a long way toward removing the financial incentives that make tax inversions profitable.

Section 385 of the U.S. tax code empowers the Treasury Department to largely prevent companies that perform a tax inversion from claiming tax deductions on money they loan to themselves. This one simple executive action would likely put a stop to many of the tax inversion deals currently being considered.

Sign the petition: Tell President Obama to stop corporations from dodging taxes. Click here to sign the petition now.

In the past three years, 22 major companies, including Chiquita Bananas and the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, have attempted tax inversions.6 The surge in inversions has been driven in part by Wall Street firms like Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley, which have raked in hundreds of millions of dollars in fees on inversion deals in the past three years.7

President Obama has called companies that take advantage of tax inversions “corporate deserters” who are trying to “get out of paying their fair share of taxes.”8 But strong rhetoric doesn’t make it harder for corporations to dodge taxes. Now we need President Obama to use his executive authority to get the job done.

Tell President Obama to eliminate the tax incentive for U.S. companies to move their corporate headquarters overseas. Click the link below to sign the petition now: http://act.credoaction.com/sign/stop_tax_inversions/?t=6&akid=11433.4833456.vxnqgk

Thanks for fighting to stop corporate tax-dodging.

Josh Nelson, Campaign Manager CREDO Action from Working Assets

Add your name: Sign the petition ►

  1. "Walgreens: Stand with us and stay in America," CREDO Mobilize

  2. "U.S. policymakers gird for rash of corporate expatriations," Washington Post, August 6, 2014

  3. "Obama could curb corporate 'inversions' on his own: ex-U.S. official," Reuters, July 28, 2014

  4. "Obama defends executive action," The Hill, August 6, 2014

  5. "Democrats Push Plan to Harness Tax Inversions," Wall Street Journal, August 13, 2014

  6. "If Congress won’t, Obama may have to address inversion," Washington Post, August 12, 2014

  7. "Wall Street Has Raked In Almost A Billion Dollars Helping Companies Move Overseas To Dodge Taxes," Think Progress, July 29

  8. "U.S. policymakers gird for rash of corporate expatriations," Washington Post, August 5

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[-] -2 points by shortNbaldNfatBUTSexy (-79) from New York, NY 9 years ago

Education is the #1 priority. Too many people believe in stupid things like conspiracy theories and religion. We need to teach people how to think, how to investigate, how to weigh evidence, how to be rational, how to be logical, etc...

[-] 2 points by quantumystic (1710) from Memphis, TN 9 years ago

being as kennedy was offed and 9-11 was allowed to happen can you blame them?

[-] -2 points by shortNbaldNfatBUTSexy (-79) from New York, NY 9 years ago

There's no excuse for ignorance.

[-] 1 points by quantumystic (1710) from Memphis, TN 9 years ago

well keeping people dumb and believing the state/corporate line of which there is no difference is part of the game.

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