Forum Post: Occupy Wall Street well meaning but misguided
Posted 12 years ago on Oct. 19, 2011, 6:08 p.m. EST by ZZZZZZZZZ
(2)
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Bankers and finaciers, though they may be villians, are not the true villians here. Those who enable them are the real problem. Our government and elected officials are the ones that create the climate, through policy, that breeds the greed and possibility of greed in the financial community. To take advantage of such policies is simply human nature. It's easy for us to say that we would be different, charitable and unselfish if we had a gazillion dollars but for most of us it is easier said than done. It is my opinion that the real occupation should be an occupation of our government. The government policies are the roots from which the economic climate of this country grows. Bankers and finaciers make money from business, government makes money from tax payers. As long as our elected officials can determine their own wage (without the say of the people) and continue getting paid even when the government shuts down I find it very hard to have respect for any of them. Banking requires thought and a sense of business (though corrupt it may be), it seems that governing in this country just requires taking from people and giving nothing in return. At least a banker will give you a prospectus if you invest and a choice of where to put your money, the government just spends our money without the benefit of us having a choice or even telling us where it is going. Move Occupy Wall Street to Occupy Washington DC, that is where the real problem lies.
Both venues are worthy targets because Wall Street banks and Washington elected officials are joined at the hip. There is no daylight between them because pay-to-play rules.
Dude, the wall street bankers are the government get it?
They have bought the entire political system just look at Obama financial department. Most are all former wall street CEO.
So when you say protest at the government is simply pointless because you would just be shouting at wall street employees.
So what do you want to happen? Do you want to use the government to punish Wall Street? Good luck.
con scam finger pointing. the right always poiints the finger at government to distract away from the real culprits who are the oligarchs. The oligarchs run the government, so kick the oligarchs out of governmnet. your wrong and repeating right wing talking points to attack the government instead of the real problem.
Wall Street is the epicenter of greed and corruption.
Don't fall for this psychological crap from any one percent goon. It's an obvious attempt to divert our attention from the obscene, unjust, immoral, and illogical concentration of wealth. Donald Trump went on record the other day telling us to blame the government instead of Wall Street and the richest one percent. His goons are obviously online and on air trying to divert our attention. Don't fall for it. Just keep protesting no matter what the one percent goons say or do. Our message is vital. Below is my two cents:
We have been mislead by Reagan, Bush Sr, Clinton, Bush Jr, Obama, and nearly every other public figure. Economic growth, job creation, and actual prosperity are not necessarily a package deal. In fact, the first two are horribly misunderstood. Economic growth/loss (GDP) is little more than a measure of wealth changing hands. A transfer of currency from one party to another. The rate at which it is traded. This was up until mid ’07′ however, has never been a measure of actual prosperity. Neither has job creation. The phrase itself has been thrown around so often, and in such a generic political manner, that it has come to mean nothing. Of course, we need to have certain things done for the benefit of society as a whole. We need farmers, builders, manufacturers, transporters, teachers, cops, firefighters, soldiers, mechanics, sanitation workers, doctors, managers, and visionaries. Their work is vital. I’ll even go out on a limb and say that we need politicians, attorneys, bankers, investors, and entertainers. In order to keep them productive, we must provide reasonable incentives. We need to compensate each by a fair measure for their actual contributions to society. We need to provide a reasonable scale of income opportunity for every independent adult, every provider, and share responsibility for those who have a legitimate need for aid. In order to achieve and sustain this, we must also address the cost of living and the distribution of wealth. Here, we have failed miserably. The majority have already lost their home equity, their financial security, and their relative buying power. The middle class have actually lost much of their ability to make ends meet, re-pay loans, pay taxes, and support their own economy. The lower class have gone nearly bankrupt. In all, its a multi-trillion dollar loss taken over about 30 years. Millions are under the impression that we need to create more jobs simply to provide more opportunity. as if that would solve the problem. It won’t. Not by a longshot. Jobs don’t necessarily create wealth. In fact, they almost never do. For the mostpart, they only transfer wealth from one party to another. A gain here. A loss there. Appreciation in one community. Depreciation in another. In order to create net wealth, you must harvest a new resource or make more efficient use of one. Either way you must have a reliable and ethical system in place to distribute that newly created wealth in order to benefit society as a whole and prevent a lagging downside. The ‘free market’ just doesn’t cut it. Its a farce. Many of the jobs created are nothing but filler. The promises empty. Sure, unemployment reached an all-time low under Bush. GDP reached an all-time high. But those are both shallow and misleading indicators. In order to gauge actual prosperity, you must consider the economy in human terms. As of ’08′ the average American was working more hours than the previous generation with far less equity to show for it. Consumer debt, forclosure, and bankruptcy were also at all-time highs. As of ’08′, every major American city was riddled with depressed communities, neglected neighborhoods, failing infrastructures, lost revenue, and gang activity. All of this has coincided with massive economic growth and job creation. Meanwhile, the rich have been getting richer and richer and richer even after taxes. Our nation’s wealth has been concentrated. Again, this represents a multi-trillion dollar loss taken by the majority. Its an absolute deal breaker. Bottom line: With or without economic growth or job creation, you must have a system in place to prevent too much wealth from being concentrated at the top. Unfortunately, we don’t. Our economy has become nothing but a giant game of Monopoly. The richest one percent already own nearly 1/2 of all United States wealth. More than double their share before Reagan took office. Still, they want more. They absolutely will not stop. Now, our society as a whole is in serious jeapordy. Greed kills.
I should say rather than, the government gives nothing in return, relatively little that is of much use to any of the average Americans other than the elite, which is basically the same as nothing. The problem remains with our government and elected officials. They should be public servants but they seem to serve everything but the public.
I should say rather than, the government gives nothing in return, relatively little that is of much use to any of the average Americans other than the elite, which is basically the same as nothing. The problem remains with our government and elected officials. They should be public servants but they seem to serve everything but the public.
Well said.