Forum Post: The Demands! Get this or something like this out so people know what we are fighting for!
Posted 12 years ago on Oct. 29, 2011, 7:47 p.m. EST by BonaFidePublius
(93)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Initial Demands:
-Keep corporations out of politics/no more lobbying (which is essentially a bribe)/Firewall between Corporations and State
-Reversal of Citizens United ruling (Classifies Corporations as “The People” when convenient; allows them to “contribute” unlimited funds to politicians)
-Hold Corporations accountable for their numerous (and often horrific) crimes like you would a regular citizen, here and abroad if they are an American company. (If you still classify them as people, then not only do the high ranking employees face criminal charges, but the corporation itself must be “jailed”, operations shut down, computers and files locked away for duration of sentence. (Haliburton, Nike, Monsanto…the list is long)
-Criminal enterprises disbanded and high level members prosecuted for racketeering, fraud, conspiracy, and treason (such as Wall Street, CEOs looting pension funds, the unconstitutional and not at all Federal Reserve*, Goldman Sachs {Obama’s leading donor}, etc.) There are many beltway attorneys willing to prosecute if protected. Spitzer was trying, then got “honey trapped”
-THE QUICKEST GOAL TO ACHIEVE: Clear the Supreme Court’s schedule and have them rule on the legality of the IMF hub Federal Reserve while using military to protect them and their families while also monitoring these public servant’s bank accounts
-Eliminate all Tax Loopholes
-A law making one ineligible for Public Office if worked (or immediate family worked) on Board for multi-national Corporation
-Locate and eliminate tax havens for tax evaders, the greediest of the greedy
-End the Patriot Act
-End the Wars (including Drug War)
-Impeach and prosecute the complicit politicians and bankers (including Obama, and tried for war crimes those who came before)
-Expose Economic Hitman and arrest them and their bosses
-Expose and Outlaw FBI/CIA created terrorism internationally and domestically
-More checks and balances for cops and stiffer penalties for egregious abuses such as loss of pension and jail time (and they must pass a constitutional test before getting job)
-Allow/Remove restrictions for much more independent media across the nation (ala Italy)
Please spread around at least some of these to as many people as possible. Make Youtube videos. Make your own fliers. Add your own points if it doesn’t drift too far; that will merely cause dissent among us which is what they want. Remember, ixnay on taxes. Talk of taxes WILL DOOM the movement!!! Whether or not you agree on taxing the 1% more doesn’t matter because the .01% will find a way to steal that money too.
Many mid-level Government employees don’t want to see the country burn, nor do most of the military. So get them on board, they are the 99.99% too. Otherwise, we will either bring the whole system crashing down, starting anew community by community, or the current way will turn us all into serfs until humanity is more than decimated.
We won’t stop. Expect us.
Some good ideas here, some not so good. But here's the real issue. The things wanted can only be done by legislation. And that legislation has to be passed by Congress and signed by the President (at the national level) or by legislatures and the governor (at the state level). The OWS has no elected representatives in any legislature anywhere. You folks are presently neither coherent enough nor cohesive enough to draw the grass-roots support needed to get people elected. Hate to sound like a broken record but your natural allies here are the Tea Party. They are as concerned as you are about many of the same things. Some of you don't like certain personalities associated with the Tea Party, and they may not like certain personalities associated with OWS. Gotta get past that, determine your core agreements, organize, develop grass-roots support, and start backing your "Fusion" candidates. Doesn't happen overnight. Otherwise, OWS will always be marginal, frustrated, and irrelevant.
Well, we HAVE to talk about taxes because that's one of the things that has to be addressed. Talking about ending any Union exposes you as a troll.
These demands will be widely accepted by everyone as should the movement itself. Talking about taxes only hurts the cause, because people will always be divided between taxing the rich and an across the board tax plan.
Well, I'm sure you've spoken to everyone and they agreed then. You never spoke to me though and I don't know how many of the others outside you've spoken too. And LSN45, it's the Unions who first stood up to corporations.
I really liked your first three. The others are good, but I see them as secondary goals that could finally come about once the corruption has ended. For decades now both the right and the left have been bought and paid for by corporations and special interests (including unions). The current system of legalized bribery (campaign donations) and paid lobbyist have turned our "representatives" into the lap dogs of the corporations and special interests. What we need is real, loop-hole free CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM if we want to break the cycle. It needs to be THE main goal of these protest!!! Other meaningful reforms will follow, but only if we get the money out now! The crony-capitalism/neo-feudalism we have right now will continue until we stop the corporations from using their money to "speak" as if they are representing millions of Americans.
Yep. And I mean the first 3 are kind of given. But the rest are secondary, and just provide more depth so that it can be clear where we as a movement are coming from.
If thousands of people carried signs with the first three things all over them, the opposition would not know what to do. The majority of Americans want to decrease the influence of corporations and special interests. Only the people getting rich from the status-quo corruption would be against it.
I agree. Its also very easy to get those 3 points out to anyone. either discussion, social media, whatever. People just need to hear the message, and followers will flock.