Am I the only one who doesn't get the "Occupy Wallstreet" movements

[lizabu]

You are not alone.

I do agree with some of the points of those occupiers. However, even with the things I agree with, I don't think they are going anywhere without a clear message.

On the other hand, a lot of the people there actually just make me feel they are there just so they can blame their failure on someone or sth.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way...-ken-jennings-i-am-the-99-percent?sc=fb&cc=fp

read the aticle above and see the last picture in it. It makes me sick.

That makes me want to puke too. If $80000/ year is not enough to live on you can easily make some lifestyle changes and make it work. If I made that much I would be ashamed to borrow money from my parents. Heck I make much less than that and I try to help my parents out whenever I can.

I get why they're protesting (we all have a hard luck story) and who knows maybe it will make a difference. I just tend to doubt it. I think the only way to make a change is to hold our government accountable for it's actions. The only real power we have is the power of our vote and deciding where we spend our money. If you don't like a corporation don't give them your money. If enough people do that corporations will notice.

 

[Acklander]

Bravo!! Well said.


I don't get this movement at all. Of course, I wasn't raised to feel that anyone owed me anything, so this just isn't a mentality that I can embrace.

I do absolutely support their right to protest even though it makes no sense to me. However, I don't want to be lumped in with them. They absolutely do NOT represent me.

The movement is about the voices of the 99% being heard by our politicians, not just the voice of the 1%. There are different messages because there are different priorities in that 99%. The movement isn't just made up of college kids with student loans, it also has returning vets who cant find a job, union workers who's job was outsourced to a communist country so the capitalist company could make bigger profits that they don't pay taxes on, it's made up of teachers whos class size increases every year with less supplies, and it's made up of hard working people, who are doing just fine but don't like that the politicians answer only to corporations.
There are many different people occupying. It's not the left or the right - it's Americans who just want their voice heard.

 

[Acklander]

Bravo!! Well said.


I don't get this movement at all. Of course, I wasn't raised to feel that anyone owed me anything, so this just isn't a mentality that I can embrace.

I do absolutely support their right to protest even though it makes no sense to me. However, I don't want to be lumped in with them. They absolutely do NOT represent me.

Since you embrace the no one owes you anything mentality, then I will assume that you were against the banks being bailed out with trillions of dollars in tax payers Money, correct??? This is one of the major complaints at OWS. So maybe you understand the point of the occupation, more than you think you do. Welcome to the 99%.

 

[Judyat]

I am glad that the Ocuppy Wall Street is shining light on what has happen to our political system. Big Money should not rule it. The 99% no longer have a voice only big money and corporations do. Until Americans get big money and corporations out of politics the 99% will lose.

 

[I loveStitchnippyjon]

Since you embrace the no one owes you anything mentality, then I will assume that you were against the banks being bailed out with trillions of dollars in tax payers Money, correct??? This is one of the major complaints at OWS. So maybe you understand the point of the occupation, more than you think you do. Welcome to the 99%.

iIn that case, the protesters should be camped out in front of the White House and Congress, not Wall Street. They are the ones that decided to do all the bail-outs.
I do not believe for a minute that these people have any truly and deeply-felt convictions. Forgive all student loans, mortgages, and consumer debt? Are they all self-sufficient enough to survive if our entire economic system collapses, like they profess to strive for?
Considering that many of them are being paid to be there, they are a (pathetic) joke.

 

[Acklander]

iIn that case, the protesters should be camped out in front of the White House and Congress, not Wall Street. They are the ones that decided to do all the bail-outs.
I do not believe for a minute that these people have any truly and deeply-felt convictions. Forgive all student loans, mortgages, and consumer debt? Are they all self-sufficient enough to survive if our entire economic system collapses, like they profess to strive for?
Considering that many of them are being paid to be there, they are a (pathetic) joke.

They are camped out all over, not just at wall street. And where did you get this forgive all student loans, mortgages and consumer debt??? That isn't part of the OWS agenda. Their agenda, and their only official agenda is for the voice of the people to be heard. Not just the voice of corporations who have donated millions of dollars to politicians.
Many of these people have deep felt convictions, the most common one is a love for America and a willingness to stand up for what they believe in to save America and the American dream.
You might want to branch out on sources of where you receive your news if you truly want to understand the "why" of OWS. They are sending their message over the Internet due to the obvious slant coming from the corporate media.

 

[Planogirl]

I can relate to some of what these people say. I work for a greedy corporation that has gleefully dumped people to save money. Raises have been tiny if they happen at all. I'm completely underemployed and I'm one that keeps saying that I at least have a job.

However, I don't see how marching around and stopping in front of banks really will evolve into anything else. A group blockaded a local bank a week or so ago. While I was glad to see that many of those involved thought that that was the wrong thing to do, I can't understand how keeping people from accessing their bank and probably scaring some of the workers really accomplishes much. I've seen mostly anger from those few who pay attention. I don't see how you can get people on your side if you anger them.

 

[58cognac]

They are camped out all over, not just at wall street. And where did you get this forgive all student loans, mortgages and consumer debt??? That isn't part of the OWS agenda. Their agenda, and their only official agenda is for the voice of the people to be heard. Not just the voice of corporations who have donated millions of dollars to politicians.
Many of these people have deep felt convictions, the most common one is a love for America and a willingness to stand up for what they believe in to save America and the American dream.
You might want to branch out on sources of where you receive your news if you truly want to understand the "why" of OWS. They are sending their message over the Internet due to the obvious slant coming from the corporate media.

I'm sorry, could you definitively point us in the direction of a media source that's in no way slanted either way? Thank you.

I'm also curious if all that big money is being kept in their mattresses.... where do they "invest" it?

I can relate to some of what these people say. I work for a greedy corporation that has gleefully dumped people to save money. Raises have been tiny if they happen at all. I'm completely underemployed and I'm one that keeps saying that I at least have a job.

Does that mean you'll make your voice heard by quitting the greedy corporation? What "gleeful(sp?)" displays have you seen from them while they were taking measures to remain a solvent company?

 

[momto2girls]

Since you embrace the no one owes you anything mentality, then I will assume that you were against the banks being bailed out with trillions of dollars in tax payers Money, correct??? This is one of the major complaints at OWS. So maybe you understand the point of the occupation, more than you think you do. Welcome to the 99%.

Oh, I don't believe that the banks should have been bailed out, but I blame the government for that, not Wall Street or big business. I see absolutely no point to march on big business (although I support the right of the people who do). Trust me, those people do not represent me at all. I am not one of the "99%" no matter what my income is.

 

[disnutt]

Someone earlier posted that it is impossible to go for an advanced degree without going into debt. While there may be an element of truth to that my own life experience shows that there is also some personal accountability for how deeply in debt you go.

My ex husband is a physician. He started med school in 1986 so things may have changed slightly. At the time we were gung-ho with the student loans and even got what everyone in school called a HEAL Mobile. That was a new car purchased using Higher Education Assistance Loans. We could have bought used cars but that wouldn't have been 'cool' and as medical student/spouse we were nothing if not cool.

My ex also felt he needed a fine wardrobe to be taken seriously on rounds despite the fact that he spent most of his time in hospital provided scrubs or with most of those nice clothes covered up by a lab coat.

We ended up divorcing and believed that money problems were a large part of our problems. He had over $200,000 in debt and I estimate that just over half of that was lifestyle choice debt. We could have lived more cheaply but chose to max out our loans.

I've paid off my share and I figure he has, too. It's too late for us to be 'forgiven' by the bank. However, I would be deeply ashamed to have loan forgiveness for what was our stupidity and personal greed. I'm sure many of these OWS students are making choices similar to ours to upgrade to the latest technology ASAP and have brand name clothes. Before they ask for forgiveness they ought to consider how worthy they are of it.

 

[Acklander]

I'm sorry, could you definitively point us in the direction of a media source that's in no way slanted either way? Thank you.

How about going down and asking them why they are there??? Or just drive by and read the signs that explain why they are there? Most the signs I see complain about the big banks being bailed out, citizens united, big oil receiving tax subsidies instead of paying taxes on their profits, themunfairness of fair trade agreements, using tax money for infer structure instead of wars in other countries, things along that line. Most seem to have a valid point, and these are things that people are concerned about so our politicians should be addressing these issues.

 

[Acklander]

Oh, I don't believe that the banks should have been bailed out, but I blame the government for that, not Wall Street or big business. I see absolutely no point to march on big business (although I support the right of the people who do). Trust me, those people do not represent me at all. I am not one of the "99%" no matter what my income is.

They represent you in that you have the right to be heard by your leaders. And that is the only way that they represent anyone. If you want, you can create a sign saying "I think corporations should pay no income taxes, and we should wage war against the entire world, I am the 99%" (and no, I don't think you believe this, I don't know what you do or don't stand for).
The point of OWS is our government forgot about the rest of us while concerning themselves with corporate interests.
You can say, just blame the politicians and leave the corporations alone, but when you have corporations writing our tax codes and handing them off to a politician who they had previously given a million dollars to, and the politician submits it A's law - there's a problem. And you just can't vote them out because the next politician in line has taken the same donation from the corporation. So it's time to go to the source. When there is a murder for hire, you don't just convict the person who pulled the trigger, you also convict the one paying for the hit.

 

[BubMunkeyBles]

I am glad that the Ocuppy Wall Street is shining light on what has happen to our political system. Big Money should not rule it. The 99% no longer have a voice only big money and corporations do. Until Americans get big money and corporations out of politics the 99% will lose.

This is how I feel too. There's a huge income gap that is continuing to rise and I do see a problem with it. I'm well educated and understand that I made a decision to do so. I have student loans. I stay home with our two children and my DH's income pays for my loans (he's AD military).

We're in the 47% that doesn't pay income tax, but not because we couldn't afford to and I think we should. While I'm sure some people probably really can't afford it (people scraping by on $1000/month), a lot of that 47% can. I don't agree with being able to get more in taxes than you pay. But I also think minimum wage should be a living wage and its not in a lot of the country. I think big companies should stop making people work 2 and 3 part time jobs just so they don't have to pay benefits such as healthcare.

I in no way want out of paying taxes or my student loans. I just feel the American people as a whole deserve better than what they're getting from the government and from big corporations. Their revenue is going up, yet they are cutting jobs and benefits and wages left and right. It is an issue for me.

 

[m&m's mom]

thank you.. you have just stated what I have been saying all along... have I not been saying this....

now I can go to bed so I can get up for work... not the protesting line...

so you do see what I am saying... but didn't want to admit it...

That's just odd. I completely do not get what in the world you are trying to say.

Forgot to question this.. she made 6 figures per year the first few years? this I do find hard to believe. I know a few doctors who never made that in their first few years per year In fact, one I know very well and worked in his office part time as his wife was a close friend of mine. I know for a fact their actual take home INCOME was so low after paying off his loan, his malpractice insurance and his rent (which was in a dive building since that was all he could afford), his electric had been turned off at his home a few times because they couldn't make the payments on time. Had he been making 6 figures that first year, he would have had NO problems paying all his bills... and as I stated about my nephew.. he is an attorney.. and they don't make enough right away to pay back out what they owe.. do some research on them... and you will see what I am saying.. I did post a link on here about is it really worth going to law school.. it shows just how long it takes to repay that debt...

I did not say she made 6 figures right after she graduated. She also chose delayed gratification and spent years doing additional residencies and specialized training. That was why her income rose so fast.
Student loan is not all bad. If loans allow you to recive an education that leads to higher pay- it's a good investment.
My sister's SiL (husbands brothers wife) is a Doctor too. She went into a little bit of debt to get her Med degree but never worked a day as a Dr. She had kids immediately after graduating and never made a penny back on her (and her parents) investment- but she did pay off the loans. That is an example of a not-so-great investment.

 

[Marionnette]

They represent you in that you have the right to be heard by your leaders. And that is the only way that they represent anyone. If you want, you can create a sign saying "I think corporations should pay no income taxes, and we should wage war against the entire world, I am the 99%" (and no, I don't think you believe this, I don't know what you do or don't stand for).
The point of OWS is our government forgot about the rest of us while concerning themselves with corporate interests.
You can say, just blame the politicians and leave the corporations alone, but when you have corporations writing our tax codes and handing them off to a politician who they had previously given a million dollars to, and the politician submits it A's law - there's a problem. And you just can't vote them out because the next politician in line has taken the same donation from the corporation. So it's time to go to the source. When there is a murder for hire, you don't just convict the person who pulled the trigger, you also convict the one paying for the hit.

If that were truly the case, then those people in OWS would have joined the tea party movement. Because they support tax reform and eliminating the influence peddling that lobbyist have in Washington.

I believe that OWS has another agenda and it is less clearly defined (publically) at this time.

 

[wmharley]

I am glad that the Ocuppy Wall Street is shining light on what has happen to our political system. Big Money should not rule it. The 99% no longer have a voice only big money and corporations do. Until Americans get big money and corporations out of politics the 99% will lose.

See the response below.

iIn that case, the protesters should be camped out in front of the White House and Congress, not Wall Street. They are the ones that decided to do all the bail-outs.
I do not believe for a minute that these people have any truly and deeply-felt convictions. Forgive all student loans, mortgages, and consumer debt? Are they all self-sufficient enough to survive if our entire economic system collapses, like they profess to strive for?
Considering that many of them are being paid to be there, they are a (pathetic) joke.

To the top quote, the issue isn't big money. The issue isn't wall street. Its CONGRESS making laws to BENEFIT THEMSELVES!!! They aren't helping Wall Street to help wall street, they are helping them to get laws passed so THEY CAN LINE THEIR POCKETS INSTEAD!!!

Don't camp in front of Wall Street, go in front of the White House and the Capital.

Its funny how in the media (wasn't Fox btw) where folks are getting interviewed, and many have nice clothes, iPhones, which is all fine as its now more of an "event to be seen at" rather than something productive.

One news report had somoene complaining her $5500 laptop got stolen. $5500???? Who the heck can afford that really? I make decent money with my spouse, but what will a $5500 laptop do that a $1000 cannot? If you need to spend that much on a laptop, you aren't really that 99% that is touted.

Also, lately all the media have been reporting on the cooks getting fed up with the homeless people coming to eat the free food (mind you this is organic chicken, and other nice items), and have begun protesting and now going to just give PB&J or brown rice until something is done, both in cost and in the moochers.

Anyone else find it ironic at that? Occupy wants to take money from the wealthy, who many have worked hard to acheive, and give it to everyone else, even if they haven't worked for it.

so looking at this, Homeless people are like a segment of Occupy. They don't have a job, nor income. they come to get a free ride from the folks that do (cooks). Because of the increase of moochers, the top ones (the cooks) with their nice food, have to decrease their offerings, and complain at the cost of dealing with them.

that right there in a nutshell is what is flawed. They are complaining about the same thing happening to them as they are doing to others.

 

[Acklander]

If that were truly the case, then those people in OWS would have joined the tea party movement. Because they support tax reform and eliminating the influence peddling that lobbyist have in Washington.

I believe that OWS has another agenda and it is less clearly defined (publically) at this time.

Thats how the tea party started out, but they were hijacked. I read an article by one of the original people who started the current tea party movement (he has since cut lose because they strayed from the original message of least amount of government involvement) the article is how he supports the OWS and had some great suggestions on preventing what happened to the tea party.
And what other agenda do you feel OWS has?

 

[58cognac]

How about going down and asking them why they are there??? Or just drive by and read the signs that explain why they are there? Most the signs I see complain about the big banks being bailed out, citizens united, big oil receiving tax subsidies instead of paying taxes on their profits, themunfairness of fair trade agreements, using tax money for infer structure instead of wars in other countries, things along that line. Most seem to have a valid point, and these are things that people are concerned about so our politicians should be addressing these issues.

It's hard to take someone serious when you see some of the signs they carry. I'd post some examples, but they are offensive and just plain ignorance in action. When it comes to a protest about valid complaints, the few idiots discredit the cause.

Like my DH says, if you knew a chocolate pie was only 2% crap, you wouldn't still buy it would you? (apparently an example his "Dad always told him")

If they're were an OWS anywhere close, I would ask them straight from the source.

Ultimately, are these our same politicians who can address the issue ones who have implemented all of the above you mention?

 

[wmharley]

I'd also like to point out that if there was no bankers, no Wall street. SteveJobs wouldn't have had a loan to start Apple. Wouldn't have gone public with an IPO and now be the 2nd wealthiest global company employing tens of thousands or more in their stores, headquarters, manufacturing, 3rd party app developers, 3rd party accessories, food vendors providing food to their stores and employees, tax revenue from the businesses that pay for schools and teachers, road construction, etc.

Multiple that by all the businesses out there and you see its not wrong. Its wrong when CONGRESS line their pockets.

Occupy has been jacked by people trying to focus on other liberal issues.

As some one else point out, they should join the teaparty. I never looked at it like that, but considering what the primary focus of the TP is, it would make sense. unfortunately, as another poster said, too many folks get caught up in labels, and say because the TP was part of the GOP initially, they are bad, and because many Occupy seem to be left leaning, they are all liberals.

shame really.

 

[Svhadden]

I'm *gasp* actually paying off my student loans. Novel, I know, but I believe I should pay back the money I borrowed with my eyes wide open.

My parents absolutely could not afford to pay for my education, but I did live at home with them while I completed my undergrad degree, which was a HUGE benefit. I worked 25-30 hrs/week in a daycare (Lord help me), had a couple of small scholarships (I graduated hs with a 3.73, 12th in my class, but the scholarship race was very competitive...I graduated with a few geniuses lol) that helped pay for books, lab fees etc, but that was it. I chose a state university that was literally in my back yard (Roll Tide!). I took 16-18 hrs/semester, and got a 5 year degree in 4. And in my senior year, I got a grant that helped a lot with that final year. Even still, I graduated with my BSW with a small loan.

However, when I got my Masters, I saw no way I could pay for all of it OOP. So I took out loans. Yep, from a big bank. And yep, with subsidized interest.

So, here I am paying back those loans eeeeeevery month. And I'm grateful every month that they were available to me. And I'm grateful every month that the GOV'T subsidized part of the interest.

I'm not going to complain about the stinkin' loans. Do I like them? No. But I signed those papers fully understanding I'd have to *SHOCKER* pay the money back. And I've learned that I'll do what-stinkin'-ever I have to do to pay for my kids' college educations. I do not want them to take out loans.

Suck it up, and do what you said you'd do...pay back what you owe.