Pro-tax Occupation Protests Held Across U.S. (O.W.S. Thread)

[Pearl]

We are the 1 percent

 

[Inner El Guapo]

Thought I should add a little something about Article V Conventions.
This is from the FAQ found here:
FOAVC� Frequently� Asked� Questions� Page

Constitutional scholars agree that an Article V Convention is limited strictly and exclusively to proposing amendments to the Constitution, which must then be ratified by three-fourths of the states before taking effect. The Convention itself possesses no legislative or taxing authority; it can only debate, formulate and propose amendments.

An Article V Convention is simply an alternative method of amendment provided by the Framers of our Constitution enabling the citizens of the United States to advance proposals for amendments to the Constitution without national governmental approval or oversight and nothing more. Article V was never intended nor does it authorize the formation of a new Constitution; rather, it serves to modernize and clarify the existing document as do the existing 27 Amendments.

I believe you need 38 States to call for the convention itself.
If Congress feels that momentum is building for a certain amendment (such as an anti-lobbyist amendment) they would then likely just do it themselves and stop the convention before it took full form.

This could be a legit answer. Any thoughts?

 

[Steved1998]

again... please. anyone who wants to... go there. i've been there three times now.

let me just also state, for the record, that i'm not a republican... i believe in a lot of things that the logical side of this OWS thing have come out in support of. i'm in favor of tearing down both political parties, and that our financial system, and society as a whole, is in need of a radical change.

but just like tea party rallies inevitably get over-run by a bunch of clueless, racist, redneck trailer park trash who don't really know what they're supporting anyways... zuccotti park is filled with a bunch of 18-22 year old white kids who don't even have a clue as to why they're actually there. the place is the definition of freak show.

hey... the 60's were known for political activism and the civil rights movement... but we all know full well that the majority of the people at woodstock were there to get high and have freaky hippy sex.

so my problem with occupy wall street is that it is building up a huge DAILY cost in police protection to babysit a bunch of college kids, and that cost will eventually be passed on to the average taxpayer like myself.

i would be all in favor of this turning into an organized political movement that can actually achieve some sort of change. i am not in favor of wasting taxpayer money babysitting a group that's at least 75% there for the experience and nothing more.

18-22 year old college kids are there because it affects them. They want a chance at a better future. They want the opportunities their parents were given. They want a chance at their piece of the American dream. They're the ones who are going to be graduating into one of the worst job markets in generations, so keep trivializing this from your upper West Side apartment. It shows everyone where your sympathies lie.

 

[PhilsFan]

I'm 20 and I think you're both wrong.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

18-22 year old college kids are there because it affects them. They want a chance at a better future. They want the opportunities their parents were given. They want a chance at their piece of the American dream. They're the ones who are going to be graduating into one of the worst job markets in generations, so keep trivializing this from your upper West Side apartment. It shows everyone where your sympathies lie.

Okay.. really? I commute 2 hours to and from work every day, where I am vastly underpaid, but can do nothing about it cause there aren't any jobs. I have three additional part time gigs that i need just to make ends meet. Got that? Three.

My finance and I, who live on the east side mind you, live in an incredibly small apartment. The person downstairs from us has the same apartment that is too small for us, only she's a single mom with three kids living with her.

Where my sympathies lie? I think it's you who have shown your true colors, not I.

I'm not trivializing 18-22 year olds. My finance and I are both still paying back our college loans, and will be for years to come, which is what will prevent us from owning a house any time soon.

I understand FULL well what is going on out there. I live in an apartment building that is full of the last of the dying middle class. Everyday I wake up at 5am to head to work, and pass by townhouses owned by Madonna and Mike Bloomberg on my way to the subway. I know a thing or two about the difference in wealth in this country. I see it from my porch. I live in a neighborhood where people who make 30,000-40,000 are a mere block or two away from those who make millions. My neighbor across the hall is a janitor. Al Roker lives down the street.

don't you dare lecture me with your bullshit about "trivializing" this movement. Have you been there? Have you gone?

The only thing that is trivializing this movement is the people who are down there abusing a legitimate protest and call for social change as an excuse to get fucking stoned.

Do yourself a favor... think before you post.

 

[maycocksean]

We are the 1 percent

Wow, that's beautiful. I wish there were more of that spirit in the world.

 

[Canadiens1131]

boom

 

[2861U2]

18-22 year old college kids are there because it affects them. They want a chance at a better future. They want the opportunities their parents were given. They want a chance at their piece of the American dream. They're the ones who are going to be graduating into one of the worst job markets in generations, so keep trivializing this from your upper West Side apartment. It shows everyone where your sympathies lie.

Can you tell me why none of these kids are on campus protesting the insanely high cost of tuition, considering a college education is perhaps the largest factor in upward mobility and economic prosperity? I could relate to that a hell of a lot more than I can the myriad of unrelated demands coming from OWS, which range from "cut 80% of the military" to "get rid of capitalism and install communism" to "9/11 was an inside job."

 

[Canadiens1131]

Can you tell me why none of these kids are on campus protesting the insanely high cost of tuition, considering a college education is perhaps the largest factor in upward mobility and economic prosperity? I could relate to that a hell of a lot more than I can the myriad of unrelated demands coming from OWS, which range from "cut 80% of the military" to "get rid of capitalism and install communism" to "9/11 was an inside job."

You pulled those two out of your ass.

 

[PhilsFan]

Can you tell me why none of these kids are on campus protesting the insanely high cost of tuition, considering a college education is perhaps the largest factor in upward mobility and economic prosperity? I could relate to that a hell of a lot more than I can the myriad of unrelated demands coming from OWS, which range from "cut 80% of the military" to "get rid of capitalism and install communism" to "9/11 was an inside job."

Because my college has high tuition only because the government cut our funding. Penn State gets way less support from government than comparable Big Ten schools, and that is why our tuition is much higher than theirs. And they cut our funding in order to balance the budget while avoiding ANY taxation on natural gas drilling, because natural gas heavily donated to GOP campaigns in the state of Pennsylvania, so...

Yeah, Big Business is why my tuition is so high. Hence, Occupy Wall Street.

 

[PhilsFan]

You pulled those two out of your ass.

And this.

 

[2861U2]

You pulled those two out of your ass.

Watch On-Demand Video Highlights and Episodes | GBTV.com

1:46- "I'm against capitalism."
2:30 (same guy)- "I would replace it with communism."

And here's the truther:

9/11 Truther at Occupy Wall Street Protest Says Capitalism is a "Pathology" - YouTube

It's okay. I accept.

 

[Canadiens1131]

Eugh

Pass me a billy club

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Watch On-Demand Video Highlights and Episodes | GBTV.com

1:46- "I'm against capitalism."
2:30 (same guy)- "I would replace it with communism."

And here's the truther:

9/11 Truther at Occupy Wall Street Protest Says Capitalism is a "Pathology" - YouTube

It's okay. I accept.

Good on that guy.

 

[2861U2]

Yeah, Big Business is why my tuition is so high. Hence, Occupy Wall Street.

Tuitions are set by the university, end of story.

And you realize that "big business," which you blame, provides tens of millions of dollars in scholarships every year, right? How does that square with your charge?

 

[PhilsFan]

Tuitions are set by the university, end of story.

I'm sorry, what is this supposed to mean? That the university should take a loss to keep tuition down because the state that it is associated with as a public university, that requires it to put millions of dollars into state-sponsored research every year has decided to cut back to help its buddies? Your view is stupidly simplistic.

And your scholarship point is completely irrelevant.

 

[Irvine511]

i can see being angry with the government, and i can see being angry with corporations. i can see a difference of degree in anger towards the two.

but i can't see being angry with one and worshipping the other.

 

[BVS]

but i can't see being angry with one and worshipping the other.

Absolutely!

 

[BVS]

Tuitions are set by the university, end of story.

Um, not exactly...

But good job pointing out two people and painting them as the voice of the movement Isn't that exactly what you accused everyone of doing to the Tea Party?

 

[2861U2]

Your view is stupidly simplistic.

I could say the same of someone who seems to be blaming the exponentially increasing cost of college for decades now on governors suddenly trying to balance their budgets. You're ignoring the internal failings of the system- increasing administrative costs, underworked and overpaid professors, multimillion-dollar salaries for presidents, the ridiculousness of tenure, the waste that is poured into attracting new students, etc.

But good job pointing out two people and painting them as the voice of the movement

Unlike what some in here did to the Tea Party, nowhere in my post did I say they were representative.

Isn't that exactly what you accused everyone of doing to the Tea Party?

Please. That's what everyone DID do to the Tea Party. So, in the name of fairness, I think I'm entitled to point out every one of these fleabaggers who advocates communism, claims 9/11 was our doing, spits on a Coast Guard officer, leaves trash behind, blocks traffic, pretends to get run over by an officer, admits to being paid to protest, gets arrested, displays blatant anti-Semitism, calls for violence...

Again, unlike what the left has done, I won't make a call one way or the other about how representative they are. But they're there, and they're damaging whatever half-way coherent message is supposedly being presented.

 

[BVS]

Unlike what some in here did to the Tea Party, nowhere in my post did I say they were representative.

It seemed like you were implying that it was part of the message of the OWS.

Please. That's what everyone DID do to the Tea Party. So, in the name of fairness, I think I'm entitled to point out every one of these fleabaggers who advocates communism, claims 9/11 was our doing, spits on a Coast Guard officer, leaves trash behind, blocks traffic, pretends to get run over by an officer, admits to being paid to protest, gets arrested, displays blatant anti-Semitism, calls for violence...

I think you're mistaken to think any of us in here painted the mentality of the TP based on one person or one example. There were an abundance of examples, not only from the protestors that we used, but also be those politicians and leaders that associated themselves with the TP that were used as examples.

So of course you have every right to point out these things, but it reflects negatively on you if you start doing the same exact thing you accused so many other people of doing. Don't you think?

Again, unlike what the left has done, I won't make a call one way or the other about how representative they are. But they're there, and they're damaging whatever half-way coherent message is supposedly being presented.

Um, I think you have already made that call. And like so many of us have said, we are well aware that there are crazies involved in these protests. In fact that's the big difference you haven't seemed to grasp yet. I haven't seen one person yet in here that has defended these actions you speak about, but you and a few others in here actually aligned yourself with the TP and ignored and or defended much of the abhorant behaviour displayed by your fellow protestors. That's the big difference I see so far.

 

[INDY500]

Michael Moore's Plea to Police Officers to Join #OccupyWallStreet (10/14/11) - YouTube

Just when you think Michael Moore couldn't be more wrong... he outdoes himself.

And Lawrence O'Donell, the reason you have to go to the commercial break is so your corporate overlords can make the profit that pays your salary and maintains the swank offices of all the 1 Percenters working at NBC's 30 Rock.

 

[PhilsFan]

I could say the same of someone who seems to be blaming the exponentially increasing cost of college for decades now on governors suddenly trying to balance their budgets. You're ignoring the internal failings of the system- increasing administrative costs, underworked and overpaid professors, multimillion-dollar salaries for presidents, the ridiculousness of tenure, the waste that is poured into attracting new students, etc.

There are certainly other things that can be done, and a lot of them were done just this past year to combat the lowered state appropriations. But the fact remains: the main reason my school has the highest tuition of any public university in the country is because our state has cut its funding to keep no taxes on natural gas drilling.

 

[Steved1998]

Okay.. really? I commute 2 hours to and from work every day, where I am vastly underpaid, but can do nothing about it cause there aren't any jobs. I have three additional part time gigs that i need just to make ends meet. Got that? Three.

My finance and I, who live on the east side mind you, live in an incredibly small apartment. The person downstairs from us has the same apartment that is too small for us, only she's a single mom with three kids living with her.

Where my sympathies lie? I think it's you who have shown your true colors, not I.

I'm not trivializing 18-22 year olds. My finance and I are both still paying back our college loans, and will be for years to come, which is what will prevent us from owning a house any time soon.

I understand FULL well what is going on out there. I live in an apartment building that is full of the last of the dying middle class. Everyday I wake up at 5am to head to work, and pass by townhouses owned by Madonna and Mike Bloomberg on my way to the subway. I know a thing or two about the difference in wealth in this country. I see it from my porch. I live in a neighborhood where people who make 30,000-40,000 are a mere block or two away from those who make millions. My neighbor across the hall is a janitor. Al Roker lives down the street.

don't you dare lecture me with your bullshit about "trivializing" this movement. Have you been there? Have you gone?

The only thing that is trivializing this movement is the people who are down there abusing a legitimate protest and call for social change as an excuse to get fucking stoned.

Do yourself a favor... think before you post.

Getting stoned? The two 80 year old WWII vets are down there to get stoned? The single parents? The father of 2 who just got downsized? The kids graduating college with crippling debt and diminishing employment prospects are all there to get stoned? Stop watching Fox News and go see for yourself. These people are down there fighting for their futures..they're not getting stoned so get your head out of your ass.

As for your personal situation, maybe you'd be able to find cheaper housing outside of Manhattan.

 

[Steved1998]

Can you tell me why none of these kids are on campus protesting the insanely high cost of tuition, considering a college education is perhaps the largest factor in upward mobility and economic prosperity? I could relate to that a hell of a lot more than I can the myriad of unrelated demands coming from OWS, which range from "cut 80% of the military" to "get rid of capitalism and install communism" to "9/11 was an inside job."

They are, at least they have been doing every spring in North Jersey since 2002.

 

[deep]

There are certainly other things that can be done, and a lot of them were done just this past year to combat the lowered state appropriations. But the fact remains: the main reason my school has the highest tuition of any public university in the country is because our state has cut its funding to keep no taxes on natural gas drilling.

that makes no sense

 

[deep]

these {little} protests are spreading
they've had some pretty good ones in Los Angeles

and here in The O C, they are getting started

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/corporate-322199-orange-occupy.html?pic=1

so what is this 17 year old expecting? why is she carrying this sign?

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Getting stoned? The two 80 year old WWII vets are down there to get stoned? The single parents? The father of 2 who just got downsized? The kids graduating college with crippling debt and diminishing employment prospects are all there to get stoned? Stop watching Fox News and go see for yourself. These people are down there fighting for their futures..they're not getting stoned so get your head out of your ass.

As for your personal situation, maybe you'd be able to find cheaper housing outside of Manhattan.

You're right. That must have been burning oregano I smelled, ya know, when I was there. Three times to date.

Did I ever once say everyone down there was a bunch if stoned college kids looking for a good time?

No.

I said that the sheer number of that element is so massive down there that it mutes and hurts those who are actually making rational points.

So why don't you get your own head out of your ass and stop just assuming that anyone which dares to criticize a large and obvious element in that protest must be some privileged well to do right wing tea party felating douchebag.

 

[Diemen]

These people are down there fighting for their futures..they're not getting stoned so get your head out of your ass.

Given the fact that Headache has actually been down there with the protestors in person (and multiple times), I don't think you're really in a position to be correcting him on what's going on.

Furthermore, the "get your head out of your ass" comment does nothing to further the discussion and is needlessly condescending. It would be great if you could skip the insults from here on out.

 

[deep]

this is being labeled as a global movement

'Occupy' protests: Photos from around the world - latimes.com