Occupy grievances

Here are a few basic points from the occupy wall street groups. And while i might agree with some of the points of the occupiers, there are too many premises that are faulty, & too many assumptions made that are not based on reality. I don't think our system is broken. We have for too long tried to blend socialism & capitalism, which hasn't worked, & we have allowed the politicians to spend money wildly without any accountability. But the assumption that the system is broken is flawed. America as a concept was the most revolutionary political idea in human history. We have let it become co mingled with marxism, & that is what has caused the current problems. I'll look at some of the grievances below..


1.Campaign Finance Reform
All votes are no longer equal in our Democracy. Money must be put outside of politics, or politicians will continue to pander to those who contribute the most to their campaigns, rather than their own constituencies. Specifically, we abhor the decision by the Supreme Court in Citizens United v. FEC. Corporations are NOT people.

In general, i agree.. no one likes the way money can buy a place in leadership. But the problem is equally there with the big unions & bundled 'PACs'. I don't see any solutions offered. NPR & much of the left pushes limits on the money a candidate can raise, along with who donates. They want the taxpayers to fund politicians' campaigns. But there is a fundamental flaw in paying someone to convince us to vote for them. It would also not stop outside groups from attacking the opposition. You would still have the 'bundlers' like unions & PAC's who would support their candidate. You would also have corporate money & lobbyists behind the scenes working for their agendas. I think an informed, educated electorate is a better solution. I would support a limit on donations.. say $1000 from any entity.. individual, bundle, corporation, union, etc. The problem i see with this generic grievance is the lack of specific solution.

2.True Shared Sacrifice
While corporate profits have been skyrocketing and the wealthy have been getting wealthier, the average worker’s income has dramatically dropped. While the cost of living has exponentially increased, wages have not followed. It has been shown time and time again that tax cuts for the wealthy are NOT effective. Taxes on those who practice greed should be raised.

This is bogus. During this recession, most companies have been hit hard.. sure there are some sectors that have done ok, but not overall. The 'wealthy' have decreased. Many of them are now poor or middle class. The poor have not been affected that much. They still get welfare & food stamps. Some sectors.. housing & construction, for example, have added to the poor & taken from the middle class. Whose fault was that? Fannie Mae & Freddy Mac get any votes? The socialist managers of fannie & freddie have done alright.. getting big bonuses along with exorbitant salaries.. & for a bad job to boot! But the greedy construction workers are no longer in the 1%, it seems.

If we raise taxes on those who practice greed, a lot of those who get entitlements would have to pay taxes. There is so much fraud & corruption in the system.. based on greed & getting something for nothing. The elites' view of the humble poor with a dickensonian hand outstretched is a fantasy. The more typical entitlement recipient has worked the system to get free stuff. Some hire lawyers to get on disability.. some fraudulently get welfare, adc, food stamps, etc. Where are the protesters for this greed?

I think it is the leftist culture, now pervasive in our govt & society that is at the root of the greed & corruption. Why do they want to spend even more money on wasteful, ineffective govt programs? The govt. is a bad investment. We get little bang for the buck with our tax dollars. They waste it, give it to the greedy & their cronies.. yet we think we can give them more & they will somehow manage it better? NO!! We need to stop the flow of money to the govt. That will do more to limit the corruption than anything.

3.Equality in Justice
This great nation was founded on liberty, but also, on equality. When the balance of justice is swayed in favor of those with wealth, the very fabric of this nation is torn apart. The decision of a judge should not be based upon the race, creed, or wealth of an individual, but rather, the content of the case.

This is a strawman. Is there a problem with justice for the disadvantaged? I agree that the justice system should be pursuing corrupt politicians, because they are the only ones who seem to get a bye on justice. This is some kind of international, generic left wing 'cause' that was just cut & pasted into the US occupy movement because it sounds good.

4.The End of the Revolving Door
The Obama administration was supposed to bring change and hope to our country, but instead, brought us into despair and insecurity. Those working in his administration are the very people whom we are fighting against. Those who enter Washington should not be representatives of the elites, but representatives of the people. One cannot simply enter an administration, reap its benefits, and simply exit.

I think this shows a lot of disillusion with Obama.. he did not do what he promised.. welcome to politics. This only illustrates to me the problem the left has in looking for a 'messiah'. If the 'chosen one' has flaws or does not meet expectations, there is weeping & gnashing of teeth.. the world is dark & hopeless. We are dealing with humans, & we need checks & balances. We should not look to the leaders to magically bring us into the promised land. At best they should stay out of the way, at worst they pass stupid laws that interfere with the economy & personal freedom. Our electorate needs to stop buying the left wing lie that the govt is the solution to economic problems. They only cause economic problems, not solve them.

But yes, let's end the corruption from politicians who only see public service as a means to get rich. Lets prosecute corruption. Limit contributions, donations, 'consulting', & other ways the politicians profit from their position. Stop the insider trading, the crony capitalism, giving loans to campaign contributors, etc. This can be done without scrapping the whole system.

I am definitely dissatisfied with the way the system has been running the last few decades, but i see the cause as very different. I had to get an outside job to support myself since my business as a home builder died with the housing crash. Many of my opportunities have been lost or diminished because of the failed social engineering experiment with the housing lending market. This was not just a normal market swing. This was caused by the left wanting to 'give' everyone a house.. no money, no credit, no problem! Then, when it collapses, they blame the greedy bankers & stop all investor loans. They throw out the baby with the bathwater & end all loans to investors, house flippers, spec builders, etc. A whole industry almost single handedly destroyed by left wing social engineering... not free market enterprise. I hope most people can see that the current economic condition was led by the housing crash. Research it. Think it out. Stop listening to comedians & pundits for your political position. If 99% of the American people want what the occupy movement is for, count me out. I'll be a 1%'er.

"The urge to save humanity is almost always only a false-face for the urge to rule it."
H.L. Mencken

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson