Jump to content

Occupy Wall Street

Jamie_B

By Jamie_B
in JESUS & DRUMPF

Recommended Posts

Jim Finklestein Pro Bowler

Jim Finklestein

Posted
Posted
The Golden Years won't be so golden for 1 in 4.
The American Dream is dead for 1 in 4.
etc.

[quote]
[b] [url="http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/17/what-does-it-mean-when-a-quarter-of-middle-class-americans-plan-to-work-until-80-longer-than-most-people-live/"]What does it mean when a quarter of middle class Americans plan to work until 80, longer than most people live?[/url][/b]

[left][b]FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:[/b]
[/left][left][color=#000000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]So much for the golden years. A new survey shows one fourth, 25% of middle-class Americans, say they plan to delay retirement until at least 80.[/size][/font][/color]
That's two years longer than most people in this country live.
It's just another depressing effect of this economy - where unemployment, stock market swings and plunging home prices have taken a huge toll on many
Americans' savings.
[/left][left][color=#000000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]The Wells Fargo retirement survey shows on average, Americans have only saved 7% of the retirement money they hoped to put aside.[/size][/font][/color]
Survey respondents had a median savings of $25,000 while their median retirement savings goal was $350,000.

It gets worse.
[/left][left][color=#000000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]About one-third of those surveyed in their 60s had saved less than $25,000 for retirement. Easy to see why retiring at the traditional 65 is a pipe dream for millions of Americans.[/size][/font][/color]
[/left][left][color=#000000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]Experts say having large numbers of middle class Americans working past 65 raises many questions. Like, will people be physically and mentally able to work as they age? And what will it mean for young people entering the workforce?[/size][/font][/color]
[/left][left][color=#000000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]Meanwhile another new study on the vanishing middle class helps explain why many Americans plan to work into their 80s.[/size][/font][/color]
[/left][left][color=#000000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]Consider this: In 2007, 44% of families lived in middle class neighborhoods - that's down from 65% in 1970.[/size][/font][/color]
And almost a third of families lived in either rich or poor neighborhoods in 2007... that number is up from 15% in 1970.
In other words, the great middle class neighborhoods that used to define this country are disappearing.
[/left][left][color=#000000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=3][b]Here’s my question to you:[/b] What does it mean when a quarter of middle class Americans plan to work until 80, longer than most people live?[/size][/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=3][/quote][/size][/font][/color]

[/left]
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Elflocko Hall Of Fame

|Elflocko|

Posted
Posted

[quote name='Jim Finklestein' timestamp='1321572971' post='1063455']
The Golden Years won't be so golden for 1 in 4.
The American Dream is dead for 1 in 4.
etc.

[/size][/font][/color]

[/left]
[/quote]

Almost makes me happy about my genetic propensity to drop dead early of a heart attack.

No way I'll ever live that long... :mellow:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Elflocko Hall Of Fame

|Elflocko|

Posted
Posted
[quote name='Jamie_B' timestamp='1321655418' post='1063797']
[b] [url="http://www.dylanratigan.com/2011/11/18/meet-catherine-cortez-masto-the-nevada-ag-breaking-out-the-handcuffs-on-foreclosure-fraud/"]Meet Catherine Cortez Masto, the Nevada AG Breaking Out the Handcuffs on Foreclosure Fraud[/url][/b]
[/quote]

Oh yeah, CCM is one tough chick. I sure wouldn't want to get on her bad side...
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jim Finklestein Pro Bowler

Jim Finklestein

Posted
Posted
[quote]
[b] [url="http://thinkprogress.org/special/2011/11/18/372320/new-york-churches-shelter-occupy-protesters-now-monitored-by-new-york-police/"]New York Churches Shelter Occupy Protesters, Now Monitored By New York Police[/url][/b]
[color=#666666][font=Calibri,]
By [url="http://thinkprogress.org/author/tanya-somanader/"]Tanya Somanader[/url] posted from ThinkProgress Special Topic on Nov 18, 2011 at 6:30 pm[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=Calibri,]

[url="http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/unitedchurch.jpg"][img]http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/unitedchurch.jpg[/img][/url][size=1][i]
United Methodist Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew[/i][/size]
With Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) ratcheting up [url="http://thinkprogress.org/special/2011/11/17/371349/reporters-for-right-wing-publication-daily-caller-beaten-by-nypd-helped-by-protesters/"]police crackdowns[/url] on Occupy Wall Street this week, the New York Times reports that [url="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/18/nyregion/occupy-wall-street-protesters-even-in-churches-cant-escape-watch-of-police.htm"]several churches[/url] in New York City are sheltering protesters who can no longer stay in Zucotti Park. About 46 protesters spent Wednesday night in the United Methodist Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew. However, instead of respecting the sanctuary, police in plainclothes are entering churches to monitor their conduct.

According to church officials, two police officers (one later identified as belonging to the intelligence division) asked to use the bathroom but instead “entered the sanctuary, one remaining near the door while the other advanced down the aisle, apparently counting the demonstrators in the pews.” Then, one officer went downstairs to a homeless women’s shelter and “asked for information about who was sleeping there” without identifying himself or showing his badge. The church’s Rev. James Karpen called the police actions “invasive”:[indent]
[b]“It is disconcerting that they would actually enter the sanctuary,” said the Rev. James Karpen, known as Reverend K, senior pastor of the United Methodist Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew, on West 86th Street. “Here we had offered hospitality and safety, which is our business as a church; it just felt invasive.”[/b][...]
“They are welcome to come in if they just say who they are,” Mr. Karpen said.[b]“We have never had that kind of issue with the police before. Usually, they are very respectful of church-state issues.”[/b][/indent]
Church officials said two other police intelligence officers visited earlier in the day, claiming they were following up on “an anonymous report of vandalism,” which, according to the church, had not taken place. The officers warned associate Pastor Siobhan Sargent that they did not want anything to happen to the church and that that was a “risk” with the protesters sleeping there. Sargent replied, “that’s what the church is for.”

While this degree of confrontation did not occur at the other churches in the area, the Judson Memorial Church said “several plainclothes police officers had entered the hall where about 100 protesters were sheltering, but elected not to ask them who they were.” This church’s Rev. Michael Ellick said, “We thought if the police want to come in, then let them spy, then let them look.
[/quote]

[/font][/color]
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jim Finklestein Pro Bowler

Jim Finklestein

Posted
Posted
1st step in the right direction?

[url="http://thinkprogress.org/special/2011/11/18/372361/rep-deutch-introduces-occupied-constitutional-amendment-to-ban-corporate-money-in-politics/"]http://thinkprogress.org/special/2011/11/18/372361/rep-deutch-introduces-occupied-constitutional-amendment-to-ban-corporate-money-in-politics/[/url]

[quote]
[b] [url="http://thinkprogress.org/special/2011/11/18/372361/rep-deutch-introduces-occupied-constitutional-amendment-to-ban-corporate-money-in-politics/"]Rep. Deutch Introduces OCCUPIED Constitutional Amendment To Ban Corporate Money In Politics[/url][/b]

By [url="http://thinkprogress.org/author/zaid-jilani/"]Zaid Jilani[/url] posted from ThinkProgress Special Topic on Nov 18, 2011 at 7:30 pm



[url="http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ted.jpg"][img]http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ted.jpg[/img][/url]
[i]Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) is tackling corporate money in politics head on.[/i]
In one of the greatest signs yet that the 99 Percenters are having an impact, Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, today introduced an amendment that would ban corporate money in politics and end corporate personhood once and for all.

Deutch’s amendment, called the [url="http://teddeutch.house.gov/UploadedFiles/DEUTCH_036_xml.pdf"]Outlawing Corporate Cash Undermining the Public Interest in our Elections and Democracy[/url] (OCCUPIED) Amendment, would overturn the[i]Citizens United [/i]decision, re-establishing the right of Congress and the states to regulate campaign finance laws, and to effectively outlaw the ability of for-profit corporations to contribute to campaign spending.
“No matter how long protesters camp out across America, big banks will continue to pour money into shadow groups promoting candidates more likely to slash Medicaid for poor children than help families facing foreclosure,” said Deutch in a statement provided to ThinkProgress. “No matter how strongly Ohio families fight for basic fairness for workers, the Koch Brothers will continue to pour millions into campaigns aimed at protecting the wealthiest 1%. No matter how fed up seniors in South Florida are with an agenda that puts oil subsidies ahead of Social Security and Medicare, corporations will continue to fund massive publicity campaigns and malicious attack ads against the public interest. Americans of all stripes agree that for far too long, corporations have occupied Washington and drowned out the voices of the people. I introduced the OCCUPIED Amendment because the days of corporate control of our democracy. It is time to return the nation’s capital and our democracy to the people.”

[/quote]
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Go Skins Hall Of Fame

Go Skins

Posted
Posted
What happened in DC yesterday:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/marking-2-months-of-occupation-dc-protesters-march-to-key-bridge/2011/11/17/gIQACzmyVN_story.html


Hundreds of protesters from the [url="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/occupy-wall-street-hits-dc/2011/10/06/gIQAOe4RRL_gallery.html"]Occupy D.C.[/url] movement marched through downtown to Key Bridge at rush hour Thursday, resulting in [url="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-buzz/post/occupy-dc-nova-protesters-march-on-key-bridge-what-you-need-to-know/2011/11/17/gIQAVlk7TN_blog.html"]a few traffic snarls[/url] but no major problems or arrests, police said.

They were among the thousands of supporters of Occupy Wall Street who [url="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/occupy-new-york-stock-exchange-key-bridge/2011/11/17/gIQA9WSBUN_blog.html"]marked the movement’s two-month anniversary with protests[/url] and traffic tie-ups around the country. Occupy protesters vowed to continue agitating for economic justice, even as police in New York and Chicago arrested hundreds and more police departments moved to clear out encampments, citing public health and safety concerns.

In the days since a handful of protesters gathered in Zuccotti Park near Wall Street to speak out against corporate greed and joblessness, the Occupy Wall Street movement [url="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/occupy-wall-street-movement-one-month-old-has-spread-to-hundreds-of-cities-map/2011/10/17/gIQAOVDNrL_blog.html"]has spread to cities throughout the United States and the world[/url]. But this week, police [url="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/occupy-wall-street-evicted-protesters-arrested-camp-torn-down-live-video/2011/11/15/gIQAzD3DON_blog.html"]moved in to evict the New York demonstrators[/url], sparking outrage and tense confrontations.

Those in New York called for a “Day of Action” on Thursday, with hundreds marching and chanting “shut down Wall Street” at the New York Stock Exchange and during a trek across the Brooklyn Bridge. More than 175 were arrested in New York and at other protest marches in Los Angeles, St. Louis, Houston, Las Vegas and Portland, Ore.

Earlier in the week, some protesters in the District had considered forming a human chain across the Key Bridge, and city officials feared that such a large protest could seriously disrupt the rush hour. Dozens of D.C. police and Arlington County officers were on hand, lined up on the bridge and nearby streets to funnel protesters coming from both sides of the river onto the sidewalks.

Protesters were joined by teachers and other unionized workers for the day’s chilly march near Georgetown in Northwest Washington, one of many such demonstrations planned to call attention to the nation’s crumbling infrastructure. Police shut down K Street NW and then M Street NW as the group of about 300 headed toward the bridge. Tourists and shoppers outside the Sprinkles cupcake shop on M Street gawked and reached for their cameras.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jamie_B Hall Of Fame

Jamie_B

Posted
  • Author
Posted
[b] [url="http://openchannel.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/19/8884405-lobbying-firms-memo-spells-out-plan-to-undermine-occupy-wall-street"]http://openchannel.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/19/8884405-lobbying-firms-memo-spells-out-plan-to-undermine-occupy-wall-street[/url][/b]

[quote]
[b] Lobbying firm's memo spells out plan to undermine Occupy Wall Street[/b]
[color=#333333][font=georgia, serif][size=4][indent=2.075]



[i][b]By Jonathan Larsen and Ken Olshansky, MSNBC TV[/b][/i]
A well-known Washington lobbying firm with links to the financial industry has proposed an $850,000 plan to take on [url="http://openchannel.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/19/8884405-lobbying-firms-memo-spells-out-plan-to-undermine-occupy-wall-street#"]Occupy</span> </span>Wall</span> </span>Street</span>[/url] and politicians who might express sympathy for the protests, according to a memo obtained by the MSNBC program [url="http://upwithchris.msnbc.com/"]“Up w/ Chris Hayes.”[/url]
The proposal was written on the letterhead of the lobbying firm Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford and addressed to one of CLGC’s clients, the American Bankers Association.
[b][url="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/sections/news/CLGF-msnbc.pdf"]CLGC’s memo[/url][/b] proposes that the ABA pay CLGC $850,000 to conduct “opposition research” on Occupy Wall Street in order to construct “negative narratives” about the protests and allied politicians. The memo also asserts that Democratic victories in 2012 would be detrimental for Wall Street and targets specific races in which it says Wall Street would benefit by electing Republicans instead.
According to the memo, if Democrats embrace OWS, “This would mean more than just short-term political discomfort for Wall Street. … It has the potential to have very long-lasting political, policy and financial impacts on the companies in the center of the bullseye.”
The memo also suggests that Democratic victories in 2012 should not be the ABA’s biggest concern. “… (T)he bigger concern,” the memo says, “should be that Republicans will no longer defend Wall Street companies.”
Two of the memo’s authors, partners Sam Geduldig and Jay Cranford, previously worked for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. Geduldig joined CLGC before Boehner became speaker; Cranford joined CLGC this year after serving as the speaker’s assistant for policy. A third partner, Steve Clark, is reportedly “tight” with Boehner, according to a [url="http://www.clgcdc.com/k-street-warms-up-to-would-be-speaker"]story by Roll Call [/url]that CLGC features on its website.
Jeff Sigmund, an ABA spokesperson, confirmed that the association got the memo. “Our Government Relations staff did receive the proposal – it was unsolicited and we chose not to act on it in any way,” he said in a statement to "Up."
CLGC did not return calls seeking comment.
Boehner spokesman Michael Steel declined to comment on the memo. But he responded to its characterization of Republicans as defenders of Wall Street by saying, “My understanding is that President Obama is the single largest recipient of donations from Wall Street.”
On “Up” Saturday, Obama campaign adviser Anita Dunn responded by saying that the majority of the president’s re-election campaign is fueled by small donors. She rejected the suggestion that the president himself is too close to Wall Street, saying “If that’s the case, why were tough financial reforms passed over party line Republican opposition?”

The CLGC memo raises another issue that it says should be of concern to the financial industry -- that OWS might find common cause with the Tea Party. “Well-known Wall Street companies stand at the nexus of where OWS protestors and the Tea Party overlap on angered populism,” the memo says. “…This combination has the potential to be explosive later in the year when media reports cover the next round of bonuses and contrast it with stories of millions of Americans making do with less this holiday season.”
The memo outlines a 60-day plan to conduct surveys and research on OWS and its supporters so that Wall Street companies will be prepared to conduct a media campaign in response to OWS. Wall Street companies “likely will not be the best spokespeople for their own cause,” according to the memo. “A big challenge is to demonstrate that these companies still have political strength and that making them a political target will carry a severe political cost.”
Part of the plan CLGC proposes is to do “statewide surveys in at least eight states that are shaping up to be the most important of the 2012 cycle.”
Specific races listed in the memo are U.S. Senate races in Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, Ohio, New Mexico and Nevada as well as the gubernatorial race in North Carolina.
The memo indicates that CLGC would research who has contributed financial backing to OWS, noting that, “Media reports have speculated about associations with George Soros and others.”
"It will be vital,” the memo says, “to understand who is funding it and what their backgrounds and motives are. If we can show that they have the same cynical motivation as a political opponent it will undermine their credibility in a profound way.”
[/size][/font][/color][/indent][/quote]
[color=#333333][font=georgia, serif][size=4][indent=2.075]




[/size][/font][/color][/indent]
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jamie_B Hall Of Fame

Jamie_B

Posted
  • Author
Posted
[color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]


[b] [url="http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/170-economists-sign-statement-support"]http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/170-economists-sign-statement-support[/url][/b]



[b] [quote][url="http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/170-economists-sign-statement-support"]170 Economists Sign Statement In Support Of Occupy Wall Stree[/url]t[/b]
[color=#992926]
By Susie Madrak[/color]
[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]




From Econ4.org, a group that's devoted to [url="http://econ4.org/about/mission"]building an alternative[/url] to the economics orthodoxy that the economy is about Wall Street and not about the well-being of working people, a statement that's been [url="http://econ4.org/statement-on-ows"]signed by 170 economists[/url] so far:[indent]
We are economists who oppose ideological cleansing in the economics profession. [b]Equally we oppose political cleansing in the vital debate over the causes and consequences of our current economic crisis.[/b]
We support the efforts of the Occupy Wall Street movement across the country and across the globe to liberate the economy from the short-term greed of the rich and powerful “one percent”.
We oppose cynical and perverse attempts to misuse our police officers and public servants to expel advocates of the public good from our public spaces.
[b]We extend our support to the vision of building an economy that works for the people, for the planet, and for the future, and we declare our solidarity with the Occupiers who are exercising our democratic right to demand economic and social justice.[/b]
Amherst, Massachusetts
November 13, 2011[/indent][/quote][/size][/font][/color]
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ron~Popeil Pro Bowler

Ron~Popeil

Posted
Posted
[quote name='Jim Finklestein' timestamp='1321664922' post='1063829']
1st step in the right direction?

[url="http://thinkprogress.org/special/2011/11/18/372361/rep-deutch-introduces-occupied-constitutional-amendment-to-ban-corporate-money-in-politics/"]http://thinkprogress...ey-in-politics/[/url]
[/quote]

Get the union money out of politics as well and I would support such a bill. No representative should be beholden to anyone other than their constituents.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...