Occupy

[rob]

i still say the funniest OWS thing i saw was the occupy Montreal folks camped outside of BMO last fall. really? Canadians come on...you've got health care.

 

I dunno, I also have health care but I'm still pissed off that the extreme rich have pulled off the world's biggest scam on the rest of us.

 

[kevbone]

i still say the funniest OWS thing i saw was the occupy Montreal folks camped outside of BMO last fall. really? Canadians come on...you've got health care.

 

I dunno, I also have health care but I'm still pissed off that the extreme rich have pulled off the world's biggest scam on the rest of us.

 

World's biggest scam? Please explain.

[PrincessWookie]

i still say the funniest OWS thing i saw was the occupy Montreal folks camped outside of BMO last fall. really? Canadians come on...you've got health care.

 

I dunno, I also have health care but I'm still pissed off that the extreme rich have pulled off the world's biggest scam on the rest of us.

 

World's biggest scam? Please explain.

Is kevbone always this serious?

 

@ minx: LOL!!

[KaskadskyjKozak]

i still say the funniest OWS thing i saw was the occupy Montreal folks camped outside of BMO last fall. really? Canadians come on...you've got health care.

 

I dunno, I also have health care but I'm still pissed off that the extreme rich have pulled off the world's biggest scam on the rest of us.

 

World's biggest scam? Please explain.

 

One thing many of us can do is refuse to work for a company where the execs make 20+ million and go to a smaller company where the disparity bettween the rank-and-file and the top brass is smaller.

[rob]

i still say the funniest OWS thing i saw was the occupy Montreal folks camped outside of BMO last fall. really? Canadians come on...you've got health care.

 

I dunno, I also have health care but I'm still pissed off that the extreme rich have pulled off the world's biggest scam on the rest of us.

 

World's biggest scam? Please explain.

 

One thing many of us can do is refuse to work for a company where the execs make 20+ million and go to a smaller company where the disparity bettween the rank-and-file and the top brass is smaller.

 

Sounds great! Are you hiring?

[minx]

i work for a small company, <20 people, i really like it but the pay is mediocre at best and the benefits are close to non-existant. if i did not have a generous X who continues to allow me to sponge off his health insurance, i would be forced to work for large company with better benefits.

 

there are trade offs. i'm working on working for me and thus creating an even smaller business but hopefully i'll be able to pay myself enough to afford health insurance.

 

there are pros and cons to corporate america. my sense of the occupy movement is that this is a group who doesn't respect the benefits that can come from working for a large corporation. they have other priorities. it is easy to villify corporations. there is some validity in many of the arguments. there are abuses and they should be addressed. however, i'm not sure i've heard a coherent argument for dealing with it from the occupy movement. ridding the country of large corporations is not going to happen.

 

why all the vitriole against the rich people? isn't that what america is about? the opportunity to succeed to the highest level possible? so many government programs seem to be about ensuring that people can achieve the bare minimum standard of living (ie welfare). perhaps the focus should be on fostering an environment the encourages innovation, hardwork, and focus on achievment rather than making sure everyone gets by.

 

if a corporation decides that paying people 20 million dollars to do their job then so be it. if the corporation is abusing loopholes in the system deal with that issue. if you're pissed b/c someone is getting paid an extraordinary amount of money, you're free to go develop skills and try and do that yourself. quit bitching about how much other people get paid.

[rob]

People aren't pissed because someone else is making an extraordinary amount of money, Minx, they're pissed because somebody else is making an extraordinary amount of money while using that money to lobby the government to further subsidize their profit-making endeavors at the expense of the underprivileged.

 

People are pissed because the rich are getting richer than ever before and yet paying fewer taxes than ever before, and yet are militantly opposed to raising taxes back to normal, historical rates, even in the face of economic collapse -- and instead insist on cutting social programs, public education and infrastructure investments in order to continue to pay for their tax breaks. On top of that, they've convinced the government to give them money to make up for their bad investments by holding the world hostage and threatening to crash the stock market if they don't get their way. Things have swung so far in favor of the few and the fortunate that I'm surprised people still try to deny it. People who think this is just "jealousy of the rich" clearly just don't get it.

 

hey Wookie, you should come over to my house and try to punch me in the face. That would be fun! I haven't been in a fist fight in a while.

Edited March 1, 2012 by rob

[kevbone]

People aren't pissed because someone else is making an extraordinary amount of money, Minx, they're pissed because somebody else is making an extraordinary amount of money while using that money to lobby the government to further subsidize their profit-making endeavors at the expense of the underprivileged.

 

People are pissed because the rich are getting richer than ever before and yet paying fewer taxes than ever before, and yet are militantly opposed to raising taxes back to normal, historical rates, even in the face of economic collapse -- and instead insist on cutting social programs, public education and infrastructure investments in order to continue to pay for their tax breaks. On top of that, they've convinced the government to give them money to make up for their bad investments by holding the world hostage and threatening to crash the stock market if they don't get their way. Things have swung so far in favor of the few and the fortunate that I'm surprised people still try to deny it. People who think this is just "jealousy of the rich" clearly just don't get it.

 

 

finally a real explanation of what is at hand. Well said.

[Jim]

People aren't pissed because someone else is making an extraordinary amount of money, Minx, they're pissed because somebody else is making an extraordinary amount of money while using that money to lobby the government to further subsidize their profit-making endeavors at the expense of the underprivileged.

 

People are pissed because the rich are getting richer than ever before and yet paying fewer taxes than ever before, and yet are militantly opposed to raising taxes back to normal, historical rates, even in the face of economic collapse -- and instead insist on cutting social programs, public education and infrastructure investments in order to continue to pay for their tax breaks. On top of that, they've convinced the government to give them money to make up for their bad investments by holding the world hostage and threatening to crash the stock market if they don't get their way. Things have swung so far in favor of the few and the fortunate that I'm surprised people still try to deny it. People who think this is just "jealousy of the rich" clearly just don't get it.

 

That's kinda the nail on the head, there.

[KaskadskyjKozak]

I dunno, I also have health care but I'm still pissed off that the extreme rich have pulled off the world's biggest scam on the rest of us.

 

World's biggest scam? Please explain.

 

One thing many of us can do is refuse to work for a company where the execs make 20+ million and go to a smaller company where the disparity bettween the rank-and-file and the top brass is smaller.

 

Sounds great! Are you hiring?

 

Yes, PM if you are seriously interested.

[minx]

 

1) raising taxes helps the economy how?

2) the education system is all kinds of fucked up. what makes you think throwing more money at it is the answer?

3) social programs need to be cut. not entirely but even i, the advocate of the group hug, think we've gone to far.

4) i agree that infrastructure investment is important

5) i never thought we should bail out the bank ect. they should've failed. it would've been painful but so has the current situation

6) i don't think its jealousy of the rich.

 

i think its a complex problem that people are trying to boil down to a catch phrase and that isn't going to happen.

 

no i have no sympathy for the guy who might have to take his kids out of private school b/c he only made $350K. guess he should've saved some more of that money. however, i doesn't bother me that he made $350K.

 

 

[KaskadskyjKozak]

1) raising taxes helps the economy how?

2) the education system is all kinds of fucked up. what makes you think throwing more money at it is the answer?

3) social programs need to be cut. not entirely but even i, the advocate of the group hug, think we've gone to far.

4) i agree that infrastructure investment is important

5) i never thought we should bail out the bank ect. they should've failed. it would've been painful but so has the current situation

6) i don't think its jealousy of the rich.

 

i think its a complex problem that people are trying to boil down to a catch phrase and that isn't going to happen.

 

no i have no sympathy for the guy who might have to take his kids out of private school b/c he only made $350K. guess he should've saved some more of that money. however, i doesn't bother me that he made $350K.

 

 

Holy shit! I agree with everything you said. I'm pouring an aberlour now and toasting you Minxie!

[minx]

i think p-wookie should go over to pink's house and hit him in the face. 8D

[minx]

thanks KKKKKK...i need a drink today.

 

now about this hiring you're doing... i'm looking for more work. what are you hiring for?

[KaskadskyjKozak]

i think p-wookie should go over to pink's house and hit him in the face. 8D

 

+1

 

and post the youtube here, p-wookster!

 

[j_b]

As it turns out, the US is among the least meritocratic OECD countries and the social elevator is in great part a myth even if rag to riches stories always end up making the front page. Taxes enable educating, giving health care, etc .. to those who can't afford it, which in turn leads to greater economic activity.

 

Myth of the social elevator

[PrincessWookie]

i think p-wookie should go over to pink's house and hit him in the face. 8D

 

+1

 

and post the youtube here, p-wookster!

hahaha! It's a deal.

 

....and I LOVE MINX!!

 

(psst: don't worry Pink-ster, I really won't)

[ivan]

2) the education system is all kinds of fucked up. what makes you think throwing more money at it is the answer?

why do you think its worse now than in the past? are you sure you're not remembering the past too fondly? seems to me, looking around my room (well, i'm on my lunch break, but here in another 2 minutes), that i can see a whole herd of literate, mostly engaged kids, many of whom will be popping back into my room over the next decade to talk about succesful careers and lives...

[kevbone]

i think p-wookie should go over to pink's house and hit him in the face. 8D

 

Oh....can I come?

[PrincessWookie]

 

hey Wookie, you should come over to my house and try to punch me in the face. That would be fun! I haven't been in a fist fight in a while.

Uh oh.

 

Heh.. Has any one told you you're really hot when your sarcastic and slightly annoyed?

[kevbone]

People aren't pissed because someone else is making an extraordinary amount of money, Minx, they're pissed because somebody else is making an extraordinary amount of money while using that money to lobby the government to further subsidize their profit-making endeavors at the expense of the underprivileged.

 

People are pissed because the rich are getting richer than ever before and yet paying fewer taxes than ever before, and yet are militantly opposed to raising taxes back to normal, historical rates, even in the face of economic collapse -- and instead insist on cutting social programs, public education and infrastructure investments in order to continue to pay for their tax breaks. On top of that, they've convinced the government to give them money to make up for their bad investments by holding the world hostage and threatening to crash the stock market if they don't get their way. Things have swung so far in favor of the few and the fortunate that I'm surprised people still try to deny it. People who think this is just "jealousy of the rich" clearly just don't get it.

 

 

I gave your words to a very conservative friend of mine (well worded and good job).....his response.

 

I get it... I get the fact that social welfare programs are more robust than they have ever been. I get the fact that 40 percent of Americans pay no...NO taxes...40%. I get that liberals want to continue to build this welfare state to reinforce their voter base that is otherwise a minority. I get that the "rich" are the ones creating ALL of the jobs. I get that the occupiers don't actually have a cause... Some protesting capitalism completely or student loans. I get that it's because it's led by the entitlement generation who thinks they deserve something they haven't earned.

[Coldfinger]

I gave your words to a very conservative friend of mine (well worded and good job).....his response.

 

I get it... I get the fact that social welfare programs are more robust than they have ever been. I get the fact that 40 percent of Americans pay no...NO taxes...40%. I get that liberals want to continue to build this welfare state to reinforce their voter base that is otherwise a minority. I get that the "rich" are the ones creating ALL of the jobs. I get that the occupiers don't actually have a cause... Some protesting capitalism completely or student loans. I get that it's because it's led by the entitlement generation who thinks they deserve something they haven't earned.

 

Well I think it's pretty simple, after reading that:

 

HOW ARE YOU DIFFERENT?????

 

Whine, whine, whine, about what viewpoint YOU think you're entitled to. And always calling people names and exaggerating and yes--heaven forfend--even lying.

 

NOT very neighborly.

 

You guys seem to have a world view that YOU are the only people who are operating on good faith.

 

And for many it's even worse, they believe only the folks who drink their flavor of Jeebus Cool Aid get to heaven,

 

Sometimes eloquence is still retarded.

 

 

Edited March 2, 2012 by Coldfinger

[ivan]

everything would be a whole lot kewler if we had an amish president

[Coldfinger]

Actually from what I've heard about the Amish, that would mean Secret Service guys breaking into our homes and forcibly giving us haircuts if we criticized him, oh, or am I thinking of the Amish lunatic fringe?

 

That's an improvement?

[Off_White]

Kevbone, here's a response for your friend:

 

[video:youtube]

 

Seriously, everything he says is totally made up bullshit that is not supported by facts. Its all made up crap he heard elsewhere that excites his sense of outrage, so he just spews the bullshit back up.