The Demands of Occupy Wall Street

[WinePusher]

People at occupy wall street have released unofficial lists of demands here and there. There are apparently many out there and they don't seem to correspond to eachtother, but here's one unofficial list of demands:

-Demand 1: Restoration of the living wage. This demand can only be met by ending Freetrade by re-imposing trade tariffs on all imported goods entering the American market to level the playing field for domestic family farming and domestic manufacturing as most nations that are dumping cheap products onto the American market have radical wage and environmental regulation advantages. Another policy that must be instituted is raise the minimum wage to twenty dollars an hr.
-Demand 2: Institute a universal single payer healthcare system. To do this all private insurers must be banned from the healthcare market as their only effect on the health of patients is to take money away from doctors, nurses and hospitals preventing them from doing their jobs and hand that money to wall st. investors.
-Demand 3: Guaranteed living wage income regardless of employment.
-Demand 4: Free college education.
-Demand 5: Begin a fast track process to bring the fossil fuel economy to an end while at the same bringing the alternative energy economy up to energy demand.
-Demand 6: One trillion dollars in infrastructure (Water, Sewer, Rail, Roads and Bridges and Electrical Grid) spending now.
-Demand 7: One trillion dollars in ecological restoration planting forests, reestablishing wetlands and the natural flow of river systems and decommissioning of all of Americas nuclear power plants.
-Demand 8: Racial and gender equal rights amendment.
-Demand 9: Open borders migration. anyone can travel anywhere to work and live.
-Demand 10: Bring American elections up to international standards of a paper ballot precinct counted and recounted in front of an independent and party observers system.
-Demand 11: Immediate across the board debt forgiveness for all. Debt forgiveness of sovereign debt, commercial loans, home mortgages, home equity loans, credit card debt, student loans and personal loans now! All debt must be stricken from the Books. World Bank Loans to all Nations, Bank to Bank Debt and all Bonds and Margin Call Debt in the stock market including all Derivatives or Credit Default Swaps, all 65 trillion dollars of them must also be stricken from the Books. And I dont mean debt that is in default, I mean all debt on the entire planet period.
-Demand 12: Outlaw all credit reporting agencies.
-Demand 13: Allow all workers to sign a ballot at any time during a union organizing campaign or at any time that represents their yeah or nay to having a union represent them in collective bargaining or to form a union.

http://toddkinsey.com/blog/2011/10/08/o ... f-demands/

1) What do you make of these demands? Are they reasonable or unreasonable?
2) In a list of demands seperate from this list, OWS protestors have expressed disapproval towards the ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commision. Do you agree or disagree with the ruling?
3) Although absent from the list of demands, OWS have expressed disdainment towards what they percieve to be a growing gap between the top 1% of society and the remaining 99% of society. What is the truth regarding wealth and income inequality?

[East of Eden]

We need more Operation Wetback?

I'm not for illegal immigrants and I'm for securing our borders, but danged if even I don't find the naming of such to be insulting beyond all good sense.

Is this now the "Land of the Free, and the home of the 'those of European ancestry who may or may not be some specific color other'n black or brown or red or yellow'"?

Calm down, Joey, it is a small thing to change the name. How about 'Operation American Sovereignty'?

[East of Eden]

Nonsense, we are not inviting them here, that's blaming the victim. We are demanding the government stop the politics and secure the border. We need more of this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Wetback

Of course not, because you buy all your produce locally from farmers whom you have verified outsource their labor to citizens only... A staunch patriot like yourself would never shop at any of the large commercial retailers like Wal-Mart, the majority of who's products are heavily subsidized by immigrant labor.

I am sure your house is 100% filled with certifiable Made In America products.

What does where something is made have to do with the invasion we are suffering from?

I look forward to seeing you out in the fields, and in the slaughterhouses then when your wishes are granted.

I'll be happy to pay a quarter more for a watermelon.

[East of Eden]

We need more Operation Wetback?

I'm not for illegal immigrants and I'm for securing our borders, but danged if even I don't find the naming of such to be insulting beyond all good sense.

Is this now the "Land of the Free, and the home of the 'those of European ancestry who may or may not be some specific color other'n black or brown or red or yellow'"?

Ah, the R-Word has raised its ugly head!

That means all further debate must be silenced and we must accept whatever the liberals want to dump on us!

Exactly. To paraphrase a famous saying, 'Racism is the last refuge of a scoundrel'.

[chris_brown207]

Exactly. To paraphrase a famous saying, 'Racism is the last refuge of a scoundrel'.

And to paraphrase you, whining and doing nothing about a problem is the leftist liberal way. So, should I consider your voting registration officially changed - since not only have you done nothing but complain about illegal immigration, but you financially provide support to them.

And, you decry socialism, all the while enjoying the benefits (and recommending additional measures be taken) for socialistic policies such as agricultural subsidies for farmers?

So, when will you be coming out of the liberal closet you hide within?

[East of Eden]

Exactly. To paraphrase a famous saying, 'Racism is the last refuge of a scoundrel'.

And to paraphrase you, whining and doing nothing about a problem is the leftist liberal way. So, should I consider your voting registration officially changed - since not only have you done nothing but complain about illegal immigration, but you financially provide support to them.

Nonsense, any money I give them is unknowingly, unless you're talking about my tax money that goes to educate, imprison, and hospitalize them. How about I get a choice to pay for a fence instead?

And, you decry socialism, all the while enjoying the benefits (and recommending additional measures be taken) for socialistic policies such as agricultural subsidies for farmers?

So, when will you be coming out of the liberal closet you hide within?

Stop projecting.

[chris_brown207]

Nonsense, any money I give them is unknowingly, unless you're talking about my tax money that goes to educate, imprison, and hospitalize them. How about I get a choice to pay for a fence instead?

Unknowingly? Shielding your eyes from the truth (or putting your head in the sand as you previously stated) is no excuse. Now that I have shed some light on the matter, that excuse is no longer credible. Verify for yourself where your money is going, stop hiding behind ignorance.

As for where you choose to spend your money - you have always had that choice. Choosing to spend it on products which provide profit to the issues you so loudly decry is your choice as well - it just makes your complaints much less credible.

Continue to complain if you wish, but at least have the moral fortitude to take action as well. Or would you rather have others fight your battles for you. Maybe it makes you feel better to be able to just sit on the sidelines, and belittle others for their actions (all the while feeling divested of the responsibility of having to provide solutions of your own)?

And no, locking the borders is no solution as long as you continue to personally leave the financial carrots that will encourage them to find a way around.

Stop projecting.

I would expect nothing more then two word explanations. I suspect you rather enjoy not having to actually provide answers of your own, and feel much more comfortable criticizing the answers of others. Let me know how that works out for you.

In the meantime, save your double standards and inconsistencies for some other forum more apt to enjoy big talk coupled with little action.

[East of Eden]

Unknowingly? Shielding your eyes from the truth (or putting your head in the sand as you previously stated) is no excuse. Now that I have shed some light on the matter, that excuse is no longer credible. Verify for yourself where your money is going, stop hiding behind ignorance.

As for where you choose to spend your money - you have always had that choice. Choosing to spend it on products which provide profit to the issues you so loudly decry is your choice as well - it just makes your complaints much less credible.

Continue to complain if you wish, but at least have the moral fortitude to take action as well. Or would you rather have others fight your battles for you. Maybe it makes you feel better to be able to just sit on the sidelines, and belittle others for their actions (all the while feeling divested of the responsibility of having to provide solutions of your own)?

And no, locking the borders is no solution as long as you continue to personally leave the financial carrots that will encourage them to find a way around.

You're completely nonsensical now, I am not personally doing anything but trying to stop this invasion as best I can. Perhaps you would like some of them living in your house?

I would expect nothing more then two word explanations.

That's all many of your comments deserve.

I suspect you rather enjoy not having to actually provide answers of your own,

Wrong, I've given a number of proposals, where are yours?

In the meantime, save your double standards and inconsistencies for some other forum more apt to enjoy big talk coupled with little action.

Right to the name-calling, out of arguments so soon?

[chris_brown207]

You're completely nonsensical now, I am not personally doing anything but trying to stop this invasion as best I can. Perhaps you would like some of them living in your house?

Ignorance is not an excuse. Pretend not to understand as you wish. Need further explanation? No problem. It is very simple - the stuff you buy from your grocers on a weekly basis funds illegal immigration.

Do not believe me - again, no problem, research it for yourself. Whether you choose to understand, or continue to feign ignorance, your words condemning illegal immigration are meaningless when you are as responsible as the rest of us for them being here.

Or who did you think processes the meat you eat? Who did you think picks your fruits and vegetables? Don't know? Then find out for your self.

Wrong, I've given a number of proposals, where are yours?

Fairly simple, dismantle the current labor laws to get our labor back on competitive footing with the rest of the world. Discontinue providing economic and social benefits to those who are here illegally. I have no issue with enforcing illegal immigration - but as Americans we should not be relying on others to do the checking for us. Nor should we be placing American farmers in the position where they have to use immigrant labor, or face the probability that they will go under. We fix this by supporting them at the market, and verifying for ourselves where our produce comes from.

If we erase the demand, the supply will subside as well. Buy locally, verify the labor, and support American made products. It is hypocritical to look down your noses at illegal immigration, while paying their wages by buying their products.

My family has already reduced our purchase of non-verified products by 40%. Our freezer is stocked with fresh produce from local farmers and land owners we have taken the time to get to know at farmers markets.

By next year, we plan to be at more then 50% as we are starting a communal garden in our apartment complex with the support of the landlord. We are removing our financial support of illegal immigration and bringing business back to local farmers. Not to mention that all the products that my company produces are made locally in Boise - by companies that we know personally, and have toured the facility to verify for ourselves the legality of the labor. We are doing more then just talking about the issue.

So, besides the big talk, what are you doing? What action have you taken personally on the matter? (Let me guess, it is the job of the "spineless politicians" to fix everything, and you have no responsibility to do anything yourself? Or, did you really think that a vote every two years was all you are required to do as a citizen?)

Right to the name-calling, out of arguments so soon?

What, didn't recognize your handy work? I am just reflecting your own tendencies. Check my posts to all of the other posters... I give respect to those who give it in return. You are the recipient of snide remarks because you are the quickest to give them to others. Be respectful when dealing with people, even when you disagree, and you will find you will get the same in return.

[JoeyKnothead]

From Post 136:

We need more Operation Wetback?

I'm not for illegal immigrants and I'm for securing our borders, but danged if even I don't find the naming of such to be insulting beyond all good sense.

Is this now the "Land of the Free, and the home of the 'those of European ancestry who may or may not be some specific color other'n black or brown or red or yellow'"?

Ah, the R-Word has raised its ugly head!

That means all further debate must be silenced and we must accept whatever the liberals want to dump on us!

Or "we" present an argument that refutes the notion, instead of reiterating what's goin' on.

[JoeyKnothead]

We need more Operation Wetback?

I'm not for illegal immigrants and I'm for securing our borders, but danged if even I don't find the naming of such to be insulting beyond all good sense.

Is this now the "Land of the Free, and the home of the 'those of European ancestry who may or may not be some specific color other'n black or brown or red or yellow'"?

Calm down, Joey, it is a small thing to change the name. How about 'Operation American Sovereignty'?

If it's such a "small thing", why might'n such a "small change" not occur?