Occupy Wall Street--Are You Mamas Game?

I would not be involved with the Occupy Wall Street protests even if I didn't have a family to take care of. I can't relate to the things I see and hear coming from the protesters; the signs they carry don't speak with my voice.

I am part of the 53% of people who pay taxes to support the 47% of people who don't. Even when I had my first job out of college that paid $18K/yr.

I once heard a professor explain that she suggested to her students that they give part of their GPA points to those students who weren't doing as well. The students said, "No fair! I worked for my GPA! I should reap the benefits." Pretty good analogy for what happens when wealth is redistributed.

http://the53.tumblr.com/

Nope! From what I see in the Occupy Wall Street groups they have a victim mentality. I work hard and sometimes things just don't pan out like I would like them to. It's not Wall Street's fault. Do I think Wall Street is corrupt? Yes, but I don't think this is the way to reform them. I think we need to be better educated about who we elect and quite bailing out business. Nobody is to big to fail.

No - Absolutely not!
If you have all this time to spend out on the street waiting for someone to do something for you, that's crazy. If you need a job - go find one. If you need money - got make some. If you need health insurance - find a job that has that benefit. It is not my job to take care of you. It is not the government's job to take care of you. It is not Wall Street's job to get you a job or take care of you. It's your job to get off your butt, take care of yourself, and get what you need and what you want.
LBC

Nope.

Added: Yep, ask any protester why they are there. Ask several of them. I bet you'll get a different answer everytime.

Ask yourself why they don't go to the source to protest? Why not go to the people who make the regulations and legislations? Why not try what the Tea Party has done, get people elected into office to try to make these changes?

Why don't the "Occupiers" use some of this money that they are getting donated to reimburse the cities' for having to clean up after them instead of having the taxpayers foot the bill?

Where is their leader? I'm not saying that there isn't any fraud or unfairness going on but what is protesting at wall street, wealthy owner's homes, and other places of such going to accomplish? If they really wanted change, they would go to the source or get people elected into office to help create the change that they so needed.

How many arrests have been made at the Tea Party protests compared to the "occupiers"? Of course if you the "occupier" gets arrested, it's because of police corruption or police brutality, right?

I would have more respect for these "protests" if they were done at the source peacefully, respectively, had a clear plan and a leader. That is why IN MY OPINION they are nothing but a distraction from what is really taking place in this country.

I think it's absolutely hilarious that millionaires & billionaires like Michael Moore & other Celebrities are visiting the Protestors. If I were a Protestor I would have lynched Michael Moore & all the Celebrities showing up to show their support (what a slap in the face). I would have respected them if they started handing out money.

Maybe you should protest at the White House since that's where the deals get made or should I say bribes. You guys are barking at the wrong tree & you are being used by the evil Government for political purposes, sorry to break it to you.

ETA: "President Barack Obama is getting round his self-imposed ban on accepting campaign donations from registered lobbyists – by accepting it from unregistered lobbyists instead.

A New York Times analysis of the president’s fundraising shows that huge amounts are coming in from at least 15 bundlers who are tied to K Street, but who are not themselves registered.

“Politics as usual has replaced hope and change in politics, policy development, and clearly now fundraising,” Democratic pollster Doug Schoen told Newsmax in the light of the Times piece. “The change we were promised just has not happened."

Read more on Newsmax.com: Obama Skirts Own Fundraising Rules as Small Donors Flee

I already did join one.

Why are people so dismissive of their protest? Tea Party protests are okay, but this one is ridiculous?

Avasmom is conservative, and arrogant. People know exactly what they are protesting, don't be so condescending. In every protest, there are different themes, and different signs being held. The main theme is the 99% vs. the 1%, FYI.

I love the way conservatives are so quick to scream about America, and their patriotism, ad nauseam, but then when people they don't agree with choose to exercise their First Amendment rights, they call it "ridiculous." Can you stop being so hypocritical? Are you for American ideals, or not?

If you don't choose to go, that's fine. But don't disparage people with different opinions from you, with stupid stories about how their protests are a Canadian plot.

Nope, but I would go to the Tea Party rallies and meetings, as they represent the idea of reforming government to get business out of government (and vice versa-for the most part), but NOT to take down Capitalism.

ETA: The Occupy Oakland group is planning on trying to shut down the port... THE PORT. how is that connected to Wall Street? You know who makes their living off of shipping? A LOT OF AVERAGE WORKING STIFFS involved with transportation, logistics, manufacturing, farming, recycling, trading.... umm just about everything. Average people. The 99%... and how does trying to shut down the port affect them? How about occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and Capitol Hill???

Too few people on here seem to really grasp what is wrong let alone what will fix it. The movement is not going to simply go away. Those who neither join it or fight it will be stuck with what is left. And I say to you, you should be getting out there and trying to steer.

This is less about "redistributing income" as it is facing the facts that the income has already been redistributed - all to the top. There has been massive fraud on the part of international corporations who are beholden to none. We need the rule of law. A free market cannot exist without the confines of property and contract law. Currently BOTH are being flouted by corporations and no one is being held accountable. Even if you think the government is overreaching you need to recognize that our states banded together in the first place because they realized there is strength in numbers. We need some government to help fight the international corporations otherwise we end up with free range corporations feeding on us all.

I'm actually participating in more ways that writing letters and calling congresspersons. In my view, this is one of the most important movements in decades. Our religious community is becoming highly involved and is doing as much as possible to assist the protesters, by bringing meals and camping equipment. Helping with trash pickiup. Offering showers.

As far as pulling oneself up by one's own bootstraps, I just heard an interesting report on that. In the 40's and 50's, the U.S. was an outstanding place to create one's own success, and there was a great deal of upward movement through economic classes.

But that dream is much diminished in the past 30 years. And since the housing crash mushroomed into full economic crisis, Americans who are desperate for work cannot find it. I know several people in different age groups who have been looking frantically for work since 2008, when their jobs, careers, health insurance, and retirement savings went away. And several who have recently finished their educations with crushing student loans and nobody hiring.

Quote from news story: "In fact, studies show there's less upward mobility now than there used to be, and less movement between income groups in the United States than in Germany, France, Canada or the Scandinavian countries." http://www.npr.org/2011/10/29/141816778/why-the-haves-hav...

For the last 30 years, however, lowest income earners ($10,000 annual take-home pay) improved their economic picture by 18% (or about $2,000 a year increase).

For the last 30 years, middle income earners ($30,000 and up) earned about 40% more (or about $12,000 more yearly).

Meanwhile, for the last 30 years, the top one percent of U.S. earners ($200,000 and up) have gained an average of 275% (an additional $550,000 income). That's a bigger increase by far than middle and low income families combined. Is there anything wrong with that picture? Are the top 1% of earners really worth 39% more than the rest of working America? http://www.npr.org/2011/10/29/141823761/the-income-gap-ex...

This is not just an economic issue. It is a moral issue. This nation is turning into a winner-take-all society, leaving the 99% of us to struggle along with overwhelming losses of homes, jobs, retirement accounts, and affordable health care.

I will not stand by silently and watch the future of all our children be snatched away by greed and claims of class warfare. If class warfare is happening, it's the wealthy who are waging it. And not by paying fair wages to the workers in their industries, or paying fair taxes themselves. They would have more discretionary income left over, even after a substantial tax increase, than dozens of middle income families combined.

This is an issue for mothers to care about. The lifeboat is sinking. We will all go down together – eventually even this great nation will become just another failed state.

That's right...they just want more regulations and higher taxes. *rollseyes* They also want to victimize the rich, force you to have babies you don't want, remove access to birth control, reduce your ability to vote, force through legislation that takes away your right to habias corpus, and remove the minimum wage requirement...all while not having a clue about what the Constitution actually says.

oh wait...wrong protesters.

Everyone who bitches about "more regulations" had better remember that those regulations are what keep your water clean, your car safe, your air breathable, your products for children unchokable, your work week shorter, your time off for injuries at work paid for, and your children out of factories.
Many of those protesting are unemployed through no fault of their own, retired, or non-active military.

And their signs are spelled right, which, to me, gives them more credibility than those who were so poorly educated they couldn't spell "constitution" right.

I hope those of you who are comfy in your lifestyle get to keep it. I hope no major medical calamity befalls you, and the corporation your work for/own doesn't succumb to bad investments. I hope that no weather event crushes your home and takes away your family. I hope that degree you paid for is still worth something. I hope that job that you planned for after college actually pans out and didn't disappear because of NAFTA. But for those of us not so lucky, I wish you would stfu about how hard you work, as if the rest of us lie around and eat ice cream all day. Have a little empathy, if only because it makes you look good to your church leaders.

IF something good actually comes from this stand in, we will see a lot more Occupying in the future. It seems pretty retro to me, sort of like the 60's movements. Did anything good come from the 60's? Some will say yes and some will say no.
50% of the occupiers probably don't really even know why they are there, they just want to be a part of it all. The other 50% want some changes made.
When was the last time you attended a town meeting or contacted your local representative? That's how change is supposed to be made, on paper. I saw a vid snippet on the news the other day, it showed a kid about 10 years old in tow with the occupying parents. The kid mouthed "when are we going home?"
If Occupy had a real meaning we would all know exactly what it is. It's a confused mess if you ask me... and costing a lot of tax payer dollars to control it.

Many years ago when I was wanted because I am an incredibly good organizer of non-violent protests against war. I had to hide out in the wilderness not to lose my kids. I sent them to school. I didn't exactly keep a low profile as I campaigned heavily for women's rights using the written word.
The Repubs. decided to take all the laws away that protected us from financial meltdowns since the Roosevelt Era. It was the GOP agenda and they did it from Reagan to Bush 2 when the entire system totally melted down due to the endless greed of CEO's.
I am now a grandmother working overseas. As soon as I get home my Sierra Design tent and I will be Occupying. I swore I would be back protesting again and here it is the opportunity of a lifetime to change our nation for the next 100 years.

Honestly? A bunch of people with no clear demands, no real solution. I've seen them protesting in my own town, and it's just ridiculous. They're acting like I acted when I was 16 and idealistic and all anti-government, pro-this-or-that...and they have no idea. I'm sorry, that's just the way I see it.

I figure I have better things to do with my time. :)

(And to answer Rosebud's answer...I did NOT say tea party protests were okay and that this was ridiculous. I just said this was ridiculous. Don't get me started on all the other groups of protesters!!!) :)

Nope, not interested.

Absolutely not. For all of the reasons the other mom's who said no and more. It is ridiculous that so many people sit out there unporducitvely and we are footing the bill for it. Big companies are providing generators, food, etc. Wonder what these people who be wearing if it wasn't for the clothes they bought from the big companies, or what food they would eat if it wasn't coming from the big companies. If people have complaints (which most of those on Occupy Wall Street don't even know what they are protesting) they need to proactively do something. Go find a job. Go get an education. Go do something...but sitting in parks is not it.

Also it makes me smile every time I see "Faux News." Really? Yes, Fox News is slanted to the right where CNN, MSN, NBC, ABC, etc are slanted towards the left. Funny though how the ONE that is slanted towards conservatives is called names. Silly to me.

I support those that are there to have their voices heard and try to make a difference.

I truly wish they were more united in their voice and reasons. It would help their cause if they were a tad more organized. I know that Libby is working her tail off trying to keep the Tacoma Occupy organized and I applaud her efforts!

No, I don't think they have found an effective way as they are not united in their voice. It is MY opinion that they should be protesting on The Hill and their elected officials offices...as THAT is where the decisions, laws, regulations, etc. are made.

Too many people have been interviewed who don't know why they are there. They don't have ONE voice screaming ENOUGH - which would benefit them GREATLY - these are our demands, this is the change we want...just saying they are the 99% isn't making change.

I am sickened that they like the celebrities that have shown up - but it's these same celebrities who they help finance - are they opening their wallets to these people? These celebrities are part of the 1%...the same thing they are protesting against....so why not tell them to open up their wallets?

I don't compare them to the Tea Party - the Tea Party had one voice and were united in what we wanted - Taxed Enough Already - we didn't Occupy a place for a long period of time - we went to the source and started making changes there.

I might - I don't want "More regulation and more taxes" and I hate that talking point. I want GOOD regulations and EFFECTIVE regulations. There is a difference. I want food and water and air safety standards. I want a 40 hour work week with controlled overtime. Did you know that the weekend is a new "invention"? Child labor laws are great too.

Yes, the legal/red tape BS can get pretty thick and stupid, but give me intelligent government in the right areas - deregulation isn't the answer. Corporations are greedy entities at the heart, because they are made up of people, and people are fallible. That what laws and regulations are for - to give us a track to run on, hopefully in the right direction.

And protesting can be a good thing - remember MLK? Ghandi? Civil disobedience? There are always dippy, annoying people that will give the protesters a bad name, but that doesn't change the validity of their thoughts, beliefs, and feelings, and it doesn't make them less "American" for exercising their 1st amendment rights.

I am sick of hearing that phrase, sick of the name calling. It makes me sad. This nation was built on protesters - that's what the founding fathers did, they were just thousands of miles away from the government they were protesting.

Of course I'd join them.

Is this an effective way to get the govt acting differently? Probably not. However, I think it has opened up a conversation we as a nation need to have:

http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/10/income-...

What's interesting is the prejudice that the 1% are wealthy because of their own labor. This is an ideological thread throughout America's history that isn't really true. It's one of our great myths that allows us to believe in the great American dream. Recent evidence actually shows that there is a disconnect between labor and reward, In fact, during the boom period in the early 2000, the top 1% made out like bandits, while the 99% didn't really see much of it at all (thus why people were taking out second mortgages to live the good live, salaries weren't behind the boom for the 99%, credit and over spending were):

http://elsa.berkeley.edu/~saez/saez-UStopincomes-2008.pdf

I hope people start opening their eyes to the many ways our democracy is owned by big business at the expense of everyone else. It's time for companies to be held accountable, and it's time for Ex to not make 319 times everyone else. I mean, really. They get millions for running companies into the ground.

AMEN M.M.! Don't wait for the government to bail you out or "fix" things- do it yourself!!!!! If we get rid of corporations and business- where will the jobs come from? Small business- so get out there and start one up! Find something you love to do and go do it! We don't need to camp out side city buildings to make our voices heard- we need to go and BE the people we want to become instead of waiting around and demanding the government do it for us. I am starting up a jewelry business. It's starting small- NO DEBT. I am starting it from my home. It won't make much at first but if I am willing to put in the time- it will grow and really help my family out. Go deliver pizza's pay off your debt and be responsible for YOURSELF!!!!!
If you don't like the large corporations, DON"T USE THEM and TELL YOUR FRIENDS! The best way to show your disgust with any company is with your wallet. Businesses spend millions of dollars trying to keep customers- so if you don't like them and what they do- don't use them.
Give yourselves more credit- it's not the government who has to change things- but each individual choosing to make themselves better.
~C.

If anyone thinks the people of occupy have a victim mentality, please visit Faces of the 99% at

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Faces-of-the-99/125662...

and see that there for the Grace of God go MANY.

The Pittsburgh Occupy has been peaceful, informative and fairly organized.

I think Occupy makes lots of people uncomfortable, because it's like peeling an onion--once you start LOOKING, you see SO MANY layers that are just wrong with the government and the rules as they are.

I also find that most of the critics have no idea what Occupy is. Easier to listen to Faux News...and get their thinking that way.

Yes I would be there and understand and identify with the protesters. I think that people who are "against" the movement are woefully ignorant of the issues at hand and how pro-corporate legislation over the past 10+ years has created a situation where it is no longer government of, for and by the people but of, for and by whoever has the most money.

I am planning on heading in to Occupy Boston some weekend soon. I want my kids (especially the older ones) to see that good things happen when people band together.

ETA:
@Nicole P. - wonderful post! That explains things more clearly than I have seen elsewhere.

I can't say too much about what I do for work, but I work for a global firm that, among other things, administers employee benefits plans. Some of the biggest players on Wall St. are my company's clients. There are special retirement accounts for the highest-level executives that are worth hundreds of millions of dollars for just a handful of employees. I remember when EGTRAA was passed in 2001. While some of the provisions made sense, our clients and many in my industry were giddy with excitement over some of the changes to retirement plan rules, which provided huge tax advantages to corporations, particularly regarding compensation for the highest paid employees. Some of the more prudent folks in my industry foresaw that we'd be regretting much of this 10 years later. A couple of years before that, I remember the surprise (and excitement) going around the office over the news that the banking deregulation act (1999 - under Clinton) had actually passed. The ramifications of this act have been huge. It's just interesting for me to see one side of "Wall St." and believe me, those companies (and the highest level executives) really are in it for themselves.

I'd join them if I could.

Something I read recently which relates:

"'I have never laid a finger on anyone in my life, Mr Pump. I may be–– all the things you know I am, but I am not a killer! I have never so much as drawn a sword!'
'No, You Have Not. But You Have Stolen, Embezzled, Defrauded And Swindled Without Discrimination, Mr Lipvig. You Have Ruined Businesses And Destroyed Jobs. When Banks Fail, It Is Seldom Bankers Who Starve. Your Actions Have Taken Money From Those Who Had Little Enough To Begin With. In A Myriad Small Ways You Have Hastened The Deaths Of Many. You Do Not Know Them. You Did Not See Them Bleed. But You Snatched Bread From Their Mouths And Tore Clothes From Their Backs. For Sport, Mr Lipvig. For Sport. For The Joy Of The Game.”
Terry Pratchett, Going Postal

I would love to get more involved somehow, but haven't yet! Some friends and I are sort of passing on good statements we hear from prominent sources therein on facebook and petitions regarding those types of changes as we get hem, but that's it so far, I'm ashamed to say.

What new street movement is organized right out of the gate with a full panel of officials in charge? Has there ever been one? I mean, sure the Tea Party had Sarah Palin for a while when she was running for stuff. But it has taken time for them to get the Tea Party conservatives into office.

This movement will get there. Meanwhile, some are dwelling on a few vague interviewees from the first days they were on the news (the only type shown on a certain news station). This doesn't mean everyone is vague. I liked their statement of a few weeks ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BieDGdkU9JI

I would, but I would also be clear that I do NOT want socialism, communism, or fascism - no matter what banner it flies under (Dem, Repub, or Ind.). What I would like to see end is *crony* capitalism.

People in this country know that something is inherently wrong, and that we are going in a bad direction. I applaud people who get out there and give peaceful voice to what's happening (even if I don't always agree with every tenet of their grievances.).

Also, may I recommend the new movie "In Time" - it's excellent and you can see some scary insight into where we might be headed (it's a somewhat dystopian fiction type of movie).

PS: I'm very libertarian/conservative. Mostly pro-Bill of Rights and major PRO FIRST AMENDMENT. SHINE THE LIGHT ON THE RATS AND THEY RUN OFF.

No, I would have no interest in it. I do truly believe that this is one of the few countries where people can pull themselves up by their bootstraps, however, I do believe its pretty tough for a lot of people right now, so I do see their frustration.

I've spent some time at the Occupy Seattle event. I am not there full time and would not be there full time because I don't think that's where the change will happen. But I am grateful for their work.

The Occupy Wall Street movement is about saying "there is a problem that needs to be addressed". It doesn't have an overall clear message because there isn't a clear message to have. The problem isn't simple. Any "clear message" would be simplistic to the point of being stupid and/or incomprehensible.

For example, if I was to carry a sign it would be "Make banking boring." This is a sign that makes perfect sense to people who know something about our recent financial meltdowns and is incomprehensible to those who don't. To translate, we have a banking system that puts people who love taking extreme risks in a position of great power with no accountability. And then we are *shocked* when they fiddle with the books and pay for expensive hookers as a "business expense"! Of course they do!!!!! Put that personality in that situation and massive corruption becomes both predictable and inevitable. Banking needs to return to being a boring conservative job that is attractive to boring conservative people who want to crunch numbers and take home a respectable income. It should not be a job where you can make outrageous gambles and make millions of dollars, because that causes international financial meltdowns.

But the whole explanation is a little hard to fit on a sign. :) And it doesn't even *begin* to cover all the issues.

Every OWS activist I have talked to is very clear on why they are there. Go down to a local OWS event, especially on a weekend. Talk to people. If you talk to any individual, you can have a terrific discussion for hours on whatever issue is of greatest concern to them. Other people will join in with additional information. You may not agree, but the conversation will be fascinating. There are even some 1% folks down there. Many folks are down there out of a deep patriotism and desire to make things better, not just personal self-interest. And many people there want to *save* capitalism, not take it down.

BTW, if you're interested in a nuanced conversation, avoid the communists, the socialists, and the anarchists. They all seem to be into very simplistic solutions. Fortunately, they tend to stand under big signs identifying themselves, so they're easy to avoid. :)

This is the way social change happens. You have the noisy protesters who make things uncomfortable for the power structure. And you have the quiet reformers who discuss complex issues and design real change. It's the classic "speak softly and carry a big stick." OWS are the big stick. They're making it possible for others to speak softly and be heard.

There has been a herd of elephants in the room for a very, very long time. Corporations have more rights than human beings. Sports-star personalities are running our banking system into the ground. Our economy is a giant ponzi scheme based on the myth of perpetually accelerating growth. Our democracy is being sold to the highest bidder. The basis for US currency is mathematically flawed. These problems are not new. But they're not exciting either, so no one has been talking about them.

But OWS has made the questions exciting and has gotten people talking. They have my support and thanks.

no, im not much of a protester. I protest as a consumer with what i will and will not buy. Thats about it