A little OWS, a little 99%, a little history
So today I read at the Yahoo Finance (it’s my home page because I can look at the stock numbers on the left and read the headline on the right for a guaranteed laugh) that John Mauldin thinks the OWS would be better off if they occupiedCongress:
Mauldin believes America still has time to figure out a path out of what he says is the big problem worldwide: “We’ve over committed public monies and we don’t have them.” While some what sympathetic to the protestors’ frustrations, Mauldin says their anger is misdirected.“My message to the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ guys: if they really want to If they really want to go after the source of the problem, they should go occupy Congress,”Instead of focusing on Wall Street,Washington and the protests should be focusing on reducing regulation and making it easier for new businesses to start, Mauldin says. To that end, he offers a new slogan I somehow doubt will showup at any Occupy Wall Street protest anytime soon: “Up with Entrepreneurs”
As I understand it, OWS is about economic equality. President Roosevelt referred to it as the economic royalty. I just don’t see how one can stop, look and listen to OWS and think “go tell congress to further deregulation”. John Boy can’t be this much of an idiot, can he?
My sweetheart gets home from the dentist. $4000 dollars worth of bridge work is down the drain because a tooth of the bridge went bad.
For those who don’t know, we are the “Entrepreneurs” John Boy is referring to, thus we are paying for our health insurance, no dental. But, she was offered a payment plan. Has a nice dental name at 14.5% interest! This bit of private market solution to paying for health care is brought to you by GE Financial. Yes, the GE of Jeffrey Immelt, Obama’s job creating adviser. Hey Obama? Did you read my state of the union? Obviously not or Jeffrey baby would not be your man.
Did you hear that JP Morgan was all blowed up? Yes, I’m not lying. People got pissed at Wall Street and blew up JP:
“During this period anarchists and socialists held protests on Wall Street out of a similar sense of frustration and rage at the banking system. The movement culminated in what was known as the greatest act of terrorism on American soil: the 1920 bombing outside J.P. Morgan and CompanyThirty eight people were killed when the horse and wagon bomb went off at noon on Sept 16, 1920. The perpetrators, thought to be anarchists, were never caught, but their exploits and the aftermath were captured by photographers.”
Check out the pictures here.
Why do we not hear about this history considering the present times? I know, stupid question. To ask it is to give purpose to OWS. Though one sector of this nation seems to remember a portions of this history or we would not be hearing the pejoratives being slung a the 99%’ers. You know Anarchists, socialists, communists out to destroy the American Way (A catchy phrase brought to you by the National Association of Manufacturers via General Food’s CEO, the US Chamber of Commerce and AT & T’s monopoly is good all via Madison Ave, Time Magazine 9/28/1936) .
Which brings me to my original question since the shit hit the fan: HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO DO THIS? HOW MANY FREAKIN’ TIMES DO WE HAVE TO LEARN THE LESSON?
Obviously from the above 3 subtopics, quite a few more times as we seem to have not learned the definition of Rat Race yet: A rat race is a term used for an endless, self-defeating or pointless pursuit…
I think I know what is wrong with US today. When I typed in Deja Vu at youtube, amazingly this tune did not even come up in the suggestion list.
No, I had to actually know that CSNY wrote what I consider the true musical capture of the concept of deja vu…the song that is most appropriate for the application of the concept today. I say this because they intentionally wrote the song so that it does not repeat any one section (heard years ago in an interview).
Get it?
(I haven’t forgotten the tax tables. It’s a coming.)
Thanks for the history about the 1920 attack on JP Morgan.
It would be my observation that if violence only bought us temporary relief from the global inherited rich that rule the world, this time around I hope that non-violent protest will bring us better and more lasting results.
Laught the global inherited rich out of control of our society and into rooms at the Hague.
We need to understand that this is a global exercise, not just a solution for America. We also need to understand that the Hague is the proper place for judicial examination of the criminality of these folks. Since they have bastardized the US legal system to make what they do have the patina of legality, taking them to a world court where we can examine their behavior under the definition of moral turpetitude is necessary…..they certainly couldn’t become American citizens with their current morals and ethics.
Mauldin has exceeded the capacity of a well fed goose.
Becker
yes they can be such idiots. but in this case mauldin is not talking to OWS. he is talking to his audience of true believers in pfreedom.
as for how many times… many many many times. it is the nature of man. the rich will get rich partly by being smart but mostly by being greedy and they will consolidate their power by telling fairy tales to the … higher class of servants. sad thing is i know many of those people. and they are sweet good people. just not smart enough to sort out the iies told by professional liars.
which is why it’s not a good idea to blow up a perfectly innocent horse to make your point.
Maudlin is a bloviator of huge proportions TBP has him over the weekends. I stopped reading.
Most of his stuff is bait and switch.
wall st is the head, why go after their lackeys in the fed, congress and treasury?
wall st will change.
PS
Check out the machinations over at Bank of America, seems they loaded all their CDS exposure to a subsidiary with [FDIC] insured deposits.
The OWS GA (and everyone else) should consider the proposal of Senator Mike Gravel to establish another path for law to be made in America. The National Initiative could move the legislative process closer to the will of the American people and supplement our current legislative system by creating a parallel process to Congress for implementing new laws.
It should be obvious to all that our current legislative system has some very serious and severe shortcomings.
markj
unfortunately the people can make bad law as well as the congress. and while they can’t be bribed, they can be fooled.
Yes, just recall Prohibition.
Coberly,
Our governing executives and legislators are fooled often and regularly, even in these modern times. The case of invading Iraq and the bank bailout comes to mind. In both cases the decption may still have been made but with a system such as the National Initiative the deceptions would have had a much quicker remedy. We would not have stayed in Iraq as long and our banking system might be much more stable and viable in the long term. The very existence of the National Initiative may have moderated the outcome of both the Iraq war and the bank bailout.
MarkJ
perhaps it has come to that. but the people who wrote the American Constitution thought long and hard about protecting the country from the enthusiasms of mobs.
i think you have to realize that our congress and president are elected by the people. and by the same means… advertising paid for by money… that would determine the success or failure of a referendum.
if we are having a problem today… and i am not sure it’s any worse than it has always (usually) been, it’s because we are electing people who have no other thought than getting re-elected and the money perks that come with re-election.
it’s the “no other thoughts” that cause the trouble. in the old days, i think, there did emerge from time to time a consensus in the congress if not the people to do the nation good.
probably not relevant, but it occurs to me. before the civil war the southern representatives were sure they were protecting their sacred way of life from radical do good agitators. the northern representatives.. eventually… felt they were protecting their way of life… honest working people and businessmen… from the expansion of the slave empire. the south was on a path to get anti-slavery state constitutions declared unconstitutional interference with private property rights. that way a slave owner could bring his slaves into a “free” state and rent them out as laborers, driving the small farmers and workers, and small businessmen out of work.
i don’t see that their agenda, or their tactics, have changed at all. except now the slave owner is the owner of other forms of capital, knows that white is as good as black, and it’s cheaper to rent than to own… but he wants to end all laws that restrict his “right” to do as he pleases with his “property”, and to end the taxes that pay for the government that rivals his power.
It works in california!
markj
i think if i was thinking coherently i would say that i think it’s too late. what the writers of the constitution did not foresee was the rise of a moneyed class so rich and so powerful they could buy ALL the “newspapers” and ALL the congressmen. not to say all the college educations of the masses and the brilliant but shallow graduates of prestigious universities.
Has anyone looked at the list of people in the 1% and determined party affiliation? Because Jobs, Buffet, and Gates are all Democrats. Why isn’t their money able to buy the Democrats the policies they want? I keep hearing about the powerful Tea Party, and wonder how many of their ilk occupy congress 3 or 5? When it comes down to it, the Democrats held power, and totally blew it, becuase they do not know how to create marketable legislation. They admit they don’t read the bills they cram through etc… Both parties are broken if you ask me, but the 99% keep propping them both up.
Our governmnet is every bit as broken as Wall Street. So yes OWs needs to also occupy our inept leaders in DC. And I am not buying the stereotypes of teh 1% until I see proof of their affiliations. Heck, by net worth the Democrats in Congress are all in teh 1%.
I menat many democrats in congress.
Come on Mcwop, the Tea Party is a front organization organized by political operatives and occupied by the duped and desperate. Those who are searching for their preferred identity, their place near the top of the social order if not the economic pile. There is Koch brother’s money all over the Tea Party movement. They chant slogans that have little to do with their own economic well being, but they think of themselves as patriots and their waving a flag of ignorance.
Are there Democrats in name only? Of course and that gives us the appearance of a two party system rather than the oligarchic structure that controls our electoral outcomes. The Congress and the Executive seem to be bought and paid for. It’s a good life that leads to a fat payoff down the road. How many former politicians are now in the think tank industry, acting as lobbyists, writing crappy books that no one actually wants to read, but for which the News Corp (or some corporate publisher is willing to pay big for), etc. Get the picture?
Coberly,
I would agree that mob rule is one of the primary dangers to a democracy. But let us not limit Mob Rule to only gangs roaming the streets. One version of mob rule could be described as the way bankers have co-opted our economic system for their own benefit to such an extent that their scraps are the sustanence for all others (the 99%). Another form of Mob Rule may be the way in which corporations have forced the ruin of fragile ecosystems denying its use for others (the 99% again) as the only way to their profits. Mob Rule is not limited strictly to gangs roaming our streets.
It would be preferable that some oversight be provided to all Mob Rule activity by such a system as the National Initiative could provide. Currently, much less is being done to determine the excesses of the banker or corporate mob as a destructive force than the gang roaming the streets.
The point is that the writers of the constitution did not and could not foresee all the inevitabilities of their work. Fortunately, the constitution has been flexible enough to accomodate that change when there has been a strong enouigh circumstance to do so. Constitutional change was immediately apparent to our early founders as our Bill of Rights was quickly added to our nation’s body of law.
The possibility of change much greater now than it has been in a very long time and I think that is much of what OWS and the National Initiative is about.
MarkJ
we are on the same side. i wasn’t thinking of mobs as in mafia, or even mobs as in large numbers of people out on the street. i was thinking of mob rule as “vox populi” and it is a danger to, of all things, democracy.
if you can find a way to clean up congress and the established politicians, without exposing us to a demagogue who can rule by “the people’s will” i will be both surprised and pleased.
markj
i should say that here in oregon and next door in washington we have professional petition sponsors who write plausible petitions that sound good to the people and are very destructive of the very things you mention… basically of the people’s welfare. advertising is pretty much an established science. especially when you have the money to get heard.
You’re being facetious, right, JeffF? It’s just awful here.
From TBP:
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2011/10/how-specific-were-egyptian-protesters-demands/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheBigPicture+%28The+Big+Picture%29
These are applicabe to OWS!!!
Jack, I am surprised you posted this. It is rather ignorant and sounds similar to some of the right-wing mailers. Critters don’t have “tenure” but “tenure” is jerk word in attacks on public unions. Critters pay into SS already, by law. Your tp on raises would actually result in higher pay for critters (see Congressional Research Service reports on federal pay since 1969 – Table 1). Congress pays into their retirement system (as well as the government). The health care problem is precisely that America does not have a health care system for everyone else.
I’m not saying that I support federal benefits for critters. I don’t. I think the states should individually determine the salary and benefits for their own critters. Won’t happen though.
The very critters that abuse power don’t really have to worry about their federal salary or benefits. Without them, there are plenty of people with money who desire access to power and can arrange future make up of wealth for a critter. And if we can eliminate this external money affect, we will have the perfect world where only people of wealth can afford to serve as critters.
On the other hand the thing about all laws being applicable to all citizens is an area that needs some work.
coberly: “i should say that here in oregon and next door in washington we have professional petition sponsors who write plausible petitions that sound good to the people and are very destructive of the very things you mention… basically of the people’s welfare.”
The same goes for California. That’s why my default position on any proposition is Nay!
Jack: “I don’t know that it really originates with Buffet.”
Here is a clue. Buffett is smart, savvy, and principled. He would not sponsor a chain letter. You do not have to read any further than:
“Warren Buffet is asking each of us to forward a copy of the *Congressional Reform Act of 2011* to a minimum of twenty people and in turn to ask each of those to do likewise. “
to throw it in the trash. 🙂
Thanks Anna
it is an example of how difficult it would be to keep a citizen initiative process from falling prey to “sounds good” legislative ideas.
however it is worth noting that while the people don’t want changes in SS and Medicare, the congress, think tankers, and journalists all believe that cuts are necessary to head off massive deficits.
the congress, thinktankers, and journalists are dead wrong. but there is no way for the people to tell them. because the people don’t understand why the c,t, and j are wrong. they just know in their gut that cutting their insurance would be “wrong.”
how to capture that? well, buy a newspaper and twenty radio and tv stations?
All good points. I got carried away by the Kick A Congressman instinct in me. Control the campaign money. That would be sufficient.
The delete button that normally appears is not there so I can’t kill the comment.
Deleted at Jack’s request
Dems may have problems, or are getting what they want (with a few exception) under cover of wacko electioneering. OTOH, the Koch bros. and Rove appear to have about $500 million to spend on 2012. Obama fund raising also appears going well. Hmmmm…
Well coberly, I’d even make the critters telecommute from a open access to the public location in their own districts. I picture Anna retiree on the bench outside watching the comings and goings of the various feeders at the trough. The local papers would be asking the questions. The building in DC could be used for people gatherings except for short intervals where critters meet in person. Oh well, you get the picture. Why? The problem with the absolute power of two parties starts and ends with laws at the state and local levels that are designed to protect party interests. Seemingly people don’t seem to realize this. I can’t figure out why. (Not just the obvious stuff like gerrymandered districts but more subtle stuff like obstacles to anyone not in the parties getting a place at the table of elections.)
Americans tend, at the core, to be over-trusting. When their gut acts up, they start trusting themselves. That’s why I champion the OWS remaining what the press represents as “goal-less”. (My gut usually comes through when my brain is spun dead from ambiguous data feeds.)
I grew up in a society self-locked in decreasing standard of life because the current tricks were first tested there when I was young. But even I have to step back and question everything else be sucked in. It turns out that in the political world the wheat and shaft are getting similar weights in the public arena. That makes the separation much harder than in the past.
I hope the people wake up enough to protect the interest of the people of this nation. Seems like the discussion is always winners and losers and how to extract from one poor bloke to help another poor bloke. How to proceed to the benefit of the nation seems like a discussion that got lost decades ago.
By the way, I’ve enjoyed your recent posts. I see you got more attention from LK. Well, well, well….
Anna
The Benton County Oregon Democrats … just in case anyone from here is reading… don’t want to hear about Social Security. Their chairperson seems to me to be a standard issue political liar. And the poor people who come to the meetings are like children easily led by the latest heart felt cause. [“Let’s all talk nice to Republicans and “restore civility”. Or lets march downtown because someone had their feelings hurt in a non PC way. sorry about that one. i am all for civil rights for everyone, but the local dems have turned it into a bad comedy. You know some other causes that can be relied on to stir up the “base… heck, they stir me up, but their purpose is to distract you from the pocket picking going on.]
And led to ignore the destruction of the New Deal.
coberly,
Wow, Oregon must have really changed since my college days. What locally is the civil rights issue? Never mind; I just realized that if the people’s safety nets aren’t on the agenda, they probably don’t even understand the term “civil rights”.
I’ve only been up here in Bellingham for less than a year. I understand it is “liberal” around here but I haven’t really gotten to know many people. Maybe I should check out what is going on. My assumptions may be wrong. Most people around here seem old as the woods (me included) but I have heard many of the retirees are “outsiders”, mainly from CA.
I always think rabble rousing is a viable option. Perhaps you can take over that agenda if you get into the skins of the rabble that seems to be willing to have a rouser. Might as well be you.
MarkJ
What would the legislative branch do if there were a National Initiative? How would any such process as the National Initiative be any less immune from the influence of money? How does this National Initiative differ from the American Legislative Exchange Council, which is heavily influenced by private capital?
Anna
Benton county is only one small part of Oregon. of course the whole east side of the mountains is Rush country, but we still have Eugene.
I think the people’s hearts are still liberal, but the Party doesn’t want them to bother their pretty little heads about anything that matters that they could do something about. We still have anti war demonstrations… but nobody cares. except Buff who thinks they don’t exist because they aren’t reported in the Dallas News.
btw
i tried rousing the rabble. has made a bitter old man of me.
i should add that the local papers report the standard Social Security is broke we are all going to die once or twice a year. and they tell us public pensions are too high. all those public employees retiring to the south of France on a million a year when they are 35.
the very local publishes my stuff in letters if i can say it in 250 words or less. they think of me as a harmless eccentric.