Occupy Chicago proposed grievances

10/7/2011

These are the list of proposed demands. They will be up for vote tonight at 7pm @ 500 S Michigan Ave in front of the horse.

1.PASS HR 1489 REINSTATING GLASS-STEAGALL. – A depression era safeguard that separated the commercial lending and investment banking portions of banks. Its repeal in 1999 is considered the major cause of the global financial meltdown of 2008-2009.

2. REPEAL BUSH TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHY

3. FULLY INVESTIGATE AND PROSECUTE THE WALL STREET CRIMINALS who clearly broke the law and helped cause the 2008 financial crisis.

4.OVERTURN CITIZENS UNITED v. US. – A 2010 Supreme Court Decision which ruled that money is speech. Corporations, as legal persons, are now allowed to contribute unlimited amounts of money to campaigns in the exercise of free “speech.”

5. PASS THE BUFFET RULE ON FAIR TAXATION, CLOSE CORPORATE TAX LOOPHOLES, and PROHIBIT HIDING FUNDS OFFSHORE….

6. GIVE THE SEC STRICTER REGULATORY POWER, STRENGTHEN THE CONSUMER PROTECTION BUREAU, AND PROVIDE ASSISTANCE FOR OWNERS OF FORECLOSED MORTGAGES WHO WERE VICTIMS OF PREDATORY LENDING.

7. TAKE STEPS TO LIMIT THE INFLUENCE OF LOBBYISTS AND ELIMINATE THE PRACTICE OF LOBBYISTS WRITING LEGISLATION.

8. ELIMINATE RIGHT OF FORMER GOVERNMENT REGULATORS TO WORK FOR CORPORATIONS OR INDUSTRIES THEY ONCE REGULATED.

9. ELIMINATE CORPORATE PERSONHOOD.

10. INSIST THE FEC STAND UP FOR THE PUBLIC INTEREST IN REGULATING PRIVATE USE OF PUBLIC AIRWAVES to help ensure that political candidates ARE GIVEN EQUAL TIME for free at reasonable intervals during campaign season.

11. REFORM CAMPAIGN FINANCE WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE FAIR ELECTIONS NOW ACT (S.750, H.R. 1404).

12. FORGIVE STUDENT DEBT – The same institutions that gave almost $2T in bailouts and then extended $16T of loans at little to no interest for banks can surely afford to forgive the $946B of student debt currently held. Not only does this favor the 99% over the 1%, it has the practical effect of more citizens’ spending money on actual goods, not paying down interest

Against republican corruption and abandoning of the human element in our society…..

As well as Democratic party apathy and in action to fight for the middle class..

Not sure if they are truly silent on the issue or if the media is blacking them out…..seem like all we hear from are republican tea party people on TV…….

Why are we protesting­? One reason:
The income gap between the rich and the poor is more severe today than at any time since
the 1920s, just before the start of the Great Depression­. According to the American CIA,
income disparity is more severe in the United States than in 97 other countries, including
China, Iran, Russia, Egypt, and all of Europe. Nearly 1 in 3 American working families is
struggling just to meet basic needs. Except for the privileged top 3 percent, the United States
is falling behind.

here is a link to occupy NOLA

Provided by Music Forte – Indie Music Promotion & Sheet Music

Provided by Music Forte – Indie Music Promotion & Sheet Music

Though not all encompassing, I believe it is a good compare and contrast.

1)      December 5,  2008

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/05/employers-shedding-jobs-a_n_148629.html

Employers Shedding Jobs As Recession Deepens

JEANNINE AVERSA | 12/ 5/08 06:27 PM |

WASHINGTON — An alarming half-million American jobs vanished virtually in a flash last month, the worst mass layoffs in over a third of a century, as economic carnage spread ever faster and the nation hurtled toward what could be the hardest hard times since the Great Depression.

Underscoring Friday’s dismaying signs of a rapidly deteriorating economy, General Motors announced yet more job cuts, and a record number of homeowners were reported behind on mortgage payments or in foreclosure.

Somehow Wall Street found a silver lining, betting that so much bad news would force fresh government action to revive the foundering economy. The Dow Jones industrial rose 259 points.

Staring at 533,000 lost jobs, economists were anything but hopeful. Since the start of the recession last December, the economy has shed 1.9 million jobs, and the number of unemployed people has increased by 2.7 million _ to 10.3 million now out of work.

Some analysts predict 3 million more jobs will be lost between now and the spring of 2010 _ and that the once-humming U.S. economy could stagger backward at a shocking 6 percent rate for the current three-month quarter.

“The economy is in a free fall,” said Richard Yamarone of Argus Research. “It is as if someone flicked off the switch on hiring.”

President-elect Barack Obama said the crisis “is likely to get worse before it gets better,” and no one was going to argue that point. Economists predicted the unemployment rate, which rose to a 15-year high of 6.7 percent in November, could soar as high as 10 percent before skittish employers begin hiring again.

This was Dec 2008 a month before Obama Took office………..

What was Obama’s plan…..

From

www.Huffingtonpost.com

President-elect Obama said the dismal job news underscored the need for forceful action, even as he warned that the pain could not be quickly relieved.

Obama, who takes office on Jan. 20, has called for a massive economic recovery bill to generate 2.5 million jobs over his first two years in office. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has vowed to have a package ready on Inauguration Day for Obama’s signature.

The measure, which could total $500 billion, would bankroll big public works projects to create jobs, provide aid to states to help with Medicaid costs, and provide money toward renewable energy development.

August 2010-11-27 www.huffingtonpost.com

First Posted: 08-25-10 06:16 PM   |   Updated: 08-25-10 08:18 PM

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/25/stimulus-spending-programs-reasonable_n_694755.html#s131196

Lost amid those arguments is what exactly the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act did accomplish — which, by comparison to almost anything except the massive output gap it was supposed to fill, is a lot.

On Tuesday, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the act added from 1.4 million to 3.3 million jobs during the second quarter of 2010.

In addition to $288 billion in tax cuts, the Recovery Act funded all sorts of worthy projects that created jobs, backstopped a number of safety-net programs, and made huge investments in infrastructure, energy independence, mass transit and other public goods.

This is just one instance I found… thought I would share…

Personally I believe the Recovery Act should have been bigger and bolder. Instead of a 2 year plan to create 2.5-3 million jobs, I believe a goal of 6.5-9 million jobs would have definitely had more affect on the suffering middle and lower classes. Instead, President Obama’s constituents were left waiting for more direct assistance through these horrible times, while many of the well to do was immediately made solvent and on even ground just as the crisis struck our economy. Think about it. A more aggressive and Progressive approach to assisting our hard working every day citizens, could have afforded them the ability to hold on to what they had worked and saved so hard for. Their homes, their jobs, their incomes and their peace of mind, while they worked their way thru the crisis. Instead our fates were left in the hands of the very financial institutions that had drunkenly driven our economy over the cliff. The American consumer, the back bone of our economy for decades, the middle class, has been devastated, mentally, physically and financially. It will take decades for the middle class to recover from the siphoning off of our retirement funds, pensions, and homes.

Think about it, because it affects us all.

M Taylor Nov27, 2010

An Honest opinion

By M Tate

Yes, I said it; you want to guarantee our nation spirals into a Great Depression, go ahead and vote in the Republican/Tea Party Express this November 2010. They have already proven they will not be responsive to the needs of the nation as a whole. Their whole goal is to shut down the US Government, yes the organization that keeps this nation running. The organization of duly elected officials is to provide the infrastructure for all our citizens to grow and prosper, not just a small ideological fringe.

The line of Tea Party Republicans have proven themselves to be evasive, uninformed, horribly inexperienced, and completely uninterested in even listening to or entertaining opposing views of governing our great nation. Their candidates will not listen to opposing facts or opinions. A prime example of what a Tea party Republican Congress would do recently occurred at a Rand Paul rally in Kentucky. A woman, who posed neither threat to the candidate nor any other attendee was violently grabbed and thrown to the concrete by 3 or 4 men supporters of Rand Paul. To make matters even scarier, once she was down on the hard concrete, head on the curb, a large man, wearing a “Don’t tread on me T-shirt, stomped on her head and held her head to the curb, giving her a concussion.

What happened to the 1^st amendment, “and all that free speech the Tea Party Republican toss around like and old pair of jeans. I guess they mean their right to ignorant and hostile to other tax paying citizens.

During the Bush years, the Republican ruling party, paid no heed to any ones views but their own, they governed with an aloofness that destroyed the middle class, the back bone of our nation.

And in the end, the last 12 months of Bush’s term, our country lost 500,000 to 750,000, jobs a month.

Everyone fails to mention that during this time not only did our stock market crash to the depths never seen before, but oil and gas prices spiked uncontrollably and further decimated the hard earned savings our middle class work so hard to build.

Many view these as isolated events, but the connection to all is clear to me: The Republican Party, conservative, or GOP, and now called the Tea party. They don’t care, never cared, a never will govern in the best interest of all Americans. They only govern for a small minority of billionaire donors to the detriment of real small business, families and hard working individuals who only want to work hard for a good wage and take care of their loved ones, you know “The American Dream of getting ahead thru hard work and integrity, not ignorance, lies and deception and fraud.

Think about it, 8 plus year of republican policies drove all aspects of our economy off a cliff and into the abyss. the first part of 2000 was a lost decade for too man in our nation and the Republican party only want to be elected, so that they can finish what they started with George Bush  and Dick Cheney in charge.

Don’t be fooled…Vote for a Democrat for all our sakes.

Oct 2010

How could she possibly hope to Represent and entire state of diverse people with her limited view of life and reality? I mean, Come’on  Mannnn!!

We are talking about a representative whose decisions will affect a multitude of people.

Do we really need another right wing ideologue that would cut off unemployment for millions of displaced workers, based on some extreme ideology/theory of small government…?

The answer is No America does not need more right wing non sense…

One who says they do not believe in government jobs, while they are actually running to get a government job……..yet fail’s to realize the obvious contradiction they are living!

Unfortunately for some, these policies do not fit on a bumper sticker, they are well thought out policies that are designed to benefit the nation as a whole, not just to appease one particular segment of society.

These are consumer protections people. These reforms provide a greater level of protection to all our citizens, no matter your views, no matter your age. Would you really elect someone who vows to repeal these hard won protections for every day working Americans?

I didn’t think so……….

If Dems wait til after the election to vote on taxes, they will find themselves fighting a worse battle than they are trying to avoid today.

Think about it, 10 years ago the Republicans voted in this shell game, they voted to enact these budget busting tax cuts that benefitted the wealthiest mainly and to give them an expiration date in 2011. A date that they knew could be twisted into an election issue this far in the future.

Pls note that if nothing is done, these tax cuts expire for everyone. The Dems want to extend the cuts for the first 250k of everyone’s income, rich poor what ever. Only income above 250k be it 1.00, 10,000 or a million will be taxed at a higher incremental rate.

Rates will be at the rate they were under Bill Clinton, which happens to coincide with one of the greatest periods of job growth in our nation’s history. IN 8 YEARS OF A DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT, America created approx 21 million new jobs. Good paying jobs that allowed our citizens to be upwardly mobile, prosperous and allowed them to be paid a fair wage for their hard work and to truly experience the American Dream.

This Democratic Administration set the stage to create triple the jobs than both George Bush presidencies combined.

So let not be foolish.

As I was saying, if Dems force the vote before the election they can tout the mantle of fighting for Tax Cuts for 98% of Americans, and leave the Republicans explaining how they are fighting against Tax Cuts for 98% of Americans.

This is a unique opportunity that they are foolish to not take advantage of, believe me the Republicans cannot wait to cast the Dems, once again as Tax and spend Liberals in 2011. BUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH SPEND OUR TAX DOLLARS ON ROADS, SCHOOLS, BRIDGES, LEVEYS, AND THINGS OF THIS NATURE, OUR NATION IS CRUMBLING UNDER OUR FEET. 

ROADS- Help commerce

SCHOOLS-train the next and current generations of workers

BRIDGES-Well we all know what happens when a bridge crumbles under the weight of rush hour traffic

LEVEYS-Nuff Said

Without action Now, before the election, Dems will find themselves on the wrong side of the tax debate. Republicans will characterize them as “Tax raising liberals” in January 2011 as thy argue against a lop sided  Republican bill that will explode the deficit and leave the working class with higher tax rates while giving  lower rates to  the wealthy. I guarantee it is going to happen.

So vote now, before the election!  Fight for keeping the tax rate lower for 98% of American Workers,

VOTE NOW, BECAUSE NEXT YEAR WILL BE TOO DARN LATE.

Billion Dollar corporations filing taxes as S corps and Partnerships to receive Small Business tax treatment. This is who the Republicans are fighting for.

Yes, you have been hoodwinked and bamboozled by the Right Wing Conservatives Again………..Wake Up People

Small Business in name only. Decephiring the Republican message