Occupy Wall Street Gains Traction: “The Message Is Definitely Getting Out”

Flaw in the whole 1% premis: Who earns $300,000 to $500,000? Bill Gates was a child 30 years ago! The rich of today ARE NOT the rich of 3 decades ago!! We have created a WHOLE NEW one percent, proving OUR SYSTEM WORKS!! Micron, Ebay, Cisco, DirecTV, Comcast, Amazon, Google, AOL, Starbucks, Facebook, Intel, Twitter, EMC, SeaGate, Microsoft, Wendys, Apple, Dell, Oracle, Sun, the list goes on and on. Plus tens of thousands of managers, professionals, engineers, salespeople, shareholders and investors. Then there's the big money makers - The professional athletes - baseball, football, hockey, golf, the actors and movies stars, all the producers and all the agents, the rockstars, NASCAR racers and infrastructure, Hip-hopsters, rappers and music moguls, software engineers, clothing designers, doctors and other medical professionals, dentists, the lawyers and YES THE BANKERS, Rush Limbaugh, Trump and Mark Cuban, Obama!, John Stewart, Howard Stern, Glen Beck, Jay Leno, Bill Mahr, Keith Oberman, Letterman and Conan, THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. In fact most of these people and businesses didnt even exist 30 years ago! MOST WERE IN DIAPERS 30 YEARS AGO!!! We have CREATED A WHOLE NEW ONE PERCENT. And the best part is that this generation's one percent is richer than the last generations one percent!! Its all how YOU CHOOSE to see it. America has the greatest system in the world!!! No other country has more true economic mobility -- There are more African American millionaires in America than Africa!! More wealthy Jews and wealthy Arabs side by side!! Irish and Englishman! More successful women than anywhere on the planet!!! Dont listen to these people they are comitted losers. Their glass is half empty. The United States is truly the greatest country EVER put fourth on this Earth. They still risk their life just to come here, work hard and succeed!

When you read all of this and listen, it simply breaks down to Anyone, Anywhere is refusing to compromise, it is "ME ME ME". Refusal to help fellow man, because someone thinks they should of done it THEIR way, compromise in this country is a problem from the top Government to your own neighborhood. It is going on in your own backyard! What are you doing? Have you ever thought that your own neighboor could save those going under, just by helping and giving to your fellow man? No its all about ME. We will never get past this without some sort of compromise, if our Government won't, we can as citizens! Law and Order our in our own hands. How we act toward each other is the bottom line. Their are comments in here that are bascially violent in their own right. Speak up, that is your right, but have you raised your hand in your neighborhood to save it? What have you done? Have you helped, or just stood by and watch your backyard go to trash too? It is the same as pissing in public, you are just pissing on this page.

@Finaceguru

Recent numbers show the unemployment rate for college graduates at 4%.

Is it correct to assume (given the first part of your post) that your are a part of this select group?

If so, one might wonder what special qualities you possess that 96% of your peers do not that allow you to remain unemployed, angry and disenfranchised from your perch as one of the educated privileged in this, the richest country in the world.

I too am a "finance guru", having graduated from a top business school, but I am guessing that's probably where the similarity between us ends. I have held a paying job continously since I was 7 years old. I worked all through high school and college at minimum wage and below. I worked retail, restaurants, bars, you name it. Never once did I stop and think "hey, I'm working hard, my country owes me a living, health benefits and a pension for my old age"....I just did the best I could. When I got out of school (in the middle of a horrific recession) I took the first job I could find and repeated the process.

Nobody owes me a goddamn thing and nobody owes you a goddamn thing my friend. The sooner you get that through your over-educated head and stop feeling so sorry for yourself the sooner you will start the process of making it in this world on your own. A nice dividend will be that along the way you just might find your balls and your self-respect. Good luck.

This whole thing is pure #$%$ So they camp out for a long time, they can afford to do so with no job or anything else better to do. Why don't these protesters go start a business on their own, offer new services to their communities, spend time at the library, think about things and stop behaving like a spoiled child expecting someone else to solve your own problems. You went to college and you don't have a job, well, welcome to the real world. Use your education and think, oh, wait, you didn't spend any time thinking in college just partying and drinking with your stupid friends, and spend 4-5 hours a day on Facebook. Well, you got what you deserve. I don't feel a bit sorry for you. You couldn't go to college? Well, plenty of people are working and successful or making a middle-class wage and are happy living within their means. Stop thinking you need to live what you think a rock star is like on TV, that's not real life for anyone, even the rock stars.The only way out of your own mess is to think for yourself, occupy a freakin' library! You have access to the internet a powerful resource, study to prepare yourself for a better life and career and stop blaming everything on a CEO's salary. CEOs get the money they do because they add VALUE to their company, they aren't taking up space. You got laid off? Well, again, learn to think, apply yourself. You are living in the US, people risk their lives just to be here to pick lettuce and apples in the fields. This occupy wall street is the new fad of blaming others for your own problems.You spend too much time watching reality TV, sports and beer, and hanging out in clubs with your other idiot friends and now you have paid the price. You are not in demand because of what YOU did to your own life. CEOs are getting paid more because they provide value. Think about how you can increase your service to your community. How can you learn more than you know now? These things don't cost money, don't require the myth of connections, they require you to think. Perhaps for the first time in your life thinking about creating something than being a consumer.

It's helps to know exactly what you're up against. The source of why we are in this mess has three equal parts: Washington, Wall Street & Big Corporate Media. Without one of three, the problems we are now facing as a society could never have possibly gotten so out of hand. For over a generation, a colossal house of cards was built that - thanks to Big Corporate Media - didn't exist - until it collapsed. I've yet to see sign or anyone asking the question: Hey, Big Corporate Media, Where Were You Guys?

You want solutions, make sure you get all the parts in the mix.

Michael E. Douroux

The truth is easy to get support for unlike the the 1% lies the republicans keep trying to sell.

Those advocating petitioning Government to change are whistling in the wind. The Government works for the 1%, not the 99%. You don't ask them to change, you change them. That is, you vote them out. Replace them with people you can trust to represent you.

Looks like the paid bashers are out on this board.

Proposal; "Congressional Reform Act of 2011"

1. All past, present and future members of Congress will receive no tenure or pension, retiree and employment medical benefits. These offices receive salary only while in office and should receive no pay, benefits or reimbursement for expenses when out of office.

2. All past, present and future members of Congress including those disabled and/or retired will participate in Social Security and Medicare only as no other retirement or medical plans will be purchase by the US Government on their behalf. Any existing Congressional retirement funds will be immediately moved to the Social Security fund. All future retiree payments made on behalf of Congress will flow into the Social Security fund as Congress “participates alongside the American people.”

3. Social Security funds cannot be borrowed against, invested in markets, or used to shore up the national debt or for any other purpose than to fund the Social Security system.

4. Medicare funds cannot be borrowed, used to shore up the national debt or for any other purpose than to fund the Medicare system. All Medicare pricing for prescriptions and healthcare will be required by law to be negotiated to the lowest possible price.

5. All past, present and future members of Congress will be required to purchase their own retirement and/or pension plan just as the American people do. No payments will be made to any other retirement, 401k or similar plan and/or any other type pension plan on behalf of any past, present and/or future member of Congress other then Social Security.

6. Congress will no longer be allowed to vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay raises will be figured the same as those given to Social Security retirees.

7. Congress loses their current health care plan and participates in the same national free market health care system as the American people. All past, present and future members of Congress disabled or retired are required to participate in Medicare and/or purchase their own supplemental health insurance as the American people are required to do.

8. Any money left in Congressional election and/or expense funds after an employee of Congress leaves office will be forfeit to the US Government for payment on the National Debt.

9. Congress must abide by all laws imposed on the American people. Whenever any criminal or treasonous conduct occurrs the standard court sentence or fine for members of Congress will be doubled with no chance parole or commutation of sentence and/or fine via Presidential pardon or otherwise.

10. All contracts with past, present and/or future members of Congress are considered null and void effective January1, 2012. Considering the size of our National Debt America is technically bankrupt.

11. All changes proposed under this new law are retroactive and cover all past, present and/or future members of Congress whether employed, retired and/or disabled.

12. All above stated changes apply to the office of the President and Vice President of the United States of America.
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The American people or their Constitution.... didn’t give Congress excessive raises, posh benefits, salaries and million dollar expense accounts… “Congress did.”

Generally speaking, politicians don't care about anyone but themselves, their family members and their friends.

All of the incumbents should be fired for lack of competence and as well as their cronies that they have been appointed into key government positions.

if you take a risk and lose then you lose. no more bailouts

i do hope that the situation is not the same in GREECE now.

It should be occupy DC, no?

Here are some key messages that this movement should collectively shout out:
1. Let banks fail - government needs to quit supporting and let the chips fall
2. Reduce federal government spending - too many non-productive costs, wasted tax dollars
3. Enforce the right regulation / rules that limit market manipulation - we need free markets
4. Support small business - reduce unnecessary regulation, red tape

I could add some more here, but you can see that all of the above require the federal government to change, radically is some cases. The banking issue stems from the government allowing it to happen. The Federal Reserve is also partly to blame (they are not a government organization, believe it or not). This is why it makes total sense that the protestors are in D.C. - this is where the root causes lie.

The message getting out is these are whiners and cry babies.

I am part of the 53% that pays taxes, the Occupy group are part of the 47% that pay no taxes and get hand outs.

I just want to know which president appointed the biggest wall street fat cat of them all to a position in his administration and allows him to write laws?

Can anyone really make the argument that either party has the best interest of America?

We would be better served by picking names from a phone book.

this government and fed are corrupt as they get, they manipulate everytrhing, even the markets

Part II.......Proposed new 28th Amendment to the US Constitution;...... "Congressional Reform Act of 2011"

Part II-

12. Executive pay and benefit cap. Any executive salary, cash payments, payments made for and/or received from (face value of) annuities, life or other type insurance products or contracts, stock options, bonuses, housing, plane cost or rentals and other perks for any given calendar year “collectively” cannot exceed 30 times the “averaged” annual salary of all domestic and foreign factory employee’s ((30 x 1 employee pay (averaged) = total allowable executive annual compensation )). Executive medical and other retirement benefits will be exactly the same as benefits given to all domestic working and/or retired company employees.

13. Political Elections shall be returned to the people, made affordable for the people to participate in and run by the people not special interest groups, packs of any type, corporate sponsored organizations and/or corporations domestic, foreign or otherwise.

14. Political election contributions are capped at $200 per US citizen and/or registered voter with inflation cap tied to annual increases given Social Security retirees. All federal elections will be funded by the people and contributions matched by the US Government. No outside or corporate contributions domestic, foreign or otherwise of any type allowed. A list of all political contributions and donors will be posted on line, made available to the public and updated weekly.

15. Wall Street Investment Companies and traditional Banks must be separated and operated independently. They cannot be combined nor sell each other’s wares. All financial instruments sold must be regulated by the SEC or FDIC and/or appropriate federal/state organizations. All hidden contracts or financial instruments on/off the books much be declared by Dec 31, 2012. Investment companies and/or banks declared insolvent much be immediately closed and sold to domestic banking corporations.

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The American people (or their Constitution) didn’t give Congress excessive raises, posh benefits, salaries and million dollar expense accounts… “Congress did.”

Serving in Congress should be an “affordable” honor for its citizens. Not an overpaid career for the Elite that leads to lobbying jobs on K-street and the “billion dollar club.” When this country was formed the Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators as members of Congress. So members of Congress should serve their term(s) then go back home to work… and not accept a job on Wall Street, K-street or in the big banks.

Make copies of the “Congressional Reform Act of 2011” and start a petition drive in your area, city or state. Then go door to door, stand on a street corner with signs, petition and hand outs. Give them out to passing motorists, shopper’s pedestrian’s neighbors.

This is something most Americans can do to take back their country. Form a protest or march based around this proposal!