"occupy" movement

[J-P]

anyone following this or involved?

I kind of touched on this in my rant previously that got deleted (a few weeks ago) when the site crashed...

[Tim]

I read about it on news websites.

[xrayjeeper83]

From what Ive heard(not paid much attention) its just a bunch of useless people that think everything should be handed to them

[Tim]

From what Ive heard(not paid much attention) its just a bunch of useless people that think everything should be handed to them

The images do seem to suggest the above. People that hardly worked a day in their life and only know how to hold up their hand at the end of the month when the social welfare check comes in. In various countries I might add.

[goldielocke76]

Well, I do know one of the guys that is leading the charge and he said that they are not trying to get anything handed to them, that they just want to bring change to transfer some of the wealth from the upper class and the corporations, down to the middle and lower classes. With the "double-dip recession" in the USA right now, things are pretty tough and people are tired of watching the government bail out banks and whatnot. In my finance class, knowing that the US only has enough money to pay their bills for another 6 weeks, I agree that some change needs to be made. We need to take care of our debt, be able to pay our military, and not worry about defaulting on places like China, and Japan, who have loaned us money. Not only that, our education systems (especially in California, I am not too sure about other places as I don't live there) are borderline failing because school budget cuts are usually hit first. Our miserable state CUT 10% from the education budget last year only to give JAILS a 10.4% increase. That is wrong, in every sense of the word. You are taking away from this country's future to give to the condemned-- people who have had their chance at living in society. They don't need weight sets and flat screen tvs and what not. I know it's not as simple as that, but being a college student who keenly feels the increase of tuition, and knowing that they are possible going to cut financial aid all together-- I hope you can understand my rancor. It's the things like that example, that shouldn't happen, and the public is starting to weary of it. Besides, in a study, our politicians and CEOs and all other big wigs make way more than they should IMO. Our ratio of pay of CEOs to the average workman is 457:1, where places like China and North/South Korea is only like 11-12:1. That's horrible.

[J-P]

That actually reminds me of something....
A while back the head of Nissan Japan changed. When the former CEO went to Europe and he asked about the salary they quoted xxx millions (I forgot the amount). The reply was "In Yen?" the answer was "No, Euro". The guy was blown away with how much money an exec gets paid. In Japan he only got about $60k and with the annual bonus it worked out to be about $450k. The french man who took over did it for less than that and turned the company around!

[J-P]

do a quick search on the "venus project" on you tube
or

see this thread:
http://www.invertplanet.com/forum/f29/v ... ct-58.html

[goldielocke76]

At school but I will look at it when I get home. =)

I just found out that SJSU is holding their own occupy movement and am seriously considering going. I don't want anything handed to me, but I do think that its time for change to come to the USA. I want to be able to go to school and be able to pay for it without being in debt for the rest of my life. I want to be able to buy a house with my bf and not worry about choosing between food on the table or gas in the car. The whole country is starting to get involved.

[Iliveinazoo]

If these people have the solution then why don't they start their own political party, create a manifesto and get themselves elected?

I'd vote for a credible party that could guarantee free education and low taxes and low prices for all...

[Flutter]

I'd vote for a credible party that could guarantee free education and low taxes and low prices for all...

That will never happen. You get what you pay for. I really wish it was possible though. Due to school I'm beyond broke and while the SO is working we don't notice much because he has tens of thousands of dollars of debt to pay off.

[Iliveinazoo]

I'd vote for a credible party that could guarantee free education and low taxes and low prices for all...

That will never happen. You get what you pay for. I really wish it was possible though. Due to school I'm beyond broke and while the SO is working we don't notice much because he has tens of thousands of dollars of debt to pay off.

5 more years to go for me and student loan paid off

[RTR]

I have a basic and strong mistrust in ideologies which propose a free ride. There is no such thing as free lunch or free education. Someone always pays. Anything worth having should be worth its price or the effort required to gain it..

America and the world have changed remarkably since I was young. Not since the fall of Imperial Russis has so much of the world's wealth been in the hands and control of so few individuals, and the Russian example was the last vestige of the feudal system, an aberation in its long survival into the 20th century. The 21st century has begun with with a world-wide economy of unprecedented scale and unprecedented concentrations of wealth. That is not in and of itself a good thing, but there are no simple solutions which would effectively alter the current situation. Simple re-distributions of wealth and of the means of sustaining wealth do not work. Those who have the abilities required for sustaining wealth do not need to have wealth given to them, they can get it for themselves. Those who cannot generate wealth for themselves cannot sustain it.

Something for nothing is unfortunately worth what was paid for it. That is even more unsustainable than the current situation.

[J-P]

ahhh but here in lies the pith...

we are at a point in our technology where one should not have to "pay" to heat their homes. Nor should we have to "pay" for basic transportation..

Yes there are costs involved but if we can get away from using oil as our main resource the doors open up. It is also that we are using a banking system that was started in the roman times, and has evolved very little but has become extremely complex in the legalities. Although they don't know the answers, there has to be a better way.

A side note:

When I was working professionally in computers some time ago, there was always a "director" who did nothing. Literally did nothing. He wold have access to the company jet, fly to where ever, have a shower in the office... dine out where ever he wanted on our tab. One day I asked the question "why is he here?" and the answer was "to motivate you". He was there strictly as an icon to be looked up to and as a goal to reach. He was what everyone in the company should "aspire" to be and do your best to get there.

It just doesn't work that way anymore. There are no free lunches on flights. What we had is gone and we as a society need to change our habits. The world is not a money making orb floating in the sky. Money is a concept that we have introduced and in the future it may be outdated.

[Iliveinazoo]

I obviously know nothing of your work situation but that director may have got to where he was by gaining clients and contacts and much of the wining and dining could have been networking which potentially kept many people in a job. Sounds like he had a cracking job, but it probably meant that he spent lots of time away from his family and therefore it would not be the job for me.

We are not yet at the point in our technology where we don't have to rely on fossil fuels hence the reason that we still use them.

If you can find a better alternative to the banking system then crack on but be careful what you wish for because my country at least, without a major manufacturing industry anymore would be a far poorer place without it.

If the world didn't rely on the like of money then it would have to rely on something just like it, the human race would not simply start to help each other out and that is because living and surviving is hard work.

[bertie 83]

In business its not what you know or do. Its who you know or do. I have got pretty much nowhere because i refuse to lick buttocks. Where as people under me at work who chose to lick buttocks have succeeded, wierd. I would much rather work 3 jobs and not lick buttocks to live comfortably. However i believe a slight redistribution of wealth would kick start an economy cos people who could not afford before would buy items. Many items. Just my little outburst over. If i did not have to work so much, i still would to keep producing the money to keep my family comfortable and get extras to make them happy. My little girl is my world