Should Occupy Baltimore Protesters Be Evicted? (college, minimum wage, taxes)

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by jrh0341

On another note, If they are really serious about making something happen, they can do something better than this. All of the manpower and combined minds behind this, they could come up with something more constructive than "lets set ups some tents and just hang out for a week".

...

The point is, thousands of people supposedly agree there is a problem. Setting up tent cities and hanging out seems like a real waste of potential.

I don't know friend, on every news station across the country, spread to hundreds of cities throughout the world, I'd say it's doing well for itself, haha.

When does the formation of a PAC make the news? Come on, get real. That stuff comes later.

[jrh0341]

Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown

I don't know friend, on every news station across the country, spread to hundreds of cities throughout the world, I'd say it's doing well for itself, haha.

When does the formation of a PAC make the news? Come on, get real. That stuff comes later.

Doing well for itself how? Big deal. They have lots of participants but WHAT are they getting accomplished, besides generating news stories?

What I am saying is, find a better use for that time and effort than just sitting on a lawn.

DO something constructive. EX: People are pissed about what went down with the housing market. People are down there protesting because they supposedly care about people havings homes which they can afford to keep.

OK, well instead hanging out in tents for a few weeks, think about if every one of those thousands of people donated those same few weeks to habitat for humanity. How much more actual progress towards getting people afordable homes would that have made?

Of course that would be a harder sell because 3 weeks of physical labor for your fellow man is a much more involved than three weeks of sitting on their ass, hanging with their friends and trying to get on tv. This isn't a movement, its a tent party. ****, the kids at Duke do this same event every year just for basketball tickets. Folks in DC do it just to listen to rockbands. (Remember DC 101 Shantytown?)

People who actually care about change will put in effort and sacrifice to make it happen.

[bmoregrimey]

occupy wall street is a protest against the govt corruption that is directly influenced by corporations, politicians make decisions based on what corporate sponsors want, the occupy wall street movement has welcomed other citizens who have other issues with the way corporations influence govt in this country like environmental groups, housing advocates, free healthcare advocates, unions, etc...ows has become a social forum to discuss solutions and ways for people to address these issues visibly and has grown to include movements worldwide...so no ows is not like tea party...and no occupybmore should not be evicted, they want to be visible and in your face...i think many poeple who dont like occupybmore should go down and check it out and offer your opinions on what the demands or goals should be

[MrRational]

The problem with these "events" is that no one planned a second act.

What support for or appreciation of the participants willingness to make a statement...
well, that will have a half life absent something else progressing it all forward.

But when that second act is orchestrated by the City in the form of sanitation
and health concerns as the reason, or just intolerance for the positions taken...
either way the "movement" looks weal and ineffectual and poorly considered.

In short, getting to this point is poor planning.
Fix it.

[EdwardA]

Originally Posted by KLynch10

I just don't get what they want. If they were complaining about all the money Gov't and Gov't contractors were making, I'd join them, but who cares how private companies spend their money. Did any bmore companies get a bail out?

I was just exposed to this racket on the Larry Young show not too long ago. Really is a shame what folks in the city and state have to put up with.

[KLynch10]

Us small business owners have to work our butts off so that Gov't contractor Board members can make millions a year. Everything here is the politicians fault. Gov't bailout where given by our leaders. I love this country, but if this country is going to give me a legal tax break, I'm going to take, if you own a company and our stupid politiians are going to give you millions to stay on your feet, take it, it is the first tax free check you've ever received.

[justtitans]

Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown

Becuase they're getting rich on our money:

Troubled Asset Relief Program - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

BBC NEWS | Business | Bank of America bail-out agreed

Merrill Lynch paid billions in bonuses before bailout - Telegraph

Companies that fail get bailed out. Executives that fail get bonuses in the billions. Your tax money has paid for this. Meanwhile those of us who are fortunate enough to be working are watching our 401ks and housing value disappear. Those in the 10%+ who are unemployed get more desperate.

This visual should help: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...ay.graphic.jpg

And also this Rolling Stone article (admitedly biased, but excellent): Wall Street Isn't Winning It's Cheating | Matt Taibbi | Rolling Stone

And WSB, do you think this wouldn't be happening if McCain were in office? People are desperate to be heard. Their leaders have been bought by the banks, and paid for with your tax dollars.

This is an indictment of both corporate-owned political parties. It's not a republican-democrat issue. Everyone who pays taxes should be mad (which is why OWS has 47% support).

All that is well and good, but what will change from these protests? These people are going to these areas in their city and they have absolutely no game plan. They can complain about the business making money, but these protests are actually just making the rich richer. Look at some of these statements on the OWS wiki page:

Many protesters have taken to using the bathrooms of nearby business establishments; one nearby McDonald's restaurant "has become the movement's unofficial latrine."

Why would you even want to be caught in a McDonald's. The temptation to buy something is easy and the fact that they don't have a lot of food is an issue.

The Occupied Kitchen costs about $1,000 a day. Volunteers have a Costco account and buy food in the Red Hook Fairway.

You mean the largest warehouse club in the nation? You mean a place that has been considered the 9th largest business in the world???? You mean the same place that makes about $71 billlion in revenue?

Here goes some pieces from an article:

Everyone's buying MetroCards, the local Dunkin Donuts has been mobbed and folks who don't like food lines are scouting alternatives. Wisconsin entrepreneur Brian Pierce has a regular routine: He takes the train to Brooklyn, where he shops at Trader Joe's (raw eggs, seaweed, trail mix), showers at Gold's Gym and does his laundry. He spent $100 his first week and chalks this furious spending rate to his need to invest in basics—like a $3 covered drinking cup.

These people are still spending money at business, that they probably wouldn't normally go to as often. What is the purpose of this, when the same businesses they complain about are making money off of this?

If this is about business then STOP BUYING STUFF FROM THE BUSINESS!!! It's that simple. Nothing says protest and get people attention like messing with their pockets. And if they are made at the government, then vote these people out of office. This is just a very very fruitless operation they are running.

[westsideboy]

I don't think a McCain presidency would change government policy on bank bailouts. I do think that a McCain presidency would not have the current OWS protestors out in the streets now. The movement is certainly grass-roots, organic, whatever you want to call it, but I think it is more a response to the GOP winning the House in 2010 and gaining enough Senate seats to stall legislation.

The folks that were so active for Obama and the Dems in 2008 fell asleep in 2010 and lost the ability to pass their agenda. I don't think this agenda ever included stopping corporate cronyism (as other posters said, this isn't a GOP or Dem problem) but it has become a rallying point because it has some idealogical connection of the President's inability to get his tax plan through congress. I am glad many of the protesters have focused on the cronyism as opposed to just complaining about the tax rates of others, but in my mind, no stalemate in Washington, no OWS protest.

[bmoregrimey]

ows protesters are not opposed to corporate existence or profits to use a quote: "
Spyro Van Leemnen: "The issue is global, so for the first time we have a truly global movement that is bringing together people from different countries focusing on one aim: to change the financial system and how it interacts with governments, because we feel that we’re not fairly represented through the democratic system as it is now, which seems to benefit a handful of banks as opposed to the 99 percent of the public."

[hueyeats]

Yes... if I am the city I would charge them RENT!!!
They need to pay up or move out!