The Occupy Wall Street movement started with this decade’s version of the hippie – subtlety known as the hipster. The hipster philosophy goes beyond minimalist – their goal is to have less than anyone. The less you have, the cooler you are.
It is interesting to see how quickly the movement that started with those hipsters several weeks ago has gained momentum, due primarily to the frustration most citizens (approximately 99% last time I checked) have with the government and the institutions that run it.
It is also interesting to see how Republicans have responded to this growing despondency – protect the institutions, protect Wall Street, at all costs.
In general, I have always felt that Republicans were much more politically savvy than Democrats. When they see an issue, they always look for the way to gain the most political points from it, and their agenda is based on where they can score those points. So to see a protest gaining steam at a time when the country is run by a Democrat, and not focus on that mere fact alone is somewhat shocking to me. Instead, the confused Republicans have attacked the protesters, telling them to get a job, calling them un-American or lawless, and explaining that our country is based on a strong foundation of capitalism.
Capitalism, that sacred cow – but this is inherently flawed logic. Originally our country was based on the concept of democracy, not capitalism. Somewhere along the line the two became entwined and now many people fail to see a distinction between them, yet they are quite different. Democracy gives the individual a voice. Unregulated capitalism takes it away from them and places it in the hands of corporations.
Over the last few years the rights of corporations have begun to far exceed the rights of individuals. Corporations can contribute unlimited funds to elected officials – individuals cannot. Corporations can hire lobbyists to help influence regulation and legislation in their favor, individuals cannot afford to do so. Corporations can pollute, shift jobs overseas while seeing record profits, or foreclose on your house with no documentation in the name of capitalism, and people will accept it. That is far more than most people would accept from any individual.
All this and still, most corporations’ pay less in taxes than most individuals do.
When the Supreme Court ruled that corporations had the same rights as individuals, they forgot to also place the burden of the same responsibilities upon them. The occupiers understand that this is wrong; that we should be a free society first and a free market society second. I hope someone is listening to them.
It is interesting to see how quickly the movement that started with those hipsters several weeks ago has gained momentum, due primarily to the frustration most citizens (approximately 99% last time I checked) have with the government and the institutions that run it.
It is also interesting to see how Republicans have responded to this growing despondency – protect the institutions, protect Wall Street, at all costs.
In general, I have always felt that Republicans were much more politically savvy than Democrats. When they see an issue, they always look for the way to gain the most political points from it, and their agenda is based on where they can score those points. So to see a protest gaining steam at a time when the country is run by a Democrat, and not focus on that mere fact alone is somewhat shocking to me. Instead, the confused Republicans have attacked the protesters, telling them to get a job, calling them un-American or lawless, and explaining that our country is based on a strong foundation of capitalism.
Capitalism, that sacred cow – but this is inherently flawed logic. Originally our country was based on the concept of democracy, not capitalism. Somewhere along the line the two became entwined and now many people fail to see a distinction between them, yet they are quite different. Democracy gives the individual a voice. Unregulated capitalism takes it away from them and places it in the hands of corporations.
Over the last few years the rights of corporations have begun to far exceed the rights of individuals. Corporations can contribute unlimited funds to elected officials – individuals cannot. Corporations can hire lobbyists to help influence regulation and legislation in their favor, individuals cannot afford to do so. Corporations can pollute, shift jobs overseas while seeing record profits, or foreclose on your house with no documentation in the name of capitalism, and people will accept it. That is far more than most people would accept from any individual.
All this and still, most corporations’ pay less in taxes than most individuals do.
When the Supreme Court ruled that corporations had the same rights as individuals, they forgot to also place the burden of the same responsibilities upon them. The occupiers understand that this is wrong; that we should be a free society first and a free market society second. I hope someone is listening to them.
I've been to this protest and the irony is that a big portion of the protesters are these self-absorbed, self-entitled pricks that just moved to this NYC... to all the gentrified neighborhoods of Bklyn. They pay some of the highest rents in the city, making it impossible for the working class (that they're supposedly fighting for) to get a decent apt in a decent neighborhood. And it's their parents wealth that enables them to live in my city without having to go to work for the past month... to protest.
ReplyDeleteProtest evil corporations by using an iPhone and uploading videos to Google's YouTube and then using Facebook and Twitter to tell people about it.
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame that the few rational people participating are greatly outnumbered by self-entitled individuals that are still waiting for their check they thought they were going to get in the mail when they voted for Obama.
Diabetes can cause nerve damage, eye disease, kidney disease and stroke. There is another diseases which is overlooked and neglected is the gum disease ( periodontitis ). Gum disease contributes to diabetes and having diabetes worsens gum conditions.
ReplyDeleteAccording to researchers at Marquette University, “Periodontitis may [raise levels of inflammatory cytokines and serum lipids]. These cytokines can produce an insulin resistance syndrome similar to that observed in diabetes and initiate destruction of pancreatic beta cells leading to development of diabetes.”
http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/Blog/David-Spero/diabetes-and-your-gums/
Diabetes and gum disease both produces inflammation, not just locally, but through the whole body. Inflammatory cytokines inflame blood vessels, creating small scars. Soon the vessels block up with plaque. These blockage are linked with heart disease, kidney disease, and strokes, all major complications of diabetes.
-Yagnesh Out!
It is no secret that various disease will cause various symptoms. Sometimes different disease have some same symptoms and some different ones. This makes it impossible for doctors to know what diseases exist. Another secrets that is not a secret is that there is a summit which all diseases gather and trade symptoms. According the research, allowing the diseases to trade symptoms is a blessing and a curse. Diseases have been linked to hair loss, runny nose, aches and pains, death and ear wax.
ReplyDeleteWait, are you saying that the Occupy Wall Street movement is actually the secret disease summit? It all make sense now. Those hippy-wanna-be-drum-banging-flip-flop-wearing-occupiers are carying the diseases and swapping symptoms instead of currency.
ReplyDeleteTurtles don't get diabetes
ReplyDelete