Hey President Obama ...
Dear patriots, rabble-rousers, revolutionaries,
On Saturday thousands of us will occupy Wall Street. We will wave our signs, unfurl our banners, beat our drums, chant our slogans … and then we'll get down to business and hold several people's assemblies to decide what our "one demand" will be.
Shall we demand that President Obama reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act; outlaw flash trading; impose a 1% tax on all financial transactions?
These are good ideas but not very energizing.
How about we demand the revocation of corporate personhood?
Feels a bit too abstract. Many Americans don't fully grasp what's at stake with this one. And besides, even if he wants to, President Obama cannot deliver this immediately. In the wake of the recent Supreme Court ruling, a reform project like this requires a constitutional amendment that would take a few years and a whole movement to achieve.
We could demand Obama set up an American Democracy Reform Commission tasked with ending the monied corruption in Washington? Or perhaps a Presidential Commission to rethink the American banking system?
Most Americans know that Washington is awash with corporate money and undue influence and would like to see democracy vibrant again. And most would also love to see the "too big to fail" banks broken up, downsized and made to serve the people, the economy and society again. A demand along those lines just might capture the public's imagination.
What if, try as we might, we just can't come up with only one demand? Well, then maybe we can decide together on an END THE MONIED CORRUPTION OF AMERICA MANIFESTO – a rousing compendium of our most urgent demands. And on the seventh day of our occupation we publicly deliver our manifesto to the White House and to the American media, letting Obama know that we won't leave Wall Street until he responds.
If thousands of us hang in there day after day, week after week, we may be able to create a spectacular revolutionary experience that fires up the public imagination and eventually maneuvers Obama into doing something that he has so far not had the guts to do: agree to a bold, decisive stroke against the financial corruption of America. Now that would get the American people behind us and cheering us on from coast to coast.
If we can achieve that, the sky will be the limit … further demands will follow and a new America will be born.
On Saturday, our Tahrir moment begins … strength, courage, nonviolence!
for the wild,
Culture Jammers HQ
PS.
This Saturday at Noon, meet in Bowling Green Park at the Charging Bull statue in Lower Manhattan. Then at 3pm, join your fellow compatriots at One Chase Manhattan Plaza for the first of many people's assemblies. Check out occupywallst.org/article/lead-up-to-occupation for additional information that you should know before the occupation begins.
For those who cannot attend one of the global solidarity occupations happening in Milan, Madrid, Valencia, London, Lisbon, Athens, San Francisco, Santander, Madison, Amsterdam, Los Angeles and now Algeria and Israel, there will also be a live stream of #OCCUPYWALLSTREET at: livestream.com/globalrevolution
occupywallstreet.org / occupywallst.org
Reddit / Facebook / Twitter
322 comments on the article “Hey President Obama ...”
Displaying 91 - 100 of 322
Page 10 of 33
Anonymous
There are two varieties of corruption, cash or kind. If we get rid of the 'cash', it will simply get replaced by higher sophistication of the 'kind'. Is that what we would prefer? I'm afraid the title of this manifesto requires some changes.
Anonymous
There are two varieties of corruption, cash or kind. If we get rid of the 'cash', it will simply get replaced by higher sophistication of the 'kind'. Is that what we would prefer? I'm afraid the title of this manifesto requires some changes.
notoriousnuno
Mayor of NY - "Protesters who show up for a long stay and set up camp will be breaking the law, prompting the NYPD to get involved far sooner than the organizers want."
LOLOLOL, I suggest thousands of people bring tents...how about that? I'd like to see the NY police department arrest thousands of people!!!
How about we bankrupt NY's state budget by forcing hundreds of police officers, and other state workers to work overtime trying to control the crowds, and processing them!!! Illegal to protest for days/months??? I think not...you can make protesting easy for people, or people can make life hard for you...how about that one???
If the police bring threats of violence, we should be ready to retaliate!!! These imbeciles have to be aware that they work for us, we pay their salaries with state/federal taxes, and that they should side with us, not against us!!!
We ALL want what's right for America, and Americans!!! I'm really starting to get sick of republicons & tea party asswipes, and I'm ready to snap @ them @ any moment!!!
I'm 36, disabled, have no job, no health insurance, and spent thousands of $$$ (as well as my parents) getting a college education, and have nothing to show for it, not even a social life!!! I can't get a job, I can't buy a house, can't start a family, and I'm condemned by fascists to a solitary life of misery, and poverty!!! I've been homeless, so I know what it feels like to be at rock bottom, sleeping wherever I could find some sort of shelter, even under bridges!!! I don't want to be there again because if it does happen, I will probably find a nice spot to slip away from this condemned planet!!! Nuno won't take it any more, but WE won’t go quietly into the night, WE don't fuck around!!!
We need a civil war against the wealthy because they're asswipes, cowards, douchebags, and have no souls!!! They've not only been engaging in class warfare for decades, but they've been robbing Americans for decades with poverty wages, little to no benefits, no health insurance, etc., etc., etc.!!!
Imagine that...wealthy fascists who spend their spoon-fed lives buying, and destroying America & its resources, impoverishing Americans, ripping Americans off with poverty-wage jobs, and then stealing OUR tax $$$ from OUR government to bail themselves out of their scams!!!
These parasites are not only making themselves wealthier beyond ANY human being's needs, but they’re squandering wealth on a global scale...all while people are losing homes, losing jobs, losing health care, becoming homeless, and eventually dying!!!
These sad sacs of soulless flesh are living beyond ANYONE’S needs, and live their lives on a delusional scale...THEY NEED HELP!!! Either they get help, or the American people are going to help them by removing them from society!!! No one lives forever, or has the need for millions/billions of $$$, so why these terrorists spend their lifetimes destroying countries, the environment, and other people's lives defies logic, and common sense!!!
What we have in America right now is a business-lobbied, federally-enabled, socio-economic genocide plan that is being enforced on Americans by a special-interest government, through destructive lobbying, for the corporate plantations…WITHOUT OUR LABOR, OR OUR $$$, THEY’RE ALL NOTHING!!!
I have nothing against capitalism, free markets, and businesses...I've always wanted to start a business myself, but free market enterprise doesn't mean FREE/CHEAP/POVERTY LABOR & WAGES!!! The current free enterprise / capitalist model doesn't work...it's broken, destructive, inequitive, inhuma, unfair, unwanted, and unacceptable... in more ways than one!!!
Here’s a psychological bitch-slap for all of the RepubliCONS & business people…the only businesses that WORK in this country, and provide a sense of fairness to EVERYONE IN THE COMPANY are the companies that are EMPLOYEE-OWNED, they’re the employees, owners, and shareholders!!! There are no special interest groups trying to steal a piece of their pie for themselves…no outside shareholders, no corrupt management, boards, and CEOs, who cowardly behind closed doors, siphon the wealth of the company & employees to give to themselves & others, etc., etc., etc.!!! Last I checked, I’ve never seen the CEO of any company run a business all by himself, and if they don’t feel that the wealth should be shared with ALL employees, I don’t think they shouldn’t be in business…they’d make better thieves!!! Actually, wait a second, LOL, they’re thieves now, but the difference is that they get away with it legally!!! We the people can change that...just because our government doesn't want to do its job of providing justice doesn't mean we can't bring justice ourselves to these criminals!!!
The first thing that government must do is federally regulate what people working in a company, at the bottom scale, should make…establishing a base is important!!! This base, or rate, regardless of job, or industry, should be at minimum what it costs for the average person to live week-to-week, or month-to-month, not what the labor market dictates!!! Then from that base, a percentage needs to be created for savings, so that regardless of salaries/wages, people can actually save some $$$!!! In addition, a percentage of the total net profit yearly would also go to employees, it would provide additional savings/emergency fund, considering most people use their salaries & wages just to pay for the essentials!!!
When a company profits in millions/billions/trillions, a percentage of the total net profits should be going to compensate ALL employees in the company…it would be a percent of the total profits, not a percentage of their gross salary!!!
If Congress doesn't have the "cajones" to create a living wage, it needs to create a fund, subsidized by all corporations, in which the government pays out to people the wage difference between the "minimum wage" and a "living wage" for the adult population (ages 21+)!!!
I've always believed that there should be a 2-tier system when it comes to salaries/wages!!! There should be a "minimum wage" for young adults (15-20), and then a "living wage" for adults (21+)!!! Most young adults live at home with parents, as they should, while adults should be living on their own!!! The factor that dictates when young adults make the move to live as adults is when they can AFFORD to do so, meaning being paid a "living wage"!!!
If you have a company/corporation that makes millions, billions, or even trillions in profits $$$, there's no reason why your organization shouldn't be paying FULL HEALTH COVERAGE for ALL your employees, as well as paying them a "LIVING WAGE", NOT A FEDERALLY-MANDATED MINIMUM/POVERTY WAGE!!! IT'S CALLED SPREADING THE WEALTH TO THOSE WHO MAKE YOU WEALTHY, AND DO MOST OF THE WORK, plain and simple!!! If you really wanted to be part of a respectable/responsible management team, ALL your employees would also be millionaires!!!
It's 98% of the population against their 2%...easy win for the American people!!! If theses 2% of fascists don't like America, or American society, they can pick up & leave to go live in China, with their communist bun-buddies, and never come back!!!
They can hoard their profits over there, and keep their cheap, overpriced, and unreliable products & services there as well!!!
Capitalism + Communism = Fascism!!! We are not a fascist country, so they can leave whenever they're ready!!! They can keep their poverty-wage jobs, their garbage, and live happily-ever-after among the Chinese, or with whomever they are giving American jobs to!!!
We live in a society here in America, which implies Socialism, it implies that government should be doing what's best for society, not wealthy fascists, capitalists, or special interest groups, those who want to destroy America & American society!!!
I also believe that every job, and every industry should be unionized!!! If it's ok for police, firefighters, postal workers, teachers, medical professionals, CEOs etc., etc., etc. to be bargaining for benefits & wages, I think it's right for ALL PEOPLE in this country to do the same!!! What's good for the goose is good for the gander, and you should ALWAYS want for others what you want for yourselves!!!
I'm getting sick of flip-flopping hypocrites, failed & uneducated business cons in Congress, weaseling lobbyists, and special interest groups buying OUR democracy!!!
By the way, corporations are not people, and if they want to remain in this country, intact, and free of retaliation, they better wake up to that fact ASAP, and stop trying to buy influence in Washington!!!
I always amuse myself at how people react after tragedies...not knowing why they happened, or how things get that bad!!! Keep legislating people's lives away their freedoms, their rights, etc., and soon you'll see tragedies like you've never seen before, on a grand scale, a full-fledged civil war!!! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!
notoriousnuno
Mayor of NY - "Protesters who show up for a long stay and set up camp will be breaking the law, prompting the NYPD to get involved far sooner than the organizers want."
LOLOLOL, I suggest thousands of people bring tents...how about that? I'd like to see the NY police department arrest thousands of people!!!
How about we bankrupt NY's state budget by forcing hundreds of police officers, and other state workers to work overtime trying to control the crowds, and processing them!!! Illegal to protest for days/months??? I think not...you can make protesting easy for people, or people can make life hard for you...how about that one???
If the police bring threats of violence, we should be ready to retaliate!!! These imbeciles have to be aware that they work for us, we pay their salaries with state/federal taxes, and that they should side with us, not against us!!!
We ALL want what's right for America, and Americans!!! I'm really starting to get sick of republicons & tea party asswipes, and I'm ready to snap @ them @ any moment!!!
I'm 36, disabled, have no job, no health insurance, and spent thousands of $$$ (as well as my parents) getting a college education, and have nothing to show for it, not even a social life!!! I can't get a job, I can't buy a house, can't start a family, and I'm condemned by fascists to a solitary life of misery, and poverty!!! I've been homeless, so I know what it feels like to be at rock bottom, sleeping wherever I could find some sort of shelter, even under bridges!!! I don't want to be there again because if it does happen, I will probably find a nice spot to slip away from this condemned planet!!! Nuno won't take it any more, but WE won’t go quietly into the night, WE don't fuck around!!!
We need a civil war against the wealthy because they're asswipes, cowards, douchebags, and have no souls!!! They've not only been engaging in class warfare for decades, but they've been robbing Americans for decades with poverty wages, little to no benefits, no health insurance, etc., etc., etc.!!!
Imagine that...wealthy fascists who spend their spoon-fed lives buying, and destroying America & its resources, impoverishing Americans, ripping Americans off with poverty-wage jobs, and then stealing OUR tax $$$ from OUR government to bail themselves out of their scams!!!
These parasites are not only making themselves wealthier beyond ANY human being's needs, but they’re squandering wealth on a global scale...all while people are losing homes, losing jobs, losing health care, becoming homeless, and eventually dying!!!
These sad sacs of soulless flesh are living beyond ANYONE’S needs, and live their lives on a delusional scale...THEY NEED HELP!!! Either they get help, or the American people are going to help them by removing them from society!!! No one lives forever, or has the need for millions/billions of $$$, so why these terrorists spend their lifetimes destroying countries, the environment, and other people's lives defies logic, and common sense!!!
What we have in America right now is a business-lobbied, federally-enabled, socio-economic genocide plan that is being enforced on Americans by a special-interest government, through destructive lobbying, for the corporate plantations…WITHOUT OUR LABOR, OR OUR $$$, THEY’RE ALL NOTHING!!!
I have nothing against capitalism, free markets, and businesses...I've always wanted to start a business myself, but free market enterprise doesn't mean FREE/CHEAP/POVERTY LABOR & WAGES!!! The current free enterprise / capitalist model doesn't work...it's broken, destructive, inequitive, inhuma, unfair, unwanted, and unacceptable... in more ways than one!!!
Here’s a psychological bitch-slap for all of the RepubliCONS & business people…the only businesses that WORK in this country, and provide a sense of fairness to EVERYONE IN THE COMPANY are the companies that are EMPLOYEE-OWNED, they’re the employees, owners, and shareholders!!! There are no special interest groups trying to steal a piece of their pie for themselves…no outside shareholders, no corrupt management, boards, and CEOs, who cowardly behind closed doors, siphon the wealth of the company & employees to give to themselves & others, etc., etc., etc.!!! Last I checked, I’ve never seen the CEO of any company run a business all by himself, and if they don’t feel that the wealth should be shared with ALL employees, I don’t think they shouldn’t be in business…they’d make better thieves!!! Actually, wait a second, LOL, they’re thieves now, but the difference is that they get away with it legally!!! We the people can change that...just because our government doesn't want to do its job of providing justice doesn't mean we can't bring justice ourselves to these criminals!!!
The first thing that government must do is federally regulate what people working in a company, at the bottom scale, should make…establishing a base is important!!! This base, or rate, regardless of job, or industry, should be at minimum what it costs for the average person to live week-to-week, or month-to-month, not what the labor market dictates!!! Then from that base, a percentage needs to be created for savings, so that regardless of salaries/wages, people can actually save some $$$!!! In addition, a percentage of the total net profit yearly would also go to employees, it would provide additional savings/emergency fund, considering most people use their salaries & wages just to pay for the essentials!!!
When a company profits in millions/billions/trillions, a percentage of the total net profits should be going to compensate ALL employees in the company…it would be a percent of the total profits, not a percentage of their gross salary!!!
If Congress doesn't have the "cajones" to create a living wage, it needs to create a fund, subsidized by all corporations, in which the government pays out to people the wage difference between the "minimum wage" and a "living wage" for the adult population (ages 21+)!!!
I've always believed that there should be a 2-tier system when it comes to salaries/wages!!! There should be a "minimum wage" for young adults (15-20), and then a "living wage" for adults (21+)!!! Most young adults live at home with parents, as they should, while adults should be living on their own!!! The factor that dictates when young adults make the move to live as adults is when they can AFFORD to do so, meaning being paid a "living wage"!!!
If you have a company/corporation that makes millions, billions, or even trillions in profits $$$, there's no reason why your organization shouldn't be paying FULL HEALTH COVERAGE for ALL your employees, as well as paying them a "LIVING WAGE", NOT A FEDERALLY-MANDATED MINIMUM/POVERTY WAGE!!! IT'S CALLED SPREADING THE WEALTH TO THOSE WHO MAKE YOU WEALTHY, AND DO MOST OF THE WORK, plain and simple!!! If you really wanted to be part of a respectable/responsible management team, ALL your employees would also be millionaires!!!
It's 98% of the population against their 2%...easy win for the American people!!! If theses 2% of fascists don't like America, or American society, they can pick up & leave to go live in China, with their communist bun-buddies, and never come back!!!
They can hoard their profits over there, and keep their cheap, overpriced, and unreliable products & services there as well!!!
Capitalism + Communism = Fascism!!! We are not a fascist country, so they can leave whenever they're ready!!! They can keep their poverty-wage jobs, their garbage, and live happily-ever-after among the Chinese, or with whomever they are giving American jobs to!!!
We live in a society here in America, which implies Socialism, it implies that government should be doing what's best for society, not wealthy fascists, capitalists, or special interest groups, those who want to destroy America & American society!!!
I also believe that every job, and every industry should be unionized!!! If it's ok for police, firefighters, postal workers, teachers, medical professionals, CEOs etc., etc., etc. to be bargaining for benefits & wages, I think it's right for ALL PEOPLE in this country to do the same!!! What's good for the goose is good for the gander, and you should ALWAYS want for others what you want for yourselves!!!
I'm getting sick of flip-flopping hypocrites, failed & uneducated business cons in Congress, weaseling lobbyists, and special interest groups buying OUR democracy!!!
By the way, corporations are not people, and if they want to remain in this country, intact, and free of retaliation, they better wake up to that fact ASAP, and stop trying to buy influence in Washington!!!
I always amuse myself at how people react after tragedies...not knowing why they happened, or how things get that bad!!! Keep legislating people's lives away their freedoms, their rights, etc., and soon you'll see tragedies like you've never seen before, on a grand scale, a full-fledged civil war!!! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!
Anonymous
I disagree
Anonymous
I disagree
Anonymous
I also disagree.
Anonymous
I also disagree.
Anonymous 1
Don't you fucking spread my wealth, you loser. I busted my ass for 11 years to make it reasonably good, probably great compared to you. You ever work 120 hours a week for a year? Keep your slimy dirty little hands off of what I worked damned hard to earn. Damn, my taxes probably paid for half of what you got.
And don't go civil war war on us. Guess who buys all kind of shit to protect kith and kin? Not whiners like you, but people that actually work hard and have talent. $4K for night vision so I can spot you at 800 yards in the dark of night, priceless as far as I'm concerned. Kind of tough to buy that, or a match grade M1A (about $2K before putting a scope on it) when you're too busy waiting, no demanding, a hand-out rather than earn it. You try to harm my family, my liberty or my friends, well, practice and training (ever here of Front Sight, Thunder Ranch and other similar things your sorry ass is too lazy to work for) will culminate in making your day go very badly.
Sorry you're such a loser. Even sorrier that you have no character and feel a hollowness inside because there is nothing there and you need to measure your self worth in material things. You have no honor. You realize you have no worth and project your self-hatred to others.
Anonymous 1
Don't you fucking spread my wealth, you loser. I busted my ass for 11 years to make it reasonably good, probably great compared to you. You ever work 120 hours a week for a year? Keep your slimy dirty little hands off of what I worked damned hard to earn. Damn, my taxes probably paid for half of what you got.
And don't go civil war war on us. Guess who buys all kind of shit to protect kith and kin? Not whiners like you, but people that actually work hard and have talent. $4K for night vision so I can spot you at 800 yards in the dark of night, priceless as far as I'm concerned. Kind of tough to buy that, or a match grade M1A (about $2K before putting a scope on it) when you're too busy waiting, no demanding, a hand-out rather than earn it. You try to harm my family, my liberty or my friends, well, practice and training (ever here of Front Sight, Thunder Ranch and other similar things your sorry ass is too lazy to work for) will culminate in making your day go very badly.
Sorry you're such a loser. Even sorrier that you have no character and feel a hollowness inside because there is nothing there and you need to measure your self worth in material things. You have no honor. You realize you have no worth and project your self-hatred to others.
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