Displaying 271 To 300 Of 3,333 Comments Hi Sabreen! A few days ago, I heard somewhere that the OWS people were developing an agenda, or a common list of grievances and demands, a sort of manifesto to consolidate the reasons for the protests. At this point, I have seen nothing else about it. We have been having this conversation since nearly the beginning of the OWS movement. The fact remains that you can protest until you wear out your shoe-leather but that will not, in itself, change anything! As ChoiceLady has written, legislative changes must be enacted if we are to expect improvement in the dire situation in which many Americans find themselves. The OWS, IMO, is at something of a crossroads right now. As the weather grows colder, the movement is in danger of fading away. The Wall Street bankers will have won the fight, simply by doing nothing but waiting out the protests. Our bought-and-paid-for politicians will win too, without having made any commitment on any issue. The OWS people need that agenda now! They need to find their most knowledgeable and eloquent speakers to come to the front. They must consolidate their demands and bring them to Washington. Otherwise, they are in danger of winning the battle in New York but losing the war in Congress! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 21, 2011 @ 8:58 am Hi Cher! Thanks! I also think that we can re-take the House. It has been fairly apparently that the repubs are having some pretty bad buyer’s remorse for sending the baggers in to wreck the House of Representatives. The more that the President pounds them for their obstruction on the Jobs Act, the better it gets for our hopes. It was reported that we only have to lose four seats in the Senate to lose our majority. That’s some pretty tight odds. But with the amazing climb of Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts, I am encouraged that we can at least hold on to what we’ve got. It would be wonderful to take at least 60 seats there in order to defeat the repubs’ filibusters, but that might be a tall order. It’s too soon to tell. All in all, I am encouraged. I do think the President will win re-election. He still has that blessed veto pen! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 24, 2011 @ 3:36 pm Why do I feel that something just may be changing in this country this afternoon? From day to day, I go on my roller coaster ride…up one day and down the next, determined by the news of the day, how the President is faring, and how hard the criticism of him is. I go from being on top of the world, seeing improvement in the polls for this issue or that, to being in a complete blue funk, worrying about what can happen if the rethugs take over the Senate or beat the President next year. But today, it seems like there is something moving on a national level. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part, but it feels that way to me. Today, the President has announced plans to help homeowners avoid foreclosure (with the normal screams from the right), and also plans to help college students. The news from the stock market is good, unemployment is going down, the GDP is going up, and the President’s approval numbers are getting better. The support for the OWS is very positive and change is in the air. More people are recognizing the repub candidates’ ridiculous and out-of-touch positions, making them look completely inadequate to lead this country. The people are not completely deaf, dumb, and blind, nor are they apathetic anymore! But it’s more than that. The PEOPLE are waking up. They are watching and have strong opinions about the way they have been savaged by big corporations and big banks and yes, the government too. There is overwhelming support for raising taxes on the rich and for prosecuting the banksters. The people are identifying with the OWS movement, even if they are not all in the streets. Something is changing and growing in these United States! Today is a good day! The roller coaster is definitely climbing! And I have a smile on my face! Thanks for letting me comment on my personal feelings! You guys are the best! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 24, 2011 @ 2:55 pm Hi atdnext! “…unless we really want a double-dip recession”. But of course, that what the rethugs want! If they can continue to obstruct and beat back any attempt from the President and the Dems to make things better, the economy will be so bad by November 2012 that they think they can take back the White House. Never mind the pain of the people who are losing everything! Romney is such a pr*ck! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 24, 2011 @ 2:34 pm Bravo, Adlib! Your comment here should be made into a TV ad for the Democrats! WTG!! 🙂 » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 24, 2011 @ 2:30 pm Adlib, it was that “moral authority” that made that Marine’s rant so powerful. We have been taught to give absolute respect to the military for the sacrifices they have made and continue to make for all of us. And rightfully so! The faces of the New York policemen that were on the receiving end of his rant were priceless to see. They didn’t dare try to back him down. If anyone would be respected by the police, it would be our heroes! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 24, 2011 @ 2:28 pm Hey atdnext, you are so right! They have been trying to blame the home buyers from the outset when many of them were just duped, plain and simple! It’s kinda’ like blaming yourself if you aren’t rich and don’t have a job…you know, Cain’s admonition! What a deep thinker he is!! 🙂 I am so 100% supportive of the OWS movement and sincerely hope that they will be able to bring about some significant change! Just because they have large numbers doesn’t mean that it’s not going to be an uphill battle to beat these crooks who took all the money! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 22, 2011 @ 8:40 pm Hey KT! Your answer to Sue about Siddartha was very good! Being one of those “heathen” Buddhists, I can certainly relate. People who seek nirvana will never find it. It is already there…you just have to let it happen, like when you are standing on that balcony looking out over the ocean. And voila! 🙂 » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 22, 2011 @ 8:34 pm Hey atdnext, I really don’t have a problem with that! I hope you don’t either! 🙂 » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 22, 2011 @ 8:27 pm Atdnext, great post! Thanks! I am so sorry for the people out there in your state! In fact, I’m so sorry for all the people all over this country who have been savaged by the banks! There are several good articles today about just this subject, including one that Bito posted on the Twitter feed. This article talks about the complicity of the Bush administration and the continual push by the repubs to de-regulate the financial markets that led us over the cliff. If you’ve not read it, I highly recommend it. Also, thanks for that little ray of bright light at the end of your piece…the Time Magazine poll that shows President Obama winning! In the face of all the bad news, it’s comforting to see that, even though we are still a year out. Thanks again for your article! Very interesting, and poignant! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 22, 2011 @ 8:22 pm Sue, I am so sorry! I mistakenly gave you a thumbs down! I would reverse it but it won’t let me! Mea culpa! I was going to thank you for posting this. I read it about an hour ago before I saw your post. Quite revealing! Too bad Spitzer got caught with his panties around his ankles. I’m certainly not making excuses for the man, but I have always wondered if he was set up. He was getting awfully close to the culprits and I think they knew it. I know he had quite a history of hangin’ out with the ladies of the night, but the banksters could have used this information to set him up. The end result was that he left office in total disgrace and they were left to their own evil devices! I’m just sayin’… » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 22, 2011 @ 8:11 pm Bito, it’s not the regulations hurting the banks or anyone else…just another repub talking point that they all use too frequently, just because it sounds good to their base. It appeals to that independent streak in all Americans and makes these “no nothings” sound like they actually know what they’re talking about! There was a study that someone, maybe you, posted last week about the opinions of small business owners and regulations…whether or not regs were preventing businesses from hiring. The answer was overwhelmingly NO. Regulations were not preventing hiring. The main reason given by the businesses was a lack of demand for products or services. The repubs, I’m sure, paid no attention to this but just kept on with their same old lines. The repubs have taken up this anti-regulation drumbeat and will continue until somebody in the RNC changes their talking point of the day/week/month/year! One trick ponies…all of them! You would think that the repubs would sometimes change up their talking points. Don’t they realize that almost anyone in this country who pays any attention can recite their mantra? Cut taxes, deregulate, and privatize everything! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 22, 2011 @ 8:02 pm Hey bito, I understand the point, but my not buying Brawny paper towels is not going to do any good whatsoever. It will just make me feel better! After all, there is little that any of us can do against this type of greed and criminality! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 20, 2011 @ 7:45 pm Hi agrippa! There is a difference between the RW and the religious RW when it comes to the schools. The religious RW wants to abolish all public schooling in favor of home schooling where the little kiddies can be brainwashed 24/7 in Bible verses and Old Testament laws upon which they would like our government to run. The regular rethug RW simply wants to make money off privatizing the schools. See my comment below to Cher about the battle in North Carolina that the Koch brothers were involved in. Their plans here included re-segregating the school system in the largest district in the entire state! If you make the schools bad enough, then you can come in and make them better, running them like a business of course! Fewer teachers make for lower payroll! Fewer teachers make for substandard educations which make for under-educated kids who can barely read. Then you have slaves to work for your big corporation. They won’t complain when you pay them $5/hour…no more minimum wage or child labor laws either! That’s also in the regular RW agenda! Sorry for my rant…this is a sore spot with me! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 20, 2011 @ 6:10 pm Hi e’cat! That article just sets my hair on fire! I cannot believe that this employer expects people to jump at the chance to make 25 cents over minimum wage! You simply cannot live on that! Even if the employee only has to pay half of the rental that you cited, there is not enough money from that one job to buy groceries and pay for utilities, especially if there is more than one person trying to live in that residence. These are slave wages! I’ve heard this same kind of crap from the MSM over and over…and how businesses cannot find workers who have the education to fill the jobs. I don’t buy it! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 20, 2011 @ 5:55 pm Cher, you are correct! The Koch brothers have dollars in mind, I’m sure. This is untapped riches for those able to get their wing-tips in the door! The Christian right wing wants to destroy all public education in favor of home schooling so that they can teach their theocratic model to all the children. Kids can be controlled and programmed 24/7 into Bible law. Yes, this is fringe and probably won’t appeal to many outside the bible belt. However, the Kochs and their ilk are looking to follow the money. Substandard schools and segregation will certainly turn out generations of dumbed down students who will make good life-long slaves for the corporation, being paid very little wages and completely ignorant of their rights. The agenda is so totally transparent! I don’t think the Kochs have any interest whatsoever in home schooling! Last night, I was talking to my niece about the Kochs and their ugly fight in Wake County. She had never heard of them, so we Googled them. I was astounded at all the things these two crooks have their fingers into…I know I won’t be buying a few products that are listed on their website. If you have a minute, you should check them out! Brawny Paper Towels, for instance!! But that’s OK…I use Bounty! 🙂 ADDENDUM: I meant to mention the part about demonizing the teachers. I totally agree with you about this. If you can cut out the teachers and eliminate their union, the schools will suffer. Then you can come in and privatize the schools to “make them better”. It’s not about the teachers…it’s about the money! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 20, 2011 @ 5:33 pm Good morning, Cher! Wow! What a collection of great articles and much food for thought this morning! Good job there! I want to comment on one article, probably not the most interesting to many, but IMO very important…the piece about the school board elections in Denver, CO. We have had, as many are aware, a battle in North Carolina in the Wake County School district, the largest in the state and one of the top districts in the entire country. The Koch brothers infiltrated the board by pumping money into the elections and were able to take control of the board. Their efforts apparently were to privatize the schools by stoking the old hatreds of segregation, using the words of division like “forced busing” and “neighborhood schools”. I am happy to report that this past week’s election for school board in Wake County has resulted in the Democrats taking back four of the five seats, including the head of the school board. There will be a run-off election early next month for the remaining seat. That should also go back to the Democrats, giving them control once again. When the Koch brothers began their campaign to re-segregate and privatize the schools, the election slipped by most voters. But when their plans were finally exposed, the community at large came out very much against them. There were demonstrations by both parents and students who didn’t want their schools changed. I am very proud of those folks who stood up against this covert attempt to take over the local control by money pumped in by billionaires who only want to make more money at the expense of the education of thousands of students! I sincerely hope that Denver, Colorado will succeed in having the same results! Thanks so much for posting this story! These guys are really slippery characters who have unlimited funds and are not hesitant to use them! We need to keep our vigilance up! Now, back to reading! You’ve given me an entire day’s worth! 🙂 » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 20, 2011 @ 5:55 am A Radical Economic Solution – Stop Paying Banks For Credit Card Debt Adlib, very, very well done! But don’t they call this “sedition”?? 🙂 » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 20, 2011 @ 4:58 pm Hi agrippa! With Hank Paulson as secretary of the Treasury, you can count on the banks expecting a bailout! Hank Paulson came to Congress with a three-page document, demanding $700 BILLION with NO STRINGS attached! When this happened, I was watching on TV and I knew at that moment that he and GWB were robbing the American taxpayers blind!!! He scared the crap out of Congress with the “sky is falling” and of course, they immediately gave him what he wanted. After the first half of the TARP money was paid out, Mr. Paulson was asked to account to the Congress for the $350 Billion. He actually had the audacity to say that since the situation was such a dire emergency, they DIDN’T KEEP ANY RECORDS!!!! WTF????? He actually testified to this in front of Congress!!! I cannot believe, in this day of electronic transfers, that there were NO RECORDS kept! He knew damned good and well where that money went…and I expect that he personally made out quite well. Mr. Paulson, if you remember, was head of Goldman-Sachs before he came to do the Village Idiot’s bidding at Treasury! After Bush left office, Paulson completely disappeared, no doubt hanging out at some 5-star resort playing very expensive rounds of golf with his very rich friends! Not a worry in the world! I knew from the outset that this was the biggest robbery in the history of mankind! I still hold that view! Paulson is nothing but a crook in a very expensive suit! He should be brought up on charges for fraud and anything else the DOJ can throw at him!! Sorry for my rant! This just sets my hair on fire! It’s just that I saw it happening…and there was NOTHING that I or anyone else could do about it! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 20, 2011 @ 4:44 pm Cher, good for you! I don’t own a credit card and I have no debt at this point in my life! Thank the Lord! Otherwise, I certainly wouldn’t be able to live on the Social Security check! I take no money from my shop but prefer to leave it in the business to make it grow. At least, I have that to fall back on if things get tough. You did mention something that I gave much thought to when the TARP bill first came up. I don’t have the numbers anymore, but at that time, it was reported on the Tube that for less money, all the mortgages in danger of foreclosure in the entire country could have been paid off, stopping the tidal wave of foreclosures that was hitting us then. As I said, I don’t have the documentation on it…sorry! It was an idea that made so much good sense to me at the time. The banks would have gotten their precious money, and the homeowner would have stayed in his home…a win-win situation for everyone! But I remember that the RW came out with all their righteous indignation at paying off other people’s loans. Why should they have to help out their neighbors?? Instead, they preferred to bail out the banks. We can see how well that worked out for us. If the government had worked out a system whereby they would pay off the troubled mortgages with some kind of repayment plan with the homeowner, perhaps cutting interest and monthly payment amounts drastically, so that the owner could continue to make payments, it might have worked. But since corporations are people… As for the credit cards, studies have shown that more and more people are having to use them just to survive. Now the banks have us in a vise! If I had a card, I would definitely consider not paying the bills! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 20, 2011 @ 4:27 pm #OccupyLasVegas: The Winner of Last Night’s Republican Debate? WTG, Atdnext! We here on the East Coast never get to see what is really happening! Thanks for posting your article and for the good pix! It’s great to think the the Planet has some representation there! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 19, 2011 @ 8:55 pm Murph, thanks for your reply to my comment. Adlib has laid out the same narrative. What underlies it? Follow the money, my friend! Drama and negative stories = clicks! Clicks = advertising bucks! Sad, isnt’ it! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 24, 2011 @ 10:11 pm Hi Murph! I can understand why you thought that Marion was not justified in making her comments about AH. We, here at PPOV, have pretty much crossed Ms. Huff off our lists. Over time, she has proven herself to be a gross opportunist, judging the winds, and posting some pretty crappy headlines and articles blasting the President. Sometimes, it’s not what she says, but how she says it. Her TV appearances have also shown that she is no supporter of the Democrats or this President, taking every opportunity to tear him and his agenda down. Remember the old reporter’s question, “When did you decide to stop beating your wife?” This is what I’m talking about. Ms. Huff will always find a slant on the stories there that puts the President and the Left into the worst possible light. The site seems to delight when poll numbers show the President slipping, resulting in 60 point headlines, for instance. Sorry I don’t have links to provide for you, but I believe others here will be able to. Also, I’m sure if you check the archives over at HP, you will be able to see the leanings of HP over time. They are no friends of the President or the Democrats. Perhaps it is a little unfair to Ms. Huff to blame her for all this, but she is, after all, responsible for what appears on the pages of her “liberal” site. The buck stops with her, IMO. I hope you don’t mind my throwing in my two cents worth! I personally don’t go to Huffington Post anymore. I quickly tired of their attacks on PBO and their allowing some very ignorant trolls to completely take over the site. I much prefer the tone of the conversations here at PPOV that show intelligent people with fact, reason and thought behind their comments. 🙂 » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 24, 2011 @ 9:31 am Hi Gordon! Good comment! I agree with you. It was encouraging to me when Breitbart and O’Keefe were identified and photographed with the pix going viral very quickly. I think the OWS folks have enough political savvy to guard their flanks. I made the comment yesterday that they have, no doubt, organized a committee of eagle-eyed watchers to look out for the I do have concerns about the coming winter. It’s going to get very cold in New York City as well as other spots. I am hoping that Occupy LA and other warm locations can keep it going through the times when weather drives the NYC people indoors. I lived in NYC for six years, and I can tell you that it is one very cold place to be in January! I don’t want to see the OWS cede any territory. They have been afraid that if they give up Zuccotti Park, they will not be able to come back. I do hope that they have some folks who can brave the cold and snow…God bless them all! The American Spring…I like that idea! 🙂 » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 24, 2011 @ 8:47 am Hi Marion! Thanks for your piece! Good one…and a great point! I had seen O’Keefe’s picture circulating last week, and I knew that he and Brietbart were up to their usual tricks. Brietbart has been eerily quiet lately. He can’t get his media fix so he’s gotta’ rear his very ugly head in some way. There was, in fact, an article yesterday about his mining emails for any subversive words from hundreds of thousands of emails from private individuals involved in the OWS movement, I guess in an attempt to smear the protesters as some kind of violent anarchists. This is, after all, his specialty! What a d-bag!! Lots has been said about the OWS movement, lack of a “leader”, a lack of a list of demands, etc. But one thing this movement does NOT lack is political savvy! Just the fact that O’Keefe’s picture showed up is a good sign. Somebody had their eyes open, watching for the “ratfuckers”! I don’t doubt that they have formed a committee to assign eagle-eyed folks to watch their backs! Good going, OWS! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 23, 2011 @ 9:34 am Hey e’cat! I know…I don’t think they followed it either. Let’s face it. It was a long and ugly battle to get what we got. Lots of people, not just the young people, tuned it out. Ah, the invulnerability of the young! I would that I could go back to those times! 🙂 » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 17, 2011 @ 5:11 pm Hi CL! I hope you are well! Yesterday, there was a discussion about where this movement is going…I believe it was Fareed Zakaria on his Sunday talk show. The point was made that no one can tell. Not even the original organizers who first occupied Zuccotti Park can make any predictions. I was very frustrated back during the Health Care debates that Americans did not get up off that comfy sofa and let Washington know what they wanted. (That was the same time that the Teabaggers were marching in DC with their hateful signs.) For some reason, most people were not sufficiently alarmed about their future health care and what it would cost. I surmised that until the crisis hitting this country impacted the average citizen, we would not see anyone taking to the streets with torches and pitchforks. I went to the “We Are the 99%” website and read many of the stories there. There were two issues that were repeated over and over…joblessness and home foreclosures. These two problems are something that EVERY American can relate to. Either we know someone who has lost their job and possibly their home, or it has happened to us personally. It is something each of us can relate to. The crisis has finally reached that average American, dipping into the already empty pockets of the people who are expected to continue to pay the outlandish fees of the big financial institutions that are robbing us blind! When it finally was reported that many of the foreclosures were done illegally, the tipping point was reached. Why did this movement catch on? The answer is simple…pain. The people are hurting, young and old, and we can no longer count on our bought-and-paid-for government to help. That is the bottom line. Social networking played a huge part for sure, taking the place of the corporate-run MSM in disseminating information. A great example was set by the protesters in Wisconsin and Ohio, showing that the people can effect change if they stand together and protest peacefully…all great facilitators and role models. But the bottom line is the pain that people are feeling right now. Far be it from me to attempt to predict the outcome. I am hopeful that the movement will not peter out as the weather turns colder. I also hope that the progressives in Congress will take political advantage of the energy on the streets. I understand the protesters’ blaming both political parties…rightfully so. But at some point, as you have written, these protests must be accompanied by changes in the law! The only politicians that could possibly be counted on to bring those changes would be the progressives. It’s for damned sure the rethugs will not do it. Sorry about getting on such a roll this morning! I guess I am looking at this from a little different perspective…the actual human toll that has become too apparent. I cannot imagine losing my home. That is a pain that no American should have to face! And BTW, it was just reported on MSNBC that Wall Street donors have given more money to Mitt Romney than to the President. Duh!! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 17, 2011 @ 8:38 am The One Percent: Who Are They? What Do They Do? How Much Do They Have? Hi Javaz! You’re right about the corporations working with FDR for recovery. But now, things are different. I think it goes deeper than just simply working against recovery. I believe that they want recovery to happen…they just don’t want Barack Obama to have credit for it. They have hoarded vast amounts of money and can withstand another year until the next election when they hope to defeat the President. I have thought long and hard about the resistance to the President and his policies. I understand that the corporations and banks want to do what they do with no oversight and that they are willing to spend ungodly amounts of money to lobby Congress to get their way. I have tried to break it down to the bare essentials. Why do they hate him so much? He has shown time after time that he is very reasonable, thoughtful and intelligent, willing to negotiate and compromise. What more could they want besides another puppet Village Idiot? The ONLY reason that I can come up with is the fact that our President is a black man. On the day that President Obama was inaugurated, he hit a brick wall that I wonder if anyone could breach. He faced and still is facing all the power, money and influence that the republicans and the corporate world can muster. Their resistance to him is like nothing I’ve ever seen. If there was ever a leader who is willing to work with them for the good of us all, Barack Obama is the one. But they seem to be unable to get past their hatred of him. I can only think that the problem is racial. It is truly a shame! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 16, 2011 @ 9:00 am Weekend Music Thread – Guilty Pleasures Thanks, funk! 🙂 You’re a pal to say so! » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 15, 2011 @ 6:51 pm KT, total mastery of the keyboard! She makes it look so easy when it is actually very, very difficult! I slaved over this piece when I was in college after 15+ years of piano. » Posted By Emerald1943 On October 15, 2011 @ 6:50 pmComments Posted By Emerald1943
“enemy”. The entire structure of the OWS movement is pretty amazing.
The American voters had better wake up if they want any chance of seeing this country regain its sanity!
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