occupy

[jackulator]

hi there -- I might be spending a lot of time with the local Occupy group -- pitching a tent in park downtown and staying there

I figure if there's something good to come out of all this I'd like to be part of it

just gotta dig my tent out of the closet

might even buy a 4G droid or iPhone so I can stay connected and upload pics/video to youtube if anything interesting happens

there's already a dozen or so people camping out there, and more people stop by during the day to carry signs and stuff

one of my best friends is a main organizer over there and she's all excited about it -- got me thinking

so unless I chicken out, I'm probably gonna grab my gear, go over there and pitch my tent -- and who knows how long we'll be there

I'd be stopping by my apartment once or twice a day to charge my phone and ecig, at which time I'd check in here, but I've got the usual lull in my freelance work, so now's the time to get out there to the park 

[CallMeBronco]

what I'd really like to see, (and would participate in) is a large boycott type thing. If everybody in America refused to pay the ridiculous tax and stuff that goes toward war and stopped paying ridiculous amounts of money to corporations. They can't put everyone in jail.
Of course this wont likely happen since it would take a real coordinated effort on the part of millions of people and business owners as well

anyway, I wish u success boss

[Amygdala]

I'd probably do the same thing if I could, but do you really think Occupy is going to accomplish anything? Shit, at least people are trying though.  I know I'm starting to hate all these fucking taxes, I just sold about 500 bucks worth of stuff, and I only got $380... Where the fuck is my money!?  Oh, just bring the damn zombie apocalypse already! At least I've been training for that for years! 

[christiankur2]

I'd probably do the same thing if I could, but do you really think Occupy is going to accomplish anything? Shit, at least people are trying though.  I know I'm starting to hate all these fucking taxes, I just sold about 500 bucks worth of stuff, and I only got $380... Where the fuck is my money!?  Oh, just bring the damn zombie apocalypse already! At least I've been training for that for years! 

Income taxes in Denmark (in the highest bracket) is around 60% - it is all relative ;-)

[jackulator]

for me it's less about taxes and more about corporate influence (control really) over our political processes

in other words, if we get the disproportionate influence of the rich and corporations (via their money and lobbying) out of our political processes the end result will be that our elected representatives will no longer feel beholden to the rich and corporations, and the resulting legislation would better reflect the will of the average American taxpayer

but on a smaller, more local level, I think there should be a vacancy tax (something a friend of mine introduced me to), because there is very little decent affordable housing in my town (two colleges...) -- and a lot of landlords, rather than lower the price of rent to keep their buildings filled keep the prices high because the college kids can afford it, and whatever isn't rented they leave empty... with a vacancy tax they'd be 'encouraged' to lower their prices so the 'townies' like me could actually afford a fucking place to live

things like that are very achievable on a local level -- people just have to get fucking involved and make their voices heard. if we just silently take it up the ass the people who benefit from the status quo are more than happy to keep on sticking it to us

so whether we 'accomplish' anything or not, I consider it an enormous step in the right direction that people are finally angry enough to get off the couch and get out there and organize and make their voices heard -- at the very least, that says to the people running the show that they're going to have to dial the ass-raping down a notch or two...

but on a larger level -- you've got one of the senators from New York state saying to a friend of mine how he 'owns' all of these various companies (owns stock in, not owns...) and what he does is something he called 'diversify' -- he said he takes money out of New York and put it into his investments -- which are largely multinational corporations -- he freely volunteered this information during their discussion. and then it hits me -- he takes money he made in his giant construction empire out of the local economies -- and hands it over to corporations -- essentially selling out his local community in the hopes that his betrayal will earn him dividends down the road... it reminded me of the movie Braveheart where the Scottish landowners were selling out their countrymen, making deals with the English for tax breaks and more land.... why doesn't the average person see this??

unless you're rich, and a Republican, and you 'own' lots of multinational corporations, you have no business shopping at any national or global chain -- of anything... only shop at local stores. that keeps the money you spend in your area and helps sustain your local economy. sure, some of the money you spend at walmart goes to the employees, who then spend some of it at local stores, but MUCH more of the money you spend at local stores stays in the local economy -- which means more people have more money in your area -- and when more people have more money, they spend more, and when people spend more, more businesses hire, which means more people are working and have money to spend... and on and on -- a kind of positive feedback loop

so that's something people can do to help even if they're not willing to join the occupy movement. so yeah I agree on the boycott thing definitely

boycott any national or global chain -- whenever possible

in other words, if you're gonna order a pizza, do it at the local pizza place, not Pizza Hut, Papa John's, Dominoes... buy your clothes and groceries at a local store... stuff like that 

[Uncle Bingo]

You tell it to 'em, hoss. Straight up and straighter til it's like an arrow in the heart n mind each time. Don't let the foolish or greedy people word-worm their way out of the honest message, and use whatever attention is given to you quickly by knowing that one true thing. We'll break up the banks in no time. 

[marleycake]

good luck

I wish i could say a lot more about this but the on-screen keyboard holds be back so let me briefly say this:

i agree with you and even if lets say '"you're broke and doing midterms" there is still "local occupy stuff" / don't drink starbucks mud, rather you should buy premium coffee and support the farmers of south America and you all know the don'ts  avoid the big chains and pour some $ into local shitte.

I tend do lean on farmers markets and real Colombian beans that's my contribution hell i haven't had mcshit since 2008

also jack, avoid the retarded power trippers ..like cops looking to cause shit because their stress levels are roller coasters and the unsatisfied wives from their impotence from the blood rushes to support a smaller brain.

[CallMeBronco]

I've already started buying most of my stuff at local butchers and like u said.

btw, did u guys here about that "vampire" guy who foreclosed a bank!  look it up, I don't remember his name but the bank owed him money and eventually they ended up selling their building 

[Amygdala]

Oh yeah, Patrick Rogers was on the news last year because he was a fucking vampire, now he's back because he's closing down banks! Suck it! Wells Fargo!
I'm not really comfortable talking about all this stuff, I'm only 22 and most of this shit is just starting to effect me personally, so there's a lot of stuff I don't know.
I do my shopping at Walmart, because it's all that I can afford, there's a local store that wants well over double for the same items, and for someone who's self-employed such as myself, I just don't have the money for that.
As for my local pizza place, they want $16 for a SMALL CHEESE pizza, when I could just go into town and get a large pepperoni for $5...

I used to work for a small independent business online, I was the lead designer for a small game development company. Websites would hire us to make some little games for their site, and we usually had 1 or 2 projects a month. We had about a dozen people working, and we made some good money, it was hard work, but it was fun, and we made enough money to be happy. Then one day, and I'm not sure of all the exact details, but apparently some government shit stepped in, and started putting all these 'taxes' on us, and my boss had to pay all these 'fees', and get 'licensed', and whatever other bullshit was placed upon him, and ultimately, our small successful company was no more, and I really don't understand what happened at all, but after that day, about 4 years ago, I started getting more into all this economy stuff.

I really want to start using bottle caps as currency. 

[RussW]

there's a bill going through the senate right now making it possible for the military to arrest and keep indefinitely any foreign citizen but john mccain is trying to get a amendment for that to include US citizens.

you get involved with the occupy movement  and you are putting yourself into position to be arrested by the military besides it's a waste of time the only helpful change will come through a civil war

[jackulator]

let's hope not Russ -- but sometimes I feel the same way believe me. 

the NASCARs and the Wall Streeters vs. literally everyone else...

glad to hear you guys are buying local. very key

thanks for the support too -- and just so you know, the people in my town are pretty laid back, including the cops, so I doubt there's going to be any shenanigans like they had with the weapons grade pepper spray over at UC Davis...

which incidentally was the catalyst for the formation of this local occupy chapter.

speaking of pepper spray, shit like this is when I agree with Russ about the civil war thing: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20111122214144AAFxjgv

they insist on calling us 'fleabags'... you know who goes to these occupy rallies?? middle class folks -- nice clothes -- cologne... the poor people don't want anything to do with it because to them nothing ever changes regardless of how the middle class fares. so they stay out of it. only in major cities like New York do you see hippies with bongos -- but hey, that kind of dismissive rhetoric about the protesters worked in the 60s right? why not drag all the tired old shit back out of the closet? fucking one-trick ponies... you didn't hear people describing the teabaggers that way when they were out there all fat, sweating pork, whining about the tyranny of the Obama administration (?)... oh -- and the Occupy crowd is dangerous and scary too... right? even though the teabaggers were bringing guns to political events with signs that said shit like 'the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants'... some girl said she was sexually assaulted at an Occupy site and suddenly Fox News now feels like they have the go-ahead to start talking all kinds of shit about how the whole movement is out of control... I wouldn't be surprised to learn she was a Republican plant...

so yeah, if there's this kind of vitriol out there -- if the NASCAR crowd is so full of hatred for so-called 'liberals' that they feel the need to carry signs that say 'spay and neuter liberals' -- and tell people to spray occupiers with cockroach spray -- then yeah, I agree, there needs to be a civil war. these people need to wake up to the fact that they're VASTLY outfuckingnumbered... just love it or leave it -- that's what they used to say back when more of the country sided with them... so I'll use it back on them. if you don't like the fact that there are so many non-white, non-NASCAR-loving people -- just get the fuck out -- because that's America bitches. a land where people from all over the world can move to and create a better life for their family. just because the only people doing that back in the 1700s were white Europeans doesn't mean that the whole point of the country has changed now that asians, latinos and blacks have a modicum of social equality... ignorant hypocrites.

the thing is, I don't hate these people -- but it makes me EXTREMELY angry to hear how openly they talk about their hatred for liberals -- do they even  know what the fucking word means?? lib-erty?? hello?? freedom??

they'd hear me talk and peg me as a liberal, but I'm anti-abortion and pro-gun -- and I'm fiscally conservative and don't think people should be given handouts if they're able to fend for themselves -- -- I'm just anti-corporate influence over our government... oooh... and for that I'm a fleabagger and a cockroach? who are these fucking people? good god...

they wanna take a shot at me they better fucking believe I'm gonna shoot back. and I was a marksman back in basic training, so I should do alright.

[propane1909]

WWJND 

[jackulator]

he'd say, "y'ever dance with the devil in the pool?"

and then he'd shit in mother's pocketbook

not sure how effective that would be in the long run, but entertaining -- sure

[Uncle Bingo]

The poor know they'll get their asses kicked, handcuffed and booked. It's wise to go to these occupy groups as fresh and as sparkling as possible. Science shows it's harder for hired thugs to tackle you the more you look like their boss, just so you know. BEE BEE  BEE. BE Sharp?! Seriously. 

[marleycake]

in fact Bingo there might be a real psychology behind that

something screams lawsuit while wearing a new suit! 

[jackulator]

I always dress nice -- unless I'm going to the gym or stopping for groceries

but I agree definitely 

[CallMeBronco]

u dont dress nice for the gym jack? don't u wanna empress the ladies? 

[jackulator]

not much to impress them with at this point 

when I get down under 200 again maybe