Well, the Occupiers have finally decided to tell us what they want and show us how much history they know and how smart they are.
Details follow.
Link
Note that these haters of corporations are using free gmail.
My comments are noted as "Me:" in bold.
WHEREAS THE FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION PROVIDES THAT:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Me: Well, great. But they fail to understand that the right to assemble doesn’t mean the right to seize public and private property for their personal use. That’s usually considered to be criminal trespass.
BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
WE, THE NINETY-NINE PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in order to form a more perfect Union, by, for and of the PEOPLE, shall elect and convene a NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY beginning on July 4, 2012 in the City Of Philadelphia to prepare and ratify a PETITION FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES on behalf of the 99% of United States citizens.
Me: Somehow I don’t think that they represent 346,500,000 Americans. In fact, I doubt they represent 1%.
I. Election of Delegates:
The People, consisting of all United States citizens who have reached the age of 18, regardless of party affiliation and voter registration status, shall elect Two Delegates, one male and one female, by direct vote, from each of the existing 435 Congressional Districts to represent the People at the NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY. The office of Delegate shall be open to all United States citizens who have reached the age of 18.
No candidate for Delegate to the NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY will be permitted to run on a party line or use any party label while running for or serving as a Delegate. No candidate or delegate may take private money from any source. Election Committees in the 435 voting districts, consisting of volunteers, shall organize, coordinate and transparently fund this election. The voting process shall be free from the corrupting influence of corporate money and all funds raised by the 99% Declaration Working Group shall be used for the purpose of funding the election of Delegates and providing a venue for the Delegates to meet in Philadelphia.
Me: No private money? No corporate money? “transparently fund?” How? Who are these “volunteers?” How do they get picked?
II. Meeting of the National General Assembly and Approval of a Petition for a Redress of Grievances:
In addition to ensuring a free and fair election of the Delegates to the NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY, the Working Group on the 99% Declaration shall be responsible for raising sufficient funds to secure a venue wherein the 870* Delegates may convene, deliberate and ratify a PETITION FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES to be presented to all 535 members of Congress, the 9 members of the Supreme Court, the President of the United States and each of the political candidates seeking to be elected to federal public office in November 2012.
Me: Ah, I see. The “Working Group” shall raise the money. But where will they get it? I mean they said no private and no corporate. Hmmmm, I’m beginning to suspect that they want a government grant.
Subject to the voting procedure regarding the final vote for ratification of the PETITION FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES as set forth in section III, the Delegates of the National General Assembly shall implement their own rules, procedures, agenda, code of conduct, internal elections or appointments of committee members to efficiently and expeditiously accomplish the People's mandate to present a PETITION FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES to all three branches of the government of the United States of America and political candidates before the 2012 election.
III. Content of the Petition for a Redress of Grievances:
The PETITION FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES ratified by the NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY shall be non-partisan and specifically address the critical issues now confronting the 99% of the People of the United States of America. The Delegates shall deliberate and vote upon proposals and solutions to be included in the PETITION FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES and if necessary adjourn for further consultation with the 99% of the People of the United States of America as our founding fathers conferred during the first two Continental Congresses.
The final vote ratifying the PETITION FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES shall be by simple majority vote by the 870 delegates and a duly elected chairperson of the National General Assembly shall determine the outcome of the final vote on ratification in the event of a tie. Upon ratification, all of the Delegates shall affix their signatures to the final PETITION FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES.
Me: What? Simple majority? I thought that was called the tyranny of the majority. Who is gonna look out for the minority?
IV. Suggested Content of the Petition for a Redress of Grievances:
In order to facilitate the timely election of the 870 Delegates to the NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY by July 4, 2012 and submission of the PETITION FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES before the 2012 general election, the Working Group on the 99% Declaration, shall draft a suggested list of grievances to be submitted to the Delegates of the NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY no later than April 30, 2012. The final version of the PETITION FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES, to be ratified by the NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY, may or may not include the following issues currently suggested by the Working Group on the 99% Declaration:
1. Elimination of the Corporate State. The merger of the Amercian political system of Republican Democracy with the economic system of Capitalism has resulted in the establishment of a Corporate government of, by and for the benefit of domestic and mult-inational corporations. Therefore, the 99% of the American People demand an immediate ban on all private contributions of any thing of value, to all politicians serving in or running for federal office. This ban shall extend to all individuals, corporations, "political action committees," "super political action committees," lobbyists, unions and all other private sources of money or any thing of value.
Me: An immediate ban?? Suppose that violates the law. What then?
Private fundings of campaigns from concentrated sources of wealth have corrupted our political system. Therefore, all private funding of political campaigns shall be replaced by the fair, equal and total public financing of all federal political campaigns.
Me: Public financing?? Well, okay. But who is going to determine who gets what? Let me guess. The “Working Group.”
We, the 99% of the American People, categorically REJECT the concepts that corporations are persons or that money is equal to free speech because if that were so, then only the wealthiest people, corporations and other entities comprised of concentrated wealth would have a meaningful voice in our society. The complete elimination of all private contributions must be enacted by law or Constitutional amendment because it has become clear that politicians in the United States cannot regulate themselves and have become the exclusive representatives of corporations, unions and the very wealthy who indirectly and directly spend vast sums of money on political campaigns to influence the candidates’ decisions when they attain office and ensure their reelection year after year.
Me: Okay. Let’s say Congress tells’em to stick it. And let’s say the Constitutional amendment route fails. What then?
It has been estimated that 94% of all federal political campaigns are won by the candidate who spends the most money. Our elected representatives spend far too much of their time fundraising for the next election rather than doing the People's business. This constant need for more and more money, causes our politicians to labor under conflicts of interest that make it impossible for them to act in the best interests of the American People. Indeed, the current system's propagation of legalized bribery and obscene conflicts of interests has reduced our once great Republican Democracy to a greed driven corporatocracy run by boardroom oligarchs who represent .05 to 1% of the population but own 38% of the wealth and whose incomes have increased 275% since 1979 while most other salaries have remained virtually flat or declined.
Me: Ya gotta watch those profits. If you ain’t careful they’ll turn obscene on you. I recommend keeping them below 34 degrees.
2. Abrogation of the "Citizens United" Case. The immediate abrogation, even if it requires a Constitutional Amendment, of the outrageous and anti-democratic Supreme Court holding in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. This heinous decision proclaimed by the United States Supreme Court in 2010 equates the payment of money to politicians by corporations, wealthy individuals and unions with the exercise of protected free speech. We, the 99% of the American People, demand that institutional bribery never again be deemed protected free speech.
Me: Well, there they go again. So again, what happens if the SC ignores them and the Amendment route fails. That could take 10 years or so. Think these folks would accept that?
3. Elimination of All Private Benefits and "Perks" to Politicians. The 99% of the American People demand the immediate prohibition of special benefits to all federal public employees, officers, officials or their immediate family members. Public officials, politicians and their immediate families shall be banned from ever being employed by any corporation, individual or business that the public official specifically regulated while in office. No public employee, officer, official or their immediate family members shall own or hold any stock or shares in any corporation or other entity that the public official specifically regulated while in office until a full 5 years after their term is completed.
There shall be a complete lifetime ban on the acceptance of all gifts, services, money or thing of value, directly or indirectly, by any elected or appointed public official or their immediate family members, from any person, corporation, union or other entity that the public official was charged to specifically regulate while in office. The term "specifically regulate" shall mean service on a committee or sub-committee or service within any agency or department of the federal government responsible for the regulation of the person, union, corporation or entity seeking to directly or indirectly confer a benefit to a public official.
To root out corruption and restore integrity to our political system, all elected politicians and public employees must ONLY collect their salary, generous healthcare benefits and pension. Congress shall immediately pass new laws banning all private benefits to politicians and public officials. Any person, including individuals connected directly or indirectly to corporations, who violate these new laws shall be sentenced to a term of mandatory imprisonment of no less than one year and not more than ten years.
Me: Not bad. Not bad at all. But why not make them purchase their healthcare insurance from the same market place we do? I mean if the intent is to insure they are treated the same as the other citizens. And though not stated, I assume there will be a grandfather clause that excludes the existing Senators and Congress people. If not, there’s gonna be a big dump on the stock market.
4. Term Limits. Members of the United States House of Representatives shall be limited to serving no more than four two-year terms in their lifetime. Members of the United States Senate shall be limited to serving no more than two six-year terms in their lifetime. The two-term limit for President shall remain unchanged. Serving as a member of Congress or as the President of the United States is one of the highest honors and privileges our culture can bestow. These positions of prominence in our society should be sought to serve one's country and not provide a lifetime career designed to increase personal wealth and accumulate power for the sake of vanity and hubris
Me: Again not bad. But the problem here is that the SC has already ruled that a law establishing this would be unconstitutional. So we are back to a Constitutional Amendment. Would the Occupiers be willing to accept that? I don’t think they would.
5. A Fair Tax Code. A complete reformation of the United States Tax Code to require ALL citizens and corporations to pay a fair share of a progressive, graduated income tax by eliminating loopholes, unfair tax breaks, exemptions and unfair deductions, subsidies and ending all other methods of evading taxes.
The current system of taxation unjustly favors the wealthiest Americans, many of whom pay fewer taxes to the United States Treasury than citizens who earn much less and pay a much higher percentage of their incomes in taxes. Any corporation that does business in the United States and generates income from that business in the United States shall be fully taxed on that income regardless of corporate domicile or they will be barred from earning their profits in the United States. This will allow honest companies and individuals who pay their fair share in taxes to take over those markets in the United States economy.
Me: Well, it does need to be reformed. Let’s say to a flat tax. But that is not what they are speaking of. And read carefully “ALL citizens….pay a fair share. When you first read it you get the idea that it means EVERY citizen. But it doesn’t. It means that the FAIR share will be determined by the progressive graduated income tax. So nothing is changed, just who gets the loop holes. That’s the heart of their plan to redistribute income.
Me: Further demonstrating their lack of understanding is the demand for taxing ALL business income rather than all profits. I guess they think that people invest their money in a business and don’t expect to get it back.
6. Healthcare for All. Medicare for all or adoption of a universal single-payer healthcare system. The Medicaid program will be eliminated as redundant.
Me: Works for me. The question then becomes, how do ALL of us pay for it? My view is that a national sales tax collected at the point of retail sale be used. (Not a VAT!) But I doubt that this is what the Occupiers mean.
7. Protection of the Planet. Corporate greed is destroying the only habitable planet known to humanity. New comprehensive laws and regulations must be immediately enacted to give the Environmental Protection Agency expanded powers to shut down corporations, businesses or any entities that intentionally or recklessly damage the environment, and to criminally prosecute individuals who intentionally or recklessly damage the environment. The 99% of the American People demand the immediate adoption of the most recent international protocols to reverse climate change, including the "Washington Declaration" and implementation of new and existing programs to rapidly transition away from fossil fuels to reusable or carbon neutral sources of energy.
Me: Wow. A government agency with unchecked powers to destroy. Now that’s scary. But again it shows really what the Occupiers are about.
8. Debt Reduction. Adoption of an immediate plan to reduce the national debt to a sustainable percentage of GDP by 2020. Reduction of the $15 trillion national debt to be achieved by BOTH fair progressive taxation and cuts in spending that benefit corporations engaged in perpetual war for profit, inefficient healthcare, pharmaceutical exploitation, the communications industry, banking and finance, the oil and gas industry, and all other entities that currently use the federal budget as a private income stream. We agree that spending cuts are necessary but those cuts must be made to facilitate what is best for the People of the United States of America, not multi-national and domestic corporations who currently have a stranglehold on the politicians in both parties.
Me: So we increase taxes and cut spending that benefit corporations. And what, pray tell, is inefficient care? Can you say, “Death Panels, boys and girls?”
9. Jobs for All Americans. Passage of a comprehensive job and job-training act like the American Jobs Act to employ our citizens in jobs that are available with specialized training. The American People must be put to work now by repairing America's crumbling infrastructure and building other needed public works projects. In conjunction with a new jobs act, reinstitution of the Works Progress Administration, Civilian Conservation Corps and similar emergency governmental agencies tasked with creating new projects to provide jobs to the 46 million People living in poverty, the 9% unemployed and 16.2% who are underemployed.
Me: Yeah. I can just see these folks marching off to work.
Shovels on their shoulders singing, “Hi ho! Hi ho! It’s off to work we go!”
10. Student Loan Forgiveness. Implementation of a student loan debt relief forgiveness program. Our students are $1 trillion in debt from education loans and have few employment prospects due to the financial collapse caused by the unbridled and unregulated greed of Wall Street. Banks receive virtually interest free loans from the Federal Reserve Bank and then charge upwards of 6% interest to our students for profit. Because education is the only way to ensure our future success as a nation, interest on student debts must be immediately reduced to 2% or less and repayments deferred for periods of unemployment. The tax code will also be amended so that employers will receive a student loan repayment tax deduction for paying off the loans of their employees.
The principal on all outstanding loans shall be forgiven over time by phasing in a graduated corporate tax surcharge. This surcharge will serve as restitution and reparations for Wall Street's intentional and reckless conduct leading to widespread unemployment after the economic collapse in 2007-2008. This economic crisis, the worst since the Great Depression, resulted in the the $1.5 trillion dollar bail out of Wall Street and unknown losses to the economy estimated to be in the trillions of dollars. Banks and the financial institutions they own (see point 16 infra) have caused the current worldwide recession, debt crisis and ongoing turmoil in the international markets.
Me: Now we get to it. They don’t want to keep their word and pay what they owe. How about a counter offer? Just forgive all their debt.
But no more loans backed by the government.
11. Immigration Reform and Improved Border Security. Immediate passage of the Dream Act and comprehensive immigration and border security reform including offering visas, lawful permanent resident status and citizenship to the world’s brightest People to stay and work in our industries and schools after they obtain their education and training in the United States.
Me: Not bad. But how about the parents of those folks? Why, we can’t be breaking up families! Or at least that's what Newt tells us.
12. Ending of Perpetual War for Profit. Recalling all military personnel at all non-essential bases and refocusing national defense goals to address threats posed by the geopolitics of the 21st century, including terrorism and limiting the large scale deployment of military forces to instances where Congressional approval has been granted. New laws must be enacted to counter the Military Industrial Complex's mission of perpetual war for profit. The annual savings created by updating our military posture and ending perpetual war will be applied to the social programs outlined herein to improve the quality of life for human beings rather than facilitating and assisting corporations engaged in murder to make ever-increasing profits distributed to the top 1% of wealth owners.
Me: There goes the military. Say hello to terrorist attacks and imposition of Shariah Law. Maybe we could start with a stoning or two of some female Gollywood Stars engaging in being with a male who is not a family member. (That’s sarcasm.)
13. Reforming Public Education. Mandating new educational goals to train the American public to perform jobs in a 21st century economy, particularly in the areas of technology and green energy. This must be accomplished by taking into consideration the redundancy caused by technology and the inexpensive cost of labor in China, India and other developing countries. Eliminating tenure in primary public education in favor of merit performance and paying our teachers a competitive salary commensurate with the salaries in the private sector. These salaries must be based upon similar skills in the private sector because without highly-skilled teachers, there will never be a highly-skilled workforce and the United States will fall further and further behind its competitors.
Me: Green energy. Of course they don’t seem to understand that green energy won’t provide the power we need and cost three times more than carbon based energy. Stupid is as stupid does. As for the teachers, I wonder how they will take the pay cuts, loss of job security and increase in hours worked. But this is really poetic justice for many of the teachers. These are your students doing what you taught them. Enjoy.
14. End Outsourcing. Subject to the elimination of corporate tax loopholes and exploited exemptions and deductions stated above, offering tax incentives to businesses to remain in the United States and hire our citizens rather than outsource jobs. An "outsourcing tax" should be introduced to discourage businesses from sending jobs overseas and tax incentives should be offered to companies that invest in reconstructing the manufacturing capacity of the United States. This country must again competitively produce everyday products in the United States rather than importing them from countries like China and India. To do business in the United States, corporations must make slightly less profit by hiring American workers and paying them a living wage rather than maximizing every penny of profit to the detriment of our society.
Me: Feels good but looks bad. Or the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Let me see. Along with having the EPA shut them down, taxing investment return rather than profit we are going to demand we manufacture everything in the USA. A noble thought, but I wonder if the Occupiers understand that along with cheap labor most of the world doesn’t have a million pages of regulations that, among other things, spell out the size and quantity of toilet paper in the company’s toilets?
15. End Currency Manipulation. Implementing immediate legislation (see e.g. H.R. 639) to encourage China (which undervalues its currency by an estimated 25% to 40%) and our other trading partners to end currency manipulation and reduce the trade deficit and end unfair trade practices.
Me: Let’s start a trade war.
16. Banking and Securities Reform. Immediate reenactment of the Glass-Steagall Act and increased regulation of Wall Street and the financial industry by the SEC, FINRA, the Justice Department and the other financial regulators. The immediate commencement of Justice Department criminal investigations into the Securities and Banking industry practices that led to the collapse of markets, bank bail-out and financial firm failures in 2007-2008. Introduction of a small financial transaction fee also known as the "Robin Hood Tax" to collect fees on each and every stock trade and other financial transactions. Uniform regulations limiting what banks may charge consumers for ATM fees, the use of debit cards and other miscellaneous "fees." Ending the $4 billion a year "hedge fund loophole" which permits certain individuals engaged in financial transactions to evade graduated income tax rates by treating their income as capital gains which are taxed at a much lower tax rate (approximately 15%).
Me: Watch that “other financial transactions.” A federal sales tax is lurking.
17. Foreclosure Moratorium. Adoption of a plan similar to President Clinton’s proposal to end the mortgage crisis. The privately owned Federal Reserve Bank shall not continue to lower interest rates for loans to banks that are refusing to loan to small businesses and consumers. Instead, the federal government shall buy all mortgages in foreclosure and refinance these debts at an interest rate of 1% or less because that is the interest rate the Federal Reserve charges the banks who hoard the cash despite ample liquidity rather than loan it to the People and small businesses. These debts will be managed by the newly established Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and an independent foreclosure task force appointed and overseen by Congress and the Executive Branch to determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether foreclosure proceedings should continue based on the circumstances of each homeowner and the propriety of the financial institution's conduct when originating the loan.
Me: CRA redux. Oh well, nothing like some Hair of the Dog to cure a hang over.
18. Ending the Fed. The immediate formation of a non-partisan commission, overseen by Congress, to audit and investigate the short-term and long-term economic risks in eliminating the privately-owned Federal Reserve Bank and transferring its functions to the United States Treasury Department.
Me: Well, Sovereign Debt is working so well all over the world…..
19. Abolish the Electoral College, Comprehensive Campaign Finance and Election Reform. The 99% Demand the abolishment of the Electoral College in favor of the Popular Vote in presidential elections to avoid situations where the Electoral College elects a candidate who does not receive a majority of the popular vote. Subject to the above-referenced ban on all private money and gifts in politics, Congress shall immediately enact additional campaign finance reform requiring the Federal Communications Commission to grant free air-time to all federal candidates; total public campaign financing to all candidates who obtain sufficient petition signatures and/or votes to get on the ballot and participate in the primaries and/or general election election; implementation of nationwide uniform election rules applied to all voting districts requiring equal access to third parties to appear on ballots; abolition of "gerrymandering" by utilizing non-partisan public commissions, shortening the campaign season to three months; allowing voting on weekends and holidays; issuance of free voter registration cards to all citizens who are eligible to vote so that they cannot be turned away at a polling station because they do not have a driver's license or other form of identification; a review of the exclusion of voters with criminal records, and expanding the option of mail-in ballots and verifiable internet voting.
Me: Roughly translated, “We don’t want the small states to have a vote.” And note that National ID card. And if anyone can tell me how to have verifiable internet voting, please call or write.
20. Ending the War in Afghanistan. An immediate withdrawal of all combat troops from Afghanistan and a substantial increase in the amount of funding for veteran job training and placement. New programs dedicated to the treatment of the emotional and physical injuries sustained by veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Our veterans are committing suicide at an estimated unprecedented rate of one person every 80 minutes and we must help now.
Me: I’m all for ending it. The problem is withdrawal is called “surrender.” Of course Obama has already told’em when we're leaving.
21. Repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act ("DOMA"). Immediate passage of Senate bill, S. 598, and House bill, H.R. 1116, to repeal the Defense Of Marriage Act because all human beings have the right to love and marry another human being regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
Me: Well, there had to be one thing I agree with. Now, if they will just include a clause that says churches have the right to not participate they’ll have something.
V. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that IF the PETITION FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES approved by the 870 Delegates of the NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY in consultation with the NINETY-NINE PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE, is not acted upon within a reasonable time and to the satisfaction of the Delegates of the NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY, said Delegates shall reconvene to utilize the grassroots network established in the election of the NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY to organize a new INDEPENDENT POLITICAL PARTY to run candidates for every available Congressional seat in the mid-term election of 2014 and again in 2016 until all vestiges of the existing corrupt corporatocracy have been eradicated through the power of the ballot box.
Me: Translated: If you don’t do what we want you to we’re gonna run candidates.
Question, dear Occupiers.
Why in hell don’t you just do that instead of making all the childish, ill considered, unworkable and stupid demands?
"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper
“It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine
