Occupy whatever
A bunch of people who have no concept of how the world really works are having an event. Their, uhm, manifesto is entertaining reading. While I, in the abstract, wouldn’t mind pepper-spraying hippies, it’s actual application is unacceptable unless they’re being violent. We just joke about that and don’t actually do it.
Now, the local patchouli encrusted crowd is having a solidarity march in Knoxville, instead of doing something useful.
October 4th, 2011 at 9:38 am
I keep seeing the list of 13 demands reposted. Yes this list is utterly retarded, but its a forum post. For all we know it could be a troll.
I’m perpetually skeptical of “offical” statements from groups which are so loosely organized. These statements should be read and compared to get a general feel for the movement, but there is no central doctrine. Take the TEA Party for example, each local group has its own rules and org.
I think Reason is doing the academic work of comparing the various statements, but it’s not quite making it clear that this isn’t a formal centralized movement. I don’t think this group is actually capable of making a cohesive, official declaration.
October 4th, 2011 at 10:28 am
Don’t knock Patchouli..
October 4th, 2011 at 11:22 am
Slow Children Playing:
http://gunblogblacklist.blogspot.com/2011/10/slow-children-playing.html
October 4th, 2011 at 11:46 am
I wouldn’t dismiss these Hippies just so soon. George Soros (probably the Richest Communist in the World) supports them, Van Jones has reared his Ugly Head, various Unions are going to join their Protests, and other members of the Karl Marx Appreciation Society are jumping on their Band Wagon. Remember your Hippie History. How many anti-war protests were there in 1965? Fast Forward 3 years, LBJ is gone, Chicago gets Trashed, etc.
And since the Commies can only gain Power when the Economy Sucks….. stay tuned.
October 4th, 2011 at 12:06 pm
“… people who have no concept of how the world really works “… (but I repeat myself)…
October 4th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
I KNOW that all the 60s detritus in the MSM who missed Woodstock are getting chubbies just thinking about re-living their worthless youths — “Stick it to the Man!”; “Power to the People!”; “Don’t trust anyone over $200K (250K if filing jointly)!”
As for me, my philosophy is that every time a hippie cries, an angel gets its wings and Baby Jesus smiles with delight.
October 4th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
While reading Loyd Hart’s 13 demands. A (paraphrased, I think) quote from Margaret Thatcher came to mind:
“The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.”
What do these ass-hats think? That money will magicly appear to pay for all this stuff if the want it bad enough?
s
October 4th, 2011 at 2:10 pm
*SNERK* HAHAHAHAHAHA!
Wow, glad I wasn’t drinking anything, it’d be new laptop time.
Let ’em have arts and crafts time for their signs, and walk around all they want, I’m sure some of them could use the exercise.
As long as they’re not breaking stuff or hurting anyone, let ’em have fun.
October 4th, 2011 at 2:25 pm
You know what they aren’t protesting for? Streamlined regulation and reduced fees to facilitate the creation of businesses so that the poor, oppressed masses can escape from under the thumb of the corporate terrorists and build free and independent (socially conscious) entities without requiring the capital aggregation services or or loans from Wall Street and evil bankers.
But they do want $20 an hour even for no work, absolution of debt especially credential debt from top schools, oh and, free pachouli for all
October 4th, 2011 at 2:29 pm
Yeah, you know, hippies like Ron Paul complain about the Fed and bailouts and Wall Street. Bet Dr. Paul gets his patchouli wholesale.
Hippie: you keep on using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
I keep scratching my head wondering why the same righty blogs that were jumping for joy at TPers occupying Washington don’t like seeing others occupying Wall St and saying basically the same thing–bailouts are dumb and its time for the people to take their govt back from monied special interests.
Hypocrisy much?
October 4th, 2011 at 2:32 pm
You know what the difference between your “streamlined” regulation and letting Goldman Sachs get away with all sorts of malfeasance is?
Absolutely nothing.
October 4th, 2011 at 2:36 pm
Best comment from the Knoxville call to protest:
October 4th, 2011 at 2:39 pm
You really have to get off the kool-aid, it’s rotting your brain.
Please elaborate on how facilitating the creation of businesses somehow let’s GS “get away with all sorts of malfeasance”
In case you haven’t noticed, GS is already in business and has the cash to aggregate into whatever enterprise they desire.
October 4th, 2011 at 2:54 pm
You really have to quit tossing out platitudes and pretending they represent some sort of cogent, compelling series of thoughts. They don’t. The kool aid is all yours.
Consumers create demand and make business and growth possible; nobody’s creating work right now, and those with wealth are merely accumulating and holding it until demand returns.
Regulation of Wall Street to prevent the sort of chicanery GS et al shamelessly got away with (you know, things like hedging against the very investment vehicles they were telling you to buy, the kind of thing that would get you or me sent to the pokey)–you know, where now more than one in three dollars is changed hands in our economy, the financial sector that isn’t creating jobs or really doing anything but playing a big Ponzi scheme which is why Dr. Paul is calling for an end to the whole thing–has nothing to do with creating businesses. Turn off the AM radio and use your brain–you don’t have to tolerate that sort of thing in order to have an environment that fosters economic growth.
In fact, that sort of thing has sucked an untold pile of hundreds of billions out of the economy and has done more to stifle job creation than any regulation ever has (especially since it’s been shown that regulation is generally job-creation neutral).
I love the smell of smug Republican idiots shitting up the Internet with anonymous troll blather in the morning…
October 4th, 2011 at 2:59 pm
“people who have no concept of how the world works”… thank God for the internet to keep them busy. Wall-Street-Occupiers? Guilty as charged. Tea Partiers? Guilty as charged. “Moderates”? Guilty as Charged.
Question is, how do you fix it?
October 4th, 2011 at 3:03 pm
Good question.
My guess is belittling those who want to see it changed and recognize what a fraud is going on isn’t helpful. I notice our host thinks the Knoxville effort isn’t a useful exercise.
I notice he doesn’t have a recommendation for actually something useful you can do. What sayeth you, Unk? What should they be doing instead?
(Admittedly a trick question–exercising the 1st Amendment is rarely a pointless exercise. And in this case it’s probably way more useful than pretending there isn’t a problem).
October 4th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
Change isn’t always for the good and I don’t want what these bozos are prattling about. Despite their dripping wet feelings, you don’t have a right to a job or the rest of their Christmas list.
As to how to fix it, the country needs to stop privatizing gains while making the losses public (i.e., bailouts, stimulus, tarp, whatever). Let them fail. That’s a start. Maybe. Calling someone out for their rainbow-farting unicorn pipe dreams doesn’t mean I have a solution to cure their political or social ills.
Pointing out the futility of an activity doesn’t obligate me to tell them something else. Like I want these guys contacting their reps.
October 4th, 2011 at 3:58 pm
A world where I cannot work to feed myself & my family is a world I don’t want to live in. Thankfully, I can right now.
There is a lot of silly talk about this. Dreams that somehow punishing Wall Street will make a thousand jobs bloom….
Even sillier, dreams that de-regulating everything and lowering the lowest tax rate the country has ever seen will do the same thing…
People may not have a right to a job, but without the opportunity to get one, they don’t have much other rights, either.
October 4th, 2011 at 4:59 pm
Sebastiano beat me to it. I’m seeing a lot of Ron Paul supporters and Libertarians in the Occupy groups. https://www.kitcomm.com/showpost.php?p=1528527&postcount=17
Why are you calling them hippies?
October 4th, 2011 at 5:40 pm
Our corporate tax rates are 2nd highest in the world after Japan, and Japan is lowering theirs. As for individual rates, you take all the money (100%) from everyone who makes $250K or more, you can run our government for about 140 days. But the government doesn’t need to cut spending and needs more tax money? Sorry, but you can suck it.
October 4th, 2011 at 11:29 pm
Our EFFECTIVE tax rates are nowhere near that.
You’re still a bloomin idiot, and feel free to suggest someone shoot me again.
Better yet, come try it yourself fucktard.
October 4th, 2011 at 11:38 pm
Because anyone who objects to corporate control of our politics and unethical business practices on Wall St must sit around smoking joints and listening to Peter, Paul, and Mary.
Like I was saying…you keep on using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Smijer excellent rebuttal of your continued insistence that nobody owes you anything despite the fact that everyone owes everyone else in some very real sense…you’re really missing the point:
People are angry. They’re angry that the Fed still exists at all. They’re angry that GS and BOA are getting away with things that would get you and me thrown in jail. They’re angry that corporations have control over their govt and not them.
They’re speaking out about it, and you’re calling them “hippies” in hilariously inaccurate fashion.
They might not have all the solutions, but attitudes like yours are a big part of the problem.
October 5th, 2011 at 5:19 am
I take it the gun blogs failed to notice this story in the news last month: http://www.forbes.com/sites/traceygreenstein/2011/09/20/the-feds-16-trillion-bailouts-under-reported/
The Fed loaned out $16 TRILLION and no one notices?
October 5th, 2011 at 9:38 am
Noticing that and being upset makes you a hippie. You, me, and Ron Paul should get together and listen to our John Sebastian (no relation) records and burn some Thai sticks.:)