2011 Off topic thread(basketball,movies,etc whatever)

[sbjj]

So they are protesting Gov. policy(I do not believe they are) by occupying wall street and Oakland and such. PRICELESS!

Funny thing is...these folks actually want the Feds to have MORE power. They are really clueless.

[Svino]

So they are protesting Gov. policy(I do not believe they are) by occupying wall street and Oakland and such. PRICELESS!

Yeah, I can't imagine why all those jobless protesters in Oakland didn't just hop on a plane and fly to DC to protest there instead.

[MMA_scientist]

Well, until the situation turns around, I'm not sure how one can say "things" have been addressed at all, much less ad nauseam.

Campaign finance reform talk has been around since the 1970's, it is not a new issue. It is brought up in various forms all the time. It sounds like the only actual issue is that they are concerned that private interests have taken over government policies. Yeah, we all know that. It is a major flaw in our system, and everyone knows that already. But then, I am not sure why they are protesting wall street, shouldn't they be protesting their elected officials for caving and taking the money? That is why we have elections. Elect a better man who is not subject to the temptations that "wall street" offers.

Every other issue they have (in my brief overview) sounds like nonsense to me. In that Bill Maher screen, the guy is complaining that no one has gone to jail, no healthcare, no jobs, people need the govt for food... basically just a laundry list of completely random gripes about the economy. Even if I agreed that any one of those were true (which I don't believe any of them to be true), they are basically just a random eruption of complaints, none of which is more than tangentially connected to lobbying and campaign finance.

[MMA_scientist]

I just read that campaign finance legislation and reform first started in 1867. Ad nauseam.

[sbjj]

Yeah, I can't imagine why all those jobless protesters in Oakland didn't just hop on a plane and fly to DC to protest there instead.

Do me a favor. Find me ONE clip or picture of a protester in Oakland referencing Government policy. Just one. But I can post plenty of them not only protesting really stupid stuff. But I can also post lots of pictures of the damage and vandalism done to surrounding bussinesses and buildings.

[SPX]

We do in a way have some blame in it though. We do occupy countries and we should not.

think of it this way. Lets say we had a huge catastrophe in America(Earthquake). The Chinese send in a shitload of aid along with a couple of hundred thousand troops. They set up bases and after we are all back up and running. The chinese decide to keep those troops on our soil. What the hell would happen here. You want to see suicide bombings...you aint seen nothing yet.

I think it would make some sense if these were the stated reasons for trying to kill us, but no, it's because we have malls and Jersey Shore is on TV.

[Svino]

Do me a favor. Find me ONE clip or picture of a protester in Oakland referencing Government policy. Just one. But I can post plenty of them not only protesting really stupid stuff. But I can also post lots of pictures of the damage and vandalism done to surrounding bussinesses and buildings.

OK, here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...PJAD.DTL&tsp=1

Gretchen Bailey, a kindergarten teacher at Global Family School in Oakland for 15 years, said she took the day off without pay to protest both local budget cuts and the national goals of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

"I think we need new tax laws," she said. "We all need to share more of the burden."

[SPX]

LOL! And that is what is so scary about possibly being prosecuted for what you view or read.

we should have access to all information and accessing that information should not be a crime. Furthermore, I don't think it should be tracked when we do access said information.

And that's why, in a sense, I look at guys like these as freedom fighters even though they have some books that could give people the information they need to commit heinous crimes. . .

http://www.paladin-press.com/

[SPX]

Bottom line, Liberals are hypocrites, but so are most republicans.

100% true. They both have an us vs them mentality and both sides will play dirty to win.

[sbjj]

OK, here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...PJAD.DTL&tsp=1

Gretchen Bailey, a kindergarten teacher at Global Family School in Oakland for 15 years, said she took the day off without pay to protest both local budget cuts and the national goals of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

"I think we need new tax laws," she said. "We all need to share more of the burden."

Thats not a policy. I'm talking Dodd-frank act. Something of worth. Not bitching about budget cuts. And of course they all want higher taxes on people that work.

[Svino]

Campaign finance reform talk has been around since the 1970's, it is not a new issue. It is brought up in various forms all the time. ... That is why we have elections. Elect a better man who is not subject to the temptations that "wall street" offers.

Sure, but you understand the difference between something that is "talked about" and something that has been fixed to satisfaction. We've been talking about "the economy" since forever too, so I guess we should just stop talking about it now?

The idea that they can just simply elect politicians not subject to Wall Street's temptations (in significant numbers) is naive. sbjj is right: people are sheep, and dollars buy propaganda, which buys votes. The problem is that most politicians who would even think of turning their back on WS can't hope to get elected, regardless of what is really best for most of the country.

[sbjj]

I think it would make some sense if these were the stated reasons for trying to kill us, but no, it's because we have malls and Jersey Shore is on TV.

Osama is on record saying the reason we were attacked was because we have our military in Saudi Arabia. His holy war started after we kept our troops in Saudi Arabia after the Gulf war.

[sbjj]

Sure, but you understand the difference between something that is "talked about" and something that has been fixed to satisfaction. We've been talking about "the economy" since forever too, so I guess we should just stop talking about it now?

The idea that they can just simply elect politicians not subject to Wall Street's temptations (in significant numbers) is naive. sbjj is right: people are sheep, and dollars buy propaganda, which buys votes. The problem is that most politicians who would even think of turning their back on WS can't hope to get elected, regardless of what is really best for most of the country.

The reason all this shit is happening is because of our tax system. If we did not tax income, none of this would be happening. Without an income(and corporate) tax you would basically eliminat lobbyists.

[MMA_scientist]

OK, here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...PJAD.DTL&tsp=1

Gretchen Bailey, a kindergarten teacher at Global Family School in Oakland for 15 years, said she took the day off without pay to protest both local budget cuts and the national goals of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

"I think we need new tax laws," she said. "We all need to share more of the burden."

In all fairness, one of those is a blanket statement (like maybe she does not know the national goals), and the other thing (tax laws) is not the same thing you said was the central issue. Local budget cuts are probably school cuts, which need to be made but will affect her specifically. Like I said, they seem like just a random group of leftist complainers with no actual issue. It is like they are protesting everything and nothing.

And for what it is worth, the guy in the video said he wanted to protest the philosophy that wealth is a right. And that he wants to spread it around more and take care of the planet. It was all jibberish. The rumblings of a man who has no idea what he is talking about.

[Svino]

In all fairness, one of those is a blanket statement (like maybe she does not know the national goals), and the other thing (tax laws) is not the same thing you said was the central issue.

The current tax structure is an enormous contributor to the rising wealth inequality in the US.