Saltah'na
Chinese Canadian, or 75% Commie Bastard.
Member # 33
posted
quote:Originally posted by Jason Abbadon:
quote:The Occupy movement has made statements that such government assistance should be extended to everyone, regardless of their situation. I do not agree with that sentiment, as it encourages the lazy and increases the sense of entitlement that the Occupy movement is so full of.
I dont know where you get your news from but all the interviews I've seen with the people at OWS and the people I personally know at Occupy Miami have no such "sense of entitlement". They're not looking for a free ride- what most of them are looking for is a bit of fair play- that the people resposible for the loss of so many jobs and wealth face prosecution, not record bonuses. The other major desire (which I also share) is for a constitional ammendment banning campaign contributions over a certain dollar amount- and a overruling of the Citizens United decision (which only such an ammendment can accomplish). A means of accountibility and transparantcy, in other words to the voters- a return to the founding principle of "One person one vote" wherein a small percentage (say one percent) holds the political decisions of the majority hostage- deciding everything from social programs to which wars to fight, based on their own desires and greed.
I have yet to see anyone asking to never work again- or even for European style protections- only for the means to cover basic needs while looking for a job- you know, the jobs that are being outsources with help from US taxpayers, which the unemployed certainly were until recently.
Perhaps you hadn't been keeping up with the news of the Occupy movement in Toronto, but the statements that I mentioned were the EXACT statements that came from the Toronto protest. There is a lot of criticism that the Canadian Occupy movements did not share the same message as the original Wall Street protesters. In fact, the Toronto movement was basically accused of trying to find something to protest about and it was not necessarily the same views as Wall Street. Why? Because the Canadian financial system was not such a screwup, their original message held less merit here. Our economic situation was not as bad as yours, not as many people unemployed, etc. They decided to protest anyway, and if anything, they HURT the original OWS movement instead of helped. If anything, the OWS movement should have disavoved the Toronto movement. Some food for thought, most of the Toronto protesters didn't camp out at the park, a Toronto Police infrared camera showed that the tents were EMPTY at night. So where did these protesters go? Back to their comfy homes for a nice meal and a shower. That effectively nullified their protest. One other thing, guess who assisted in bankrolling this protest? The same Toronto Outside Workers Union. Again, the Toronto Occupy protest was and will always be illegitimate.
Don't get me wrong, the issues that you have mentioned are big problems indeed and that so many people have basically gotten away with murder while so many others were affected by the financial meltdown (myself included, indirectly). My problem is that the protests may not be the most effective method of addressing these issues, especially, in our case, the true "message" runs the risk of being diluted by illegitimate forms of protest. Here is where I believe government regularion is absolutely needed, unfortunately, your GOP is not helping matters by actually SIDING with your broken financial system. Why is the GOP trying to protect the companies that got us into this mess instead of condemning them?
Obama is indeed a wonderful president. Too bad he is about to be run roughshod by events that were never under his control, and never truly his fault.
-------------------- "And slowly, you come to realize, it's all as it should be, you can only do so much. If you're game enough, you could place your trust in me. For the love of life, there's a tradeoff, we could lose it all but we'll go down fighting...." - David Sylvian FreeSpace 2, the greatest space sim of all time, now remastered!
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Honestly, I was not aware there even was an Occupy Toronto- I figured you were talking about the Occupy wall Street people, who are villified by BLoomberg and Murdoch's media empires (both billionaires for irony).
Looks like we got our wires crossed on this.
If they are really just saying they sould live off the state and not have to work...well that's crazyland.
As to Obama- every one I know ns tired of him comprimising on everything and the Democrats caving like a bunch of spineless jellyfish. Even when they have the moral hig ground- like a ONE percent surtax on everything over a million dollars of personal revenue to pay for a tax break for the middle class...they cave.
We want Obama to fight goddamn it! If he loses the election, it'll be on the perception of weakness that assholes like Romney are playing up- repeating lies like how Omama supposedly went all over the worls apologizing for America's actions.
Politiface called that a "Pants on Fire" lie- their highest score for bullshitters.
I'm rambling incoherently now as I need to go to sleep....I'll blather more in ten hours or so,
G'night, Flarites!
Registered: Aug 2002
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Saltah'na
Chinese Canadian, or 75% Commie Bastard.
Member # 33
posted
They are not saying they should live off the state, but rather they deserve a "comfortable life" at the expense of everyone else, no matter what kind of "occupation" they are in, no matter how lazy they may truly be.
-------------------- "And slowly, you come to realize, it's all as it should be, you can only do so much. If you're game enough, you could place your trust in me. For the love of life, there's a tradeoff, we could lose it all but we'll go down fighting...." - David Sylvian FreeSpace 2, the greatest space sim of all time, now remastered!
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
I don't recall anyone in the Occupy movement saying they want a cozy life at the expense of others, but hey, that's the way a lot of corporate execs have been living in these tough economic times. Maybe the Toronto Occupiers are just following their lead.
Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
I have drifted a touch left, which seems rather odd. In any case, remember the below when they tell you Tea Party folks are loony anti-gubment right-wingers:
Your Political Compass Economic Left/Right: 0.0 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -0.36
I never made dead center on the left/right before. Score!
Now continue posting, Commies and Monarchists!
-------------------- . . . ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.
posted
I don't really want to go through this whole quiz again, but I recently did one that tells you how closely you're aligned with the presidential candidates, and I think it told me I was 98% in agreement with Bernie Sanders. And something like 4% for Rick Santorum, which was distressingly high.
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Santorum's grimace-y, strangely angry creepy grin is known to leave his face at night and terrorize small children, preparing for the day when it and Biden's million-buck smile will have their final battle for supremacy.
posted
Incidentally, there is now another version of this online that uses the same questions but solves the problem of having folks like me dead center by tossing the middle-dwellers way off to the right and literally having "Liberalism" in the center, with Progressivism to its right!
posted
2002 Economic Left/Right: -5.12 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3
2006 Economic Left/Right: -4.38 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.51
2013 Economic Left/Right: -5.12 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.59
2015 Economic Left/Right: -5.88 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.49
-------------------- "Never give up. And never, under any circumstances, no matter what - never face the facts." - Ruth Gordon
Registered: Mar 2000
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posted
Economic Left/Right: -7.63 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.85
Wow, I'm still drifting in the same direction. Interesting.
quote:Originally posted by TSN: And something like 4% for Rick Santorum, which was distressingly high.
Look at it this way, it means Santorum is about 4% sane. Does that sound more likely?
-------------------- “Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” — Isaac Asimov Star Trek Minutiae | Memory Alpha
Registered: Nov 2000
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quote:Originally posted by Guardian 2000: I have drifted a touch left, which seems rather odd. In any case, remember the below when they tell you Tea Party folks are loony anti-gubment right-wingers:
Your Political Compass Economic Left/Right: 0.0 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -0.36
I never made dead center on the left/right before. Score!
Now continue posting, Commies and Monarchists!
Thread revive!
Six years later and a lot of things having occurred in the world, and now I supposedly drifted a bit more left and a bit more authoritarian, but still exceedingly close to dead-center. Notably, it's about a .65 drift in both axes
Your Political Compass Economic Left/Right: -0.63 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: 0.31
For kicks, I also did a "binary run" where every answer was given "strongly" . . . at which point I landed 0.88 to the right (a mere 1.4 swing) with no change in authoritarianism.
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