<p>I’m betting that a few black people were inconvenienced by the Selma to Montgomery freedom marches, too. Does that mean Martin Luther King, Jr. shouldn’t have shut down the Edmund Pettis Bridge?</p>
<p>[Selma</a> to Montgomery marches - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selma_to_Montgomery_marches]Selma”>Selma to Montgomery marches - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>You’re not really comparing these entitled, elitist brats to Dr. King and his freedom marchers, are you? How utterly disrespectful to Dr. King, the Civil Rights movement, and all who sacrificed in its name.</p>
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<p>The US is a massive consumer driven economy. The end result of globalization ought not to be that US workers should make the same amount as sweat shop labor. The end result of the current circumstances ought simply to be that the government steps in and protects our jobs, tarrifs unfair competition from foreign countries, and tariffs, as well, goods manufactured on foreign land, even if done so by a US corporation.</p>
<p>Right now, we protect the right of the corporations to offshore jobs. I see no value in that.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, those protesting on wall street don’t understand that what you really NEED right now is to protect the US economy from economic warfare, as engaged in by China and the rest of them. So, they say, “Tax the rich.” But, tax the rich is NOT the same as “Tax the job exporters.” “Tax the foreign labor” importers.</p>
<p>The end result need not be this situation, at all, if only it wasn’t a "better’ media story to just engage in class warfare so arbitrarily. Let’s get smart. If you want class warfare, fine, but at least let’s ask for the “right” taxes.</p>
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<p>Martin Luther King, Jr. would have been standing there with the protestors today.</p>
<p>Or don’t you remember that he led the [March</a> on Washington for Jobs and Freedom](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_on_Washington_for_Jobs_and_Freedom]March”>March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom - Wikipedia)?</p>
<p>How utterly disrespectful to Dr. King, the Civil Rights movement, and all who sacrificed in its name.</p>
<p>Incomes are not going up because American workers are competing with counterparts all over the globe. It has nothing to do with taxing the “rich” more. </p>
<p>But it is a satisfying narrative to blame the rich meanies who aren’t paying their fair share. The party in power may get a bit of traction from it.</p>
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Ah, yes. And the same could have been said about Thomas Paine, Paul Revere and other of that ilk. The working class folk who served the British were severely inconvenienced by that pesky “revolution” thing they all got caught up in as well.</p>
<p>Shame on those “founding fathers”!! </p>
<p>(The same argument was made about Martin Luthor King, Jr., by the way.)</p>
<p>Note: I’m not asserting that the goals and tactics of the “Occupy Wall Street” are as well thought out or destined for success as those of the heroes of the American Revolution or of the Civil Rights movement - but to wrap criticism of those opposing the strong and wealthy by condemning the fallout on the poor folks who work for them is, well, a copout. And coupling it with seething contempt simply evidences a personal as opposed to philosophical enmity. Not a very good argument, IMHO. In short, Zoosermom - It would be more productive to come up with something substantive, instead of just spitting at people whom you apparently are not in sympathy with.</p>
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I seriously doubt it. I think you might be flashing back to a better time, because, let me tell you, this group of protesters and union thugs is nothing like Dr. King. Perhaps you are just attributing to these people a nobility that they haven’t earned because you actually are that noble. They aren’t.</p>
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You know where you can stick your condescension, don’t you Kluge? Good.</p>
<p>As you have known for years, I substantively teach poor, dispossessed people to read on my own time to help them take a step up in life. How about you, buddy?</p>
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<p>And what would you call ignoring the needs of the poor in service of a bunch of entitled brats? Collateral damage? You are the epitome of liberal condescension. Poor people are only valuable to you in service of a political agenda, right? Too bad if they lose their jobs as long as you have yours. And they ARE losing their jobs and being hurt by the protests. Individual human beings. Perhaps you’ve met some.</p>
<p>To be fair, a lot of the kids involved in this protest, and I’m not talking about the union people and the celebrities who have latched on to the group, much the way the republicans latched on to the tea party, have some really legitimate complaints to make.</p>
<p>Their futures are being given away by thier elders to other elders, and they will be left holding the bill. They can’t find jobs. They, most of them are educated, and all the “promises” our country made them have fallen through. They are the first generation who can say with certainty that thier lifestyle may never approach that of their parents, and some of them can’t even move out of their parents house.</p>
<p>We failed to keep the trust for them the way our parents did for us, and we have greedily eaten up all of the profits and off-shored thier futures and they are left with nothing but a big bill for the wasted prosperity of their parents genearation. Unfortunately, the media, also run by their parents, continues to frame the story inaccurately, and so, they are having a tough time figuring out what it is they are fighting. But, they DO know they need to fight for their future. They are right about that.</p>
<p>It’s just that what they need to fight isn’t what they think they need to fight. Too many windmills would confuse even Don Quixote, himself.</p>
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<p>poetgrl: I really don’t understand economics and hope you know I am not challenging you, but aren’t the foreign labor importers and job exporters “the rich”? If “the rich” are taxed, won’t those individuals be included?
What am I not understanding?</p>
<p>No. I agree.</p>
<p>What I am saying is we “need” the right taxes in order to change corporate policy and bring the jobs and manufacturing back here. Simply taxing the wealthy and putting more money in the government’s treasury will not bring back jobs. Strategically taxing corporations for off-shoring jobs and taxing products coming from countries like China who are unfairly manipulating the currency system to keep their labor costs low, WILL help. So, yes, they will be taxed. Fine! Great!</p>
<p>But, let’s not just tax. Let’s do it in a way that will help. That’s all.</p>
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Exactly. We also have to remember that some of whom are being villified as “the rich” are in reality small business owners. For the most part, they aren’t enemies of the republic, you know?</p>
<p>Do you guys have any understanding at all of corporate finance? I’m sorry but I’m truly astounded by some of these posts. Do you not grasp that corporations offshore jobs to cut labor costs mostly and obtain access to emerging markets. That sounds pretty diabolical and evil, right? Well, do you by any chance have a 401K that has some stock funds? It would be highly unlikely that you do not. Do you get disappointed and move around your funds when a stock doesn’t do well? Do you pay any attention at all to quarterly results and the whole process by which “analysts” upgrade or downgrade stocks?</p>
<p>Corporations have to cut costs to be competitive with others in their industry. If they don’t, investors will dump their stock and move it elsewhere.</p>
<p>There’s a really interesting argument to be made that the real source of pain in all this was the advent of the 401K and the entrance of the American worker into the world of stock ownership. It fueled a bubble in stocks. It also led to a demand for outsize growth, quarter after quarter so that our 401Ks would grow ever faster. That led to cutting labor costs to make profits margins larger. And on it went.</p>
<p>This whole notion that corporations are evil and just trying to cut labor costs to make more money is ridiculously naive. It’s all about the stock price. And those driving the stock price are the stock holders – you.</p>
<p>But it is certainly more comfortable and satisfying to protest against evil corporations. it feels good.</p>
<p>I work in the legal field. Outsourcing is a gigantic issue right now in the legal community. I’m not sure what the outome will be, but it’s being debated very heatedly right now. Like dstark said before, I have no idea how it will turn out, but these are big doings.</p>
<p>okay poetgrl, thanks! I think it is a problem for the general public to understand what is happening and how it can be addressed. I understand something basic like “tax the rich” but have to spend sometimes hours trying to figure out posts with links from dstark and kluge and you and others.</p>
<h1>270 dstark wrote:</h1>
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<p>^^this I understand! In my opinion someone somewhere needs to give us a narrative we can understand and support so we don’t all keep working against our own best interests.</p>
<p>edit: sewhappy - I do not have a 401 K. I think stocks are only for people like dstark bceagle, etc who clearly understand what is happening. I am smart enough to know I am way too stupid to be invested in stocks.</p>
<p>a couple of relatives recently made this argument to me about globalization being essential for stock prices and they are worried about this issue too</p>
<p>The top 1 percent of American families own 38 percent of all privately-held stock, 60 percent of all financial securities and 62 percent of all business equity.</p>
<p>The top 10 percent own 82 percent of all privately-held stock, 98 percent of all financial securities and 93 percent of all business equity.</p>
<p>[Who</a> Rules America: Wealth, Income, and Power](<a href=“http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html]Who”>Who Rules America: Wealth, Income, and Power)</p>
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<p>They’re getting killed today.</p>
<p>“Outsourcing is a gigantic issue right now in the legal community. I’m not sure what the outome will be, but it’s being debated very heatedly right now”</p>
<p>I wonder how things will pay out as more and more white collar people see their jobs shipped overseas…</p>
<p>^^what necessary jobs can’t be done with machines/technology/video/etc?</p>
<p>I am still reeling from your day with no IRL human commercial contact.</p>