Naomi Klein: Protesters Are Seeking Change in the Streets Because It Won’t Come From the Ballot Box

[Better Believe It]

Naomi Klein: Protesters Are Seeking Change in the Streets Because It Won’t Come From the Ballot Box
October 6, 2011

Among the thousands at last night’s Occupy Wall Street protest here in New York City was award-winning journalist and author Naomi Klein. She is the author of the bestselling book, "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism.” She also wrote "No Logo," a book that has become a cultural manifesto for critics of unfettered capitalism worldwide. Klein joins us to discuss the Occupy Wall Street movement and why it is being belittled in the corporate media. “My biggest fear was that the Obama presidency was was going to lead this generation of young people into political cynicism and political apathy,” Klein says. “But instead, they are going to where the power is. They are realizing the change is not coming in Washington because politicians are so controlled by corporate interest, and that that is the fundamental crisis in this country.”

See or listen to the video/audio stream interview at:

http://www.democracynow.org/2011/10/6/naomi_klein_protesters_are_seeking_change


-------------------------------------------


America's New Radicals Attack a System That Ignores Them
by Ted Rall
October 3, 2011

"Enraged young people," The New York Times worries aloud, are kicking off the dust of phony democracy, in which "the job of a citizen was limited to occasional trips to the polling places to vote" while decision-making remains in the claws of a rarified elite of overpaid corporate executives and their corrupt pet politicians.

"From South Asia to the heartland of Europe and now even to Wall Street," the paper continues, "these protesters share something else: wariness, even contempt, toward traditional politicians and the democratic political process they preside over. They are taking to the streets, in part, because they have little faith in the ballot box."

Young adults turned out big for Obama in 2008, but he didn't deliver for them. They noticed: The One's approval rating has plunged from 75 percent among voters ages 18-29 when he took office in January 2009 to 45 percent in September.

Politicians like Obama ignore young adults, especially those with college degrees, at their--and the system's--peril. Now, however, more is at stake than Obama and the Democrats' 2012 election prospects. The entire economic, social and political order faces collapse; young people may choose revolution rather than accept a life of poverty in a state dedicated only to feeding the bank accounts of the superrich.

Read the full article at:

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/10/03-4

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

1. K&R

[nichomachus]

2. Four boxes of liberty

1. Soap box
2. Ballot box
3. Jury box
4. Cartridge box

[backscatter712]

83. Use in that order. n/t

[Fantastic Anarchist]

3. She's absolutely right. n/t

[oldhippie]

4. That kinda sounds like they don't support Democracy .....

.... when it's not going their way. Support Democratic ideals when things go our way, but Civil Disobedience or Anarchy when it doesn't.

Not sure that's the message we should be trying to push.

[Better Believe It]

8. Democracy goes way beyond the right to elect a Republican or Democrat to high office.

It involves all of our democratic rights provided in the Bill of Rights that we must defend and new democratic election rights we still need to win such as open multi-party, multi-candidate elections, universal suffrage (which is now being denied via state laws) and the direct election of a President via a popular vote.

Democratic government isn't and shouldn't be limited to merely voting for politicians every few years.

[Bake]

17. I don't see this as anarchy.

I see OWS, at least at this point, as attempting to get the attention of a political system that hasn't been paying attention and that is broken.

If democracy is broken, people ultimately have to consider "other" options.

Bake

[elehhhhna]

58. shouldn't be tagged as "radical", imo, either

b/c it's common enough here and abroad to demonstrate peacefully.

radical makes it sound like the SLA or the Mau Mau crazies from the 60's/70's

[Kurovski]

21. "we"

Democratic ideals are being supported and defended, just not by the people in Washington.

"We"

[scarletwoman]

23. You are far too smart and too handsome.

:hi:

[Kurovski]

24. "we" agree.

Hey hot mama! :loveya:

[scarletwoman]

26. "We" are delighted to see you.

I'm all atingle... :D

:loveya:

[Kurovski]

27. I'm experiencing

a form of the "Shock Doctrine" myself.

(pretending to be relevant to the thread)

I think your spirit has entered 99% of Americans, you grand agitator, you.

[Odin2005]

25. No, this is TRUE demoncracy, as opposed to voting for one of 2 corporate candidates.

[chervilant]

28. hmm...

Never in a million years would I suspect that these courageous people "don't support Democracy"! In fact, my understanding of this burgeoning OWS movement is that the protests are about ending the PERVERSION of our democratic ideals by a bunch of uber wealthy, hedonistic, old white guys (yeah, well...predominantly white guys). And, there is NOTHING democratic about radical income inequity.

(I have to wonder if you're a troll, or if you just want to start something...)

[me b zola]

33. No, sounds like you are not the name you chose

Geebus, its like the people who come here with an avatar of Che and speak out in favor of corporate interest. Hello? You think we are blind?

[CoffeeCat]

53. No doubt....

Hmmmm...what user name should I select to make them think I'm one of them?

How about "LibLover"? No, too sexy.

How about "Peacebunny" No, too cutetsy.

How about "BirkenstocksforAll!" No, too obvious.

[kenfrequed]

97. I have seen a lot of that

Freepers with Obama up
Blue dogs that have Wellstone as their icon.

I wonder if these people do any research at all.

[sce56]

38. The real story is not being told by the M$M. When that happens we the people need to excercise our

rights to speak freely openly and loudly if that makes me an anarchist so be it! Very few of the media outlets cover the protests fairly so far only MSNBC has done a decent job!

[arikara]

40. There is no democracy involved in the politics of today

Elect a republican, elect a democrat they look after the 1% to hell with the rest of us. The kids aren't stupid, they can see how badly things are broken.

I say good for them, I may not be camping out in a park but this old gal is with them in spirit.

[ScottLand]

48. Too many people think you can just vote yourself a better future.

Just a matter of getting the right guy in there! Maybe people are waking up to the fact that it's not the politicians, it's the whole system.

[CoffeeCat]

52. You actually think we have a democracy?

The corporations own our government. They have purchased our politicians--and the politicians
now represent Corporate America's interest.

You actually want to defend our current situation as a democracy?

Democracy is what these protesters are demanding! We don't have a democracy now.

Allowing corporations to purchase legislation--such as deregulation, lower taxes, bailouts, relaxed
standards for pharmaceutical approvals, erasing food safety procedures, war exacerbation---IS NOT,
IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM--a "Democratic ideal".

Seriously. This is the most ridiculous assertion I've EVER read on DU.

[newspeak]

79. bingo!!!

We don't have a democracy, we have influence going to the highest bidder, and here's a clue, IT'S NOT THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE.

front page of the RJ in Las Vegas, a thousand people protested. Of course, the right wing rag continues the major collusive talking point as all corporate media, "they don't know what their protesting." You want to know what we're protesting, look to KO.

We have a global corporatocracy attempting to assume power in not just our country, but across the globe. Those countries with little to no regulations got hurt the most with the mortgage scam.

And now, those who gamble our lives away on WS need to pay. How do we get out of this financial catastrophe? Make them pay. After all, they are the ones who grossly benefited from this debacle while causing considerable pain to the majority of the people.

[customerserviceguy]

55. Well put

The antiwar movement of the Vietnam era didn't accomplish it's goals outside of motivating elected officials, either. All it succeeded in doing was turning America from its most progressive time in the 20th Century back to the era of Warren Harding, with Reagan.

Give the Repukes the fear angle of anarchy, and they'll not only use it, they'll find a way to blame it on the Obama administration.

[bvar22]

77. Damn Straight!!!

The Hippies Ruined it for Everybody!!!
We were doing just fine before them!:mad:

:rofl:

[customerserviceguy]

105. And what did the 'hippies' (your word, not mine) accomplish?

They couldn't even get pot legalized. They sure didn't stop the war, or eliminate racism and sexism.

Unfocused people can always be made to look threatening by those willing to exploit the situation. We may well see that in the next fifteen months.

[bvar22]

106. We changed the World.

We built upon those that came before us,
and now the Wall Street Protesters are building on what we left behind.
Its ALL connected.

You really need to let it go.
Holding on to all that bitterness for over 40 years
isn't good for your soul.
But don't take it so hard.
I would be bitter too if I had missed it.


---Starkraven & bvar22
Living Well on a Low "Taxable" Income
and stuff we learned in the '60s.

Less IS More

Question Authority

Think for Yourself

If you want something,
you must first give it away.

Whistle while you work

Don't take yourself so seriously

Money does NOT equal "good"

Help Somebody

Grow your Own

Build it yourself

Personal Freedom is inversely proportional to the number of keys in your pocket

"Control" is an absolute illusion

If you want to hear god laugh,
tell him what your plans are

Live a Little
Be a Gypsy
Get around.

To have Peace,
Teach Peace.

:hippie:

[customerserviceguy]

115. I don't know if that's a serious attempt at an answer

Or you're just quoting some song lyrics.

[Better Believe It]

107. New Flash! The U.S. had to withdraw ALL of the GI's from Vietnam.

Thanks in great measure to the hard work of the U.S. anti-war movement and especially the thousands of active duty GI's who organized and led the movement within the military.

Really!

You didn't hear about that?



The rapid withdrawl from the U.S. embassy in Saigon.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

57. This isn't a democracy, it's a republic, and this republic is now run by

corporations.

[MedicalAdmin]

60. Please don't engage in meme propogation.

The USA is a democracy, it is a democratic republic, one of many forms of democracy. But it is a democracy. This is not the board on which to waste your time repeating Rushisms.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

78. I'm aware that is a republican talking point but it happens to be true.

Occupy Wall Street is a democracy. Americans are ruled by leaders who are chosen by corporations. There is now very little difference between the two parties. Leaders who put our interests above the interests of corporations are very scarce.

[MedicalAdmin]

90. tossing the baby out with the bathwater? And no, it isn't true.

The system is OK if we can clear the corruption out of it.

Or are you saying that the entire country and it's system of government should just be tossed out. Sure it's corrupt and sure it needs to fixed badly, but it doesn't change the fact that the USA, at least historically and for the time being, is primarily a democratic republic.

Being a republic does NOT mean that one is NOT democratic in structure. It's just another form. Saying that the USA is not a democracy because it is a form of it called a republic is like saying that Canada is not a democracy because the head of their country is the Queen. Votes, if tallied without discrimination, honestly, and with a full audit trail (and international oversight), are democratic.

We are not fully a fascist state yet, and even if we were, there is always hope.

[bvar22]

81. Deja Vu.

all over again!

Post #33 this thread



You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their excuses.

Solidarity99!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[rhett o rick]

59. Boy are you out of the loop. nm

[harun]

65. You don't live in a Democracy, you live in a Corporate Representative Republic.

Wake up.

[paulk]

70. it's hard to describe the system we have as "democracy"

it hardly represents the 99% any more. That's one of the main points of these protests, imo.

when the process is as broken as ours currently is, perhaps civil disobedience is the only way to get a voice in that process...

[cui bono]

73. I think it shows they want REAL democracy not the kind that goes to the highest donor.

IF the ballot box was working and the will of the people were being represented and implemented that would be one thing, but it clearly isn't. Corporate will is what is being passed off as democracy in this country and we've had enough of that. And also, their protesting the CRIMINALS who have not only gotten off scott free, but were given the gift of a bail out at the people's expense.

And besides, civil disobedience is part of what this country is about.

QUESTION AUTHORITY.

[jwirr]

75. She was asked about not voting - that is not what she meant. She is

not suggesting that we do not vote.

[robertpaulsen]

89. Just curious, oldhippie, didn't you use "Civil Disobedience" when LBJ ruled the roost?

Honestly, what have the "Democratic ideals" you referred to really accomplished since November 22, 1963 when it comes to corporatism, plutocracy and, dare I say it, the whole Military-Industrial-Congressional complex?

Give #OWS some credit, at least they know who their enemy is. Do you?

Futhermore, "Anarchy" is a strawman. You know it, I know it. Drop it.

[defendandprotect]

93. Natural/ordained right of the people to change conditions when government is deemed corrupted ---

Not -- "not going their way" -- but corrupted -- criminal -- fascist.

We have government which is not supporting democratic ideals -- but rather

supporting crimes of "capitalism" -- !!

And, clearly, the message of REBELLION when necessary was "pushed by our Founders" -- !!

[treestar]

99. +1000000

[hifiguy]

5. Naomi Klein rocks!

"The Shock Doctrine" is MUST reading!

[truedelphi]

6. But - But -But -

Don't these young angry protesters get that Obama is totally into the notion of re-training to meet the needs of a new economy!

How can they miss this notion - that Obama is one politician who totally understands that even if you have degree, you might not fit into the new economy.

How can they take to the streets and ignore how much he plans on looking out for them!

If they'd just be patient, they too could be inside the paradigm of young people being re-trained.

But with the way they are going, and their attitude toward this President, the only training they might see is inside a re-education center (Modeled after the ones that Chairman Mao used to get his point across to the too well educated!)


<Sardonically meant post>

[dogknob]

9. Thank you for clarifying that for those with the handicap of a literal mind...

... they are legion here.

[truedelphi]

11. No problem -

It used to be that I wouldn't need to do that.

But these are more contentious times, and is now needed.

[dogknob]

12. EXACTLY WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!?!?!?!??!

Q: How many progressives does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A: THAT'S NOT FUNNY!

[truedelphi]

19. Specifically, back in the day, we were all united in our visceral hatred of all

Things Bush.

Now we are divided. Some people think Obama is doing the best he can; others of us, who have FDR-style policies in mind when we hear the word "Democrat" - we feel sold out.

[Raster]

31. I feel sold out.

In Barrack Obama, I wanted a combination of FDR and the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. I wanted change from the politics-as-usual corporate bullshit. I wanted a new direction for this country, away from the HORROR and heinous ways of cheney*/bush*. That is what I worked for. That is what I voted for. I want a fearless leader that will actually lead, and not just make good speeches. I want a President that will work diligently for the rights and welfare of all citizens, no matter their color, their sex, their sexual orientation or their financial station.

Oh yes, I feel sold out.

[MedicalAdmin]

62. I was hoping for more of a Nelson Mandela but I get your point. n/t

[kenfrequed]

100. Hmm

I had hoped for that, but I didn't expect him to be quite that good. Still I had hopes and figured he would at least move in the right direction a bit more solidly.

[chervilant]

29. And,

they tend to have that classic 'kneejerk' disorder...

[newspeak]

84. yeah, I love the re-training meme

it's up there with clinton's "we're going to be the service center for the world." Don't need any of those stinkin manufacturing jobs, because after I sign NAFTA, american workers are going to be in service, like McDonald's, Burger King.

[defendandprotect]

94. Or -- they could simply start their own business --- !!! ROFL

I'm starting to think that we need to get this over faster to end the suffering ---

Just everyone STOP working -- STOP creating profits for these corporate/fascists --

And next time ropund, let's uninvent the dollar bill -- what's it good for anyway?

You can't plant it -- you can't eat it -- it will never show you a sunset --

Wish I had the actual quote, but the idea is based on the wisdom of the Native American

and their efforts to enlighen --


:hi:

[truedelphi]

101. In taking your notion of reverting to the

Native Aemrican wisdom - we should have the twelve best grandmothers among us ruling our nation!

[Fire Walk With Me]

7. K&R!

[leveymg]

10. No danger that the Obama corporate centrist approach is going to save the American middle-class.

No danger, at all of that outcome.

[rhett o rick]

61. Centrists are the old conservatives abandoned by the wacko right. nm

[Brigid]

13. Many of the young are not fooled.

They know that their future has been stolen from them, and going to the polls now and then just isn't going to be enough for them to take it back. Sadly, it is some in my generation, greedy and clueless to the point of psychopathy, who are responsible for this, and the rest of us did not act forcefully enough to stop them. It is true that the video footage from the protests shows a respectable number of folks with some gray hair and facial lines, but we should never have let things get this far.

[bengalherder]

32. The sixties were exhausting and I cannot blame

that generation for ending that war and dealing with watergate and calling it a day. It was supposed to be all better, right?


And also the sad truth is that popular feeling comes in waves of varying sizes. This too shall pass, but not after we've fixed a few more problems which are becoming more apparent everyday. We have the internet. We have the popular imagination. And we have the elders who did it before to help us both in presence and spirit.

I've been standing on this shore for thirty years. I was damn near alone most of the time. I was a freak in the age of Reaganomics. I gotta smile, man. I look around me now and see all these others with me here. Precarity hurts, and we work too fucking hard to deserve disposabilty and invisibility. The time has come and we are the ones we are waiting for.

[Iris]

45. You weren't alone. Just invisible. Like many of us.

But here we are....

[newspeak]

85. yeah, well sometimes it's like being Cassandra

for many at the time, things were still looking up, still pushing the old "trickle on", but the frog was being boiled slowly, while the hill was dismantling any regulation that would protect the people against wall street. You'd think that some would learn the lesson after the great S&L heist or Enron, but unfortunately that wasn't the case.

[Cool Logic]

14. "Protesters Are Seeking Change in the Streets Because It Won?t Come From the Ballot Box"

In order to win at the ballot box, you must advocate winning ideas.

They are realizing the change is not coming in Washington because politicians are so controlled by corporate interest...

Indeed, a bevy of corporate, as well other special interests control the politicians that "We the People" re-elect at a rate of 96+ %.

What is the definition of insanity...?

[LooseWilly]

41. "What is the definition of insanity...?"— Whatever the people publishing the definition say it is.

Or, to make it more concise... the definition of insanity is whatever the rich say it is.

Odds are pretty good that anything that might threaten their riches is gonna be defined as insanity— on the off chance that said detail might convince a couple of the 99 % to leave their pitchforks at home and go to the mall instead. (They're having a sale on bagel cutters, waffle toasters, and waterbed tube cleaning solution— for 3 days only! Step right up... :+)

[Cool Logic]

47. Actually, I was referring to Einstein's definition...

Or perhaps I should say, the definition attributed to Einstein...who knows?

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. ~Albert Einstein

In any case, why do you think people who re-elect their Representatives at a rate of 96+ %, expect anything to change?

[Lasher]

51. Incumbents are re-elected because a better challenger does not rise to the surface.

This is by no accident. Candidates, particularly those running for national office, are vetted by big money contributors before they ever see the light of day.

Now what can I put you down for? A candidate who supports tax cuts for rich people and their corporations or a candidate who supports the very same thing? How about replacing that incumbent who supports free trade agreements? Well guess what, the challenger supports them too.

[rhett o rick]

80. The "system" doesnt let them rise to the surface.

A number of years age now, an unknown anti-war candidate ran against the incumbent Sen Cantwell who supported the wars of King Georgie Bush. The anti-war candidate wasnt getting a lot of supporters but enough to dampen the campaign of Sen Cantwell. Bingo-Bango the wonders of money, the anti-war candidate withdrew and went to work for Sen Cantwell. I wonder where the bastard is today.

[Lasher]

102. What a tangled web we weave.

Lucrative positions, often for relatives, are used to legally bribe corrupt politicians. Look at Clarence Thomas, for example. Anything to suppress a candidate who might actually do the will of the majority.

[Cool Logic]

104. Even so, it is ultimately the responsibility of you, me and anyone else...

who casts a vote to effect change.

Likewise, it is "We the People" who permit (many actually encourage) the fedgov to legislate beyond the spheres specifically delegated to it in Article 1 of the Constitution.

The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

[Lasher]

113. But the point is, we cannot effect the change we want by simply casting votes.

The game is fixed. The OWS movement is a symptom of the resultant frustration.

[Cool Logic]

116. "...we cannot effect the change we want by simply casting votes."

Casting votes is the only legitimate means of effecting change in a Constitutional Republic. The alternative, civil war, is not a legitimate option, so long as the People retain the power to choose their Representatives.

Thus, the issue of effecting "the change we want," relates to the morality of "We the People" and why we are remiss in holding the people we choose to represent us accountable for their actions.

[Lasher]

118. OK, let's say there were only one presidential candidate on the ballot.

Then we could all go to the polls and cast our votes for that one candidate. Do you think that would be the only legitimate means of affecting change?

[rhett o rick]

64. I guess you still fall for the "free and honest" election meme.

"Step right up and pick your favorite candidate, corporate-thing-one or corporate-thing-two." And if someone decent should sneak in we always have voter fraud to take care of that.

[cui bono]

74. Or "accidents". Particularly in small airplanes. n/t

[rhett o rick]

82. I hope Elizabeth Warren is very careful. nm

[newspeak]

87. again, you have a collusive media

anyone who attempts to do something for the people-every network runs the same repetitive bullshite. It's like they get together and think "how can we get rid of this candidate, he/she is not good for our corporate interest? Look what they did to howard dean. The scream meme being played over and over again or they will find something to ridicule the candidate with, usually something irrelevant.

[Cool Logic]

91. There is no doubt that incumbents have "one-up" on their challengers; however,...

when queried, most people approve of the job their Representative is doing. They think the problem is with the other guy's Representative.

Thus, they continue doing the same thing over and over and...

And the question lingers...Why would anyone expect anything to change?

[Kaleko]

15. Up, up for more eyeballs.

[Better Believe It]

16. Thank you.

:)

[Crunchy Frog]

18. I've reached that conclusion myself since the '08 election.

[scarletwoman]

20. "If voting changed anything they'd make it illegal." Emma Goldman

The ONLY way to real change is on the ground and in the streets. Voting in the current corrupt system is about as useful as the elections in the old Soviet Union.

Until the citizens actually rise up and demand change, politicians will stay in their cozy bubble and continue to cater to the plutocrats.

"Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress." Frederick Douglass

sw

[blindpig]

68. There it is....

that's the nut of it.

k&r

[scarletwoman]

109. Yes, truly. I can only hope that as time goes on, more & more people will see the truth of it.

Thanks.

[cui bono]

76. Great Douglass quote!!! n/t

[scarletwoman]

110. I'm very glad you appreciated it. (nt)

[scarletwoman]

22. kick...

[Name removed]

30. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[davidwparker]

34. True this.

The reason is because of incumbency within each party. It was the baggers who challenged members of their own party recently, but generally, a party member will not challenge another of the same party.

Not enough turnover in Congress.

[snooper2]

35. Still.....waiting .............on ...............the ..........new .............record..

come on!!! It's been years BBI!

[Jack Sprat]

36. Grave times for Americans

First, money undermines true democracy. It elects candidates, corrupts the composition of the Supreme Court, influences policy with our Congress, and destroys the fabric of government of, by, and for the people.

Second, because true democracy has been undermined, the people of the USA are steadily losing their rights to vote in elections. Tyranny is now a clear and present threat.

[midnight]

37. It may start coming from the ballet box when we deal with election fraud...

[tblue]

39. Thank you, OWS, for restoring our hope!

I thought it was gone for at least the rest if my lifetime. Oh my gosh, I really thought our democracy was a thing of the past and the young people would be too turned off to care. They're not. Thank God they're not!

[Mr Deltoid]

42. Change isn't coming from the top down

Change will have to come organically from the bottom up.

[eridani]

43. True dat. However, it still matters who holds office

MLK, Jr., supported the election of both JFK and LBJ. That did not mean that he expected them to achieve the goals of the civil rights movement--he knew that only a large, well-organized social movement could do that.

[HughBeaumont]

46. A movement you WILL NOT get with a Republican president.

Certainly won't get any kind of worker progress at ALL under a Republican president.

Small victories, unfortunately, are what's going to play out.

[bread_and_roses]

67. Is death by a 1000 cuts a "small victory" over decapitation?

because that's the only difference I see.

[eridani]

111. You have a chance to escape after the first few cuts.

A Repuke administration is going to kill the country, period.

[bread_and_roses]

117. What country? You mean the one where

http://www.alternet.org/story/152637/2000s%3A_the_decade_from_hell_for_almost_all_americans_but_the_richest/

the average middle-class family took home $49,445, a drop of $3,719 or 7%, in yearly earnings from 10 years earlier. In other words, that family now earns the same amount as in 1996. After peaking in 1999, middle-class income dwindled through the early years of the George W. Bush presidency, climbing briefly during the housing boom, then nosediving in its aftermath.

... poor families watched their income shrivel by 12%, falling from $13,538 to $11,904. Even families in the 90th percentile of earners suffered a 1% percent hit, dropping on average from $141,032 to $138,923. Only among the staggeringly wealthy was this not a lost decade: the top 1% of earners enjoyed 65% of all income growth in America for much of the decade, one hell of a run, only briefly interrupted by the financial meltdown of 2008 and now, by the look of things, back on track.

... counting more than 46 million men, women, and children among this country's poor. In other words, 15.1% of all Americans are now living in officially defined poverty, the most since 1993.

etc etc etc ... all aided and abetted - and now largely ignored - by D's as well as Rs

I'd say we already have a stinking corpse - how much deader does it have to get?

[AverageJoe90]

44. You say you want a revolution?(apologies to The Beatles)

Then get to that ballot box, and VOTE, if the opportunity comes to you.

[mother earth]

49. We want & need change, & we weren't getting it. It's time

to finally make it known that we voted for change & we will now demand it. Obstructionists everywhere be damned.

[mmonk]

50. Bingo. Thanks for posting.

It's what many of us know.

[Enthusiast]

54. Kicked and recommended!

Publicly financed elections now! I like the Ratigan rule. Treat these politicians just like NCAA does the college athletes -one dime and they're out.

[bread_and_roses]

56. K & R (n/t)

[AllyCat]

63. It won't come from the ballot box because the elections are RIGGED!!

I always believed it when it happened in other states, but it really hit close to home when it happened in WI right under our noses and no one did anything about it!

[PotatoChip]

66. Thank you for the link(s)

Marking the Naomi Klein one for later viewing. K&R

[FlyByNight]

69. K & R

:thumbsup:

[valerief]

71. The ballot box is RIGGED. nt

[xchrom]

72. recommend

[bvar22]

86. Ballot "Box".. How Quaint!

We don't have "Ballot Boxes" anymore.
We have "Black Boxes",
and we have MORE of them since the "Democrats" took over in 2006 & 2008.

After the Stolen Election of 2000,
and the questionable election of 2004,
a rational person would think that Transparent, Verifiable Elections would be a Priority Issue for the Democratic Party Leadership,
especially since 92% of ALL Americans support it, and EASY WIN/WIN:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x446445

....But NO,
only SILENCE from the Democratic Party Leadership.
There IS only one reason why.




You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their excuses.

Solidarity99!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[femrap]

88. I am encouraged....

and it has been many, many, long years since I've been encouraged.

I kinda feel like I did when we made Nixon resign....but of course I still wanted him jailed!

[defendandprotect]

92. K/R -- Government is ignoring the will of the people -- !!

[Uncle Joe]

95. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Better Believe It.

[Anatos]

96. So close!...

They are realizing the change is not coming in Washington because politicians are so controlled by corporate interest, and that that is the fundamental crisis in this country.

While the Republicans seem to have a corner on the "paranoid style" of politics, the leftist Dems appear to specialize in the "naive style", to lesser effect.

All politicians have always been controlled by the powerful moneyed interests. They always will be, too: it is inherent in the very concept of "politics" (as opposed to "populist tyranny", which isn't politics but the lack thereof.) The fundamental crisis is that naive fools, inspired by the sixties and spawned by well-intentioned idealists like Ms Klein (whom I love and respect but will not parrot) somehow came to believe that this wasn't the case, that the necessity for citizens to organize directly is somehow new or unprecedented in our history. I am glad the public is "finally realizing" that if they want to change the country they have to change the country, not just whine about the government. I would be more satisfied if more of them could see their way clear to recognizing that this (the "Occupy" movement, and the "Wisconsin" actions before it) is a result of the President's successful leadership, not, as is almost always claimed, a reaction to the President's supposed lack of leadership.

[treestar]

98. Aww, too bad for them that they have to live with the other voters!

No one should be allowed to disagree or vote another way. It's not fair!

:nopity:

[Ignis]

103. K&R. 2008 was a great opportunity for Hope and Change.

...But it's almost 2012 now, and many young people aren't fooled by the theatrics.

[StarsInHerHair]

108. kickety

[RainDog]

112. k&r n/t

[Agony]

114. Kick thx BBI nt