We are the 53% and we are not occupy Wall Street

[dwell]

So everyone needs to go to college and get smarter. Problem solved.

I'm going to write my reps. about expanding college loans! :biggrin:

I only have a Bachelors. I'm able to stay smarter than most people in my industry by constantly keeping up with technology. Reading books, tutorials, forums, blogs, user groups, etc.

 

[Infohawk]

Do you think it's easy these days for anyone? My profession (software development) is largely outsourced. What did I do? Made sure that I am smarter and better rounded than the dudes off shore working for 1 / 10th of what I get.

So you want those young people to learn everything you did for free and then try to undercut you so you lose your job? Would that make you happy? The reality is that there aren't as many jobs as there used to be. Telling everyone to fight harder for the remaining jobs doesn't create more jobs.

It's naive to think things haven't changed. This economy is a new kind of beast. It's looking more and more like Europe's economy where young people are mostly fucked.

 

[DucatiMonster696]

I would tell this guy to deliver his note to the Iraq war veteran who is now in the hospital in critical condition. Head injuries from a gas grenade. Police attacked crowd in Oakland.

But I guess the injured vet who served our country was just another unemployed pot-smoking hippie.

How many of those police officers are vets themselves? Emotional appeal FTL.

 

[Engineer]

I only have a Bachelors. I'm able to stay smarter than most people in my industry by constantly keeping up with technology. Reading books, tutorials, forums, blogs, user groups, etc.

I'm talking about all the factory workers, janitors, EVERYONE. That's all you have to do is go to college and get a good "technical" (Engineering for example) degree. The US will roar ahead and unemployment will drop to basically nothing while wages skyrocket to all time highs for the masses.

 

[halik]

Sounds like you're in the bottom of the 99% then.

By wealth or income? I'm in the top 5%ish percent by income, probably in the 50th percentile ? by wealth.

Don't lump in with what you consider the 99% - people whining about college loans or lack of jobs they thought they'd have. I have sizable amount of the former and was unemployed for about a year after finishing grad school. Instead of camping out and bitching and moaning, I got off my ass and did something to support myself (iphone apps) and eventually got a job that lead to another etc.

 

[theeedude]

I am in the 53% and support OWS.

 

[dwell]

So you want those young people to learn everything you did for free and then try to undercut you so you lose your job? Would that make you happy? The reality is that there aren't as many jobs as there used to be. Telling everyone to fight harder for the remaining jobs doesn't create more jobs.

No. I want them to take out student loans and get grants. Speaking for my industry, there's a fuckton of jobs for intelligent American young people.

 

[GrGr]

Yes, but 1/2 those things don't involve tax dollars a none of them involve handouts like these 99ers are calling for.

Everything involves tax dollars. Why should the 99% give handouts to the rich? I just don't get it. The rich have been getting handouts fist over fist ever since Reagan and they just want more, more, more, despite getting richer and richer past the point of absurdity - while the people giving the handsouts have been getting poorer and poorer, yet they are supposed to give even more and ask for nothing back?

You sir, are backwards.

 

[ComradeBeck]

The "53%" are more like uniformed 10% of losers that have no life who watch Fox. Suburban culture commandos on one last douchey trip before they exit the stage of history. (a history they never seemed to be able find the correct side of) good riddance conservatism Rush and friends get older/more irrelevant and more isolated from the culture every year along with the conservative base.

Going to be a lot of empty funerals next decade or so of "crazy uncles" who bought into the news entertainment media and pissed off everyone they know acting like jerks. All to make a few fatass rich guys laugh all teh way to the bank. I would feel bad for the lost souls like the fanbois in here, but I do not usually do not take much pity on those too stupid to look out for their own best interests.

Plenty of people told conservatives over the years they are morons who watch too much tv/radio. Conservatives are the ones who decided they are some elitist class of modern geriatric "patriots" and isolated themselves in favor of this alter-entertainment political reality Limbaugh and friends spun for them since the 80s.

 

[Engineer]

It's naive to think things haven't changed. This economy is a new kind of beast. It's looking more and more like Europe's economy where young people are mostly fucked.

Because we have spent 30 years sending out solid paying jobs that used to keep the lower and lower middle "relatively uneducated" in very good standing. Now, we expect them to somehow pull themselves up by the bootstraps, attend college and become the next engineer or IT worker. Now that the bottom is collapsing, the "trickle up" effect on the economy and everyone that isn't at the top is plainly visible....except to those that keep preaching that we are better off as a "service" society and using the "efficient" (buzz word) labor of the the slave wage countries to produce our goods.

 

[dwell]

I'm talking about all the factory workers, janitors, EVERYONE. That's all you have to do is go to college and get a good "technical" (Engineering for example) degree. The US will roar ahead and unemployment will drop to basically nothing while wages skyrocket to all time highs for the masses.

Their jobs are being taken by the illegals. That's a whole other can of worms. Write your President and tell him to get them out of the country to free up jobs for American citizens.

 

[GrGr]

How many of those police officers are vets themselves? Emotional appeal FTL.

Support the troops. Isn't that the right wing chant to make people mindlessly support illegal invasions (grand old time honoured looting expeditions) of Muslim (and now African) nations?

 

[GrGr]

Their jobs are being taken by the illegals. That's a whole other can of worms. Write your President and tell him to get them out of the country to free up jobs for American citizens.

The flood of illegals is by design.

Back in the day the US flooded with immigrants for much the same purpose. To undercut wages.

 

[fskimospy]

Why are you focusing on race here and how is it not racism?

The guy is an idiot because of what he writes, not because of what he looks like or what race he is. Although certain races have been hit harder by the Great Recession, I think it's clear even middle-aged white guys are suffering. In fact, that's probably why this movement is getting the support it is. If it were only blacks or the usual percentage of poor people suffering like most of American history, nobody would give a shit. Instead it's now white people of all ages that are disillusioned and that's why we're seeing a movement like this.

Someone who writes something like that and broadcasts it out on the internet is most likely a conservative. Among conservatives, the largest group by a wide margin is white, middle aged males. It's not at all surprising that this guy is a middle aged white dude.

 

[Engineer]

Their jobs are being taken by the illegals. That's a whole other can of worms. Write your President and tell him to get them out of the country to free up jobs for American citizens.

The US has deported more illegals this year than any other year in history. Hasn't helped much.

And it's not illegals taking their jobs.....it's the simple fact that good paying jobs like manufacturing are being shipped out in favor of "short term" profits for the capital owners, period. Those plants not only provided good paying jobs for the "general masses", they provided good jobs for professionals and also produced much R&D and innovation. It's amazing how many people who work in automation and tool building industry got started working as a production worker in a factory and learned how to change and design machinery while "on the job study" (i.e. working) was in effect.

The solution of getting more loans, grants and going to school seems to be falling pretty flat as over 15% of college grads don't have a job after 6 months and countless others have jobs that have absolutely nothing to do with their major (although I admit that some (many?) of those chose poorly...but how do they start over now?)?

 

[halik]

Man, I'd love you if I was an employer. I'd work your nuts off just for you to make a survival salary. Then when you are worn out I'd replace you with the next schmuck in line.

Or I'd restrict the amount of jobs where I offer full time. I'd just employ loads of part-timers. That way I wouldn't have to pay for any pensions or medicare plan.

I don't see why these 53% people think that going back to some kind of pre-WWI US capitalism is such a great idea. The rich are loving it of course. They were filthy rich back then and did more or less as they pleased while workers had no protection whatsoever. There were no worker compensation laws back then, those came about in 1914. Ever wonder why?


Back then the US was stealing stuff from Spain and plundring China for it's resources... Same old, same old isn't it.

Employers do love me, which is why I command a solid compensation package.

As a matter of fact, I've received a discretionary bonus from my last employer, despite the fact that I've resigned before the bonus was due. They felt I deserved it.

If i may offer one advice to you - rather than focusing on how you're getting seemingly screwed by employers, focus on how to be an asset to them. Nine to five mentality never leads to good results.

 

[DucatiMonster696]

Support the troops.

But as long they support you political cause right?

When they were in Iraq and wearing a uniform or wear a police uniform in their civilian jobs they are disingenuously tossed under the proverbial truck of emotional appeals in favor of your own political opinions.

Response to your edit: Glad to see my point backed up via your edit.

Support the troops. Isn't that the right wing chant to make people mindlessly support illegal invasions (grand old time honoured looting expeditions) of Muslim (and now African) nations?

 

[Throckmorton]

By wealth or income? I'm in the top 5%ish percent by income, probably in the 50th percentile ? by wealth.

Don't lump in with what you consider the 99% - people whining about college loans or lack of jobs they thought they'd have. I have sizable amount of the former and was unemployed for about a year after finishing grad school. Instead of camping out and bitching and moaning, I got off my ass and did something to support myself (iphone apps) and eventually got a job that lead to another etc.

If you're not in the top 1%, you're in the 99%. End of story.

It's physically impossible for everybody to get to the top 5%, much less the top 1%, by making iPhone apps. You know that.

 

[fskimospy]

Middle-aged white guy was 20-something white guy not long ago. Much like 90% of the OWS movement. Let's see how many of the OWS crowd become "the man" when they grow up and have people that depend on them.

You act like the 99% are the civil rights movement. You have no clue.

Oh do I? Well then it shouldn't be hard to dig up a quote of mine that says something to that effect or gives that impression. Let me know when you find it.

 

[Infohawk]

No. I want them to take out student loans and get grants. Speaking for my industry, there's a fuckton of jobs for intelligent American young people.

That's what they're doing... Are you sure you know what you're complaining about?

It sounds like your whole message is, "if I did it they can do it too" which completely ignores the fact that the economy may have changed since the time you "did it".

 

[Infohawk]

Someone who writes something like that and broadcasts it out on the internet is most likely a conservative. Among conservatives, the largest group by a wide margin is white, middle aged males. It's not at all surprising that this guy is a middle aged white dude.

Isn't that like somebody saying I knew it would be a black person if it's a story about a crime in an inner city? It's really not helpful at all and would be considered racist by many even if statistically correct. More importantly: how is it important? Why try to make OWS into a racial divide if you want everyone to listen?

 

[ComradeBeck]

What is sad is that middle aged white dudes used to have good paying union/government jobs in the 1950s-1970s, now they have ate up this talk radio corporate propaganda and sold themselves out to be wal mart greeters. Whats funny is they blame the government and other working class who hold on to living wage jobs as "spoiled".

The whole time the morons never even thought for a minute while lapping up the propaganda that it is private industry that outsourced their asses in the name of profit. Not some fantasy gubbermunt boogeyman. Pathetic class traitors without a clue.

 

[GrGr]

Because we have spent 30 years sending out solid paying jobs that used to keep the lower and lower middle "relatively uneducated" in very good standing. Now, we expect them to somehow pull themselves up by the bootstraps, attend college and become the next engineer or IT worker. Now that the bottom is collapsing, the "trickle up" effect on the economy and everyone that isn't at the top is plainly visible....except to those that keep preaching that we are better off as a "service" society and using the "efficient" (buzz word) labor of the the slave wage countries to produce our goods.

Well, look at Texas. The rich want to implement a planation economy there for the working classes. The slave wage country is basically the US in a few years time, if it isn't already.

We know (always knew) that the trickle down effect of Reaganomics is piss, now people are drowning in it and finally they have begun to complain about it. Not a day too soon I say.

The OWS is a counter-reaction to the Rich Reactionaries that are trying to push time back to the 19th century laissez faire economy (with them pulling all the strings naturally since they have all the money) and with no labour protection or representation.

 

[Engineer]

What is sad is that middle aged white dudes used to have good paying union/government jobs in the 1950s-1970s

The guy from the OP is a middle aged white dude who has a good paying "union" government job (i.e. he and his wife are teachers)! :biggrin:

 

[DucatiMonster696]

What is sad is that middle aged white dudes used to have good paying union/government jobs in the 1950s-1970s, now they have ate up this talk radio corporate propaganda and sold themselves out to be wal mart greeters. Whats funny is they blame the government and other working class who hold on to living wage jobs as "spoiled".

The whole time the morons never even thought for a minute while lapping up the propaganda that it is private industry that outsourced their asses in the name of profit. Not some fantasy gubbermunt boogeyman. Pathetic class traitors without a clue.

So who are you going to vote for again? Please don't say Obama because am going to laugh at your delusional ass.