Reel Talk: 'Occupy Wall Street- A Short Documentary'

Source:Reel Talk Films- talking about Occupy Wall Street.

"A short film on the Occupy Wall Street movement. Included: facts behind big banks, history of social change and a first hand observation of the protest itself. 

"Knowledge is power. How will you use it? We are the future. We are the 99%"

From Reel Talk

We are going to find out in the next few months as the weather gets cold, especially in the Northeast and Midwest, if the Occupy Wall Street movement is here to stay and will be a factor in 2012. Or will it fade out like other social democratic movements in the past. Especially that were dominated by young people as they got older, finished school, went to work, got married, had kids, became part of the economic establishment they claimed to be against, etc. 

For OWS and I know I've blogged about this a lot lately and said this a lot before, but for them to become something and to effect the 2012 elections, which I'm assuming is their goal, to bring what they call Progressive Change (or Socialist Change) to America, which I'm assuming they are for, they have to be for something. They have to lay out what they say Progressive Change is. It's obvious what they are against: Wall Street, corporations, lobbyists, our campaign finance system. But the question is what does the modern left-wing (or Socialist-Left) in America believe in. And what would they do with government, is they just had the power to do it.

Mark Belfast: 'Newsnight - The Meaning of Socialism in 2010 - 7th September 2010'

Source:Mark Belfast- U.K. Labour Party member Tony Benn, talking to BBC's Newsnight in 2010.

"Newsnight debate in the middle of the Labour leadership campaign on 7th September 2010. Features veteran Labour politican Tony Benn and Political Editor of the 'New Statesman' Mehdi Hasan, interviewed by Jeremy Paxman." 

From Mark Belfast

The meaning of socialism as it was in 2010 and is now going into 2012, has the same meaning in Britain as it does in America. And its democratic socialism or social democracy meaning that the people have some personal economic liberty and there's private enterprise, but that it's heavily regulated and taxed to finance a large welfare state to provide a lot of social insurances. Like health care, health insurance, education, pensions, transportation, etc, even media. Basically the economic system that Sweden has. 

When most people in the West or developed world at least are talking about Socialists and socialism (at least in the positive sense) they're talking about social democracy. And in an economic sense that means having a strong, vibrant private economy and private sector, where individuals are highly taxed to fund a large welfare state, to provide the basic human and economic benefits that Socialists tend not to trust the private sector to provide individuals, like health care. 

The Real News: Paul Jay Interviewing Norman Solomon- 'The Emperor Has No Clothes'

Source:The Real News- President Barack H. Obama (Democrat, Illinois) I guess someone that the Far-Left views as an emperor. 

"Norman Solomon (running for Democratic nomination for Congress in California): Progressives must mount a challenge inside the Democratic Party." 

From The Real News

Norman Solomon a self-described Progressive (Democratic Socialist, in actuality) Democratic candidate for the U.S. House in California, represents exactly what so-called Progressives (Democratic Socialists, in actuality) should be doing right now. You can't get a job or you can't get power unless you apply for it, especially in American politics. 

If you don't like the Democratic Party or the Democratic Leadership and you feel left out of power, but you want to stay in the Democratic Party, then you should either run for office or recruit people who share your political and governmental values to run for office. And not sit at home and cry like a baby as the other party gains power, because you sat at home and didn't do a damn thing about it.

The Real News: David Dougherty- 'Hundred of Community Activists Gather in Baltimore'

Source:The Real News- in Baltimore, Maryland.

"Fair Development Conference held to discuss local organizing strategies." 

From The Real News

So far for the most part the Occupy Wall Street movement has been exactly that: what the people in this movement are against. Not really what they would do instead, what would their alternative agenda would be. Except for a few exceptions, like calling for a "national fair wage" of 20$ an hour. College for all provided by the Federal Government and of course health insurance for all again provided by the Federal Government. (What's known as Medicare For All) And they have been pretty discipline about not announcing an alternative agenda. 

I'm guessing the reasons why OWS hasn't made their own agenda public yet, is because it easy to be against Wall Street right now. Thats like being against trial lawyers, or Congress, or communism. But once it's clear you're against something, but then the question comes what would you do instead. It's easy to be against something especially if it's unpopular, but harder to lay out what you would do instead. And once you're against something that has broad disapproval like Wall Street.

Al Jazeera: Jesse Mesner-Hage- 'Cuba Legalizes Sale of Private Property'

Source:Al Jazeera- welcome to Fidel Castro's Communist Republic of Cuba.

"Al Jazeera (Arabic: الجزيرة‎, romanized: al-jazīrah, IPA: [æl (d)ʒæˈziːrɐ], literally "The Island", though referring to the Arabian Peninsula in context)[3] is an international Arabic news channel based in Doha, Qatar that is operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera Media Network. The channel is a flagship of the media conglomerate and hence, is the only single offering to carry the name as simply "Al Jazeera" in its branding.

The channel's willingness to broadcast no holds barred views, for example on call-in shows, created controversies in the Arab States of the Persian Gulf. One of the station's office was the only channel to cover the War in Afghanistan live." 

From Wikipedia 

"Cuba's government has given its citizens the right to buy and sell their homes for the first time since the 1959 revolution.

The long-awaited reform, published on Thursday in the government's Official Gazette, is one one of the most substantial reforms introduced by Raul Castro, Cuba's president, to liberalize the island's Soviet-style command economy while maintaining the communist system..

Phil Peters, a Cuba expert at the Lexington Institute in Arlington, Virginia, said the move could have broad

ramifications for the Cuban economy, where the cash-strapped government is encouraging the growth of self-employment as it attempts to cut a million jobs from its bloated payrolls.

"The ability to sell houses means instant capital formation for Cuban families. It becomes a source of capital at the

grassroots level," Peters said. "It is a big sign of the government letting go."

Al Jazeera's Jesse Mesner-Hage reports." 

From Al Jazeera

Today there was another indication that Fidel Castro is out-of-power in Cuba and that his brother Raul is President Castro of the Communist Republic of Cuba. Perhaps even one day the President of the Socialist Republic of Cuba or even Democratic Republic of Cuba. But thats probably at least a decade off, but at least the Castro Regime has given its people some liberty and breathing space from this authoritarian regime that took power in Cuba fifty two years ago. 

Thom Hartmann: Ryan Streeter- 'Kick Starting the Economy With Radical Tax Reform?'

Source:Thom Hartmann- debating tax reform with Ryan Streeter.

"Thom Hartmann debates Ryan Streeter,  Editor of ConservativeHomeUSA / Director of Fiscal & Economic Policy-Sagamore Institute, on the Cain and Perry tax proposals." 

From Thom Hartmann 

The economy that Thom Hartmann is talking about was pre-1981 and even pre-1964 before President Lyndon Johnson and later President Ronald Reagan cut taxes across the board. What Mr. Hartmann seems to want is a tax system that ranges from 20-25% to 90%, which is what it was under President Dwight Eisenhower. 

With Ryan Streeter seeming to making the supply side economics argument, that if you just cut taxes especially on wealthy people, investors, and corporations, that alone will not just drive economic growth, but create so much revenue that those tax cuts will pay for themselves. 

We know supply side economics doesn't work at least in the sense that those tax cuts don't pay for themselves. Especially when you're also doubling government spending, which is what the Reagan Administration did as well. 

Current tax rates range from 10-34%. We know that doubling the lowest tax rate and giving lower, middle income people a tax hike whether you're talking about a flat tax, or the Thom Hartmann plan and going back to the Eisenhower tax rates won't work either. Most Americans who aren't either upper class or upper middle income simply can't afford afford any tax increases right now, especially at the levels of 50-100%. 

The best income tax system that we could have is where rates are low on everyone, to encourage economic growth, spending, and investment. Where you force government to pay for everything that it does regardless of what the tax rates are, to keep debt and deficits down. And you eliminate most if not all the tax loopholes in the system, especially if they don't lead to any economic growth or investments and just gives us higher deficits and debt. 

JCV Dude: 'Occupy Wall Street and Health Care'

Source:JCV Dude- talking about Occupy Wall Street.

"How long are you willing to work, from school to grave? Pensions? Health care?What's the deal for the future?

The global economic impact of the five leading chronic diseases -- cancer, diabetes, mental illness, heart disease, and respiratory disease -- could reach $47 trillion over the next 20 years, according to a study by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

"This is not a health issue, this is an economic issue -- it touches on all sectors of society," Eva Jane-Llopis, WEF's head of chronic disease and wellness, said in a telephone interview.

Social security is already a topic in the US 2012 elections, what will the next decade bring. Our economic quicksand is deepening as more issues tumble in, we are sinking and need a life line..

From JCV Dude

Occupy Wall Street as least the non or bipartisan aspects of it, are about protesting against Wall Street. And are tired of Wall Street getting bailed out for their bad behavior. And their relationship with the Federal Government and all of the corporate welfare Wall Street gets from taxpayers and the fact that they've seen their profits go up the last ten years. While the rest of the country have seen their income go down. And have decided to take out all of their anger on Wall Street and Corporate America broadly.

The guy in this video (whoever he is) is talking about the austerity measures that were taken in Europe and in America, including as it relates to what we call Social Security, which is our pension insurance system. He makes some good points, but when government's run deficits and debt, someone has to pay that price and cuts have to be made. 

If you don't want government running deficits and debt and wasting your money, fire the bozos (to use this guy's word) and replace them with people who know how to manage a government.  

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