The Anti-Greed Movement

In case anyone hadn't noticed, the protests against greed in capitalism has now expanded to countries all over the world. There are 1300 different protests being held worldwide to protest greed in politics. We didn't get here out of the blue, people.

"If we divided the income of the U.S. into thirds, we find that the top ten percent of the population gets a third, the next thirty percent gets another third, and the bottom sixty percent get the last third. If we divide the wealth of the U.S. into thirds, we find that the top one percent own a third, the next nine percent own another third, and the bottom ninety percent divide up the rest. (Actually, these percentages are slightly out of date. The top one percent are now estimated to own between forty and fifty percent of the nation's wealth.)" - David Schweickart

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. Already they have raised up a money aristocracy that has set the government at defiance. This issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people to whom it properly belongs. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of the moneyed corporations which already dare to challenge our Government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country" - Thomas Jefferson, 1791

According to Professor Nobel Laureate Richard E. Smalley, the biggest problems facing humanity over the next 50 years are:
Energy
Water
Food
Environment
Poverty
Terrorism and War
Disease
Education
Democracy
Population

I think the problems of environment, poverty, terrorism and war, education, and especially democracy can be directly addressed by getting rid of corruption in our government caused by the greed of corporations and banks, and the other 5 problems on this list might also have their biggest solutions in the same. I can think of no better cause to fight for or put one's energies behind, I think this is what the Occupy Wall St. and other protests all over the world are all about, and I highly suggest that we all get the word out and get as involved in this issue as much as possible.

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Permalink Reply by Steph S. on October 10, 2011 at 5:39pm

"This issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people to whom it properly belongs."

I agree Wanderer.

Countries all over the world have had it with greed.

Permalink Reply by Grace Fitzpatrick on October 10, 2011 at 7:01pm

I don't agree with all the methods, but I do agree with the heart of your cause.  Having been involved in different environmental and veterans movements over the years, my advice to you is "don't give up."  It may take many years to attain your goals and objectives.  I think your movement is going to loose steam when the winter hits hard.  I think you have a lot of hangers on that just want to be a part of something cool.  But to really make a change takes a long time.  If a tough, hardcore, organized group makes corporate regulation their goal, they will achieve. For the sake of the entire planet, corporate domination of world politics needs to be curtailed. 

 

My personal issues are the environment and veterans affairs.  I don't feel like I can jump on this bandwagon because I think I can be more effective concentrating on a few things instead of a wide spectrum. 

 

Good luck to you.  Keep up the fight. 

Permalink Reply by Jedi Wanderer on October 11, 2011 at 6:15am
I'm going to have to point out to you, Grace, that this is THE big problem for all of us. You say that your personal issues are the environment and veterans affairs? Well, I don't know so much about the latter, but the former is wholly dependent on making sure the voice of big business isn't the only voice heard or listened to. As long as corporations can dominate global politics, they will make sure that environmental concerns come in a distant second to the concerns of corporate greed. We should ALL be behind this movement, if ever there was a common objective which we can all unify behind, THIS IS IT!!! Wake up, people!
Permalink Reply by Grace Fitzpatrick on October 11, 2011 at 8:19am
I have a very serious chronic illness.  I can't physically jump on every worthy cause.  I have to choose the few that mean the most to me.  Sure saving the whales, stopping mountain top removal and saving baby harp seals are all worthwhile, but I don't have the energy to work for all that.  I'm sick and I have a family to care for.  I can only concentrate on the issues that effect me most.
Permalink Reply by Jedi Wanderer on October 11, 2011 at 8:54am
I understand, I think we both also have special needs dependents and of course one has to choose one's battles wisely. This is precisely why I am shouting the word about this cause, because I think it underlies so many other causes that to focus one's efforts on this one would be a great step, perhaps the only step, to solving so many of the other problems we face. Global warming, pollution, mass extinctions, institutionalized poverty, and yes, saving the whales, ending mountain-top removal, and saving all sorts of individual species can all be helped by getting greed out of politics and returning power to the people. I can hardly think of a problem humanity faces which doesn't either begin with or heavily involve corruption in our governments caused by greed. I understand if you feel you are better suited to other tasks, Grace, I am just happy you are on our side and I appreciate your encouragement!
Permalink Reply by Grace Fitzpatrick on October 11, 2011 at 11:01am

I used to try to work for every worthy cause I could.  I think I have written letters for about every "save the-" fill in the blank animal species.  My dad was a conservationist and he passed that on to me.  Plus there's a million and one diseases and save the children type groups.  It gets hard to pick which group you're going to work with, because all of them are worthwhile. 

 

Algal bloom is a huge problem here in Northeast Kansas, so I've been doing my part trying to keep the leaves and grass cuttings from my yard out of the local sewer system. I have sycamore trees.  This is a huge job.

 

Corporate greed is a big part of it.  They don't want to pay taxes for street sweepers to remove leaves and debris, so the rivers and streams won't become toxic from algal bloom.  They don't want to spend a little money on environmental surveys that may save an entire species of endangered bat and build somewhere else.  (Bats were something I tried to save.) They don't want to pay workers a livable wage or health care benefits. They just want to make lots of money and they don't care who it hurts even if it helps them in the long run to share a little wealth in the form of taxes with others. 

Permalink Reply by Jedi Wanderer on October 11, 2011 at 11:18am
You are right on. This is why I think this is THE single most important issue of our day. There are so many things that need doing or that could be done to make this world a terrific place to live in, and all of it stands in the way of the greed of a handful of people. We are never going to get serious conservation efforts, serious efforts to cure diseases, good wages, health care benefits, efforts to reduce global warming, or a thousand different things so long as there are people who profit off of the misery of others and can use those profits to influence our governments to see bigger profits. Its a vicious circle - we need to replace it with a virtuous circle.
Permalink Reply by Grace Fitzpatrick on October 11, 2011 at 11:36am
I've been trying to save the world since I was 18.  One company halting off shore drilling would do more for the planet than I could in my entire life.  That's kind of discouraging to think about.  But look at Bill Gates.  There's a guy I really disliked for years, but he's turned around and doing a lot of good things now.  I wish more would take after him instead of Enron.
Permalink Reply by Secular Forces 2013 on October 11, 2011 at 11:10pm
and they don't sleep at night so good anymore... ; )
Permalink Reply by Secular Forces 2013 on October 13, 2011 at 5:04am
Permalink Reply by Markcincy on October 13, 2011 at 7:44am
Too many people on the Earth. Overpopulation is the root of environmental problems. There is little to no hope of reversing this trend. Competition for resources will increase exponentially. Grace thanks for your efforts on environmental issues. Wanderer- You are right its a pressing issue to gain control over corruption, but other important issues loom.
Permalink Reply by Jedi Wanderer on October 13, 2011 at 8:13am
Its a good point, its something I've been worrying about for a long time. There are things we can do in the meantime, but eventually we will have to figure out how to humanely control our populations. There are some obvious solutions though, I don't think its necessarily an intractable problem, and I certainly don't think overpopulation is the only real and serious worry we should have. We absolutely need to reform our political systems, and perhaps overpopulation will be a piece on a rational agenda - I do think it should be. But again, it is not the only important issue, and some of these problems, like the auctioning of our democracy, seem to strike even deeper than our long-term, species-wide problems, because they absolutely stand in the way of being able to do anything about those larger issues.

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