The OCCUPY Movement

[mockbee]

Demonstrators converge on the Port of Oakland in Calif. on Nov. 2, 2011 during a general strike called by the Occupy Oakland movement.

Such a convergence of hope, inspiration, power, hypocrisy and ignorance. Something needs to change in this country and it isn't going to happen with intelligent but boring lectures on policy implementations posted on YouTube, or good op-ed articles and, especially, change isn't coming from any elected politician.

At least when some dumbass anarchists ransacked a Whole Foods a couple dozen Occupiers physically stopped them. Also, luckily the longshoremen union supports the strike at their port but cannot strike themselves as it is against their contract.

They've got the full media attention, now would be the time to unveil demands regarding the banking industry and money in politics. Of course that is when the whole thing falls apart....

[mockbee]

You bring up good points mockbee!

Here is another example where the "99%" seem to be totally aware of what is going on but confused regarding who to blame. We are at war with ourselves, precisely as the crony capitalist CEOs and politicians with corporate money would hope for.

Moheeheeko

This is EXACTLY what OCCUPY is all about. They dont care about average citizens who are wealthy. Its about the companies and corporate execs who make money off of taxes and fund politicians to keep the tax code like it is so they can continue to exploit. Left and Right both are guilty of having greased palms in this department, and the media is painting this bipartisan movement as "leftist" to divide Americans on it. The more we fight amon ourselves the more Corporations win.


Reply#5 - Thu Nov 3, 2011 2:58 PM EDT
larlex

Your beef is with our government not with the company. they are following the law and the rules of the IRS code. If you want to be mad be mad at the white House and congress. I f the government gave you 1000 dollars a month free would you not take it. wise up

#5.1 - Thu Nov 3, 2011 5:07 PM EDT
Moheeheeko

And such codes would not be written so poorly if they werent paid off to do so. YOU wise up.

30 companies paid 'less than zero' taxes in recent years
By Marisa Taylor

General Electric made big waves earlier in the year when The New York Times reported that the company paid no taxes in the U.S. in 2010, and in fact claimed a tax benefit of $3.2 billion.
......
Wells Fargo received the most in tax subsidies among all 280 companies, raking in nearly $18 billion in tax breaks in the last three years. All 280 companies took in a combined $222.7 billion in tax subsidies over the last three years.

With respect to industry, the report found that industrial machinery companies had the lowest effective tax rate within the last three years, with an average federal income tax rate of negative 13.5 percent. And 16.8 percent of all federal tax subsidies went to financial services, the largest share of any industry; financial services, along with utilities, telecom and oil and gas were the four industries that received more than half of the corporate tax subsidies.

“This is not an ‘anti-business’ report,” the authors of the study wrote. “On the contrary, we, like most Americans, want our businesses to do well…. But we also need a much better balance when it comes to taxes. Just as workers pay their fair share of taxes on their earnings, so should successful businesses pay their fair share on their success.

"But today corporate tax loopholes are so out of control that most Americans can rightfully complain, ‘I pay more federal income taxes than General Electric, Boeing, DuPont, Wells Fargo, Verizon, etc., etc., all put together.’”