Just over a week later, the demands working group — one of more than 80 groups formed to tackle topics like alternative currencies, political and electoral reform, trade justice and tactics — began trying to come up with some specific aims. From the beginning, coming up with demands capable of winning the support of a vast majority of the protesters proved problematic. Some issued their own demand, calling on the group to merge with another one better aligned with their vision — or even disband.
Some members of the demands group said they welcomed the dissent and asked questions. But others saw it as a calculated effort to disrupt the process. It is hopelessly bankrupt and brutal austerity measures are in place right now, and you don't want to make demands? It's not a hierarchy, it's called leadership, and why don't you join us in that leadership to form those demands so we might take back our government of the people.
Members of the demands group distributed copies of the draft and read it out loud. Breakout discussion groups were held, with a member from the group sitting in on each one. At the end, each demands' member reported back to the general assembly what their breakout circle had talked about.
The list-makers reached a consensus that this was their most important demand: "It would ostensibly create a more truly democratic political climate, through which our other demands could be met. Last year's Citizens United Supreme Court decision made it dramatically easier for corporations and unions to funnel money into political campaigns. A Tobin tax would probably hurt Wall Street bonuses and curb high-frequency trading , and might harm speculative market moves in general.
Basically, politicians like to wave around the possibility of such a tax, but it seems very unlikely that it could ever be implemented. Millions of Americans are unable to pay for proper health care, especially the crucial preventative kind.
Created in response to the Great Depression , the act built a regulatory wall between commercial and investment banking. It was intended to prevent commercial-bank speculation.
Glass-Steagall was repealed in The Dodd-Frank act attempted to re-establish aspects of the reform-- to limited success.
Outlandish as it may seem, a negative income tax has been advocated by none other than Milton Friedman. For you. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. Some protesters are upset about taxation; for others, the big issue is the high unemployment rate. Or corporate greed. Or the distribution of wealth. For all the individual reasons that draw people to Occupy Wall Street, a similar undercurrent ties the protesters together.
They're upset about inequities in their country. They're angry. They want their voices to be heard. Well, now they'll have to hear all of us.
Lawmakers including President Obama have weighed in on Occupy Wall Street , with many sympathetic to the emotion behind the protests. Media outlets are at the scene in droves. The mere fact that the protest is still going strong after 25 days is means it has met one of its goals: Organizers said from the start that they hoped to sustain their demonstration for two months.
Occupy Wall Street's real goal has always been simple: Draw focus to the concerns -- and anger -- many Americans have about the country's growing economic gap, plant the seed of an organized voice, and let the protest evolve naturally.
As part of that evolution, solidarity protests have popped up in Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Denver and Chicago, among other cities.
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