Frank Miller on the OWS movement

[Iron Guy]

Oh I agree with you. It's just that we weren't left any choice in the matter. As I said, if the government ignored their pleas for help we would now have a HUGE smoking crater where our economy used to be on account of their being too big to be ALLOWED to fail! Oh for the days when there was a limit on how big a bank was allowed to get. Not to mention not being allowed to partner up with investment firms.

[Brian]

I disagree. Most of these banks should have been allowed to fail. GM should have been allowed to fail.

Right now, we have the moral hazard in economics.

If you know that your risks are going to be covered, you are more willing to take higher risks. A bank is more willing to lend a waitress who makes minimum wage $300,000 for a home on her claim that she makes $75,000 on tips because even if she's lying, the government will cover the loan.

Then, the taxpayer takes the hit for your risky investments.

No more bail outs.

[Metal Head]

Solyndra, anyone? We took it on the chin with that one. And MF Global, too.

[JDD01]

I disagree. Most of these banks should have been allowed to fail. GM should have been allowed to fail.

Right now, we have the moral hazard in economics.

If you know that your risks are going to be covered, you are more willing to take higher risks. A bank is more willing to lend a waitress who makes minimum wage $300,000 for a home on her claim that she makes $75,000 on tips because even if she's lying, the government will cover the loan.

Then, the taxpayer takes the hit for your risky investments.

No more bail outs.

You're so right about that, I mean it's starting to get on my nerves that those CEOs and rich men get away with that crap all the time. I bet it worsier with the Republican guy or another term with Obama

[Metal Head]

How about the government getting away with it?! Trillions in debt, Greece and Europe on fire...

heath

[JDD01]

How about the government getting away with it?! Trillions in debt, Greece and Europe on fire...

heath

Argeed A 100%

[SirReef]

The issue here is that OWS was co-opted into something that it didn't start out as, much like the Tea Party got co-opted into a extreme right-wing group.  What's odd is that the genesis of both the Tea Party and OWS stem from the same general bailout issues and the failure of our elected officials to do their job properly. 

OWS started as an anti-Fed and anti-money in politics movement.  It was slowly turned into a liberal movement by the media and people like Frank Miller would have been wise to research the origins of the movement before spouting off.

Ignoring OWS for the moment, there are real economic issues in this country right now.  Most of these issues stem from how we've allowed our government to become bought off.  We've allowed our entire political process to become an auction or pay-for-play system.  The general citizen in this country is simply being pandered to and is not being represented by our elected officials (of either party).  The money is making the rules and all those companies, lobbies, pacs, unions are funneling it in so fast that the general American is completely left out.  Money and politics cannot and should not mix. 

Citizens united combined with making money protected by the first amendment is one of the scariest rulings I can think of.  Effectively it has taken the election process and put it in the hands of a selected rich few (which I'll get to in a moment).  While the constitutional theory behind it makes sense, it's when you get further into it that it becomes truly malevolent. Companies that may have foreign ownership end up having more say in our election process than average americans.  Owners of companies effectively get two votes.  Etc. etc.

Meanwhile, as payoff for getting these politicians into office the rich end up getting the laws structured in ways to benefit them. This is where the 99% vs the 1% came from.  It wasn't about "they're rich and we aren't" jealousy that it was painted as ... it was all about how our political system has been bought out from the American populous. 

To make matters worse, as a country, we've turned a blind eye to the real issues and have been caught up in this toilet-bowl spiral of issues of non-importance (ie. contraception) and we've become so hyper-partisan that the mere thought of cooperation is considered a fatal flaw.  And our 24-hour news networks only feed this mentality.  People tune into the news networks that best give them the viewpoint they want to hear and they never become exposed to the opposing mindset - right, wrong or indifferent.  This only reinforces division rather than unity. 

I saw an earlier post wherein the poster tried to absolve the Federal government for everything and I want to say that is completely incorrect.  The government is the culprit.  They repealed laws that protected our interests (Glass-Steagall) because of lobbyists and our economy crashed.  They created programs that prompted banks to enter bad mortgages because "everyone should own a home".  They've created tax loopholes that boggle the mind and then pretend to patchwork them (but only create more for their financial backers).  They create free trade agreements with third world countries to allow more American jobs to be exported while touting it as a benefit to us.  They let the Fed Reserve go unchecked and have allowed our currency to inflate to ridiculous levels.  They've entered into wars that were vastly unpopular with the majority of the citizenry and as a result tossed away trillions of dollars.  And this can go on and on and on.

What we need to do, as a nation, is:
1) Unite. Regardless of political affiliation or leanings.  This country became great because people negotiated and met in the middle.  Being extremely left or right is detrimental and eventually cracks form.  Each issue is unique and must be treated as such.
2) Turn off the TV and learn what the real issues are.  Read.  Research.  Understand.  Quit being spoon-fed by pundits.
3) Force our government to be accountable for their spending habits and run a damn surplus. 
4) Remove the money from politics.

The issues facing this country aren't republican or democrat.  They aren't right or left.  They are created by the elected officials of both parties -- call them Republicrats for all intents and purposes. 

Anyhow, that's my .02.

[The IronJedi]

Well said Sir Reef. Of course there's always the Second and the Tenth Amendment, but who pays attention to that old rag these days.