On the subject of Occupy Wall St...

Re: On the subject of Occupy Wall St...

What a terrific and hard worker! I'm impressed if she's telling the truth (I mean the numbers kind of don't add up). But the fact she seems to be missing is that she IS the 99%.

I am glad the dialogue is starting - but it is completely frustrating that some people don't seem to understand that this is not about people feeling entitled or not having a good work ethic or not being ready, willing and able to do hard work.

Unless this hard working girl is making an astronomical salary that helps to widen the HUGE gap between the wealthiest Americans and the poorest.. she IS the 99%.

You don't have to support the protests, believe in what they are saying or even like what they are saying.. but the fact is that the vast majority of you on this board don't even come remotely close to being in the 1%.

Re: On the subject of Occupy Wall St...

I LOVE that!

I'd bet that if they are majoring in English and they can't get a job when they graduate they won't be pizzed at Wall Street for that either.

Re: On the subject of Occupy Wall St...

Re: On the subject of Occupy Wall St...

Re: On the subject of Occupy Wall St...

That's great for her, it's not possible for everyone though. I was abused in my house and the only way to escape was to go away to school. I worked my butt off to get good grades but try studying and paying attention in school the next day when your mom and dad are up all night wasted blasting the mamas and the papas and throwing stuff at each other, at you, ripping the doors off, etc etc it was a nightmare. I worked many many hours at 3 part time jobs to get away, they made me pay for my lunches in high school, all my clothes... no I'm not talking name brand clothes, the basics, my shampoo, etc etc. I managed to graduate in the high 80's, not bad but not good enough for scholarships. When I went to apply for fin aid the law says that you need to declare what your parents make and their salary determines what you pay for school even though they weren't paying a dime. I got ZERO aid. The only way to declare myself independent on the FAFSA is to be married, 25, or have a baby... none applied to me. I went to a SUNY school and became an RA as soon as I possibly could so that my room and board were free. I worked 3 jobs in order to pay for the things school didn't pay for, my books, toiletries, school supplies, my car broke down all the time, gas, car insurance, I didn't have a lap top, or any of that stuff, I never went on spring break. I couldn't even break even. My school work suffered so much. I graduated with debt, couldn't get a teaching job to save my life so just went right to grad school because that's what teachers have to do, could only get into CW Post because my grades were just okay because I couldn't keep up from working so much. Was diagnosed with ADD, my grades soared, a professor made fun of me in front of the class for stuttering twice, contacted the disability office, and now slowly finishing up the last 3 classes I have left of grad school but emotionally scarred every time I go to the school. I have a massive amount of student loans and yet the teacher lay offs keep coming by the droves.

I did everything, everything I could to get myself out of a terrible situation, I did all the "right things" never cut class in high school, got decent grades, went to college, etc etc. and there are no job prospects for me or for anyone else that I know of that went to school for teaching. I graduated undergrad in 2006 with many teachers, and 2 friends have found a teaching job after having to move away from their families.


PLEASE YOU TELL ME... what could I have done different not to have this debt... please enlighten me.

Re: On the subject of Occupy Wall St...

Occupy wall street has NO cohesive message yet.

They are loud. They are ******. They are mad THEY dont have what others have.

But there is no cohesive message yet.

There is no demand from them yet. There is no message of WHAT THEY WANT.

(And I will say that a blanket "we want change" and "we want jobs" is not a deamnd)

I have no debt either. Not one dollar except for my car. My DH has no debt.

We have worked hard. Nothing was given to us. We both DO have new cars and Ipads tho But we worked hard and bought what we could AFFORD.

ETA: I know that people who have done all the right things are struggling too with lost jobs etc. It could me next week. I get that. If not, my neighbor, my cousin....OWS has gotten us talking, at the minimum about the economy.

Message edited 10/17/2011 11:41:05 AM.

Re: On the subject of Occupy Wall St...

More than anything, OWS has taught me the sad reality that -- most people can't understand what their neighbors are going through. As long as THEY are okay, then EVERYONE MUST BE OKAY. . . and if they are not, they did something wrong to get them there.

Re: On the subject of Occupy Wall St...

Re: On the subject of Occupy Wall St...

I don't get it. If she cant afford a smart phone, got scholarships, etc, why does she think shes part of the 1%?

Re: On the subject of Occupy Wall St...

Re: On the subject of Occupy Wall St...

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Re: On the subject of Occupy Wall St...

oy this is so ******* ridiculous.

first of all, this person is a moron and her state education failed her b/c she has no comprehension skills.

second of all, I don't want what the 1% has. I am perfectly fine with what I have, what I have worked for, living within my means...but.

I HAVE A JOB.

I want to see what this dumb *** says when she LOSES her job. when she doesn't have income????

there are many peope who lived within their means and then...

THEIR MEANS WAS TAKEN AWAY.

very difficult in this world to live within nothing. or next to nothing.

this stuff is just so rude, I can't take it. a fundamental lack of empathy.

I want the people who are so against these protests to tell me WHERE ARE THE JOBS??

WHY do billion dollar earning companies PAY NO FEDERAL TAX?

it's great to say "live within your means" when you have a JOB. when you don't it's a whole different ball game.

Message edited 10/17/2011 11:32:21 AM.

Re: On the subject of Occupy Wall St...

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Message edited 10/19/2011 10:33:20 PM.

Re: On the subject of Occupy Wall St...

Re: On the subject of Occupy Wall St...

Re: On the subject of Occupy Wall St...

Let's see what she says when it takes her 3+ years to find a job after she graduates...

Re: On the subject of Occupy Wall St...

I don't mind not being in the 1%. I resent that the 1% continue to get and seek tax loopholes and methods that can help them avoid contributing FAIRLY to the society that helped earn them millions.

Elizabeth Warren said it best:

“You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear: you moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for; you hired workers the rest of us paid to educate; you were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn’t have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory, and hire someone to protect against this, because of the work the rest of us did.
“Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea? God bless. Keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.”

But you know what? INSTEAD of paying it forward, many companies are taking those factories and moving them OUT OF THE COUNTRY. Because it is CHEAPER. They are taking away the jobs and still want us to let them get tax breaks. They are not contributing fairly.

And some of you are right. The message is not very cohesive yet. But the conversation is STARTING. People are talking. Folks are paying attention to things they never paid attention to before. That is worth a LOT.

I am going to sound like a total Azzhole here and I don't care. I do not get why people are looking so strongly to defend the wealthiest 1% and their 'right' to protect their own personal wealth at the expense of their own country and at the expense of the people who earned them that money? Do you think that if you speak loudly enough that you might be protected by that 1% or they might share the wealth with you? Do you think that if you work HARD enough you can become them? Think again.

Message edited 10/17/2011 11:32:53 AM.

Re: On the subject of Occupy Wall St...

Re: On the subject of Occupy Wall St...

I don't think she's saying she's in the 1%

she's saying she's not in the 99%

she's better because she saves her money instead of pissing it away.

it's condescending and completely rude.

Re: On the subject of Occupy Wall St...

Re: On the subject of Occupy Wall St...