"Freedom and other necessities for prosperity (such as the rule of law, absence of taxation, and so forth) have been in decline in the US over the past decade. The specific proximate causes for the legislation and social changes that brought this decline don't really matter all that much - there is always some sequence of events that politicians and populace can use as justification and cover to further destroy all the qualities that once made their society great."
"It's no great secret that the US is decaying; this is history unfolding as a procedural. The US is ever more rapidly becoming just another Europe, Japan, or pick your dysfunctional fascist-leaning (per the dictionary definition) economy of choice. The ending of empires that centralize economic and legislative power, develop a ruling class, grow their military, and debase their currency is pretty much written in stone - it's the details of the move from wealth enjoyed in freedom to authoritarian poverty that will surprise people in their nature and timing."
The absence of taxation is not a prerequisite for prosperity.
Government is the only institution that we, as citizens of secular democracies, have to protect us from undue influence from theocracy and plutocracy - and taxation is the most efficient way to fund this. Most governments are failing at exacting their democratic duties, however, because over the last 50 years, through incredibly effective lobbying, they have allowed themselves to be captured by special interests and the actual rules and accountability frameworks that governments operate within have been distorted and perverted. This has happened to the point that most western nations may still have 1 person == 1 vote, but they barely have representative democracy.
We need to reform government and strengthen its ability to act as the trusted protector of its people against unhealthy factional interests, not destroy it.
The thing that bothers me most about the #OWS movement is that it isn't the 99% protesting against the 1%. It's the 10% protesting against the 1%.
In principle I agree with the movement, hell, I will always support anyone wanting to stick it to the man. But I wonder how many realize that their freedom and ability to have this opinion is built on the breaking backs of pretty much most of the world?
I'm of the exact same opinion, but I'd wager it's even less than 10%.
According to http://www.globalrichlist.com/ if you make over $50,000 you're part of the wealthiest 1% in the world. It's a fact that's largely glossed over.
I can relate to many of the concerns of the OWS movement (corporate political donations, loose banking regulations), but there's a lot of problems with the movement as well.
I've read variants of the point that the protesters are "rich" by a global standard. It's an interesting observation, but I don't see how it should change the protesters actions or positions or mine as a mostly-supporter.
I'd compare this to the civil rights movement. There were plenty of privileged whites who protested segregation in the US. You could have then reasonably argued that they were privileged because the US systematically enslaved and then repressed blacks. And I would say to this, "So what?" They were protesting something they saw as a problem, on the basis of their shared humanity.
As I said. They have a point, an important point. I just wonder if they realize the whole thing is just the pot calling the kettle black.
I guess what I mean to say is that the world order needs to change, but I don't think this is the way to go about affecting said change. The movement is basically asking for a new form of everything ... but they're asking the Old Form (tm) to do the hard work of changing.
A major difference is that those agitating for change stand to benefit greatly (or believe they do) by that same change. White civil rights protesters were more altruistic.
Revolutions start with the 10% that will be more actively involved, even if that only means retweeting right now. But I believe polls have already showed that most Americans /support agree with the OWS protests.
I would be wary reading too much into polled support for OWS. As the movement has no defined goals or means, it's an abstract concept that it's easy to, at least, not be against. Also, for that same reason, it's very easy to construct poll questions that give you the exact response you're looking for (not that it was difficult to begin with).
Also, FWIW, I don't think there's really enough data to say anything meaningful about the impact of re-tweeting on revolutions. Rather, "clicktivism" is often ridiculed for not contributing anything at all towards political means.
I think you're partially right about the struggle in NYC. But here in Philadelphia there are a lot of homeless people getting fed at the camp and plenty of working class and poor folks. A lot more diversity.
Certainly there's privilege in even being able to deal with getting arrested that a lot of people in this country cannot afford. And there are certainly a lot of people that may want to join the protests because of a job or whatever. But I don't think you can discredit the movement based on that privilege.
I'd like to do what I can do to help make sure that change is intelligent progressive change taking us forward to a new prosperity, not backward into a false hope for a time that has passed and is not coming back. And I'm wondering if the #OWS movement is interested in that conversation.
My assumption would be "not". Light one small candle rather than curse the dark. Talk with the people who will discuss it, regardless of their affiliation (with #OWS or not). Dark times are a time when the future gestates. Decide what you want born of it and become the (gentle) midwife to it's (probably bloody) birth.
If you judge the entire tea party movement by a riled up audience acting stupid at a debate, you're missing an important point (the exact one being made in the last nine words of the quoted sentence).
Also, if you're being consistent, any show of idiocy from OWS protesters (you can start with the Lyndon LaRouche bunch) should lead you to discount that entire movement, too.
The only real way out is to abandon conventional capitalism. Corporations are getting TOO good at extracting wealth out of citizens and leaving them with less and less ability to gain wealth of their own. The slip knots are getting tighter and stronger with time because the system is designed by those most likely to benefit from this socio-economic structure.
Some would say that this is exactly how capitalism is supposed to lead and that we're in the late stages now. It optimizes and creates new products/markets until it eats itself.
If these protests continue to build, I can see them as really creating an anti-consumerism sentimentality that could lead to an entire new form of public commons. The whole OWS movement is based upon sharing information and resources and even if it doesn't "scale" well, this is how a lot of kids that grew up on the internet think. More so, the recent financial crisis made a lot of people realize that their stuff doesn't define them and that there's more to life, like creating things. They're angry because they're sick of getting fucked over, that they want to be able to afford health care and raise a family in a nice home, not that they want to someday be able to buy a yacht and a bunch of jewelry.
The fact that the movement is organized and growing without a clear set of demands makes me think that (hopefully) we're leading to a new collectivism that still allows for individual expression. In my town I've experienced a lot of people from varying viewpoints to discussing the big issues and being respectful about it like never before.
Honestly, the more this grows the more excited I become for the future of this country and world.
The financial sector is by far the most heavily regulated and protected across the entire western world. There is nothing "conventional" about that brand of "capitalism".
Show me a corporation that's "TOO good at extracting wealth out of citizens and leaving them with less and less ability to gain wealth of their own" and I'll show you a corporation that's in bed with the political system.
And look no further than the many cartels that have been erected: oil, telecom, healthcare, energy, and of course banking & finance. These industries are held together by the government and the laws are written to keep competitors out at every scale.
You've nailed it. I disagree, however, with your labeling that as "conventional capitalism". That's crony capitalism, and always has been. As they say, capitalists hate capitalism.
http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2009/02/the-decline-is-al...
"Freedom and other necessities for prosperity (such as the rule of law, absence of taxation, and so forth) have been in decline in the US over the past decade. The specific proximate causes for the legislation and social changes that brought this decline don't really matter all that much - there is always some sequence of events that politicians and populace can use as justification and cover to further destroy all the qualities that once made their society great."
http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2011/10/the-prospects-for...
"It's no great secret that the US is decaying; this is history unfolding as a procedural. The US is ever more rapidly becoming just another Europe, Japan, or pick your dysfunctional fascist-leaning (per the dictionary definition) economy of choice. The ending of empires that centralize economic and legislative power, develop a ruling class, grow their military, and debase their currency is pretty much written in stone - it's the details of the move from wealth enjoyed in freedom to authoritarian poverty that will surprise people in their nature and timing."