Occupy Detroit

[antongast]

I still don't understand what they're protesting and what they want.

The Wall Street folks I understand. They're angry about all the fat-cats that play around with our money. They're angry with the fat-cats that actually [[in part) caused the recession.

What makes you think that the goals of Occupy Detroit are any different from the goals of Occupy Wall Street? My read is that a lot of people in the Detroit area identify with the Wall Street protests, but for whatever reason aren't able to physically travel to New York. Camping in Grand Circus Park doesn't have the symbolic value of actually occupying Wall Street, of course, but anybody who sees or hears about the Detroit event will understand it in the context of the events in New York and elsewhere in the country.

[Scottathew]

Here's the article: http://www.detnews.com/article/20111...ns-march-today

Did the teacher offer her salary? Or are you conflating one teacher with several?

I worked in school districts for 5 years, trust me, teachers are well paid.

But if you're not in a trusting mood, here's a link to the salary schedule for DPS:

http://www.nctq.org/docs/22-07_6853.pdf

The lady probably has a masters degree [[most teachers around for that long do), and if so she's making 70K a year in salary, not to mention she gets bennies and her pension. She also probably gets a small special ed. stipend, but they're usually insignificant.

Needless to say, I don't think she has it rough, even if she lives on her own.

[Scottathew]

What makes you think that the goals of Occupy Detroit are any different from the goals of Occupy Wall Street? My read is that a lot of people in the Detroit area identify with the Wall Street protests, but for whatever reason aren't able to physically travel to New York. Camping in Grand Circus Park doesn't have the symbolic value of actually occupying Wall Street, of course, but anybody who sees or hears about the Detroit event will understand it in the context of the events in New York and elsewhere in the country.

What you say makes sense, I suppose they could be supporting the cause from here.

I've done research into the movement, and just like the "Tea Party" movement, I don't see a clear message. But as others have pointed out, it's a large group of individuals that are coming into one place, perhaps there are a lot of different, but similar motivations.

I hope everything works out well for everyone and there are no "incidents".

[Detroitnerd]

Here's the article: http://www.detnews.com/article/20111...ns-march-today



I worked in school districts for 5 years, trust me, teachers are well paid.

But if you're not in a trusting mood, here's a link to the salary schedule for DPS:

http://www.nctq.org/docs/22-07_6853.pdf

The lady probably has a masters degree [[most teachers around for that long do), and if so she's making 70K a year in salary, not to mention she gets bennies and her pension. She also probably gets a small special ed. stipend, but they're usually insignificant.

Needless to say, I don't think she has it rough, even if she lives on her own.

Thanks. Just trying to figure out where the reporting ends and your editorializing begins.

To me, what she says represents a valid complaint. Adjusted for inflation, wages have been stagnant for years. And inflation doesn't even take into account a lot of important factors. We are seeing living standards erode, all while corporate profits are sky-high. Is something wrong with this picture?

As for your crystal ball, I believe we can discount that. We don't know how many dependents she has, how much debt load from that likely degree must be serviced. I believe I will take her at her word, rather than laugh my ass off at her...

[Detroitnerd]

What you say makes sense, I suppose they could be supporting the cause from here.

I've done research into the movement, and just like the "Tea Party" movement, I don't see a clear message. But as others have pointed out, it's a large group of individuals that are coming into one place, perhaps there are a lot of different, but similar motivations.

In addition to proclaiming solidarity with OWS, it's a good opportunity for tomorrow's organizers to meet each other and host teach-ins, share information and feel a bit of people power. Like you, I hope everything works out well. Detroit police usually aren't too confrontational with mass protests...

[Scottathew]

Detroit police usually aren't too confrontational with mass protests...

Thus far the quotes I've seen in the paper from Bing and the DPD all seem to be very inline with what we'd hope.

These folks, love 'em, hate 'em, or even if you're rather indifferent to it like me most certainly have their right to peacefully protest.

The NYPD have been way out of line from the video clips I've seen, I hope that Detroit will be very different.

[jackie5275]

The elite rich, the banksters especially, but also other parasitic rich people, "earned" their money largely through unfair political influence, bribes, ...

You forgot inheriting or receiving the family fortune/business that their parents actually created.

You and I get tough love [["GET A FUCKING JOB") while the 1 percent get bailouts, toothless regulation, sham hearings, no prosecution

God forbid something goes bad for you that knocks you down like a layoff, serious illness, divorce, etc that puts you in deeper economic peril. They want to keep you down once that happens to where you can never get back up. It's like they want to stand on you neck once you fall.

[maxx]

Mikeg:
A more recent article.

http://wweek.com/portland/article-17...out_taxes.html

When it comes to state and local taxes, the poor bear a heavier burden than the rich in every state except Vermont, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy calculated from official data. In Alabama, for example, the burden on the poor is more than twice that of the top 1 percent. The one-fifth of Alabama families making less than $13,000 pay almost 11 percent of their income in state and local taxes, compared with less than 4 percent for those who make $229,000 or more...

[jackie5275]

But if you're not in a trusting mood, here's a link to the salary schedule for DPS:

http://www.nctq.org/docs/22-07_6853.pdf

The lady probably has a masters degree [[most teachers around for that long do), and if so she's making 70K a year in salary, not to mention she gets bennies and her pension. She also probably gets a small special ed. stipend, but they're usually insignificant.

Needless to say, I don't think she has it rough, even if she lives on her own.

According to this pay plan, which is from 2007, she might be making $70K if all her years are with DPS. But I thought that since then, they've taken a 10% pay cut. Even without it, if she has a master's, she at the max. She won't earn anymore than another $1000 if she gets her doctorate [[how much would that cost her?). IMO, if she's teaching special ed, that $70K contains more combat pay than the stipend given. Special ed teaching is tough. I know I'd never want to do that.

[jackie5275]

How can you ignore the structural bias that has resulted in 46% of Americans legally paying zero income taxes? That percentage even includes workers who because of the progressive nature of the income tax rate structure and/or tax breaks for seniors and low income families end up owing zero dollars when they file and then get a full refund of the federal income taxes that were withheld that year from their paychecks. [source]

I suppose "the system" is working against them, too?

All we keep hearing is that America is an evil, regressive nation and the top earners are no longer paying their "fair share", yet the facts prove otherwise.

In 1987, the bottom 95 percent of American taxpayers paid 58 percent of federal income taxes. In 2007, they paid 39.4 percent of the income tax burden — a percentage that was less than the top 1 percent, which paid 40.4 percent of the total income taxes collected by the federal government. In other words, in 2007 1.4 million people paid more taxes than 134 million taxpayers. [source]

I'm not going to buy into any of this so-called "tax-facts & tax analysis" unless the information is coming from an unbiased source like the IRS.

[detroitdoug]

IMO, if she's teaching special ed, that $70K contains more combat pay than the stipend given. Special ed teaching is tough. I know I'd never want to do that.

Of course you wouldn't do that. You are part of this so-called 99%, which means you'd be much more inclined to take from others and suck from the public teet than to work for a "measly" $70,000.

[animatedmartian]

Personal opinion withheld until I still get an idea of what the movement is focused on.

[noise]

Of course you wouldn't do that. You are part of this so-called 99%, which means you'd be much more inclined to take from others and suck from the public teet than to work for a "measly" $70,000.

You're a good little soldier. So well controlled.

[Jimaz]

Attachment 10922
Occupy Detroit Speech. 10/14/2011

This was a speech given by various Occupy Detroit Leaders
I took down the option to comment due to extremely racist / fascist YouTube users.

[Jimaz]

Personal opinion withheld until I still get an idea of what the movement is focused on.

Let's make that link clickable: www.occupydetroit.us

[dbpix]

Personal opinion withheld until I still get an idea of what the movement is focused on.

If you feel like
This is a good idea

Do Jazz Hands!!

[13074Glenfield]

You and I get tough love... while the 1 percent get bailouts...

GM and Chrysler got bailouts. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Does that put auto workers in the 1%?

[Joseph C. Krause]

Here are people being detained or arrested in New York for trying to close their Citibank accounts. See 1:25 in particular.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=S6svA6Qvq1U

I encourage anyone with a Citibank account to close it today.

[Gistok]

GM and Chrysler got bailouts. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Does that put auto workers in the 1%?

The Unions are supporting the movement.... you be the judge.

Interestingly enough it started out as just the young preppy types... but the movement appears to have gotten folks of all ages... just read about the kitchen in midtown NYC that is feeding many of these... food is pooring in from all parts of the country, as well as many New York area restaurants...

[Gistok]

Here are people being detained or arrested in New York for trying to close their Citibank accounts. See 1:25 in particular.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=S6svA6Qvq1U

I encourage anyone with a Citibank account to close it today.

I closed my account from the "bank from hell" BOA back in July...

My neighbor almost lost his house to BOA back in July... he finally got some family members to cough up the $16K to bring it back to current. Right afterwards he got a statement from the bank... that the [[now replenished) Escrow account has $6000 in it... $3000 more than they need, so they're refunding him $3000.... So in essence he really needed to pay only $13K... but the bank made him go thru hell to get $16K... only to give back $3K right away... talk about idiots...

[Goose]

im not a huge supporter of the occupy movement but have no problem with people closing up their BofA, Chase, Citibank accounts.... this is the real way to make change... although they don't give a rats ass about one account with $1,000 bucks, once a good majority of people close their accounts they will feel the pain...... I closed my BofA account before the occupy movement started, mainly because of the $5 fee they planned to charge and also because they refused to issue a credit for an overdraft on an already closed account... they were just going to charge me monthly until the balance was out of control.... I actually had to pay to close it.....

[Joseph C. Krause]

BoA also has been refusing to close people's accounts. I closed mine several years ago because they were acting evil but I've forgotten the specifics. All of this makes me want to close it again somehow.

[JasonMax]

Searay215 : Sorry, Late to the party. Thank you for your intelligent response. After I posted that I realized that there would be no internet for over a week.

I agree that all the aforementioned parties must be held accountable. We may disagree that maybe the 1% should be taxed a bit more. Maybe if the 1% [[such as GE) should just pay their fair share instead.

I wish I could work Ebay from home, i have neither the knack nor the product nor the time for that but I applaud your tenacity for it. Having said that you know I have neither the time or the resources to pull that off.

That out of the way, I love how the 99% has spread around the world. Why does there have to be a leader? This is not a political party, these are VOTERS. Showing your discontent is just a warning, pulling the lever for your vote is a statement.

J

PS just because it affects my family, vote yes on the millage on NOV 8th in Macomb county. Please dont kill special education here.

[Mikeg]

Occupy Detroit: Less Popular than Lions Tailgate Parties

Detroit, Grand Circus Park — They call themselves the 99 Percenters, but the Occupy Detroit movement looks a lot more like One Percent of America. If that.

At Sunday’s noon general-assembly meeting in Detroit’s Grand Circus Park, only 100 people showed up — fewer than the 500 who attended Friday’s kickoff and well short of the thousands anticipated by organizers and their mainstream-media cheerleaders. In a metro area of 4 million people, this isn’t a movement so much as a gathering of the local hemp club.

With 60,000 Lions fans streaming through Grand Circus Park on the way to Ford Field [[cue “evil corporation” chant), the protesters and their small tent city were a sideshow. There were tailgate parties bigger than this..............

[oldredfordette]

Oh, the National Review said that? Could you post a more irrelevant link? Maybe follow it up with some Beck or the biggest ass of them all, Rush? Yeah, that will inform your friends.

Really really really. Of all the dumb links, this one is the cake-taker.