Every Wall Street shell game must have a ringer

[Sensia]

By Jamil Smith
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My biggest problem in trying to figure out Occupy Wall Street was trying to figure out Occupy Wall Street.
Like Will, prior to going there myself, I struggled with the idea that OWS protesters simply refusing to leave Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan could change what they said they sought to change. I also looked for the Clearly Defined Set of Goals™ so many continue to demand as a teacher does a homework assignment.
It is now evident not only how embarrassingly easy it is to figure out why they're upset, but also that they were never going to make it so simple for a media many of them consider complicit with the Wall Street bankers and American financial system they vilify.
Will's post earlier this week about the shell-game characteristics of the U.S. banking system immediately came to mind yesterday when I saw the latest Ill Doctrine video from my buddy Jay Smooth: hip-hop deejay, general purveyor of wisdom and Maddow-dubbed genius.
Jay employs the same three-card monte metaphor, but not solely in reference to the Wall Street bankers running the scam. He thanks the Occupy movement for exposing the "ringers": the folks who observe the rigged game along with the public, pretending to be objective observers -- but who are actually elemental to the hustle:

So naturally, if we stand next to the game and start telling everyone that the game is rigged, the ringer is gonna flip on us and start doing everything they can to make sure nobody listens to us. They're going to tell everyone we're a bunch of losers who are just hatin' because we don't know how to play the game; we're a bunch of card-game-hating socialists. They're going to do everything they can to discredit us so they can protect that game that they're so invested in. And it feels that's what we've been seeing all month with Occupy Wall Street.

Accepting Jay's thesis, I wonder whether the OWS protests will first bring about change not on Wall Street itself, but among the ringers.


http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_new...-have-a-ringer

[Sensia]

Interesting comment by Rosie Cosens:

Goals of Occupty Chicago.
1.PASS HR 1489 REINSTATING GLASS-STEAGALL. – A depression era safeguard that separated the commercial lending and investment banking portions of banks. Its repeal in 1999 is considered the major cause of the global financial meltdown of 2008-2009.
2. REPEAL BUSH TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHY
3. FULLY INVESTIGATE AND PROSECUTE THE WALL STREET CRIMINALS who clearly broke the law and helped cause the 2008 financial crisis.
4.OVERTURN CITIZENS UNITED v. US. – A 2010 Supreme Court Decision which ruled that money is speech. Corporations, as legal persons, are now allowed to contribute unlimited amounts of money to campaigns in the exercise of free “speech.”
5. PASS THE BUFFET RULE ON FAIR TAXATION, CLOSE CORPORATE TAX LOOPHOLES, PROHIBIT HIDING FUNDS OFFSHORE.
6. GIVE THE SEC STRICTER REGULATORY POWER, STRENGTHEN THE CONSUMER PROTECTION BUREAU, AND PROVIDE ASSISTANCE FOR OWNERS OF FORECLOSED MORTGAGES WHO WERE VICTIMS OF PREDATORY LENDING.
7.TAKE STEPS TO LIMIT THE INFLUENCE OF LOBBYISTS AND ELIMINATE THE PRACTICE OF LOBBYISTS WRITING LEGISLATION.
8. ELIMINATE RIGHT OF FORMER GOVERNMENT REGULATORS TO WORK FOR CORPORATIONS OR INDUSTRIES THEY ONCE REGULATED.
9. ELIMINATE CORPORATE PERSONHOOD.
10. INSIST THE FEC STAND UP FOR THE PUBLIC INTEREST IN REGULATING PRIVATE USE OF PUBLIC AIRWAVES to help ensure that political candidates ARE GIVEN EQUAL TIME for free at reasonable intervals during campaign season.
11. REFORM CAMPAIGN FINANCE WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE FAIR ELECTIONS NOW ACT (S.750, H.R. 1404).
12. FORGIVE STUDENT DEBT – The same institutions that gave almost $2T in bailouts and then extended $16T of loans at little to no interest for banks can surely afford to forgive the $946B of student debt currently held. Not only does this favor the 99% over the 1%, it has the practical effect of more citizens spending money on actual goods, not paying down interest.

[dilbert firestorm]

good ideas
#1
#3
#5-2
#6-1
#7-1
#8
#9

bad ideas that need to be kicked far away as possible
#2
#4
#5-1, #5-3
#6-2, #6-3
#7-2
#10
#11
#12

[Sensia]

I did like the Video. Got to love the Cornballs! Lmao..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9zkQ...layer_embedded

Not sure if some of those things that lady commented on will really ever happen frankly. I enjoy reading the posters comments, there were a lot more but it was late last night and I had to get to bed. You can just follow the link if you want to scroll to the bottom of the article and read the poster comments (if you enjoy reading that kind of stuff).

[Sensia]

Jay Smooth is actually kinda funny albeit his messages serious. I laughed when I watched his video on Rick Perry and Superman. illdoctrine.com has some pretty interesting viewpoints on it. I know not everyone will agree with it, but just the same I think it is worth hearing what others have to say and think on the various political topics facing our country.