[Trail twister]

Those in Flint seem to have things well orginized. They have their own web site which links to many other occupy places web pages. They have set up a solar panal system for a chargeing station. You can go join them and keep all your wireless devices charged up. You can then call home send e mails read a e book because some brain knows solar panals.

They also are doing a coat drive to help out the ABC TV 12 Flint in theirs.

I personally was very impressed with how they are running things there. The area is neat and clean and kept that way.
Just like every place else they run the whole gambit of what they are protesting about.

Some of which are Oil companys making huge profits and still getting government money while the ecomoney suffers as a result of their gougeing Americans.

Banks that got bail outs then gave huge bonus to those who were in charge when they colasped, the huge fees they charge for services and the crappy intrest they pay out and refusing to refinance home loans.

The air lines getting huge profits and goverment subsity money then the amazing fees for over weight bags to many bags and a whole gambit of other stuff.

Many are protesting the class war fare the rich are waging on those below the proverty tier in earnings. A good example is here in Michigan. While the rich 1% skate along untouched with the buget getting balanced the retired persons under the age of 65 now have to pay a tax on a pention some thing they had never had in the plans when they retired. Those who work for minuim wage have lost any cash assistance to live on as well as the earned income credit they once had.
Some think that work will become some thing like in the 1930's. An anoucement will go out on the media we have work tomorrow for 25 persons. Hundreds will show up and only those willing to work for below minium wage will get the green lite.

Occupy Flint | Occupy Flint, MI – Saginaw and 1st. Streets (http://www.occupyflint.org/ - broken link)

[michigan83]

Some of which are Oil companys making huge profits and still getting government money while the ecomoney suffers as a result of their gougeing Americans.

Don't the government subsidies result in lower gas prices? Seems like we pay a lot less than most countries. If they were REALLY gouging us, you would think we would be paying prices a lot higher than $3.45 a gallon. That's pretty cheap on a worldwide scale. Not saying I agree with government subsidies for oil companies, but from what I can tell, we are getting a benefit from it.

Banks that got bail outs then gave huge bonus to those who were in charge when they colasped, the huge fees they charge for services and the crappy intrest they pay out and refusing to refinance home loans.

You can thank the Federal Reserve for the crappy low interest rates. Those rates, generally speaking, are not coming from the banks. The Federal Reserve is trying to keep our economy in a constant "boom" state. Which is great until it all falls apart, like it did in 2008. We should probably be protesting the Federal Reserve.

[Retroit]

The only reason the 1% makes a lot of money is because the 99% spends a lot of money. I don't have a solar power charging station, wireless devices (other than a low cost pre-paid cell phone), or e-books. I minimize my use of oil by minimizing the use of my car. I don't buy things that I can't afford so I don't care what interest rates banks charge. (I also don't use my bank for investment purposes.) And I don't travel by air.

So...I really don't care how rich the 1% is. They didn't get rich off of me. These Occupiers are victims of their own materialism. The irony is that they are so oblivious to this fact.

That said, I completely oppose all government subsidies, including those relating to home ownership.

[tuebor]

There is also an Occupy Muskegon group. They have an encampment at the corner of Clay and 6th. Last I heard, they meet Mon.-Fri. at 6pm at the encampment and at noon on Sat. & Sun. at Heritage Landing or another site chosen at the Monday meeting.

Occupy Muskegon group gathers to plan for upcoming 'occupation' | MLive.com

[detwahDJ]

Originally Posted by michigan83

Don't the government subsidies result in lower gas prices? Seems like we pay a lot less than most countries. If they were REALLY gouging us, you would think we would be paying prices a lot higher than $3.45 a gallon. That's pretty cheap on a worldwide scale. Not saying I agree with government subsidies for oil companies, but from what I can tell, we are getting a benefit from it.

Hmm...we are PAYING them to lower gas prices...

[Matt Kim]

Originally Posted by tuebor

There is also an Occupy Muskegon group. They have an encampment at the corner of Clay and 6th. Last I heard, they meet Mon.-Fri. at 6pm at the encampment and at noon on Sat. & Sun. at Heritage Landing or another site chosen at the Monday meeting.

Occupy Muskegon group gathers to plan for upcoming 'occupation' | MLive.com

Who are the 1% in Muskegon?

[Trail twister]

The fact that some people seem to have the idea that the protesters are stupid uneducated, lazy and unemployed and want to be on TV was why I posted the part about the solar charger at the Flint protest. Of course not every one has a wireless device but so many do, even some very old persons on a very tight buget. There are several plans out there just for those with a very tight buget. It was cheaper for my mom to have a cell phone in her apron pocket than a HELP I'VE FALLEN AND CAN'T GET UP device.

WOW people think that our oil is cheaper because of the subsities to the oil companies. Where have you been living? Not every drop of oil refined in America comes to us by boat.

If you have part of your earnings in a checking account or emergency funds in a savings account you should earn more intrest than what the banks are paying out when you compair to what you pay in a loan.
the feds only set the intrest rate on what it cost a bank to borrow from the fed resereve bank. the feds do not set the rate banks charge and pay out. Then the fees they are charging, $35.00 to stop payment on a lost in the mail check $12.00 to get a paper statement. And now the fees for useing a depit card instead of cash.


"Who are the 1% in Muskegon?"
You could probably start with bank presidents, ceos of companies, the elected officials like the Mayor. What do the members of the city council make?
The point behind the occupy rallys is to attemp to bring people together and voice all the injustes to the 99%.

Did you know the federal goverment pays farmers not to grow corn. food cost more as a result and E85 is also more costly.

Do you know that land not fit for farming in the first place also gets a subsity from the feds? No body inspects the land.

A Rockerfeler living in New York owns some foot hill country in Idaho with a stream thru it. They charge $500.00 a day to fish that stream, yet get $35,000 every year not to farm the land.

Bauchmann who is wanting to be your first female president also benifits from the subsities.
Bachmann family farm benefits from subsidies | StarTribune.com

[michigan83]

Did you know the federal goverment pays farmers not to grow corn. food cost more as a result and E85 is also more costly.

Do you know that land not fit for farming in the first place also gets a subsity from the feds? No body inspects the land.

A Rockerfeler living in New York owns some foot hill country in Idaho with a stream thru it. They charge $500.00 a day to fish that stream, yet get $35,000 every year not to farm the land.

Ok, now we are talking. These are things I can get on board with protesting. You are getting warmer, TrailTwister. Lets turn this into an "Occupy Washington D.C." movement and it will be a lot more useful. Protesting against random rich people is a little bit silly. They didn't make the current society, they are just living in it. Look towards D.C., my friend. Ever wonder why that region of the country has become the most wealthy place in the U.S.? Maybe because we send our tax dollars there and then never see them again?

[Trail twister]

Why bother with Washington?
Govt, owned by Wall Street. Thats why the wall street protest.

Trying to bring up the subsities for the health insurance indrustry but it keeps failing for some reason.

$40 billion in federal subsidies goes to amtrac. You remember your history any? The history of the goverment giving every other section of ,land to the rail roads if they built a track.Today they still get the help of the tax payers to keep the rail road tycoons wealthy.

Corporate welfare at Commerce is only a small portion of business subsidies in the federal budget, but it none the less imposes an unfair burden on taxpayers.

By aiding some businesses, corporate subsidies put other businesses that do not gain political support at a disadvantage. U.S. businesses are generally overtaxed and overregulated, thus it rubs salt in the wound when certain favored firms get special subsidies from the government. Further, when the government gives favors to some businesses, it invites a feeding frenzy of other businesses to hire lobbyists and demand their own hand-outs.

[Retroit]

Originally Posted by michigan83

Ok, now we are talking. These are things I can get on board with protesting. You are getting warmer, TrailTwister. Lets turn this into an "Occupy Washington D.C." movement and it will be a lot more useful. Protesting against random rich people is a little bit silly. They didn't make the current society, they are just living in it. Look towards D.C., my friend. Ever wonder why that region of the country has become the most wealthy place in the U.S.? Maybe because we send our tax dollars there and then never see them again?

Excellent point. We need politicians that won't be bought by special interests.