[thepostman]

*I blame them for the loss, BTW

seems perfectly justified to me!! haha..

[PAmedic]

I'm nothing if not completely rational re: sports

[01LUGrad]

My favorite sign from the protests:


I'd like to take a look at this solar-powered bus you are riding there, buddy.

[rogers3]

The problem with many college students? Idealism. While I share in their frustration, and most do, I think that blind idealism is exactly what renders their movement meaningless. No real leaders, no real coherent message, no position that they haven't already eroded with hypocrisy.
Any one remember Putney in the history department? He used to comment about how the ideal government- in the Socialist/Communist model- would only be experienced in heaven, as all would be of pure mind and heart (although any government would work if everyone was pure in mind and heart).

[jbock13]

Agreed rogers. The lady I work with on sundays at my job, she's the nicest person but she's a Democrat. And she never gets offended by talking about issues, in fact she's pretty conservative to be one. She's able to understand where I'm coming from and respectfully disagree with things in which she doesn't.

Quite frankly, most college kids are too stupid to think rationally. As you said, they think of the world as it should be, not as it is. Sure, it'd be great if we could all hope on the choo choo train to get to work, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't have the option to drive my car if I desire to.

Honestly I know I'm still rather young so I'm still learning viewpoints to know what I believe. But I do know that great thinkers never stay in one place... they are moved and gradually influenced by others.

[ATrain]

The problem with many college students? Idealism. While I share in their frustration, and most do, I think that blind idealism is exactly what renders their movement meaningless. No real leaders, no real coherent message, no position that they haven't already eroded with hypocrisy.
Any one remember Putney in the history department? He used to comment about how the ideal government- in the Socialist/Communist model- would only be experienced in heaven, as all would be of pure mind and heart (although any government would work if everyone was pure in mind and heart).

Blind idealism seems to be a problem with most conservatives these days as well: i.e. no new taxes.

[jbock13]

Take a look at what we spend our tax money on. Then sit here and honestly tell me we need to raise taxes more.

[ToTheLeft]

Take a look at what we spend our tax money on. Then sit here and honestly tell me we need to raise taxes more.

You're proving his point.

Just because taxes are high doesn't mean we don't need new ones. The problem isn't that money is being taken in. The problem is how it's being used once it's there. Cut out the taxes that are being wasted on stupid things, increase taxes that fund worthwhile government initiatives, and things will get better in a hurry. However, those "stupid things" that tax money are wasted on tend to be the reasons politicians are elected... (donations, doing favors for political backers, etc.)

[jbock13]

TTL, I come from the viewpoint that if we cut all unneccesary spending that we won't need to raise taxes. I believe there's 1.5 trillion we can cut so that we don't need to raise taxes.

Raising taxes solves nothing. We need to cut.

That's as simple as I can put it without starting a knockout dragout war-like debate in which no one's mind will ever be changed

I mean come on, even Canada was able to save itself when it was in our position about a decade ago.

[ToTheLeft]

TTL, I come from the viewpoint that if we cut all unneccesary spending that we won't need to raise taxes. I believe there's 1.5 trillion we can cut so that we don't need to raise taxes.

Raising taxes solves nothing. We need to cut.

That's as simple as I can put it without starting a knockout dragout war-like debate in which no one's mind will ever be changed

There is a difference in RAISING taxes and ADDING NEW taxes.

No one is saying we should RAISE taxes. Just re-distribute (SCARY WORD, I'M A COMMY!!!!) where the money is coming from in terms of who is paying the taxes, and where it's going to within the government. That may mean some new taxes will need to be created to properly fund effective, efficient government initiatives. The government is not completely useless, however, in it's current state it is the example of inefficiency. Creating new, smarter taxes that fund programs worth funding, while cutting taxes filled with earmarks and caveats, is the direction forward. If you have an orchard, and you have too many trees to allow for healthy life and growth of your crops, you don't just say LETS CUT DOWN ALL THESE TREES AND ONLY KEEP A FEW! and then go slice down 90% of the orchard, leaving a corner with 10% of your crop still stuck together, unable to grow because it's overcrowded.

Instead, you carefully take out the trees that are overcrowding, and plant new ones that fill the voids left from removing the old, dead, useless trees.

You can't just say "we need to cut spending". Some of the spending was originally intended for good things. Those good things (classrooms, roads, bridges, police and fire) still need to be funded. Let's cut the wasteful taxes, and add new, better, smarter ones in their place!

[jbock13]

I can live with what you're saying TTL, I just don't quite agree with all of it.

p.s: its okay if you're a commy, I'll just live in my little libertarian utopia I wish to be part of

[LUconn]

Please tell me where you came up with 1.5 trillion for a cut number.

[Cider Jim]

Saw this on Facebook and LOVE it:

[jbock13]

Please tell me where you came up with 1.5 trillion for a cut number.

What I meant by that was I believe we can reduce spending and get rid of our yearly deficit.

Heck, Canada did it.

[Flame Convert]

The Flea Baggers are planning to occupy Charlottesville in protest.

[jbock13]

The Flea Baggers are planning to occupy Charlottesville in protest.

I hope they do. Wait are there any mean evil rich conservatives left in Charlottesville anyway?

[Cider Jim]

There was one...until Flame Convert left town 2 years ago!

[RubberMallet]

here is my uneducated take on these events.

these people are angry at corporations which is legitimate beef. the tea party is angry with the gvt which is also a legitimate beef. both parties beefs are essentially the same just directed at different entities that are also essentially the same. big corp = gvt

protests are lame historically. its usually activist types (hippies, students) and noone takes them seriously. they eventually go away. it gets cold, it gets hot, lack of permits, school starts, whatever. that is usually par for the course. for these reasons, noone is taking this seriously. and all a normal US protest does is take up space. thats it. i was here, now i'm here with other people. scary isn't it? wait no its not.

standing there holding a sign isn't doing jack ****. put your money where your mouth is. and that is with your wallet. stop spending money on products from large corporations. but people won't, its too hard. they'd rather just stand until they've used up their vacation, or it rains enough.

protesting is an easy way out. sometimes i guess you feel like its the only way but its not and the corporations think its hilarious. oh you are protesting, would you like to purchase some temporary power stations and electricity? "YEAH THAT WOULD BE GREAT"

until these guys pull the ceo of johnson and johnson into the street and cut off his head, everyone is going to think they are dirty hippies and stupid college students and think this all laughable.

seriously MW3 will deplete these crowds by at least 30%.

[From the class of 09]

haha best blog post yet.

I'm not the 1%, but calling myself one of the 99% doesn't seem specific enough. Here are some other possibilities.
By MSN Money partner on Wed, Nov 2, 2011 8:46 AM
This guest post comes from Andrea at So Over Debt.


I think I'm the only blogger on the planet who hasn't posted about the Occupy Wall Street movement. Mostly, that's because (1) I don't think most of you care about politics and (2) I don't want to start a donnybrook.


But I will say I've been intrigued by the handwritten stories popping up all over the Internet -- the ones that say things like "I've been unemployed for five years. I live in my parents' basement and eat cat hair. I am the 99%."


I really wanted to make a sign of my own, but I couldn't figure out which percentage to identify with. Obviously I don't belong to the 1%, but there are lots of ways I could describe myself other than "not wealthy." The 99% thing just doesn't seem specific enough.


I pay income taxes. I am the 53%. Even though I'm broke right now, I generally make enough money to owe income taxes. I have enough deductions to get a small tax refund each year (I think I got $800 this year) but that's not much compared with the amount I pay in. Personally, I don't get too upset about taxes, especially since I have always worked for agencies who are at least partially funded by tax dollars.


I'm a divorced single mother. I am the 38%. Thirty-eight percent of single-parent homes exist because of divorce (as opposed to death of a spouse or parents who were never married). The statistics say I'm supposed to be living below the poverty line in an inner city somewhere, working multiple jobs to make ends meet. Luckily none of those things are true for me, but I know lots of single moms living that way.


I have a graduate degree. I am the 9%. This one was kind of surprising. I had no idea so few people had completed grad school. I'd like to think that this makes me special, but it's just another expensive piece of paper. I haven't achieved all the great things I thought I would with my degrees. Which brings me to my next point.


I borrowed more than $50,000 to attend college. I am the 12%. The OWS crowd is on a kick about student loan forgiveness. For everyone. And as someone with a ton of educational debt, I have to say I think they're nuts. Don't misunderstand -- I'm mad about my student debt. I don't think I understood the implications of borrowing the money when I was 18 years old. I think schools owe it to college students to explain EXACTLY how loans will affect them in the long run. But I took out the loans, and now I keep deferring them because the payments are ridiculous, and I'll be leaving the balance to my grandchildren when I die. Is that anyone else's fault? Nope. It sucks, but I can't blame anyone else.


I am a dog owner. I am the 44%. I have three wonderful dogs -- Bentley (a Pekingese/Shih Tzu mix) and Apollo and Bella (both Shih Tzus). They are like my furry children. I love them to pieces and I'll be devastated when they're gone. I've always loved dogs, and I will probably always have at least two.


I prefer crunchy peanut butter. I am the 40%. This is kind of arbitrary, but so is all the other stuff people are raising such a fuss about. My son only eats creamy peanut butter, so I'm forced to buy both kinds. It hurts my soul that I've raised a child who likes weird incomplete peanut butter with nothing to break up the texture.


What percentage do I choose?

I still feel kind of left out because I haven't made a cool sign with my percentage on it. I could come up with percentages all day long, but none of them really grasped who I am (or who I think I am). Finally, as I was typing this post, I figured it out. I worried that the 99% wasn't specific enough, but I think it was actually too specific. Here's what I came up with:

http://money.msn.com/family-money/artic ... 13a99caa8e

[01LUGrad]

I was in lower Manhattan yesterday and actually walked by these guys. The one thing you need to know is that it smelled HORRIBLE for over a block in the down-wind direction.

[PAmedic]

The one thing you need to know is that it smelled HORRIBLE for over a block in the down-wind direction.

no, that was Jersey.

ZING

[Cider Jim]

Who else is part of the 99%? How about Ivy League Harvard University?

http://occupyharvard.net/

[Sly Fox]

Wow, even the Daily Show is finally catching on ...

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-n ... et-divided

[jbock13]

It's interesting to note how much the Daily Show and Cobert have moved to the right as more conservative youth watch him. When they began it was nothing but conservative bashing, but now it's pretty awesome stuff poking fun at both sides.

[Sly Fox]

Colbert has pretty consistently conservative-leaning since he was spun-off Daily Show. However this perspective on Jon Stewart's show certainly caught me off guard.