(3 pm. – promoted by ek hornbeck)
disclaimer: these working demands came through “a” working group, and is not necessarily definitive, at all. The link came from HuffPo.
I see five major themes to the working demands of OWS.
Democracy/anti-plutocracy (items 1-5, 19):
(1) Public financing of federal elections, (2) nullify Citizen’s United, (3) 5-year ban on revolving door, (4) lifetime ban on gifts, (5) tax code reform, (19) additional campaign finance reform
Health Care (item 6):
(6) Health: single payer, Medicare for all
Environment (item 7):
(7) empower EPA enforcement, carbon caps, transition to renewables
Economy (items 8-18):
(8) sustainable debt/GDP ratio by 2020; (9) jobs program; (10) student loan debt relief; (11) immigration reform; (12) close non-essential military bases; (13) education with emphasis on tech and green, fair teacher pay; (14) rebuild manufacturing; (15) currency wars (?); (16) re-instate Glass-Steagall, investigate & prosecute market collapse; (17) end mortgage crisis; (18) one-year moratorium on foreclosures.
War (items 12 & 20):
(12) close non-essential bases, Congressional approval of war; (20) withdraw from Iraq & Afghanistan.
First impressions:
Overall, the themes aren’t bad, and the specific demands should be considered modest and reasonable. The impetus or rationale for invoking each theme could be better articulated, rather than just laying a series of bullet points out there. Throw in a little Declaration of Independence prosody and high-mindedness, perhaps.
Getting monied interests out of politics and universal health are no-brainers.
The environmental demands seem pretty weak, with an emphasis on global warming and transition to green, but it’s a start.
In addition to re-instating Glass-Steagall and prosecuting fraud (I thought they’d never get there!), I would add an immediate demand for mark-to-market accounting. In fact, that would be the very first item (time-wise) on the entire list. We need to know where we are financially, now! Before we dump another trillion into their bottomless maws. Also, we must find a way to resolve failing international financial institutions, which Dodd-Frank does not. I don’t fully understand item 15, forcing trading partners into potential currency wars? Strikes me as contentious at a time when everyone is walking on egg shells, and possibly a flat-out bad idea needing further vetting by more judicious minds.
As for closing shop on the empire, I say, “go for it!” That’s going to be one helluva fight with the PTB. Unfortunately, there is no mention of prosecuting war crimes, which is yet further evidence that this is a “pragmatic” set of demands, at the expense of ideals. If these 99ers have “moved on” from naked aggression, torture, etc., well, then that’s that, barring international remedies. This movement is not remotely radical.
Except for the “currency wars” issue and global warming, I also found the document lacking any strong sense of the issues that face the global commons at large, which may be appropriate at this stage. Still, one would like some sense of the need for international cooperation on issues where self-interested nations alone just won’t cut it.
The third party threat at the end of the list was convincing and appropriate.
2 comments
Who can tell if this website speaks for the Assembly, or if its just one group of activists trying to frame what THEY want out of it.
I can’t disagree strongly with any of the ideas, but many of them do not go far enough.
Why argue for student debt forgiveness/delay when the real problem is making our education a for-profit ponzi scheme in the first place?
This sounds very much like typical Democratic platforms, stuff they say they strive for, but can never quite get.
The speeches I hear coming out of the actual people seem far more radical.
Taken with grain of salt – since no one speaks for anyone else in this movement and there is no real committee.