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Occupy Bangor rally attracts 60 protesters

Earl Boyd, 65, of Canaan (right) was among the 60 people who participated in the Occupy Bangor demonstration in the front of the Bank of America building Wednesday. The Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine helped organize the event to show support for the Occupy Wall Street protests across the country.
Gabor Degre
Earl Boyd, 65, of Canaan (right) was among the 60 people who participated in the Occupy Bangor demonstration in the front of the Bank of America building Wednesday. The Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine helped organize the event to show support for the Occupy Wall Street protests across the country. Buy Photo
By Andrew Neff, BDN Staff
Posted Oct. 12, 2011, at 3:33 p.m.
Last modified Nov. 22, 2011, at 2:08 p.m.
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BANGOR, Maine — They came, they occupied, and then they left.

About 60 people, most with homemade signs, assembled Wednesday in front of the Bank of America building on Exchange Street to protest what they view as corporate greed and excessive individual wealth, among other things, in an hourlong Occupy Bangor rally.

“My family is middle class, all my friends are middle class, and I think it’s unfair that this gap between rich and poor is still growing,” said Margaret Hoyt, a first-time protest attendee from St. George and 20-year-old junior environmental science and ecology major at the University of Maine. “There’s really no middle class anymore.”

The event sprouted from similar ones organized by the Occupy Together and Occupy Wall Street groups.

“I support Occupy Wall Street, from what I understand of the movement,” said Earl Boyd, 65, of Canaan, a registered nurse who has been out of work for two months and is now drawing Social Security. “There are other things here about not cutting Social Security and Medicare, corporate greed, and spending money on war overseas.”

Posters ranged from extreme (“Take a bite out of crime. Eat a banker”) to short and sweet (“Tax the rich”) to quizzical (“Seriously? You didn’t think this day was coming?”) to repeated (“Honk if you are one of the 99 percent”).

“The 99 percent refers to those folks who are eking out a living and don’t have big wads of bills in their pockets,” said Boyd. “The 1 percent refers to those who are very wealthy and make more than a million dollars in a year.”

Fellow retiree Frank Donnelly of Lamoine has a Bank of America credit card account but still elected to come to the rally. He was reliving some old memories a year after being imprisoned for not paying his taxes.

“Forty-one years ago, I was in a protest in front of a Bank of America in California,” said Donnelly, a retired seafood broker. “I was sentenced June 14 last year to a year and a day for war tax resistance and that equated to 10½ months. I served 4½ in prison and another 5½ at a halfway house on Grant Street in Portland. Right now I’m on probation.”

Donnelly protests U.S. military action in Afghanistan and Iraq each Sunday on the bridge over the Union River in Ellsworth, but elected not to hold a sign Wednesday. He isn’t as hostile toward wealthy Americans or corporations as some at the rally were.

“I don’t hate the wealthy 1 percent. It’s just that they need to share the wealth,” said Donnelly, who has friends who are millionaires. “They’re not the wealthy I’m talking about. The ones I’m protesting are people who are multimillionaires or the multimillion corporations.”

Boyd, who was holding a “Honk…” sign, blamed Republicans for economic ills.

“Everybody gives back, except, it seems, the Republican Party, which just wants this country to fail as long as we have our current president,” he said. “That’s how it seems when I watch the news every night.”

Hoyt disagreed, saying politicians and members of both parties are to blame.

“It really isn’t political because both Democrats and Republicans have caused some of these problems we’re protesting against,” she said. “I honestly don’t know that much about taxes, but I know there needs to be more regulation on big banks, and I think there has to be more accountability for our government.”

The protesters did not block the entrances to the Bank of America bank lobby or offices, and employees said business did not seem to be noticeably affected.

“This is not an isolated incident, but with regard to that protest, there were no disruptions to our business operations,” Bank of America spokesman T.J. Crawford said from New York City. “They stayed outside on public property. We’d only intervene if their actions were impeding customers from doing business or if they were creating an unsafe situation.”

Bank of America’s presence in the building is limited to the bank on the ground floor.

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  • Anonymous

    Weak. Really weak. In every imaginable way.

  • honey777

    Great job!  Hope to see more such protests in Bangor, particularly on the weekends so more of us can get to them.

  • Anonymous

    The half naked PETA women attract much more interest than corporate greed. Next time they should announce free Bath Salts…… there would be thousands.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_Q4AP5EYCYRCGZGIJGWI6TLIUEA Tom

    Wow, 60 Obama voters.

    Didn’t know he still had that much support…

  • Anonymous

    So the Freak Show heads north.

  • Anonymous

    There’s a Bank of America branch in almost every town in Maine, why don’t they protest in front of their local branch? I bet they don’t want their friends and neighbors seeing them. It’s safer to come into Bangor.  Protesting today were  the usual suspects from the Peace and Social Justice Center in  Bangor, who for the most part don’t get along with each other.

  • Anonymous

    I guess the real problem isn’t that the wealthy won’t share their wealth. The problem is that average Americans aren’t being given the opportunity to earn their own wealth. Jobs that pay a living wage with health care and paid vacations are a thing of the past. When we can’t afford to buy the goods and they start stockpiling in warehouses, maybe then the wealthy guys will realize how much they depend on having a middle class.

  • Anonymous

    Same old Peace and Justice Center anemic display of ignorance.

    I talked to several of the protestors and they had no idea what they were protesting.

    One young lady told me she was protesting “the rich”.  When I pressed her why she said “I don’t know, they’re taking all our money, right?  We should close all the banks!”

    WOW.

  • Anonymous

    Cool-It’s a start. Hopefully we will no long be so complacent and begin to speak out.

  • Anonymous

    Love it – keep it up everybody!  This is patriotism at its finest. Let’s take back our country from these greedy republicans.

  • Anonymous

    You must have a lot more imagination than the rest of us.

  • Anonymous

    The occupy protesters are non political,  your funny

  • Anonymous

    Maybe you could get a job as a ‘real’ reporter.

  • Anonymous

    Really??

  • Anonymous

    They are non political, media hasn’t been honest for a reason… They (Media), wallstreet and the Banks  needs to find or make enemies  against these protesters so they claim the are political.. Pick a side the other one is you’re enemy…

  • Anonymous

    Good for them!!! Just think it for one minute, turn off dancing with the stars and listen to what they are saying… They do not belong to any political party…. Someone would like to make you think they do because you will automaticly have 50% of the people against them… Nice try folks… keep drinking the coolaid. Now you can turn your TV back on…

  • Anonymous

    LOL, they all come out during work hours on a work day, need I say more?

  • Anonymous

    “Hey dudes..pass the bong. Is this the occupy my mom’s basement rally?”

  • Anonymous

    Don’t hold your breath, these guys are welfare deadbeats and public sector union shills. They don’t work on weekdays, and the weekends are usually a drug induced haze for these folks.

  • Anonymous

    At least they chose a good place to stand/protest. Bank of America is corrupt. It deserves any downturn it encounters.  That bank should have played fair, but they chose not to.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    Wow!  Talk about passing judgement!  Many people sacrificed their lunch hour to come have their voices heard.   Others were between classes from local colleges and work in the evenings.  I don’t know what YOU do with your weekend – but I spend mine playing with my daughter, working and writing papers – NOT in a “drug induced haze”.  

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    What jobs are you talking about btw?  Did you know there are at least 50 applicants for EVERY job opening in the area?  Sometimes there are HUNDREDS.  For ONE position.  Where are the jobs – SHOW ME!

  • Anonymous

    These guys are just a bunch of typical front groups for liberal causes, come together for the publicity. You know the usual suspects, Maine Peoples Alliance, Peace and Justice Center, Common Cause…they do their dope smoking and welfare check cashing off camera.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    Who did YOU talk to?  I doubt you were even there!  There were some wonderful conversations about several things that need to be fixed in our system – I never once heard someone say they were protesting “the rich” – please quote and reference your sources if you want anyone to take you seriously.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dylan-C-Moore/100001780955208 Dylan C. Moore

    It’s called a lunch break.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    You miss the point of this movement.  This is NOT about attracting attention – this is about coming together as citizens of this great country and voicing your concerns about the way things are going and what you want to change.  If we wanted to attract attention, we would have had models in bikini’s handing out free brownies.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    Who said these people voted for Obama?  I didn’t see any signs saying anything about political parties – let alone favoring one over the other.  Educate yourself before you judge others by a small article that you obviously didn’t even understand.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    Stop trying to project your own downfalls onto others who simply want a better future for their children and grandchildren.  

  • Anonymous

    I love how posters against this resort to sarcasm when they have nothing educated to say.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dylan-C-Moore/100001780955208 Dylan C. Moore

    Do you know what a “front group” is and how it differs from a “group”? MPA, P&J, etc. are openly left/progressive-oriented groups. They are not secretly funded by illegal organizations or corporations.

  • Anonymous

    Again with the sarcasm, proving once again that you have nothing educated to contribute.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    And you find education funny?

  • Anonymous

    “I talked to several of the protestors (sic)….”
    Sure you did.

  • Anonymous

    Such sarcasm only shows your ignorance mom.

  • Anonymous

    If holding a protest, or rally outside in a public area in front of a bank in this case to get their message out isn’t for attracting attention than I really don’t know what to call it.  The point of an event like that is to get attention so your argument, viewpoint, demands, etc… are heard.

  • Anonymous

    I don’t understand why protesters pick a bank to attack. Almost all the people working there are part of this 99%. If I was going to protest a lot of “unequal” wealth, I would protest movie, TV, and sports stars. They get paid millions just for “entertaining” us.

  • Anonymous

    Yeah, and a very long one too.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dylan-C-Moore/100001780955208 Dylan C. Moore

    I was there, and I really hope that people of all political stripes will join. I think we share some feelings with the Tea Party, for example. Bailouts for big corporations from our government make us uncomfortable. We are wondering who exactly is being taken care of with our tax dollars. We support local solutions, fiscally responsible banks that do not gamble our economy away, and accountability from our government and from the corporations who receive bailout loans.

  • Anonymous

    they could be evening/overnight workers, or they work weekends and have two days off midweek.

  • Anonymous

    And I didn’t see any political signs identifying those out-of-state students who voted in the last election. Those supporters of efforts to repeal same day registration  must know how to read minds.

  • Anonymous

    How can they be political when most of them have no idea what they are  protesting for in the first place.  Not to mention their total ignorance of facts and inability to think logically.

  • Anonymous

    There is actually a proven path to a better future.

    Step 1     Get a job.
    Step 2    Drop the victim mentality.
    Step 3    Drop the entitlement mentality.

    There are more, although these get you a long way…

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_Q4AP5EYCYRCGZGIJGWI6TLIUEA Tom

    Stop making sense! You’re being a buzzkill.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dylan-C-Moore/100001780955208 Dylan C. Moore

    Thanks Honey777, I agree!

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/3CTQSN65THEFIPCEFI3I2RU35I Suzane

    Hysterical.  

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dylan-C-Moore/100001780955208 Dylan C. Moore

    This is a good point, but remember that the point isn’t to attack the regular workers at BOA. They are good people. BOA’s role in the predatory mortgage lending that helped lead to the recession is a bigger concern.

  • Brandon Davis

    It’s the high level corporate aspect of the bank that is being protested and their irresponsible investments, lack of repaying the bailouts, their vicious and unreasonable foreclosure practices, and continuous attempts to “nickle and dime” more and more money out of it’s customers.  We do see it’s regular employees as the 99% as well, and you may have noticed in the article it notes how we did not disrupt the business of the bank nor harassed its employees or customers.    Sure many celebrities make loads of money and thus are enjoying the privileges of virtually no taxation, but they do not pour millions of dollars taken from actual taxpayers into lobbying and their own exorbitant salaries.

  • Anonymous

    Who funds you?  and don’t give me “the People” stuff.

  • Anonymous

    Wow another groundbreaking news flash from BDN.  Looks like the support drawn says plenty about the”movement”. LMAO

  • Anonymous

    What movement? The re-elect campaign is a movement?

  • Anonymous

    I was watching Lawrence Odonnell last night and there is Adam Greenberg from Bold Progressives and  very conservative Republican Buddy Roehmer (who actually went and talked to the OWS protesters in NYC) and Adam and Buddy are agreeing with each other.  Gives me hope.

    It’s about equality and fairness. And not having wealth determine your voice and influence in government.  Sounds like Democracy to me.

    Even mittens Romney now says that he “hears” the 99%…of course that’s a flip flop from previous statements but hey, it’s Mitt.

  • Anonymous

    The 60′s protestors were a bunch of nuts & so are those today.  They are ‘useful idiots’ for the liberal/progressive movement.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dylan-C-Moore/100001780955208 Dylan C. Moore

    Present some evidence rather than bashing those who you disagree with. People may have had varying reasons for being there, I can’t ignore that. But many of us are aware that BOA participated in the subprime mortgage lending crisis that precipitated the economic recession. Big banks, including BOA and similar, issue subprime mortgages or own subsidiaries which do. Reinstituting laws similar to Glass–Steagall would be a good first step in controlling speculation.

  • Anonymous

    i have never blamed Obama for being our leader. its the stupid people who voted him in, he had no qualifcations in the first place, but he sure could talk give him credit for that, but as far as leadership he did not have any so stop blaming obama for what the people in the good old USA did, they wanted change oh they got it all right, its the people who voted him in that was blindedby his good speech, some of us could see through that

  • Brandon Davis

    The “Freak Show” did not head north, we’ve been here all along.  We’re Mainers too, and while we do carry the same message as the protestors on Wall St. and around the country we are still regular local people.  We’re simply normal people speaking out now, as one voice, and I hate to break it to you (well, not really) but people are listening.   

  • Anonymous

    These wealthy bankers and wall street  people supported Obama and the Democrats in 2008. Not the Republicans. 

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VGTY6ODVBIVL3WWWG6R5V46UM4 Lol Noob

    http://occupywallst.org/attendees/

    Are you gonna say anything else on the “support” of our movement?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dylan-C-Moore/100001780955208 Dylan C. Moore

    BOA almost got my dad’s home when he lost his job as a carpenter during the recession. New home construction took a huge hit in the crisis. BOA representatives called all the time… striking deals and payment plans and then calling again and not knowing anything about them. It was very scary. As BOA nearly took the home that I grew up in, I wasn’t yet aware of their role in fraudulent and predatory banking practices, including subprime mortgage lending, which actually helped to precipitate the crisis itself. I am closing my accounts with BOA, and by Nov 5 [Bank Transfer Day] will be banking locally. BOA employees are awesome and have given me great service, but  I don’t believe we can trust BOA itself to protect our finances, assets and economy. I hope everyone will consider becoming a part of OccupyBangor with your own personal story. Our diversity makes us strong!

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VGTY6ODVBIVL3WWWG6R5V46UM4 Lol Noob

    You realize that it’s the legislative branch responsible for these issues, not the executive branch, correct?

  • Anonymous

    He doesn’t. Some of them admitted they had no idea why they were there!

  • Anonymous

    sure. whatever you say.

  • Anonymous

    Please hire models as girls on the Left typically don’t look good in a two piece.  They need to shave their legs and pits.

  • Brandon Davis

    Please realize that this movement is not actually political.  When it comes to complaints government it’s not any one party or elected official that we are speaking out against but all of those who are in the pockets of the corporations.  I’m not sure why you’re bringing up your complaints about Obama in the comments of this article but I hope you understand we’re not signaling out any one political or party.

  • Anonymous

    This is patriotism but the TParty isn’t?  Can you spell hypocrite?

  • Anonymous

    Do you have any evidence of the job opening and the number of applicants?

  • Anonymous

    With any luck we can put 200000 people out of work.  Another great jobs plan by the Left.

  • Anonymous

    Yeah, having the government back bad loans to people who couldn’t afford houses had nothing to do with the meltdown. Keep spinning that it was the evil banks fault.

  • Anonymous

    top 1% of earners pay 40% of the fed income taxes.  Where is the privilege of virtually no taxation.  49% pay no fed taxes so who the hell has the privileges of virtually no taxation

  • Anonymous

    I give you the loons on youtube…

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOkMizZjhBI

  • Anonymous

    Dylan,
    Did the bank repossess or was your father able to make payments to keep the house?

  • Anonymous

    Ignorance is bliss right?  Opinions are like something else everyone has, but if you’re going to say who these people are, paint a label on them at least take some time to research. This comment section is full of half-baked idiots who get their information from the mainstream media which has been conducting a blackout for the most part when they are not outright lying to and misinforming the public. This is Day 27 of Occupy Wall St’s protest. It is growing. It is nonviolent. And, whether you choose to believe it or not, these intelligent people are representing us in fighting corruption at the top. This is not a 2012 campaign spectacle, it is a revolution.  Join us.

  • Anonymous

    Bank of America dug their own grave. They have created their problems, so they need to take responsibility. If they had played fair, maybe they would not have had to get rid of all those employees.

  • Anonymous

    No, she would not get that.

  • Anonymous

    I have heard quite a number of horrifying stories concerning that bank. They are not the only culprits, and it would be unfair to say that, but they are responsible for any plight they may be facing. 

  • Anonymous

    It is just a fun family weekend. You get to teach rage to your children and get to feel self-righteous all at the same time. Win-Win.

  • Anonymous

    I’m still waiting for someone to tell me what the “message” is.

  • Anonymous

    The girl in the article, Hoyt?, Seems to be typical. “There is no more middle class except for myself. my family, and everyone I know”. “I dont know anything about taxes.”

  • Anonymous

    I will believe they are not part of any political party if you will beleive the same about Tea party folks.

  • Anonymous

    So are they also camped out at Frank and Dodd’s offices in MA, CT, and DC?

  • Anonymous

    Dont forget there are over 50,000 Mainers still without a job because of the mess Bush took eight years to mire us in.

  • Anonymous

    Would the rest of you pipe down so we can hear the guy with something to say?

  • Anonymous

    I watched the live feed. A large number of people there were older retirees. There were none there who appeared to be in a drug induced haze. There did not appear to be any welfare deadbeats since several of the people who spoke talked of working more than one job just to put food on the table. My son and his girlfriend were there because they are both full-time students at U Maine and were in between classes.

    Umm, it was also during lunch time so many left work to join the effort. You are so judgmental. You speak about something without even knowing what you are talking about.

  • Anonymous

    Hate doesn’t suit you.

  • Anonymous

    This link should come with a disclaimer. Dont watch with young children present or if you are offended by profanity.

  • Anonymous

    What did they say?

  • Anonymous

    TEAOCCUPIERS

  • Anonymous

    And it isn’t great that we live in a country where we can voice our opinions in a public setting. 

  • Anonymous

    they are the same people who rant about tea party people…. calling the kettle black

  • Anonymous

    Tell you what, Sam, I’ll do you one better.  I have video, I have the names of the people I have talked to.  I will be posting my interviews to my YOUTUBE page once I have finished the editing process.

    I started documenting these protests several weeks ago in Portland when I happened to be down there doing some filming for the Maine Marathon.  I just happened to be downtown with my camera and, being very for “separation of corporation and state”  I decided it would be fun to interview some of the people at the protests.

    Boy was I wrong. 

    I talked to people that wanted marijuana legalized.  I talked to a guy that wanted to be a modern-day robin hood and was advocating violence against “the rich”.  When I asked him who the rich in Maine were his reply was “I don’t know, the banks”.  I talked to a group of Bates students that were clearly drunk and admitted to using the protests as an attempt to get free Otto pizza.  All of this on tape, mind you.

    Today wasn’t much better.  Uneducated generalizations do more harm than good.  I had a twenty-something year old guy try and tell me that BOA was run by the US government.  I seriously thought he was making a joke until his buddy told him otherwise.  He argued for a minute until several others corrected him.

    This “movement” has become a bandwagon for hipsters and old hippies.  I refuse to throw my support behind protests that have no focus or organization and fail to educate anyone about the real issues that plague us.

    Stay tuned for link to my mini-doc… 

  • Anonymous

    I hope you’re not implying I incorrectly used “protestors”.

    http://www.thefreedictionary.com/protestors

  • Anonymous

    the problem is many of these commenters would have to get up from the chair glued to their… that’s too much work on top of that walking  path to prosperity

  • Brandon Davis

    Did he even mention the Tea Party in his post?  Don’t just make assumptions.

  • Anonymous

    why don’t they come together in DC. and protest about the real problem  to the problem makers

  • Anonymous

    the message is they are envious of wealth and feel it should be stolen from those who have some and be support those who refuse to earn it..

  • Anonymous

    I saw no rage on the live feed today. I saw concerned citizens getting together to voice their concerns. You are a mainstream media zombie believing everything spoon fed to you by the corporation owned media. Try thinking for yourself, you may actually like it.

  • Anonymous

    guest for Pres….

  • Anonymous

    she is the opposite

  • Anonymous

    The politicians in DC are bought and paid for by corporations and those in the banking system. Our politicians are but a symptom of the disease spread by the corporations who have the real control over this country.

  • Anonymous

    I see the know everything name callers are out in force on this one

  • Anonymous

    please list your sources time & dates. Also if you want anyone to believe you list your skill levels and any books you’ve written about the subject of  knowing what your talking about.

  • Anonymous

    Note how white that crowd is..must be some haters there.

  • Anonymous

    good thing you not wealthy

  • Anonymous

    please show proof with pictures your were there! how are we to belive your hearsay comments. please show your sources if you people to take you seriously

  • Anonymous

    Sure..they walked over to the rich “fat cats” houses today in NYC…but funny thing was they walked right on by Hedge Fund Billionaire and currency manipulator George Soros’ house . Thing is, he’s funding this group so he’s ok. Hypocrites much?

  • Anonymous

    “Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.” – Thomas Jefferson
    Keep up the good work folks!  America was founded on dissent – taxation without representation… founds familiar.

  • Anonymous

    Our trouble started long before Obama became president. This mess has been a long time in the making. You actually think things would be any better with McCain and the barbie from Alaska? I’m sure that Palin would have had so much to contribute. 

  • Anonymous

    I said I find people who complain they can’t finds a job but have a degree in something useless as the basis of a career like gender studies or art funny.

  • Anonymous

    College students “in between classes”. Yep, that says it all.

  • Anonymous

    So those fighting for civil rights were nuts? Those Nam vets who came back and protested against the war were nuts? The 60s protesters helped end horrific practices of discrimination. And the war protesters were led by vets who saw horrific atrocities.

  • Anonymous

    the oen position you talk about is the unemployent check…plenty of jobs.. ever work more than 8 hrs a day??? try owning your own business 24/7 but i don have to answer to anyone or complain about those who earn their money.II enjoy someone who makes money, shows character as john wayne would  say

  • Anonymous

    Unlike the spoon feeding you guys get from Daily Kos, Huff Post, or Radio Publica. Self righteousness is ugly on anyone.

  • Anonymous

    Look at all the white hippies protesting. They must be against minorities just like those white Tea Party people were accused of being. 

  • Anonymous

    what a joke… bangor is now the laughing stock  throughout the US. pettycoat junction

  • Anonymous

    Hey, the reality is these “occupiers” are filthy mouthed law breakers and there are hundreds of videos showing it. Maybe the reality hurts you dreamers, but there it is.

  • Anonymous

    What is your degree in?

  • Anonymous

    Where is that priviledge of virtually no taxation? According to the  IRS in 2009, taxpayers who made $1 million or more paid on average 24.4 percent of their income in federal income taxes. Those making $100,000 to $125,000 paid on average 9.9 percent in federal
    income taxes. Those making $50,000 to $60,000 paid an average of 6.3
    percent.

  • Anonymous

    Been at 60 some years. I have it down. Thanks.

    Besides why the personal name calling? I never saw that from you before.

  • Anonymous

    What did you do in between classes when you were getting your Bachelor’s degree? 

  • Anonymous

    I actually use none of those sources. But there are some incredible news sources out there. Maybe you should try to find a few.

  • Anonymous

    Because the Tea Party crowd is more about bringing down the Democratic party than it is about reforming government. This group is detached from ANY political party as they realize that the political parties in this country are dysfunctional.

  • Anonymous

    I stand (sit) corrected. Both usages are acceptable. Thanks for pointing this out to me. As”they” say, my bad.
    Sent from my U.S. Cellular® Android-powered phone

  • Anonymous

    I saw veterans holding signs there today, retired citizens, many who are college educated and have had long careers. I saw college students and working single parents. The reality is that the make up of these crowds are rapidly changing. More and more every day folk are joining them because they are saying enough is enough. This is going to morph into something much bigger that will be made up of Americans from all across the spectrum. 

  • Anonymous

    Studied? Novel thought for the hippies I know.

  • Anonymous

    You were a hippie? So the Vietnam vets there today were hippies? The 60 something RN who has been out of work for two months? You think I am a hippie? What is a hippie? And how do I know if someone is a hippie? I don’t want to catch it.

  • Anonymous

    Not name calling, just making an observation. Are you the only one allowed to call names and stereotype?

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VGTY6ODVBIVL3WWWG6R5V46UM4 Lol Noob

    So using obscenities makes you a law breaker?

    You realize that words are just words, meant to convey a message? Assuming that vulgarity dictates you must be “lesser” is incredibly short-sighted. Impassioned speech during a moment of elation and frustration will lead to “big bad syllable collections” that offend people. 

    Words are words, if you are truly offended by something as silly as the rhythmic integration of sounds meant to express a feeling or thought, you might want to take another look at the things around you.

    If you paid any attention to the protest, none of us were shouting obscenities. I was talking to the nice girl and guy who were streaming, and the event coordinator, and I heard nothing remotely like that “filthy mouthed law breaker”.

  • Anonymous

    I dont disagree, just wish my two year old hadn’t been standing next to me when I opened the link.

  • Anonymous

    I saw a number of Vets standing there holding signs as well as working parents and college students. 

  • Anonymous

    Yup, the usual suspects.
    However, Samantha had some intelligent and insightful comments.
    It seems the one speaking of hate overlooked the original hateful comment by some poster but that is so transparent.  You didn’t miss anything.

  • Anonymous

    The message is that they realize that both political parties are dysfunctional and that we are close to the edge of a cliff because of the actions of our politicians and corporate/banking leaders. The message is that we no longer have power in this country because our politicians are bought and paid for and until we stand up for ourselves, we will continue to see this downward spiral that will soon become so powerful that nothing will be able to stop it.  I don’t envy wealth. I have a comfortable life. I’m just scared to death at where this is all heading and hope that more and more Americans will awaken before it is too late. 

  • Anonymous

     Why is it always Bush’s doing? He was President with a Democratic led congress. If you want to talk about the 50,000 that are unemployed in Maine why not cast the blame on former Gov. Baldacci. We need not look any further than decades of liberal tax and spend policies for the quagmire we find ourselves in. The liberals have worked so hard to create a socialist society in this country and it is high time that we stop making excuses for people that will not want to take responsibility for their own destinies and well being.

  • Anonymous

    Come to my state of the Soviet Republic of Ca., See the results of decades of Dems running the state with taxes, spending, regs and no energy drilling! Our education system is horrid. The result of the CTA union. If these radicals want to protest why America is falling apart, go to every Blue state guv and state Leg., and to DC and to the Dem Senate and WH. It is there policies that have bankrupted America for the last 60 yrs. Otherwise, drive a cab. You will make plenty of money. More than I did as a teacher and Pastor for 48 yrs. Yikes.

  • Anonymous

    Nope it just differs quite a bit from the presentation I have come to expect from you. 

    “You are a mainstream media zombie” To be honest I haven’t been on the tube for days. In the middle of a project.

  • Anonymous

    Don’t encourage him. That’s his goal.

  • Anonymous

    In an article I read concerning the “millionaire march” in NYC it was noted that mayor Bloomberg’s residence was not marched upon, is that because he is a liberal? Nobody seems to be protesting the wealth of Bill Gates, Warren Buffet or Zuckerberg. What about all the super wealthy movies stars and athletes’? It seems that the only rich people being protested are the ones who are or are perceived to be conservative. What happens when all these college students that are protesting, graduate and become successful and are the new 1%? What happens when the 1% are defeated, will these protesters change their signs to indicate they are now representing the 75% as they now are going after the top 25% who seem to have more money than the protesters deem acceptable? What amount of money can I accumulate before I am protested for being greedy and become the demon? The “American Dream” is under attack and the attackers are the protesters that feel it is wrong to invest one’s own money, time and hard work to become successful. Damn those entrepreneurs, how dare they prosper and be rewarded for their efforts.

  • Anonymous

    How about the lower tier earners that end up getting more back than they ever paid in. How can somebody earn 20K and get back 5K in a tax return?

  • Anonymous

    Are you ever correct!

  • Anonymous

    So why the nasty remarks about rage and being self-righteous? And if you aren’t keeping informed on what has been happening, how can you make these remarks?

  • Anonymous

    If it matters to anybody, I think we should all participate in these gatherings. I mean the old, the young, the workers, the disabled, mothers, fathers, people of faith, citizens, legal immigrants, and the rest of us. 

    If any of you have been watching the news you know what’s going on all over the world. People are getting wise and overthrowing fascist leaders. It’s happening everywhere, and people have been asking me why it hasn’t happened here yet. I have no answer for those people. So my conclusion is it’s getting started. We are not going to put up with the 3 Stooges wrecking our country using petty cash from the Koch Brothers, Maine Heritage Policy Center, Americans for Prosperity, the Moonies, ALEC, and FOX News.

  • Anonymous

    It is unfortunate that your father lost his employment. I hope things have improved for him.Remember that when one borrows money from a lending institution to purchase a car, home or whatever it is a business transaction that indicated that the borrower agrees to make all payments in full and on time, usually with whatever the money was borrowed for being used as collateral. These corporations are in this for profit and need to be paid as per the original agreement of the loan. Do not demonize them for exercising the rights they were given when the business transactions was agreed upon by both parties. I am sure that most lenders don’t come knocking on someone’s door begging to lend them money, it is the individual who sought out the lending institution asking to borrow money.

  • Anonymous

    How about rather than occupying Wall Street, they try occupying a job?  This isn’t Robin Hood, it’s called capitalism.  Socialism is not the answer, folks.   ”Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” -Thomas Edison

  • Anonymous

    my degree is in hard work and lots of overtime gets me by just fine, but I dont have a pretty piece of paper on my wall telling you of my qualifications

  • Anonymous

    Many people who have degrees got it from hard work and lots of overtime. I didn’t get mine until I was almost forty. That pretty piece of paper on my wall took my five hard years to obtain and I don’t feel that it is useless. I also realize that it doesn’t make me any greater or lesser of a person than I was before I had it. 

  • Anonymous

    Hippies are easy to spot, usually in a prius with obama hope and change stickers, occasionally a treehugging dirt worshipper decal below it. They are all global warming supporters and somehow forget the volvos and suburus they drive had to be shipped here burning more fossil fuels than my v8 truck will burn in a lifetime. They tell of hard times but always have time for a rally or demonstration between all of their jobs. Occasionally have a trust fund also. They are easy to pick out   try it sometime you will see

  • Anonymous

    I watch the pro-Occupy Wall Street folks and there certainly appears to be a bit of rage. I hardly think you can deny it. Watch some of the posters that support it on here. Early on folks were advocating insurrection. If that isn’t rage I am not sure what is.

    There is always a little bit-of holier than thou when someone takes to the street in protest claiming the moral high ground in any debate. Again just look  to the moral sounds coming from some of the supporters.

    One other thing. Are you anti-Semitic?  The people who helped to generate and inspire your “movement” are. Be careful before you become too closely  associated with them.

  • Anonymous

    also My comments weren’t personal unless you choose to take them that way. Besides  there is always a little fun in poking a dead carcass with a stick.

  • Anonymous

    if the degree helped you get work and financial gains then it was worth every penny if you have a degree in arts and are selling cars for a living then not so much I was not degrading anyone with a degree but when someone trys to obtain one they should be sure it is going to put them to work or at least open doors to opportunity

  • Anonymous

    People become educated for reasons beyond life employment. I know many lobster fishermen with Bachelor degrees. They don’t regret one minute that they spent at college learning but felt called to be on the ocean. Even if you don’t use your degree it isn’t worthless.

  • Anonymous

    So the vets there today and the RN, the college students, unemployed…every single one of them were hippies? 

    Try seeing human beings as human beings instead of putting people with different life styles and views from you into neat little boxes. 

  • Anonymous

    It’s not “my movement.” I have not participated but I am very interested in what they are doing. I personally am holding back until the morphs into something that I can fully support. I have some reservations but it’s the movement of the people of this country from their complacency that is stirring my interest.  It’s just a matter of time before everyday people from all walks of life take to the streets. This is no doubt just the beginning.

    I would be very interested in your sources for the claim that it is an anti-semitic movement. Please do post some links.

  • Anonymous

    The American Dream is and has been under attack for many decades. The attackers are the corrupt politicians who are bought and paid for by the corporations that use our politicians to write policies that benefit them. The protesters aren’t upset with your average business owner in Maine. They are upset with the system that is creating a huge divide between the rich and the poor and the total depletion of the middle class. I doubt very much that you are a part of the 1% that they are talking about so you can rest easy.

  • Anonymous

    Sad guys, really sad!!  I know 2 of the people featured in that picture and they both have full time jobs and a spouse that has a full time job as well.  Why do you feel you can judge them for protesting in their spare time when in your spare time this is what you are doing? 

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    Get your facts straight: when Bush was in office, there was only a short 2 years (of his 8) of a Democratic led congress.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/7EHQWSUNO43P7YH627FYTMPIHI PatrickM

    This crowd lost me when they defecated on a police car. There’s protesting, and there’s being deranged uncivil loudmouths. However, I would support them more if they directed their energies at the economy’s real job killer … with an “OccupyWhiteHouse” protest.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/7EHQWSUNO43P7YH627FYTMPIHI PatrickM

    Wow, 3 years of Obama keeping us in 3 wars … and you blame Bush. Have you been living under a rock? Why don’t you blame LBJ or Woodrow Wilson while you’re at it?

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/7EHQWSUNO43P7YH627FYTMPIHI PatrickM

     Actually 4 years – 2001-2002 Tom Dashle ran the Senate, then in 2006 the Democrats took over both houses. Democrats were co-rulers, especially since 2006 … yiked 5 whole years ago. When is the statute of limitations expire for our failed President Obama on blaming Bush?

  • Anonymous
  • Anonymous

    David Brooks New York Times. Today’s column. I posted some links on another thread.
    It really makes sense. Put it with the pro-extermination of  Israel thing the left has….. and…

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/7EHQWSUNO43P7YH627FYTMPIHI PatrickM

     Then take your protest to Congress and the White House. Wall Street had nothing to do with the  Solyndra loans that were fast-tracked by the Obama White House and given to rich supporters of President Obama. $500 million in taxpayer money down the drain, and/or recycled into Obama’s campaign, depending on how you look at it.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_4KZ6KOO5ZIHALSBL5U6AV3Z2HQ Cara C

    I agree we have some common ground. However, the Tea Party’s answer is liberty, limited government, and the rule of law, a government that spends responsibly and protects our Constitutional rights so we can live as we see fit. Whereas the Occupy Wall Street crowd wants to give more of our power and money to the government so that it can make things “fair.”

    The Tea Party looks at governments that propose to make things “fair” and sees governments that, at best, treat their citizens like children, making their decisions for them and stifling innovation and independence – or, at worst, corrupt and brutal governments that mass murder, terrorize, and oppress their citizens. We’d like to keep our power, rights, and property, and keep government our servant, not our master.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/7EHQWSUNO43P7YH627FYTMPIHI PatrickM

     Reality check: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac *NOT* BOA, was the epicenter of the housing bubble and the financial crisis. It was their bailout that preceded Lehman and led to the crunch.

    Fannie and Freddie were protected from reform by powerful democrats like Rep Frank and Sen Dodd. So why arent you “Occupy Rep Franks house” and fixing it there?!? And no, you are wrong on Glass-Steagall, its repeal actually SAVED the economy, because the commercial banks took over the capsizing investment banks in late 2008, at the urging of Paulson and Geitner (BOA, your nemesis, was actually a fairly responsible bank and was goaded into taking over the toxic Countrywide and Merrill Lynch).

    So you are attacking the innocent and leaving the guilty (Fannie and Freddie) off the hook. And btw, why isnt Sen Dodd in jail for his Countrywide bribe-taking? Is it because we’d have to jail half the Senate?

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/7EHQWSUNO43P7YH627FYTMPIHI PatrickM

      ” this is about coming together as citizens of this
    great country and voicing your concerns about the way things are going
    and what you want to change.”
    That was the Tea Party movement. Very polite, civil, but insistent on returning to a government that isnt out of control and lives within its means, and holding government accountable to ‘we the people’.

    Instead of this insane camping out activity, just join up with a Tea Party.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/7EHQWSUNO43P7YH627FYTMPIHI PatrickM

     Sure, Goldman Sachs gave millions to Obama. Point taken. But its stupid to go on wall street … the problem is Obama, go to HIS house.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    Who said I am working for a “useless degree”?  In fact, the degree I am pursuing is one of the very few having a near 90% placement rate upon graduation.  As far as engineering jobs (which is what you had originally commented [that was removed] implementing that it was a more “useful” degree).  To tell you something about THAT job market –  I had several friends within the past two years graduate with HONORS from the engineering program at UMO and they STILL can not find work in their intended field without having to move far out of state or country (and what help does that do to our state to have our educated workers leave?).   I would like to see you try going through college these days, it is more than a full time job on its own.  Add work into the equation and I sure enough spend just as much time working as you on overtime weeks.  Add in house maintenance, family life and events I volunteer for in my community (not protests, but actual WORK I do for FREE for my community) and I can bet I put in more hours than most.   And I am not complaining.  I am educating you that the world is not as black and white as you see it.

    This movement is NOT about people being lazy, not about having too high of standards, it is simply about being able to make ends meet without sacrificing your life and your family relationships to a job, boss, company or corporation (etc.).  It is about restoring consumer protections that were repealed at the turn of (THIS) century that helped fuel the busted housing market and lending practices that led to the economic collapse in 2008.  It is about getting corporations and lobbyists out of the closets of the people we depend on to make the right choices for our future.  It is about protecting our children’s right to prosper and achieve the American Dream.  It is NOT about HEAVILY taxing the rich.  It is about removing the tax cap so people can pay their FAIR proportion of taxes and not only have to pay the same amount as a person making millions less than them.  It is making sure that the civil liberties and rights are upheld and reaffirmed and not trampled on and abused like they have been. It is about investing in our future by educating our children the right way.  It is about reforming what is not working, leaving what is not broken, and being compassionate for the fate of our country and the world as a whole.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/7EHQWSUNO43P7YH627FYTMPIHI PatrickM

    “The message is that they realize that both political parties are dysfunctional”
    If that is true, then they need to quit the silly ‘occupy’ idea and run primary candidates to take out the dysfunctional politicians.  Obviously the results of the 2008 election were part of this bought and paid for election, so every incumbent should be defeated.

    “The message is that we no longer have power in this country because our politicians are bought and paid for ” LAME LAME LAME … Name names.
    Is the President of the United States bought and paid for? Then go to HIS house and make a stink about it.  Is Senate Majority Leader Reid bought and paid for? Then go to HIS house and make a stink about it.
    And if not … well, what’s the big deal then?

    ” I’m just scared to death at where this is all heading and hope that
    more and more Americans will awaken before it is too late.” Our $14 trillion in debt and the fact that our President plan to add another $10 trillion to our debt is what scares me.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/7EHQWSUNO43P7YH627FYTMPIHI PatrickM

    Thinking? Then REALLY think … why is the “1%” being bashed? Who really is helped here? Not the regular taxpayer. The “1%” never taxed me, the govt did.  I am concerned that non-thinking people will fall for the vicious politics of blaming a small, unpopular minority for their economic ills. That’s how Hitler got his power. He blamed the Jews, now we have the “1%” to blame. It’s called a “scapegoat” and demagogues LOVE to play the Pied Piper and lead the shills down the path of blaming others … and validating the politics of envy, hate and plunder.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    Once you are done the editing process?  I am afraid I have a hard time believing documentaries that mirror practices of Michael Moore, but I will be happy to watch your documentary.  just because there are some people with misperceptions that you happened to interview does not mean it makes a definition of the movement as a whole.

    I will repeat what I stated above;
    This movement is NOT about people being lazy, not about having too high of standards, it is simply about being able to make ends meet without sacrificing your life and your family relationships to a job, boss, company or corporation (etc.).  It is about restoring consumer protections that were repealed at the turn of (THIS) century that helped fuel the busted housing market and lending practices that led to the economic collapse in 2008.  It is about getting corporations and lobbyists out of the closets of the people we depend on to make the right choices for our future.  It is about protecting our children’s right to prosper and achieve the American Dream.  It is NOT about HEAVILY taxing the rich.  It is about removing the tax cap so people can pay their FAIR proportion of taxes and not only have to pay the same amount as a person making millions less than them.  It is making sure that the civil liberties and rights are upheld and reaffirmed and not trampled on and abused like they have been. It is about investing in our future by educating our children the right way.  It is about reforming what is not working, leaving what is not broken, and being compassionate for the fate of our country and the world as a whole.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    I doubt that a majority of them did, do you happen to have their voting records handy?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    The vast majority of people at the rally are registered independents.

  • Anonymous

    Compassion is in short supply in many quarters today. To some (and you read it in posts here ), compassion is a dirty word. Imagine.  A sad commentary.

    Your remarks are  right -on, and no, everything is not either black or white.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    I work a a heck of alot longer than 8 hours a day.  Owning a business is a 24/7 job – but that is something that can be done from a lounge chair at the beech as well.  Not that you or anyone else on this forum have any right to know, but I held 2 jobs for a long time before being forced to quit due to temporarily disability.  When I was able to work again, there was no work that could ends meet, and as far as for getting two jobs again – those types of jobs won’t hire me because I am “over-qualified”.  Thousands of people in this state are in the same boat I am in.  Millions in this country.  I returned to school to be able to get a degree where I can find work that gets my family into a better economic position, and I have promising job prospects for the future, true.  But this is not just about me.  This is about the future of the masses in our country.  Fact of the matter is, there is not enough jobs out there to employ the number of unemployed.  Why?  Partially because capitalism favored companies to be able to move their manufacturing jobs over seas.  I would rather pay more for a product made in the country with quality materials than one that had to be sailed or flown to get on the shelf made by an underpaid employee working outrages hours just to keep their job.

  • Anonymous

    How do you know that?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    Absolutely.  Go to your local career center and talk to employers who have to screen hundreds of applicants for jobs.  Go to the labor department and get the statistics.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    The government did not back the loans, the government has nothing to do with people buying homes.  Small lending companies and mortgage brokers who were handing out sub-prime mortgages like candy and then selling these time-bombs to big banks were a part of the problem.   Notice how they have pretty much disappeared? Keep spinning Fox news propaganda.

  • Anonymous

    Bangorian, the Democrats are the rich.  Look up the income of your favorite Democrat friend  and your least favorite Republican, I bet  you’ll find your Dem friends are richer than your Republican enemy.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    That is simply not true.  It is great they entrepreneurs prosper and drive our economy to get better.  They should pay their fair share of taxes however.  A person making 5 Mill a year pays the same as someone making 5 Billion a year, who pays the same as someone making the tax-cap amount, which is 250k.  (roughly $6,500).    People are not marching on Bill Gates or Warren Buffet because – have you heard lately?  THEY told the government TO TAX THEM! *gasp*  Look it up.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    Actually, data shows, people that make under 35k a year pay a much higher taxes proportionally than anyone else.  They not only pay income taxes which is a percentage, but they pay FIXED taxes too – sales taxes, registration taxes, property taxes, etc.   Here is a little bit of economic education; http://front.moveon.org/what-if-everyone-saw-this-clip-of-robert-reich-exposing-7-gop-lies/?fb_ref=.TpS_v3JdijE.like&fb_source=profile_multiline

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    that is actually false.  Did Fox news tell you that?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    He is not demonizing the bank.  BOA has known fraudulent foreclosure practices, including foreclosing on homes of soldiers who are deployed over seas who are not notified of a payment problem until they return home only to find their house now belongs to BOA.  There is a law that protects soldiers from this happening.  BOA is getting away with it because it has politicians and all the right people in its pocket.  Look it up.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    Haha…the only joke I see is you saying  ”the US pettycoat junction” – WTH does that even mean?

  • Anonymous

    Some say that the Occupy Wall Street protesters don’t even know what they are protesting against. I disagree with that off-handed comment.

     First of all, it isn’t just a single problem that needs fixing. It’s a whole laundry list of things that have been broken for a long time. The two-party system is seriously broken. It doesn’t matter which party you align yourself with, they are both stuck on their own side and want to point the finger of blame at the other side. We should have a one-party house of representatives and a one-party senate.

    The banking system, i.e. the Federal Reserve, (which isn’t a government agency), the World Bank and the IMF all have more control of the governments of the world than the countries do. They control the purse strings, therefore they control the government. You think Congress runs this country, but you are wrong. Wall Street is essentially an extension of the Banking industry, which is allowed to use other peoples money to leverage millions into billions in profits for the banking industry out of thin air. 

     Our educational system is so broken that only the rich can afford to get a good education.They get to go to private schools and Ivy League colleges. Everyone else gets to go to public schools where the drop-out rate is out of site, and those that do graduate have a quality of education that is worse than many third world countries. If they get to go to college most of them come out with a debt load that they won’t be able to pay off before they retire. 

    Our healthcare system is so expensive that one major accident or illness is enough to bankrupt the average person. More often than not, even if they are lucky enough to have health insurance they will still lose their homes. Over 50% of the foreclosures in this country are the result of a health issue. Forget about those that have no health insurance.

    NAFTA has opened the doors to sending millions of our manufacturing jobs overseas where large corporations can take advantage of cheap labor, lax or non-existing environmental regulations, low export tariffs and lower taxes. When these companies brag about creating new jobs, those jobs more often than not are jobs for those people in the foreign country that got all of our manufacturing jobs in the first place. Forget about those companies investing in new jobs in this country. That would mean that would have to pay taxes on the money those jobs earned in this country. As it is, they keep most of their money overseas and avoid paying US taxes. Not raising taxes on the rich is not going to create jobs in this country, it will simply give them more money to invest in building their overseas operations.

    The tax system is another major problem in this county. The rich hire teams of tax accountants and attorneys and end up paying little or now taxes at all. While the rest of us get hounded by the IRS if we forget to claim a few hundred dollars. The tax code is over 1700 pages long and no one person could begin know or understand even a small percentage of the legalese in it. 

    This list is just the tip of the iceberg. As I said at the beginning, it’s not that the protesters don’t know what they are protesting about, it’s that the list is so long it’s impossible to decide where to start. It all needs fixing and fixing one thing is just a band-aid on real problems plaguing this country. I’m not a Democrat or a Republican. I’m an independent and have been since I was old enough to vote. I believe that both parties are to blame, along with the banking industry, Wall Street, big corporations and the middle class who have laid down and taken it for far to long.

    It would be nice if we could trust the big corporations to do the right thing without government intervention, but they have proven time and time again that they can’t. Examples of greed and corruption are all around us. That includes government, religion, banking, the health care industry and even our educational system. Where do we begin?

    Instead of pointing fingers at the current or past presidents and their administrations even though that have had a large part in where this country finds itself today. Let’s come up with ideas about how to fix things. We are all suffering and blaming each won’t solve all these problems. Yes, I do have suggestions, but that will have to wait for another post.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    How are we filthy mouthed law breakers?  Because a small % has been arrested?   I don’t see a notable correlation here.

    When you are demonstrating your right to peacefully assemble in public and are sprayed with mace, you would probably swear too.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    We would love to take the message to Washington, would you like to help fund this trip?  All my money goes to making sure my kid is provided for better than I was, so there is nil left for anything other than relatively local demonstrations.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    #1. I have a job
    #2. I am not a victim – how can you say such a thing when you weren’t there and you don’t know me – or anyone that was there for that matter?
    #3.  I do not want anything handed to me, I want our society to stop beating poor people, children, elderly and veterans into deeper debt because our politicians are trying to protect their campaign sponsors.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    Great.  Come to the meeting next week and administer your own IQ test to everyone there, including yourself and lets compare scores.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    Did he say that BOA was the epicenter of the bubble?  Hmm…let’s see…. NOPE!  Participation in something that is wrong makes you just as guilty as the person pulling the trigger.  BOA certainly did their fair share of participation. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    Um…what?  The occupy movement is being funded by a billionaire!  Really?  That’s awesome!  Now we’re getting somewhere!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    This
    movement is NOT about people being lazy, not about having too high of
    standards, it is simply about being able to make ends meet
    without sacrificing your life and your family relationships to a boss
    or company or corporation (etc.).  It is about
    restoring consumer protections that were repealed at the turn of
    (THIS) century.  It is about getting corporations and lobbyists
    out of the closets of the people we depend on to make the right choices for our
    future.  It is about protecting our children’s right to prosper and
    achieve the American Dream.  It is NOT about HEAVILY taxing the rich.  It
    is about removing the tax cap so people can pay their
    FAIR proportion of taxes and not only have to pay the same amount as
    a person making millions less than them.  It is making sure that the civil
    liberties and rights are upheld and reaffirmed and not trampled on
    and abused like they have been. It is about investing in our future by
    educating our children the right way.  It is about reforming what is not
    working, leaving what is not broken, and being compassionate for the fate of
    our country and the world as a whole.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    It does say it all.  It says they sacrificed their time and money to come down and be part of something bigger than themselves, to have their voices heard.  

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129456259 Samantha Davis

    Do you study 24 hours a day?

  • Anonymous

    Fools who voted for Bush twice, the very ones who contributed to the problem, are the biggest whiners that Obama’s responsible now. It took 15 years to get out of the Depression and only crazy partisans living in a fantasyworld should expect Bush’s giant mess to be cleaned up in just 2 years 9 months, especially with the GOP stalling, watering down or blocking all legislation that would help.

  • Anonymous

    TheGOPistheproblem: 1)Their incompetence caused the mess.
                                                   2)Their record number of filibusters, stalling and watering down all legislation to help the situation have exacerbated the situation.
                                                    3) They have actually advocated for lost jobs by all their jobkilling reducing the size of government bills
                                                     4) they are willing to keep millions of Americans from getting jobs just to win one man’s job.

    To solve America’s problems we all need to take the SAVE AMERICA pledge: I WILL NEVER VOTE FOR A REPUBLICAN EVER AGAIN.

  • Anonymous

    That statement is just another in a long list of daily lies and misrepresentations that they spew every single day. They are despicable.

  • Anonymous

    Most of the tea party are nimrods who preach the constitution but don’t even have a clue about it. They act like they are against corporate greed but side with the worst offenders, the Republicans. I guess gun toting and crazy nazi poster carrying is your idea of “very polite and civil”. Your side misrepresent and lie every single day. I used to be a Republican, but they are now a party of despicable corrupt immoral leadership.

  • Anonymous

    neanderthals are easy to spot…they see the world as black and white, have never considered any other person’s opinion worth a dam, criticize anyone who “thinks” different from them and make foolish misrepresentations every day.

  • Anonymous

    But it’s OK that that 1% has put it to America for the past 30 years???

  • Anonymous

    You need to ask yourself why is that the Dems with all their wealthy supporters work for and pass legislation to help the middle/working class, but the Republicans only work to help and protect the top 2%?

  • Anonymous

    Sleepless stop watching FAUX news and you’ll realize that Obama stopped the hemorrhaging of 700,000 jobs per month when he took office to now positive monthly gains, he’s lowered taxes for the middle class, he’s reformed healthcare so that millions who didn’t have coverage will, he’s stated pulling the troops out of the wars, he saved the auto industry, he’s started the road to reforming the banks and many other positive things in only 2 years 9 months. You won’t EVER hear about these things if you’re up nights only watching FOX. 

  • Anonymous

    You should visit the General Accounting Office website and research special interest money contributions given to our illustrious Senators and Reps.  Pretty eye-opening and ANYTHING but lame.

  • Anonymous

    Your last Governor was a Republican!

  • Anonymous

    More like OccupyGOP HEADQUARTERS protest.

  • Anonymous

    End the Fed. It’s the PRIVATE banking cartel that’s controls the currency in violation of the constitution (that power is given to the Congress).

    Ron Paul–America’s last chance.

  • Anonymous

    Someone please call Eric Cartman,offer him a remote control earth mover, and all will be taken care of.

  • Anonymous

    No, the ignorant find it intimidating, so they make fun of it from their basement computers.

  • Anonymous

    Thank you for describing them now I know which catagory to put you in and your leaders in the white house

  • poormaniac

    TO ALL WHO BLAME ONE PARTY OR THE OTHER ,PLEASE SEE http://www.insidejobfilm.com AND EDUCATE YOURSELVES !

  • Anonymous

    The top 1% now possess more than the bottom 50% and the disparity is growing at an alarming rate. These are the only people that I see making an effort to address the problem. Like Teddy Roosevelt once said, “America  can only be a great place to live if it is great for everyone”. The wages in this country are stuck in the early 90′s, mostly because of “free” trade, and people are getting sick of having to work two jobs to make ends meet. We are the first generation of Americans to have a lower standard of living than our parents did. If that doesn’t indicate a problem, I do not know what would. We should make every effort to find a peaceful solution to the gap between the rich and the poor, before the shooting starts. Just like every other time in the history of man.

  • Anonymous

    Dont forget how Obama promised to close Gitmo in his first six months..hows that coming along now libtards?

  • Anonymous

    Check your facts mano and stop listening to the propaganda put out by these wastoids and welfare state parasites. Occupy Wall Street funded by Moveon.org…Moveon funded by Soros. 

  • Anonymous

    Grab the wammbulance…we have a social justice pusher who has just been hit by reality. There is no money, the nation is broke.

  • Anonymous

    Look! A poor mans Tea Party.

  • Anonymous

    You never said what your major was. I will then assume you are hiding something. Bet it’s social work.

  • Anonymous

    Compassion? I’ll take anyones compassion but these Occupiers. Welfare for life, union thuggery and an overly powerful central government is what they push…all in the guise of “social justice”.
    Phooey to them and to anyone who thinks that is “compassion”.

  • Anonymous

    Bigger than themselves? That’s the most truthful statement out of you guys all day. They are small cogs in a big machine, pushing an ideology that will enslave us in a culture of dependency and class warfare. Shame on them.

  • Anonymous

    The most overused liberal word ever……REFORM.
    Usually translates into legalizing THEFT.

  • Anonymous

    Yes…so nonviolent that some of you guys have defecated on police cars, ruined private property and had mass arrests in NYC for trying to take over the Brooklyn Bridge. Here is my piece of advice, stay away from these people, they are sad tools being used by people who want power.

  • Anonymous

    FAUX News…hehe…that’s super sophisticated. Probably got that from someone else on Huff Post.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_SHNOU64ZBOBIKWUF5IM6WSH7WA entitled4life

    Still blaming Bush for our problems?  Now that’s original.

  • Anonymous
  • Anonymous

    you hold the democratic process in high esteem, i see.

  • Anonymous

    You want them to pay their “fair share”? I guess you will be the one to decide what that is due to your superior intellect and life experiences.

  • Anonymous

    ya ya ya

  • Anonymous

    another reason to respect TN…congrats

  • Anonymous

    You cite moveon.org as a source? How about using an independent news agency to back up your point?  Ouch.

  • Anonymous

    See folks…violence and lawbreaking is their goal.

  • Anonymous

    I read that previous to my other posts. Thanks though. There is an undeniable parallel to the 99% ers claiming to represent all of us (ppppfffftttt) and Germany in the early years as Hitler rose to power attacking the Jewish bankers. Uncanny really. The fact that this parallel is seen in mainstream news like the New York Times should be of concern to well meaning folks. If it isn’t what does that mean? 

  • Anonymous

    1.  an arts degree will get you further today than most.  (think computer graphics).
    2.  i know car salesmen who make in the 6 figures.  not bad for people with no degree.  i can’t think of anyone who owns a car that didn’t get it from a salesperson. so, yes, they fill a need in society.  

  • Anonymous

    Here..have some Occupy Wall Street showcasing their anti-semitism then. There is swearing AND hate.
    http://dailycaller.com/2011/10/12/anti-defamation-league-keeping-an-eye-on-occupy-wall-street/

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3Y9CARUwio&feature=player_embeddedTheir just peaceful protestors…right?

  • Anonymous

    did you read the article above?  the lady they interviewed was 65 year old recently retired nurse,  she worked her entire life.

  • Anonymous

    there is plenty of money.  just who is getting it is the question.

    http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/29/news/companies/big-oil-gas-price-response/index.htm

    oil, banks, other large corporations.

  • Anonymous

    i am always amused at how fast you get off topic and start talking about the person, rather than the idea.  

  • Anonymous

    But it’s still amusing in a pathetic way if they get a degree in something that doesn’t qualify them for any job, and then protest because they don’t have a job. The point is, somewhere while they were taking all those fun courses, they probably should have asked themselves, just what sort of job this degree might qualify them to be hired into, and if the answer is none, how are they going to put food on their table?  The lobsterman has that covered, but if they’re protesting because they can’t find a job due to their useless degree, then maybe they should accept that the fault lies entirely with them and all the protesting in the world won’t change their own stupidity.

  • Anonymous

    don’t forget the latte:

    ‘latte sipping subaru driving hopey changey obama lover’

  • Anonymous

    Yes it is.

  • Anonymous

    do you feel the same way about the Mainers who attended the Tea Party rally in Washington?

  • Anonymous

    So you attempt to make fun of them from YOUR basement computer?

  • Anonymous

    every movement has its fruitcakes.  i am not sure the ‘movement’ has leaders, what i have seen they are working at staying amorphous so that they remain inclusive. 

    frankly, i’m sick of the oil subsidies, bank bailouts, etc. 

    i take that back:  i could have lived with the bank bailouts if serious reform had taken place.  but no, and BOA just laid off more workers.  too big to fail just lacked credibility to me.

    personally, i think the best bet is to invest locally.  use a credit union.  buy land.  invest in small business.  to hell with wall street.

  • Anonymous

    i love david brooks

  • Anonymous

    Looking at the photo and I couldn’t help but notice that there weren’t any black demonstrators. I wonder if this is a racist movement and they prohibit blacks from joining, or just like at the Tea Party demonstrations, they’d be welcome to join it, but it’s just that not too many blacks chose to show up.

  • Anonymous

    Warren Buffit has retreated from his blanket tax them statements.  He doesn’t want the tax bracket rates (ie 33%, 35%) raised.  He wants something done about the low rates SOME of the wealthy pay because of the capital gains and dividends rates.  You don’t hear the administration associatins his name with their plan after he made that clarification.

  • Anonymous

    Yup it took 15 years for the U.S. to climb out of the Great Depression….longer than any other country at the time. It was a world wide depression and the U.S. was the last one to climb out. Could it be related to the policies being proposed, passed, signed into law and implemented that delayed the recovery?

    And for 2 years of the 2 years 9 months President Obama enjoyed a Democrat controlled Congress and passed the economic stimulus package with the assumption that without it unemployment would rise above 8.8%. So it was passed, signed into law and what happened? Unemployment soared to 10% and has remained at over 9% every month except one.

    Here is a very interesting article by Gallup on U.S. Job Creation http://www.gallup.com/poll/149921/job-creation-falls-back-further-september.aspx

  • Anonymous

    So what are the percentages? You must know if you state they are not true.

  • Anonymous

    He ties the Wall Street Occupiers to an anti-Semitic group.

  • Anonymous

    Samantha Davis with all due respect when a group claims that ““The 99 percent refers to those folks who are eking out a living and don’t have big wads of bills in their pockets,” said Boyd. “The 1 percent refers to those who are very wealthy and make more than a million dollars in a year”" that IS a) making victims out of non-victims, and b) covers every single citizen of the U.S. that is not in the 1%.

    I am NOT in the 1% or even close to it. In a very good year I earn very high 5 figures and in a not so good year mid 5 figures (this is one of those years). But I have a choice. I can choose to stay in my current position and chase the “cheese” or I can go out and look for new “cheese”.

    If you do not understand the “cheese” reference, you may find the book “Who Moved My Cheese?” of interest and benefit. We (individuals) have the ability and power to change our lot in life.

  • Anonymous

    Ok you are correct imo. The fact is both Bush and Obama should have let the banks fail. They chose not too and we will pay with a decade or more of slow or no growth.

  • Anonymous

    there is always some whacko connected to something.  like the Tea Party.  I think there are a lot of decent people who are looking for a way to express themselves politically.  They don’t know who or what the Koch brothers are.  That doesn’t take validity away from their message.  

    alas.

    i think we are seeing the formation of the left’s version of the Tea Party.  i’m a reg. Dem, but vote for the candidate.  i think i’m pretty moderate.  i do know, many in my party are angry at Obama, they consider him way too far to the right.  (perspective is a funny thing)

    personally, i prefer a candidate from the center, shows  he/she can listen to opposing points of view.  as david brooks would say, that requires emotional intelligence.  have you watched him speak on the subject?

    http://www.ted.com/speakers/david_brooks.html

  • Anonymous

    You are mistaken and wildly so.

  • Anonymous

    I worked in auto finance in 2008.  everyone stopped buying.  one thing i learned about Maine history and the depression, is that only 3 banks did not go under during the great depression of last century.  One of those banks was in Eastport.  How did that happen?  their community was so insular that they were not effected by the Depression.  They had invested locally, so they were not harmed by the actions of Wall Street.

    Wicked smaaht.  

  • Anonymous

    ps.  i thought credit unions tried…but failed…to get the message out in 2008 that they were strong and unaffected by the wall street panic.  i really believe that is where the wall street protest should take place.  with your mortgage, your checking account, etc.

  • newportres

    Poor Liberals, can’t protest the war anymore since it belongs to Obama.
    Can’t protest Gitmo anymore since it belongs to Obama.
    Can’t protest wiretapping anymore since Obama now approves.
    Can’t protest torture anymore because Obama put a stop to that and now just murders the terrorist instead of getting information from them.  
    Can you imagine if Bush and murdered an American without a trial?
    Nope, but I’m betting there would be protest.
    So what we got left?
    I know! 
    Let’s hate the wealthy!
    Hmmmm, we will have to define wealthy though, how about $250, 000?
    Nope, too early to go after them guys yet but eventually we can call anyone actually working for a living wealthy.

  • Anonymous

    job, schmob.

    get a job, work your but off for somebody else then get laid off.  great idea. (not)

    words to live by:  IF YOU CAN DO IT FOR SOMEONE ELSE, YOU CAN PROBABLY DO IT FOR YOURSELF AND MAKE A LIVING.

    you have ideas in your head.  CHOOSE ONE.  

    do it.  

    do it people.  stop letting a bunch of people who don’t care about you determine your future.  

    love, 
    stg

  • Anonymous

    great outlook

  • Anonymous

    it was all a big soup of bad practices. 

    elizabeth warren for president

  • Anonymous

    i own my own biz.  i work 60 hrs a week, at least.  i come and go as i please, however.  i am half inclined to join the next occupation.  

    boo hiss on wall street greed.  not everyone who shows up is unemployed.  a lot of careers today are flexible that way.  not everyone punches a time clock to earn a living.

  • Anonymous

    not everyone punches a time clock to earn a living.

    one woman there was a 65 yr old retired nurse.  do you think she is lazy or lived a lazy life?

  • Anonymous

    or be self employed, or retired after a life time of employment.

  • Anonymous

    works for me….

  • Anonymous

    A woman after my own heart.

    *The emoticon didn’t make the post*

  • Anonymous

    i needed to get laid off to see the light.  

    truth is,  i was just too scared to work for someone again.  

    sometimes you have to lose everything to realize you have nothing to lose.  

  • Anonymous

    A man’s sign above reads 99% . . . . . not according to this poll.  He wishes.  Stop hating the wealthy and find your own success.  geeeeeez.  Keep pushing those wealthy and they’ll leave the country with all their riches.  Then who will make the iPods, camcorders, computers, etc. and put people to work.  These people are wrong and feel entitled.  You’re NOT entitled to someone else’s money.

  • Anonymous

    I love you comment about ‘occupying’ a job!

  • Anonymous

    Exactly what my situation was twenty years ago. A light came on and I realized two things. First, my previous employer was just doing what he needed for his small business to survive. Secondly, The government wasn’t going to take care of me.

  • Anonymous

    Which ones are vets?  Which ones are the college students?  Because I can’t tell.  Were you there yourself speaking with them?

  • Anonymous

    can you please provide information supporting the ‘fact’ that out of state students voted in the last election?

    because i read in a recent article that the Rep. Sec of State conducted an investigation and found no recent evidence of fraud.  In fact, if I remember the article correctly, he found only one incidence of fraud and it was a few decades old?

    http://bangordailynews.com/2011/09/21/politics/secretary-of-state-finds-no-student-voter-fraud-but-maintains-system-is-vulnerable/

  • Anonymous

    Where is the incentive for the American  Dream? Work hard save money and retire with a nice nest egg. Lose the entitlement mentality people.  The government owes you nothing, neither do the wealthy.  Share the wealth is the dumbest idea.  It’s not how much money you make, but what you do with the money you have.  If you’re pleading poverty, cut back; don’t smoke, drink, have a cell phone, cable tv, high speed internet, or leaving beyond your means.
    I am willing to bet most of the people at these events are not working or underemployed. 
    How about taking responsibility for there own fiscal situations. 

  • Anonymous

    triple agreed.

    BUT.  we need safety nets.  i am so so thankful for the unemployment and 30 days of food stamps i got.  when i was a young mom, i got food stamps, i’m not too proud to admit that.  

    Where we do agree:  99 weeks of unemployment nearly sucked my brains out.  I can see how a welfare mentality can exist, how it can be created.  just talking about that time is making my skin crawl.

    education is key.  its about lifelong learning.  being adaptable.  i think punching a time clock is just as mind numbing as collecting a govt. check.  

    gotta go.  

  • Anonymous

    It is possible that the protetesters realize that Wall Street has, facilitated by our bought and paid for government, stolen all of our cheese.

  • Anonymous

    One of our great constitutional rights.

    The right to make a fool out of yourself in public.

  • Anonymous

    Yes. Otherwise whe would have realized that this group is ignorant.

  • Anonymous

    Yep, he got it wrong.

    The US government is run by BOA (inter alia).

  • Anonymous

    Art = Bad

    Tell me, does the uniquely human capacity for abstract thought trouble you?

  • Anonymous

    Which is why all of the great societies throughout history have relied on trade schools instead of universities.

  • Anonymous

    ad hominem attacks are the basis of this forum.

    I appreciate your comments as they deviate from this norm.

  • Anonymous

    Clearly a failed system.
    We are all the losers.

  • Anonymous

    He doesnt have that many.
     Just ask around.

  • Anonymous

    He doesnt have that many.
    Just ask around.

  • Anonymous

    Now that’s a reach.

  • Anonymous

    In case you were asleep in 2008, many people who worked hard and saved money saw their nest eggs evaporate due to Wall Street’s tanking of the economy. The government owes us prosecutions for criminal financial mismanagment so this does not happen again. 

  • Anonymous

    Country guy, if I could get a bailout from taxpayers at 0% interest I’d be in good shape now too.  It is the evil banks’ fault. They did this. They made their own rules and laws for us and made other rules for themselves, they print money instantly for themselves, they give credit to their cronies, they benefit from giving loans to businesses, sell CDs and use the money however they wish, write mortgages they don’t have to take any risk on, get insurance for mortgages and loans to businesses and then collect the insurance.

  • Anonymous

    The people protesting yesterday included retirement age people, there was an RN who hadn’t worked in two months. There was another woman working two jobs but still couldn’t afford to take her children to the doctor or dentist. There were vets standing there with signs about veteran benefits. There were college students. You are making the assumption that everyone protesting has a degree that won’t get them a job but in actuality there are people from all age groups, all levels of education, all genders and races who are protesting. 

  • Anonymous

    Such generalizations and very inaccurate. If you had gone yesterday or watched the live feed you would realize how ridiculous your claims.

  • Anonymous

    Not a thing to disagree with in this post.

  • Anonymous

    I believe the protests started on Wall Street for a reason. It’s about the clowns in the finance sector who don’t create jobs or provide anything of value to society. Not all in that sector mind you, but the deregulation of that ”industry” has allowed things like the credit default swap. For too long, taking massive risks with other people’s money has been a golden
    ticket to insane riches not encountered in other segments of society. These are the people who are wrong and feel entitled to huge bonuses for bad work. If they want to leave the country, as I’m sure alot of their money has in overseas safe havens, let’s put them on the long boat and push them out to sea.

  • Anonymous

    Read the accounts online from the actual protesters that leads one to a different conclusion. Brooks actually doesn’t provide any proof that the people involved are anti-semetic. If you do a little googling you can find that this isn’t the first time that he has accused a group of people being anti-semitic. I did find one utube video of a confrontation between a young protester and an older Jewish man. The young man was being disrespectful and made several references to the man about being Jewish, but also admitted that he himself was Jewish.  

  • Anonymous

    Not really. Read his column.

    The left is anti-Israeli. Some on the left want the extermination of Israel. These same protestors attack bankers and the Media. Even showing up in their homes. The only thing missing on the posters is an adjective. It reminds some of an earlier era when it was OK to attack Jewish Bankers and Jewish media in Germany in the thirties.

  • Anonymous

    Love the accent.

  • Anonymous

    I get a kick out of your type who love to throw around comparisons to Hitler or who continually refer to socialism when someone has a different opinion from you. So then you must think that things are great in this country and that our president and congress are doing a superb job. 

  • Anonymous

    And you do such a fine job of it.

  • Anonymous

    The problems started long before Obama became president. It has been going on for decades. Wall Street owns our politicians…all of them on both sides of the isle.

  • Anonymous

    Do some research please. The protestors didn’t try to take over the Brooklyn Bridge. The police led them onto that bridge, entrapped them, and then started arresting them.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fockzr7rXys 
     The protesters sat down because they were not allowed to continue across nor go back. NYPD has committed numerous unlawful acts including false arrests, macing innocent girls, and beatings. Do some homework before you believe the lies the complicit media are telling you. They are corrupt too, don’t you see who pays them? These people want a return of our sanity, our money and our futures.

  • Anonymous

    Do you realize how many people have played by the rules, did well in high school and went on to get a college degree? They found a great job and have worked diligently for years climbing the company ladder, jumping through every hoop only to eventually get laid off because the company has to make a certain percent of profit, because the company puts profit above human beings and/or because the company is failing in this economic situation that has been caused by our politicians and the corporations who own them.

    Have you considered how difficult it is for someone in their 50s to find a job in this economy especially in Maine? To go from their high income that had risen over the 20+ years that they worked for the company that is now ditching them? Or what about the hard working Americans who have worked their entire lives but because they become ill they end up losing everything including their jobs and houses? 

  • Anonymous

    I watched the live feed and they did close up shots of the signs and interviewed people. 

  • Anonymous

    If you listen closely, the young man says he is also Jewish. And the other link has no proof to back up the claims.

  • Anonymous

    You really need to educate yourself on the facts better.

    First of all you are only talking about Social security taxes and never make that plain in your posts so people who do not understand that fact will have an incorrect view of the facts.

    The  ” tax-cap amount,” is not $250k, it is $106,800.

    In reality, since most rich people are self employed they pay the employers share of SS as well, so they are taxed about $13,000, not the $6500 you list.

    You do not understand the implications and consequences of your position.  Under the present Social Security system those millionaires will receive ONLY the same benifit check when they retire as the person who made only $106,800.  True, they obviously do not NEED it because of their wealth. 

    You see, SS is presented to us as an insurance policy.  A total lie in reality, but that is the pretense it is sold to the public on.  Now, if you buy an insurance policy that guarantees you a return at some point in the future that return is based on what you pay into the policy as premiums.  It has nothing to do with your actual income or wealth.  In this one way SS is similar to a real insurance policy.

    If raise the “tax-cap”  and these millionaires pay more into the system then if SS is really insurance then these millionaires would rightfully expect to receive much larger checks when they retire.  That would help the system in the short run with increased income but in the long run when these millionaires start collecting their much larger checks the system becomes unsustainable again.  This just kicks the can down the road a few years again.

    As I already said, the rich do not actually NEED their SS checks.  We could means test SS and just not give them any benefits.  (I believe this will happen in the near future.  We will essentially be forced to do this.)  But if you means test SS then you will have to give up the PRETENSE that it is an insurance program and admit that it is a form of wealth redistribution.  And since no one actually pays as much into it as they collect in benefits it is really a welfare program.  This would actually be a good thing because then we could finally begin the discussion about what is an appropriate level of welfare to provide retired people, who should actually get it, and what tax level is necessary to pay for it.

    Millionaires now pay 35% on EARNED income.  If you eliminate the tax-cap on SS they that is another 12.4% plus medicare tax of 2.9%.  Plus you want to raise the income tax rate to at least 39%  That is a total of 54.3%.  And we have not even included State income taxes yet.

  • Anonymous

    How do you know what part of the percentage equation I belong to( last time I checked I was worth 100 gazillion dollars) Nobody is protesting lower income workers or people that don’t work at all and are fully supported by the government, they too have an impact on the middle class( probably more so, as much of our tax dollars go to social programs). Name the corrupt politicians you refer to, I suppose they will all be Republicans. The liberal koolade should be almost depleted as so many people are drinking from that glass.

  • Anonymous

    You will find that a growing number of protesters no long support Obama. 

  • Anonymous

    They don’t care because their wealth and most of their income is not exposed to taxation.

  • Anonymous

    I guess in your world the rich don’t pay sales tax.  Nor do they spend any of their money.  They all have huge underground vaults where they sit on their piles of money counting it like scrooge McDuck.

    And a majority of those making less than $35k own little or no property so they pay little or no property tax.

  • Anonymous

    UMMM Cheese!!!  And yes I read it in college, good story.

  • Anonymous

    I read his column, and I read the calumny from Adbusters referenced therein.

    However, I believe you are incorrectly conflating ant-semitism with anti-zionism, and that this has led you to conflatiing an anti-fascist movement (“Occupy *.*”) with actual fascists (NAZIs).

  • Anonymous

    I am not affiliated with any political party. I am a fiscal conservative. You are naive to think that the poor are the problem. Many of the people protesting no longer support Obama because they realize that he is no different than Bush. 

  • Anonymous

    Can you answer my question about blaming Gov. Baldacci ?

  • Anonymous

    I was wide awake in 2008, Seamus37.  Because my portfolio is well diversified, It has came back and ahead of the value in 2008.
      As I said in my original post, the government owes you nothing.  The government should be prosecuted for lack of leadership.  If it was a fortune 5000 company they would all be fired for inept abilites. No one in congress has ever even run a lemonade stand, and we vote them to run multi-trillion dollar budget.
    WAKE UP People.  The government has proven they can’t take care of it’s own people(Hurricane Katrina) in a timely fashion.

  • Anonymous

    Year Congress President Senate (100)House (435) 2009 111thD D – 55*** D – 256 2007 110thR D – 51** D – 233 2005 109thR R – 55 R – 2322003 108thR R – 51R – 2292001 107thR D* R – 2211999 106thD R – 55R – 2231997 105thD R – 55R – 2281995 104thD R – 52 R – 230 1993 103rdD D – 57D – 2581991 102ndR D – 56D – 2671989 101stR D – 55D – 2601987 100thR D – 55D – 2581985 99thR R – 53D – 2531983 98thR R – 54D – 2691981 97thR R – 53D – 2421979 96thD D – 58D – 2771977 95thD D – 61D – 2921975 94thR D – 60D -2911973 93rdR D – 56D – 2421971 92ndR D – 54D – 2551969 91stR D – 57D – 243 1967 90thD D – 64D – 2471965 89thD D – 68D – 2951963 88thD D – 66D – 2591961 87thD D – 64D – 2631959 86thR D – 65D -2831957 85thR D – 49 D – 2321955 84thR D – 48D – 2321953 83rdR R – 48D – 2211951 82ndD D – 49D – 235 1949 81stD D – 54D – 263 1947 80thD R – 51R – 246 Look at all the sessions of congress that were led by the democrats and remember these were the years of the unbelievable expansion of the federal government and social programs. It is now catching up with us.

  • Anonymous

    http://www.livestream.com/occupywallstnyc

    Another stream that is up right now.

  • Anonymous

    60 protesters!!!! holy moly get the national gaurd, we’re being attacked by terrorist!!

  • newportres

    I’ll believe that when I see how they vote this time around.
    One thing is for sure though. 
    You could sure tell when they didn’t support Bush doing the same exact things.
    Kind of tough to tell now though isn’t it?

  • Anonymous

    Some of you people are unbelievably ignorant to how this system works…Do you honestly believe that increasing taxes on the rich will improve the financial situation of the middle and lower classes? It won’t, the government will not reduce our tax burden. Also 50% of Americans do not pay any income tax, yet they receive government support. The rich will never file for Social Security, food stamps, WIC, or housing assistance. They receive nothing from the government but the government continues to try and take from them. Democrats keep talking about ”fair share”. Isn’t fair supposed to mean equal and unbiased. A true fair share would be if each and every person in the country paid the exact same amount in taxes. But that wouldn’t be “fair” now would it?

  • Anonymous

     They say you have to be peace civil obey law to protest right? but protest have to be violent to change especially in this case. Goverment is huge and are everywhere poltician the rich I mean rich rich are not just gonna change over night or even 4 months from now. too much curruption in the system. If this protest does get bigger there will be violence and Goverments are ready for it

  • Anonymous

    So what you are saying is that it is ok to exterminate the Jews In Israel because of a word game?

    Historically antisemitism is not the domain of Nazis alone. Socialists and Communists have been pretty good at that too.

  • Anonymous

    The bottom 50% also do not contibute one cent in income taxes. Yet they expect handouts from the government. The rich will always get their money. If you want them to spread it out, reduce their tax burden so that they will CHOOSE to hire more workers.

  • Anonymous

    Nope but their monetary donations are available for all to see at Opensecrets.org

  • Anonymous

    Apparently some people are perfectly happy with the way things are going; 16 million people out of work, 57,000 manufacturing businesses shut down, millions thrown out of their homes (most of those had equity loans, not new mortgtages), wages going down, rich getting richer while the rest of us get poorer, corruption everywhere, Republicans working to dirty our environment, 7000 people applying for one job.   The Occupy Wall Street movement is the most hopeful thing I’ve seen in a long time.  It’s stupid to call these people degrading names.  These people are doing what we all should be doing, whether left or right, doing it as Americans trying to make this a better country to live in for all of us.  Not just adding comments to a Bangor Daily article.  The OWS movement is working to make change.  The biggest change is that finally people in this country are taking to the streets. 

  • Anonymous

    You know nothing. Granted, banks did lend money to people who could not afford to pay it back. However, they were forced to do so by leglisation created by Frank and Dodd and endorsed by Clinton. Even still, people should know their budget and spend accordingly. It is their own fault for defaulting. They never should have borrowed it in the first place.  The government cannot operate within a budget. Why should they have any say in how other corporations spend?

  • Anonymous

    Do you realize how many people no longer play by the rules? Move from job to job? How many people move after 2-3 years in a position? The days of working for one employer for 20-30 years, retire and being given the “gold watch” are long gone. That hasn’t been the case for what, maybe the last 20-30 years?

    And is the federal government and the corporations responsible for this? To some extent but it is also OUR responsibility. We want things NOW, not tomorrow, next week, next month or next year. We think we are “entitled” to that pay raise, new title or new office and when it is given to someone else we move on to another position in another company taking what the employer has invested in us with us and possible using it against them in the new position.

    Loyalty is a two way street and respect is mutually earned not given.

    Do I believe that people should have health insurance? Yes. Do I believe President Obama’s plan is the way to go. No. There are other ways to accomplish it but we go back to the “entitlement” feeling…now, today. Well keep in mind President Obama’s plan doesn’t even fully kick in until 2013.

    I have been laid off, more than once but always got up, dusted myself off and found another position. That’s is the AMERICAN way, I am responsible for myself and my family. Not you, not my neighbor, not my government, ME.

    Companies ARE hiring. Fisher Engineering has openings they cannot fill! They are willing to train people to do the job but they have openings!! And they are not alone.

  • Anonymous

    No.. There are 50,000 Mainers without jobs because they are trying to get in on the family business. SSDI.

  • Anonymous

    At one time the people running companies rose through the ranks.  They worked with  people in the company and cared about them.  They did everything possible to keep workers even during economic downturns.

    Then came the progressive changes.  Unions drove the cost of labor to the point where it is no longer viable to keep employees on the payroll during downturns.  Elitist progressives convinced those who owned companies that bright young people just out of college could run the companies better than people who rose from the ranks.  The bright young people never worked with the average workers and feel no connection to them.  They have none of the qualities that previous generations brought with them to companies.

  • Anonymous

    So are you claiming that their is ZERO opportunity left in the United States?

  • Anonymous

    If the leaders of the Occupy Movement put as much effort  into starting up a new company/business they could help solve the problem rather than costing cities and towns additional tax money dollars from the very people they claim to represent.

  • Anonymous

    Yes, didn’t you read the news. 207 of them voted. We don’t know how many cast improper votes and how many of them were intent on committing fraud. Fraud is next to impossible to prove in these types of situations because the state has to be able to show intent to commit fraud. Because same day voter registration was allowed then, there was not enough time to question whether these students had already voted in their home state. That’s one very good reason why we should vote NO to repeal the law passed by the legislature concerning voter registration.

  • Anonymous

    Good for you.

    First, you did get a job.  Second, you did not listen to those who would tell you you were a victim or entitled.  You took responsibility for yourself and took all those later steps I didn’t bother to list.  Because if you do the first 3 steps the next ones become obvious.

  • Anonymous

    You want to blame someone… Do some research… The legislation that created the mess within the banking industry was created by democrats Frank and Dodd and then signed by Bill Clinton. However it took a few years before everyone began defaulting and by then Bush was in office. However, you never heard him blame the previous administration. Get your facts straight and your head out of your backside.

  • Robert Gallant

    Thank you for this.  Finally someone with a brain that commented!

  • Anonymous

    Should I thank you for providing such a fine example?   LOL

  • Anonymous

    Do you give away your services? I would assume that you charge money. How greedy of you. Wouldn’t it be awful if some day you worked very hard, expanded your business and became a millionaire. What a nightmare that would. The rich became rich doing the same thing you are, and now you want to take money away from them as you follow in their footsteps. I suggest you close up shop now before you succeed. Claim a social anxiety disorder begin collecting SSDI, foodstamps, and public housing. Dare to live the dream.

  • Anonymous

    Cara……THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU…someone who gets it. You made my day.

  • Anonymous

    You drank the kool-aid.  Decisions are made on the information available at the time. Many didn’t realize the system was being made ready for collapse for us and cashout for them. Did you ever consider that?  I didn’t think so.  Keep repeating what you hear. Don’t think.

  • Anonymous

    Not just Bush, globalist bankers. Do some research people. You are not even thinking!!

  • Anonymous

    JK, you are an amazing piece of work.

  • Anonymous

    Wouldn’t it be awful if you worked hard all your life, participated and believed in the system, saved, invested, bought and paid for your family assets, worked for public interest at under market value etc only to have the entire portfolio you worked for STOLEN by criminals?  That is what happened to many of us. So shut it. Oh and I am a baby boomer and I am not at the end of my useful life by a long shot.

  • Anonymous

    I don’t think Gandhi would agree with you.

  • Anonymous

    Are you saying that Congress had nothing to do with the banking collapse?

  • Anonymous

    Sorry, I am incapable of defending opinions that I don’t hold and have never stated.

    Next time, could you please quote me directly?

    Otherwise, you are arguing with yourself, an unseemly practice.

  • Anonymous

    The people are protesting in the wrong place.. It should be held in Washington, That’s where the problem lies. They should enforce the tax laws we have on the books now. Neither side has the guts to tighten up the loopholes because they are afraid of their political careers of SCREWING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Anonymous

    While the World Crashes:

    “Bank of America joined Wall Street competitors JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs in recording no trading days that resulted in a net loss during the first quarter. 5/12/10″
    Wall Street defenders care to explain how this is possible in a “free” market?  Wake up and smell the market manipulation. 

  • Anonymous

    Or it could be those two pesky wars that are costing us lietrally millions a day.

  • Anonymous

    haha, like anyone cares.

  • Anonymous

    When did Bush pass the Community Reinvestment Act? Because that is what destroyed our economy, and it was brought to you by those wonderful democrats who take advantage of the compassion of the fools they trick into voting for them. When the banks (who these misguided fools are incorrectly protesting) were forced to make very risky loans to borrowers who fell below the median income level normally required to recieve such a mortgage, the banks had to do something to try and make some profit off these junk loans. This lead to the credit swaps and derivatives that helped cause the financial crisis. This was all caused by democrats interfering with our economy to benefit one of their voting blocks. So please stop trying to blame Bush for what the democrats did to our economy. You maybe gullible enough to believe Obammy when he talks about Bush driving us off a ditch or cliff or whatever, but I KNOW the CRA is what caused this whole mess. And the CRA was a purely 100% DEMOCRAT bill. 

  • Anonymous

    Of course we are because he  and the GOP ARE responsible.

  • Anonymous

    Blah Blah Blah. Thanks for the tired old lame excuse for Bush. Still, Bush knew about the impending financial collapse in Feb 2008 and did nothing until September and nothing again during his last 3 months in office. He just handed off to Obama the second biggest mess in US history, plus two wars and an unpaid for prescription drug plan, plus had reduced America’s revenues through two big tax cuts mostly for the rich. It took 15 years to recover from the Depression.Bush’s mess will take more than two years and 9 months to clean up!

  • Anonymous

    Lying and misrepresenting is the goal of the GOP EVERY SINGLE DAY!

  • Anonymous

    But it’s alright with you to see millions suffer while the rich are protected by the Republican sleaze machine.

  • Anonymous

    FOX “news” lie and misrepresent EVERY SINGLE DAY. Only the fools haven’t realized it yet.

  • Anonymous

    Or how about the suffering at the hands of the Democratic slave making machine?

  • Anonymous

    I’m hoping that the next meeting of my fly-tying group gets on the front page, as it has about as many people at it as this little group of old hippies did.  At least it answered the question as to where all these people went.  Thanks BDN.

  • Anonymous

    It’s a start!  This movement is inevitable as the conservative and corporate ideology has taken a heavy toll on most all of us.  It is inevitable that people living in a sea of corruption and influence (The US Congress) who watch the extraction of wealth from the workers to the multinational elite will rise up.  This is nothing new.  This is the cause of Arab Spring, the French Revolution and the communist revolution.  People will not tolerate injustice and disenfranchisement forever.  There is always a tipping point.  Shame on Wall Street for testing our people’s resolve to live in a country where there is real opportunity.  This may not be the uprising that topples the cart, but if no real change happens, it will come to be that a movement will emerge with sufficient support that there will be no turning back.  This country is becoming more ripe for significant social change and justice every day.

    Your response is predictable.  It always goes kinda like this….
    First, they ignore the movement.  Then it grows too big to ignore so,
    Then, they mock the movement.  This never matters to those with true desire for change.
    Then they infiltrate the movement, this is done to discredit it. 
    After that, the people win what they are struggling for.

    At first the politicians run away.  As soon as the movement gains traction, they want to led the parade.

    Your mockery only inspires more resolve for change.

  • Anonymous

    You do realize that those “pesky” wars are up to 3 now right? We’re paying for Libya too. Never approved by Congress either. And while we’re on the subject, you do also realize that the $787 billion dollar stimulus package and Obamacare spending dwarfed the “pesky” war spending by about a tenfold difference right?

  • Anonymous

    Good point. The banks were forced to comply with government pressure to give mortgages to people who had no business buying a house. Some banks that refused were picketed, gee, I wonder by whom?  Oh, yes, the unions.  Might be a good idea to “occupy” the homes of union leaders.

  • Anonymous

    I agree that the government (in particular Obama’s DOJ and Wall Street beholden Congressmen of all political stripes) have done little to right the economic ship or prevent a similar future economic calamity. We can disagree on solutions to right the economy, but to prevent future catastrophes at the very least a formal  investigation into why this occured should be conducted. In my veiw prosecutions by SEC or DOJ would seem self evident. They did a very good job taking care of their own people by bailing out banks and failing to tighten restricitions on vegas-style trading. It is not an entitlement argument for prosecuting the irresponsible parties at Goldman-Sachs and other firms. It’s about accountability. If you think they had nothing to do with the collapse, fine. I would respectfully disagree and say that at least a more thorough investigation should be conducted.  

  • Anonymous

    Basically, the lower 50% of Americans are mostly poor, young, seniors, soliders, parents
    or some combination thereof. They pay all sorts of other taxes besides
    income taxes that take up just as much or more of their total income as the
    total tax burden for other segments. Federal income taxes only make up 22% of all the taxes paid in this country. I also have to ask how half the country receives government support.
    All you seem to be talking about are federal income taxes and their burden on the rich. I believe the Bush tax cuts have been in place now for quite some time. No economic recovery has resulted. Federal taxes on the wealthy are historically low. Raise them.
     

  • Anonymous

    MPA?

  • Anonymous

    The Banks make fiat money out of thin air, entice people to use it at rates of usury and steal the life blood out of our working people.   This deceitful banking is most responsible for the abuse and neglect of our children.  How much of your money goes to pay interest each week?
    What is the interest % of your paycheck? Maybe 50%?

  • Anonymous

    That’s a neo-con website that’s looking to push an agenda.  I don’t consider any of the information on there any more reliable than the banner at the bottom of the Fox News Channel

  • Robert Gallant

    you believe everything you read in the Bangor Liberal News?  Cause I am from Orono and I saw it all the time in the polling places!

  • Anonymous

    Cost of wars since 2001: 
    OVER 1.25 TRILLION.

    costofwar.com

  • Anonymous

    July 19, 2011 “Goldman Sachs’ anemic second-quarter results on Tuesday rattled investors and cast a pall on its reputation as Wall Street’s trading powerhouse.”
    Source – http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/19/us-goldman-idUSTRE76I0KM20110719

    April 27 2011 – “The Big 6 Banks are Hiding Something Scary”
    Source – http://wallstcheatsheet.com/trading/the-big-6-banks-are-hiding-something-scary.html/

  • Anonymous

    I went to your link and this was the statement below the video – “Protesters started marching up the pedestrian walk way over the bridge while others tried to take the traffic lane. For a few minutes officers held the line and then they turned around and led the way up the traffic lane on the Brooklyn Bridge. From what I saw no police told any of the protesters to leave until they created a barricade in front of the march about halfway through the bridge. They then pulled vans and buses up to the back of the group and started arresting everyone. ”

    Well guess what? If they had stayed on the pedestrian walkway they would have been all set. But once they stepped on the street and started to obstruct the free flow of traffic chanting “Who’s streets? Our streets!” the broke the law. I saw people jumping over the fence onto the roadway and then there was the bicyclist riding down the road encouraging people to jump over the fence onto the roadway.

    If you want to play in the game, you better be ready to pay the price to play.

  • Nadine Lewis

    Hey look this is how the Russian Revolution started!!

  • Anonymous

    thanks cheesecake.  take care.

  • Anonymous

    thank you.

  • Anonymous

    ??? 

  • Anonymous

    did you call the police?  

  • Anonymous

    Lawrence Odonnell*snicker*

  • Anonymous

    It keeps oneself amused in a village of simpletons.

  • Anonymous

    How is Open Secret a “neo-con” website?

    They list there donors – http://www.opensecrets.org/about/funders.php

    They do not “accept contributions from
    corporations, trade associations or labor unions.”

    They list donations made to all political parties by individual.

    It is because of Open Secret that I have a greater respect for Michael Michaud after reviewing the money he raised, spent and where the money came from.

    It seems you have an axe to grind when you belittle a website that is providing information on BOTH parties without providing the reason you feel the way you do.

  • http://twitter.com/intopuddles tr00f

    When did stating facts become pretentious?

  • Anonymous

    What is the hope that will come from this movement if successful?  A large amount of wealth will not be redistributed?  A large amount of wealth disappears in these times and I don’t mean hidden (I don’t claim that some won’t be hidden). One may have wealth in vast real estate investments or in businesses through stocks or other means but when the value of those decrease that decrease doesn’t neccesarily show up elsewhere. What would probably result is decreased wealth for all, more unemployment, decreased revenue from taxes with the goverment starting looking for revenue from the 46% of people who don’t pay federal income tax. A downward spiral.

  • Anonymous

    How did the people of Russia fare?

  • Anonymous

    BS

  • Anonymous

    You “overthrow” do you think you lifestyle will be better or worse?

  • Anonymous

    Great question. History shows us that the new boss is usually the same as the old boss, only more oppressive, at least for the first 10 or so years, until the new government is deposed in a civil process. And there’s a big war bill to pay.

    I didn’t mean to say we should “overthrow” our fascist government, just ship everyone from Massachusetts back to Massachusetts where they can put up billions of No Trespassing signs on the public beaches and other public lands and charge admission to state parks when you’ve already paid for a full year’s park pass. I also think we should ship our Canadian governor back to Canada.

  • Anonymous

    Reality check.  The rich ARE paying their fare share of taxes.  The poor are paying little if any at all.  And to the person who thinks there is no middle class in the USA, please do yourself a favor and travel to Central America, South America, or Africa, and then come home.  You will learn what it really means to have practically no middle class.  You will also learn that the poor in the US have WAY more than the average person in those nations. 

    Who’s really paying taxes: http://ntu.org/tax-basics/who-pays-income-taxes.html
    Another article: http://www.american.com/archive/2007/november-december-magazine-contents/guess-who-really-pays-the-taxes
    Yet another: http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/top-1-paid-more-in-federal-income-taxes-than-bottom-95-in-07/

  • Anonymous

    I saw a number of Vets standing there holding signs as well as working parents and college students.     
    ************************************************************
    Yes, but were any of them black?  Because the point mithradities made was that according to those who bash the “TEA Party”, if your group doesn’t have any black persons in it, then your group is racist.

  • Anonymous

    You don’t see where this is going, do you? You’ve had fun slapping me and my friends around. These are serious people, they know who the enemy is and what needs to be done. So you go ahead and complain about my post so my first amendment rights are abrogated like my friends’ are constantly being. 

  • Anonymous

    Did he even mention the Tea Party in his post?
    *******************************************
    Why would he mention the “TEA Party” in his post—if he did, he would have to admit that the ideals of both groups are similar and that the “TEA Party” is patriotism at it’s finest.

  • Anonymous

    You need to ask yourself why is that the Dems with all their wealthy supporters work for and pass legislation to help the middle/working class,
    ******************************************************
    Perhaps you could post a list of all the legislation the Democrats passed that REALLY “helped the middle/working class?”

  • Anonymous

    OK, I bite where is “this is going”?

    I made an observation. You are free to disagree with that observation. But I haven’t “slapped” anyone around.

    As far as complaining about your post, I never complain (flag) about a post unless it is racist, bigoted, etc…

    And you might want to check about 1st Amendment Free Speech protections and privately owned comment boards and removal of posts before you state playing the “my Free Speech Rights are being a negated card”.

  • Anonymous

    BOA’s role in the predatory mortgage lending that helped lead to the recession is a bigger concern.
    ***********************************************
    I, for one, am pretty sick and tired of hearing this “predatory lending” garbage.  NO ONE FORCED these homeowners to take out a mortgage for MORE than what the house was worth.  NO ONE FORCED homeowners to refinance their existing mortgages to a variable rate and didn’t tell them that the rate could go up by 1% a year.  I see so many foreclosures filed against people who live in Maine but have VACATION homes in Florida.  NO ONE FORCED them to borrow hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy these VACATION homes, knowing they could easily walk away from their debt if they couldn’t pay the mortgage.  Stop blaming the lender for your own ineptness.  If you insist on blaming someone, blame the politicians that forced the banks to relax their lending standards and made them grant loans to people who really couldn’t afford them. Back when the FHA backed mortgages for people who were somewhat risky, the borrower STILL had to show they had a decent credit rating and ability to pay.  Most FHA (government) backed mortgages were paid, and few had to be paid back to the bank by the government (taxpayers). The govt. forced the banks to make these loans (late 90′s early2000′s) andwhen the homeowners defaulted, the government was on the hook for paying back the banks.  The default was SO great, that the govt. went broke “bailing out” the banks.   So, it shouldn’t even have been called a “bank bailout” as the government was LEGALLY OBLIGATED to pay the debts of those who defaulted.

  • Anonymous

    The government did not back the loans, the government has nothing to do with people buying homes.
    *********************************************
    You are not familiar with an FHA loan, are you?

  • Anonymous

    And a majority of those making less than $35k own little or no property so they pay little or no property tax.     
    **************************************
    Don’t forget the Circuit Breaker Program—the one where the State gives a nice chinkof cashto homeowners who paymore than 4% of their yearly income to property taxes (doesn’t apply to people making over $40K a year) and to renters who pay more than 28% of their income towards rent.  Something tells me that Samantha and moveon don’t calculate THAT taxpayer-funded cash cow into the real income of “those earning under $35K a year.”

  • Anonymous

    Most people are aware of those statistics. Visit IRS.gov and poke around for confirmation.

  • Anonymous

    You’re smarter than that. You know where this is going as well as I do.

  • Anonymous

    How on Earth did they let you live? You are telling the truth.

  • Anonymous

    Gandhi would say that peaceful protests and hunger strikes are more powerful than violent riots and violent demonstrations. He was shot to death by some a hole. 

    What I do know is that things like this take on a life of their own. How many of you reading this understand the staggering implications of the U.S. being the only remaining superpower? 

    The little guys always have aligned against the big guys historically in political history.

  • Anonymous

    OK

  • Anonymous

    I think they are just comparing us in Maine to has been people left behind in the name of progress and prosperity. We’re being called losers who didn’t get it when jobs took the train west without us.

  • Anonymous

    Boo Whoooo!!! Green Acres is the place for me. Shady pines is the place for you.

  • Anonymous

    Odd that you only identify “republican” affiliated/supported groups. To ignore the “democrat” party and their affiliated/supported groups only shows your bias and agenda.

  • Anonymous

    That’s like saying when you raped your 3 year old daughter the news was biased because it only focused on fat, old, stoopid, white lazy layabouts who need to be on the receiving end of justice just because you happened to get caught.

  • Robert Gallant

    what the hell are they going to do about it in that liberal town?

  • Anonymous

    I think everyone that has an account in one of these big banks and isn’t getting more than 1% interest on their money should withdraw their money and close out their savings accounts. Obviously, we all need to keep our checking accounts, especially if you have direct deposit or automatic debits, but I think if everyone withdrew all the money in their savings accounts on the same day it would certainly get the attention of the banks. They get to charge us ridiculous interest rates to carry their credit cards and for the loans they write, that is if you can even get a loan these days. Now many of them are going to charge us $5.00/month to use our own money with our Debit cards. Why should they get away with paying less than on percent to us for using our money, then charge us to use that money? Think about it. Pick a day, and lets all do it together.

  • Anonymous

    We don’t plan to play by your rules Gadaffi, so you’d better figure our rules out or pay the price. The road and bridges are public right of way. The only time it becomes a privilege to use them is when you are operating a motor vehicle. Public means all the people, not just TROLLS like you.

  • Anonymous

    You make sense. Please say more or give a reference so I can read more.

  • Anonymous

    Take away all the loopholes and institute a flat rate income tax. Everybody pays the same rate, not the same amount. That would be fair. If you prefer, institute a flat rate sales tax instead of the income tax, but again everyone would have to pay the tax on every transaction rather you are a company or an individual. The more you buy, the more you pay but at least the rate is fair for everyone because you only pay it if you buy something. It wouldn’t matter if I could only afford to buy a $20,000 car and you could afford to buy a $100,000 car, we would pay the same rate. Do both if it makes more sense. The point is to do away with the insane tax code and all deductions so everyone pays their share. You make more you pay more, you make less you pay less. As it is now, those of us making less often end up paying a higher percentage of our income in taxes than the very rich do because they have so many loopholes. 

  • Anonymous

    You need to knock off the crap and pay your share. Rich people don’t hang around trying to figure out how to hire people. They have people that do that for them. Pathetic people like you drooling over the gravy train and hoping to be tricked on are the real problem. We’re coming for you.

    I’m tired of being trickled on.

  • Anonymous

    You are not welcome in my country. Stop breathing and using up Oxygen immediately or pay me $599.00 per second starting now and ending when you’ve gotten the helll out of my country. Enslaving people for wages way below what they’ve earned needs to start being called what it is: slavery. Plain old ILLEGAL criminal SLAVERY. So you step off. I’m watching you.

  • Anonymous

    Do you really believe the crap you are spewing? You can’t just make up your own fact,s like Sarah Palin, and expect people to take you seriously. I am surely one of the bottom 50%. I made $63,000 last year and paid over $20,000 in federal, state, county and local taxes, social security, insurance and the rest. On top of that I paid my mortgage of $1500/mo along with $4500 in property and school tax. (I don’t have any children and never have, but I still pay school tax.) I paid hundreds of dollars in gasoline tax, sales tax and interest. I do not collect unemployment benefits, WIC, food stamps or any other federal or state benefits.I don’t receive medicare or social security benefits. I don’t expect anyone to give me anything that I’m not willing to work for. 
    I paid more in taxes last year than GE did, and they made billions of dollars!!Get your facts straight.

  • Anonymous

    I don’t give a shitt that you want to hold the real world up for almost all of us because the boots you lick are too stoopid to understand that Social Security is intended to be Social Security. It is an insurance program for the blind, aged, and disabled that we who really work for a wage hour to hour, day to day pay for and will likely need to depend some day for a minimal poverty income lifestyle. It’s not surprising to me that you can’t figure our that Social Security pays Insurance Benefits in the form of a monthly benefit check and calls it Social Security. Bite me.

  • Anonymous

    I asked my 3 year old about this and his response was, “But I’m ownwee fweee!” I thought of you and did the responsible thing. I said, “Don’t give me that I’m only fweee crap and get a job.” He’s now the CEO of an International Lunch wagon that daily serves people just like you a nice warm bowl of what the hell is wrong with you??

  • James Huard

    For those bashing the OWS movement, please take a moment and study this graph.
    http://i.imgur.com/NGCIW.jpg
    I don’t think you people realize how screwed you’re getting… Now Sweden and Norway, those are some countries to model our economy after.

  • Anonymous

    let me see if i understand you correctly.  you went to your town’s polling booth, witnessed voter fraud, and failed to do your citizen’s duty, and now you are blaming that on your town??

    ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU, BUT WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY.

    for pete’s sake.  

  • Anonymous

    HardcoreTPT your name calling is rather boorish but let’s get to the “meat” of your post.

    1) I was born in this country and I am not of Libyan decent.

    2) I play by societies rules not folks that “occupy” private property (the park in NYC is privately owned and not public property).

    3) When people obstruct public ways they deny others the use of that public way. The video clearly shows that.

    4) Not all “public ways” are open to pedestrians.

  • Anonymous

    And this is responsive how?

  • Anonymous

    James the only way I am getting “screwed” is if I believe I am entitled to someones money that I did not earn myself.

    If this movement stuck a gun in the belly of the “top 1-2%” and took the money by force they would be charged with robbery. How is demanding they give you money you did not earn because your entitled to it any different?

  • Anonymous

    “The little guys always have aligned against the big guys historically in political history.”

    And sometimes they win….Soviet Union, China, Cuba, Iran, etc…I would rather live in a free country then one taken over by a bunch of thugs because they don’t “get” enough of the pie.

  • Anonymous

    Do you come by insulting people and name calling naturally or did you have to learn the skill? Either way it distracts from your argument and marginalizes your position.

  • Anonymous

    So at what point in time does President Obama take ownership for the failure of his policies?

  • Anonymous

    Well I will ask again…”where is this going”?

  • Anonymous

    You are right as far as your analysis goes.  So you have correctly identified ONE group of people who contributed to the problem.

    Now take that analysis to the next level.  WHY did the mortgage brokers do what they did? (Mostly greed on their part in my opinion)  Who created the rules and policies that first made this practice possible?  Why did they create these rules and policies?

    Keep asking Who, What, When, Where, and Why repeatedly and “follow the money”.  Go back multiple levels.  You will find that the seeds of this crisis were laid all the way back at least as far as the Carter administration.  You will find that there are several different policies, totally unrelated in the beginning, that as time went on merged to create the housing bubble.  Many of these policies started with the best of intentions, (Keep in mind that the road to he11 is often paved with good intentions.  At least in the beginning.)  Such as eliminating the practice of redlining.  The idea that poor people should be helped to own a home.

    When all is said and done you will find government is deeply involved in the maturing of most of these “seeds” that led to the eventual collapse.  One fact you do have wrong is about government guaranteeing many of the loans.  The way it was done is complicated, but in the end government promotion and backing of the loans was a major reason why they could be misrepresented as AAA securities and sold.

  • Anonymous

    Documentation please

  • Anonymous

    “Thousands of people in this state are in the same boat I am in” and they have the exact same opportunity you have to make things better. The difference is…YOU made that choice to better yourself.

    And “capitalism favored companies to be able to move their manufacturing jobs over seas” is not correct, it is more complicated then that. NAFTA, WTO, etc…set the state by removing barriers to trade BOTH ways. When a foreign company can provide a product (please note I did not say “quality” product) and bring that product to market through “Free Trade” it will always be cheaper than a product engineered, manufactured and brought to market in this country.

    And people will continue to purchase the cheaper product because they can buy 2 or 3 foreign products to every one produced in this country.

    So, to stay competitive U.S. companies have moved off shore and we (the people) call them “evil” for doing so. Shouldn’t our anger be directed at the folks that negotiated, ratified and signed into law these agreements? And before you go off on the “evil” Republicans know this, the Democrats are just as guilty as anyone else.

  • Anonymous

    Simply to get the playing field back to level so that hard working people have a chance to have safety and stability in their lives. There is a happy middle ground between the rich exploiting the system to capture all of the gains and redistributing wealth to the poor. The happy middle ground is every has an equal voice and hard work offers opportunities to succeed. You are in denial if you think we have that now. We working people have brought about the productivity gains that have permitted the rich to have unprecedented increases in wealth while we have gotten none of it. Real wages are down, but income for the top is growing faster than ever before. This is an injustice to hard working people, probably like yourself. we want to be able to work and raise families without food and health insecurity. these are basic human needs. If we cannot get them due to a corrupt system, we will get them through protest. that is how civilized, modern people make strides to improve their world.

  • Anonymous

    At what point do your side think Bush is off the hook for starting two wars, an unpaid for prescription drug plan and a disastrous economy? For the fools on the right who don’t blame anything on Bush and the GOP, I’m sure it was 1/21/09.

  • Anonymous

    slave making? Isn’t that what all the big GOP corporations are doing in China and Africa and South America by shipping American jobs overseas so they only have to pay slave wages so that they can get their greedy hands on more money?

  • Anonymous

    The Afghanistan war was the result of an unprovoked attack on this country. I fully supported it and it was a necessary response. President Clinton had the opportunity to take our bin Laden. By the way, the resolution to go to war (not a declaration of war mind you) received bipartisan support.

    The Iraq war was a distraction and took the focus off of bin Laden. While it removed a brutal dictator that had used chemical and biological weapons on neighboring countries and his own people. He ignored repeated U.N. resolution and sanctions but it was not a war we needed to fight at that point in time in our history. Hussein WAS a threat. He paid $25,000 to every suicide bomber. He did have connections to terror across the world.

    The Medicare Drug Plan provided medication to my mother and aunt when they could not have afforded them on their own. Is it perfect? No. Is it better than what was in place before (which was nothing)? Yes. Could it be made better? Yes.

    Ah the economy…both sides are responsible for where we are today.

    But “Hope and Change” was supposed to begin on 1/21/2009 with the closing of Gitmo, the ending of two “unfunded” wars, civilian trials for detainees rather than military tribunals, etc…etc…etc…And where are we today?

    - Gitmo is still open.

    - No city in the country wanted the detainees for civilian trails so they remain waiting for military tribunals.

    - We are still in Iraq.

    - We are still in Afghanistan.

    - We entered a new civil war in Libya.

    - I wonder if that woman caught on tape prior to the election that said she was voting for Obama because he was going to pay her bills, put gas in her gas tank and pay her mortgage has received what she was looking for or…..empty campaign rhetoric?

  • Anonymous

    If you have one of those credit cards with ridiculous interest rates it is your choice.  There is also an easy way to not pay those interest rates.  Don’t use the card or pay it all off every month.

    A debit card is a service provided by the bank.  You have no “right” to that service for free.  They have every right to charge for that service.  You have every right to refuse to pay it.  And there is a simple way to not have to pay that charge.  Go to the bank or an ATM and withdraw your money as CASH and pay for things that way.

    What you fail to understand is that you have always been paying that fee.  Only before this it was charged to the merchant and was hidden from your view.  It’s called basic economics.  another way to think of it is “Nothing in life is free”.

  • Anonymous

    Every one of the things Obama has done that you like has a negative side effect or creates a new problem worse than the one he “fixed”.

  • Anonymous

    Blah Blah Blah. For someone’s who is supposedly independent you sure sound like another Republican hack. Same old excuses and no responsibility!

  • Anonymous

    Typical of the Republican hypocrite hacks. They now criticize Obama for things they actually supported…the wars, gitmo. You guys are shameful.

  • Anonymous

    WRONG! You guys lie and misrepresent every single day!

  • Anonymous

    Repugnantcans supported the wars and gitmo but NOW being hypocrites complain that Obama hasn’t fixed their messes fast enough. They are despicable fools.

  • Anonymous

    you KNOW nothing.

  • Anonymous

    99% should be supporting them but the top 1% has so brainwashed another 20-30% of our population that they foolishly support the corporate greed and the GOP.

  • Anonymous

    Isn’t nice that you live in a fantasy where you think you could be a millionaire someday. You are truly special but not special enough to be in the top 1% EVER so just keep believing and supporting the corrupt GOP and see where that gets you.

  • Anonymous

    more lies

  • Anonymous

    so you say and the crazy right wing liars and misrepresenters

  • Anonymous

    It’s about ACCOUNTABILITY. President Obama said he was:

    - Close Gitmo. He said he was,

    - Going to bring the troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan. He said he was,

    -  They were going to bring to trial, in civilian courts the detainees from Gitmo.

    Those were three things he said he was GOING TO DO.

    But it is very typical of Democrats to attack the messenger when they cannot attack the facts.

  • Anonymous

    It’s about ACCOUNTABILITY. President Obama said he was:

    - Close Gitmo. He said he was,

    - Going to bring the troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan. He said he was,

    -  They were going to bring to trial, in civilian courts the detainees from Gitmo.

    Those were three things he said he was GOING TO DO.

    But it is very typical of Democrats to attack the messenger when they cannot attack the facts.

  • Anonymous

    HYPOCRITE REPUBLICANS criticize Obama even though they supported the things he’s doing..two wars and Gitmo. They whine when he suggests closing Gitmo or reducing the number of troops, and whine when he doesn’t. No one can win with people like that. It’s just more GOP political GAMES at unfortunately the public’s expense.

  • Anonymous

    This post is for HardcoreTPT, PayYourShare, TAX_CUTS_FOR_THE_RICH, etc…How many of the Occupy “_______” (fill in the blank with your favorite place in the U.S.) have been using any of the following items over their periods of protests:

    iPhone
    iPad
    iPod
    Mac
    PC
    Anything with a Intel processor
    Anything with a Microsoft operating system
    mp3 player
    Cell phone made by Qualcom, Nokia, Motorola, etc…
    GPS
    Kindle
    Digital recorder
    Digital camera

    Or are they (and you) walking the walk and talking the talk when it comes to not supporting the multi-billion dollar corporate giants and forgoing these everyday conveniences that are either made in foreign countries or assembled in the U.S. from “components made in foreign countries”.

    Specifically, HardcoreTPT, PayYourShare, TAX_CUTS_FOR_THE_RICH what type of computer, OS, etc…are you using to post on the BDN website? Are you supporting the very corporations (and CEOs, COOs, CFOs, etc…) that you are deriding day in and day out?

  • Anonymous

    So let me get this straight.

    You have not problem with the President continuing a policy from a previous administration that he said he would end when he was elected President of the U.S.?

    I thought you were about “responsibility”? Shouldn’t the President be held responsible for what he said on the campaign trail? Shouldn’t the President be held accountable for what he does or doesn’t do about a policy he publicly derided and said was wrong?

    When you look in the mirror in the morning, do you pass the “red face test”?

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