You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!
The banners on the left side and below do not show for registered users!
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.
Vancouver Off-Topic / Current EventsThe off-topic forum for Vancouver, funnies, non-auto centered discussions, WORK SAFE. While the rules are more relaxed here, there are still rules. Please refer to sticky thread in this forum.
Its weird protesting on Bay Street. You get there at 9 a.m. and the rich bankers who you want to hurl insults at and change their worldview have been at work for two hours already. And then when it's time to go, they're still there. I guess that's why they call them the one per cent. I mean, who wants to work those kinds of hours? That's the power of greed. Jeremy, 38
Can anyone see this guy's POV?
Part greed, part responsibility to do their jobs and create profit for customers.
Its weird protesting on Bay Street. You get there at 9 a.m. and the rich bankers who you want to hurl insults at and change their worldview have been at work for two hours already. And then when it's time to go, they're still there. I guess that's why they call them the one per cent. I mean, who wants to work those kinds of hours? That's the power of greed. Jeremy, 38
Can anyone see this guy's POV?
I have a friend that works on Bay street, he basically cannot take vacations cause he cannot afford to be away from the market for that long. He works crazy hours, yet makes enough money to buy virtually anything he wants. He told me that his managers once went out at lunch and bought Porsches just cause they could.
^The so-called 99% don't get it. Greed is what drive bankers. Their base salary isn't any better than the average business job. It's the bonuses they raked in that push them into 6-figure and 7-figure paychecks. You don't get that kind of bonus being all peace love and shits.
Many people only see the money they take in but not the effort they put out. These guys work until 2am and wake up at 4am. They do something like 100 hours a week on average. Try going home when your MD or VP still around working is like asking to get fired. And entry to IBD is almost impossible, you're competing against the brightest brains from Ivy League. Relationship is a fucking luxury. Going out for lunch is a luxury, my friend has food delivered to her desk from an online catering company because she couldn't afford to be the only person leaving the office for lunch. That kind of job, if money doesn't drive you then what does?
In Defense of the 1% | Euro Pacific Capital
Standing up for the 1%
By: Peter Schiff
Friday, October 28, 2011
Last week, I spent the afternoon visiting the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations in lower Manhattan. I brought a film crew and a sign that said "I Am The 1%, Let's Talk." The purpose was to understand what was motivating these protesters and try to educate them about what caused the financial crisis. I went down there with the feeling that much of their anger was justified, but broadly misdirected.
Indeed, there were plenty of heated discussions. I did little more than ask how much of my earnings I should be allowed to keep. In return, I was called an idiot, a fool, heartless, and selfish. But when we started talking about the issues, it seemed like the protesters fell into two categories: those who generally understood and agreed that Washington caused this mess, and those who could only recite Marxist talking points. It was the latter who usually resorted to calling names once I pointed out the hypocrisy of their positions. They might shout, "the banks have taken over the regulatory agencies, so we need more regulations!" Obviously, this is paradoxical. If they're blaming government for causing this problem, why would they suggest more government as the solution?
CLICK HERE to see Peter go head-to-head with an Occupier!
I think some of the leadership of Occupy Wall Street comes from this kind of radical Marxist background – and perhaps they're smart to intentionally keep quiet about their goals. Because the vast majority of protesters I met did believe in capitalism - they're just tired of being screwed over by crony capitalism. Noted school-choice activist Michael Strong calls it "crapitalism," and that's what it is. It's a rotten deal for everyone, and they know it.
The problem is that many of these people are under the mistaken impression that Wall Street banks are to blame for this state of affairs. That's like blaming the dogs for getting into the trashcan. Sure, it's bad behavior, but the ultimate responsibility lies with the authority figures - in this case, Washington. After all, it's not the New York metro area that has benefitted the most from this crisis. Rather, the counties around DC are now ranking as the wealthiest in the country. And while wealthy New Yorkers have historically made their living providing essential financial services to the global economy, Washington has always made its living one way: at our expense.
That's why I have trouble sympathizing with people calling themselves the “99%”, implying they stand in opposition to wealth no matter how it's earned. I own a brokerage firm, but I didn't receive any bailout money. In fact, I have to work twice as hard to compete with bigger financial firms that are propped up by the US government. The least I deserve is the ability to keep what I earn.
Remember, if the IRS weren't taking so much from the wealthy who have earned it, there would be that much less for Wall Street bailouts. A hundred years ago, major banks had no business lobbying Washington, because compared to their free-market earnings, the government simply didn't have that much money to dole.
The other tool the government didn't have to use against us back then was the Federal Reserve. Even if we drastically reduce taxes, the Fed might decide to do what it has been doing: printing money to finance government profligacy. This acts as a secret tax on everyone with a bank account, and is critical in transferring wealth from hardworking Americans to politically connected elites. So, really, the protests shouldn't be on Wall Street but around the corner on the ironically named Liberty Street, site of the New York Federal Reserve Bank – the heart of this dishonest system.
Until these twin sources of financial oppression are brought under control, the average American's standard of living will most likely continue to fall, more jobs will leave for increasingly capitalist emerging markets, and more young kids will be left with nothing better to do than block traffic.
One common refrain I heard at the protests was that our problems result from the rich not paying enough taxes. Most feel that economy was better when marginal tax rates were higher, and that lower rates are a cause of financial decline. Forget about the faulty logic of this assumption, it ignores two key points. First, while it’s true that marginal tax rates were much higher after World War II, the tax code also used to contain many allowances and exceptions, such that very few people actually paid the nominal rate. Second, prior to 1913, the rich paid no income taxes at all; yet, lower- and middle-class living standards rose much faster in the 19th century than in the 20th!
Overall, I think there was a real lack of understanding of basic economic principles among the Occupiers. Protesters thought that the rich owed a duty to share their wealth with society. However, they failed to see that in true capitalism, the rich can only acquire their wealth by serving others. No one succeeds in a vacuum. Consider the late Steve Jobs. He became a billionaire by sharing his wealth. Think about the millions of people around the world whose lives are vastly better because of Apple products. Think of all the Apple employees who benefit from high-paying jobs he created. Think about all those investors who made money from Apple stock. Steve Jobs shared his wealth with the entire planet before he ever paid one dime in taxes. In fact, any money Steve Jobs did pay in taxes likely prevented him from creating and sharing even more wealth. Had Jobs tried to hoard his wealth instead, he never would have acquired it in the first place.
Of course, the idea that Occupy Wall Street protesters have a right to share directly in the private profits earned by others is immoral. The protesters were correct in being outraged by having to share in Wall Street’s losses. But if they do not want to share the losses, they have no right to demand a share of the profits!
One protester equated the low wages paid by Wal-Mart to slavery, yet thought the government should take 70% of my income. In the case of Wal-Mart, employees are free to choose other jobs. What choice would I have when faced with a 70% income tax? They call it "slavery" when Wal-Mart offers workers better opportunities than they could find elsewhere, and "justice" when government enslaves me by forcibly taking 70% of the fruits of my labor.
Another protester challenged my claim that businesses create jobs by stating that consumers create the jobs by spending money. When I asked him where the consumers got their money, he replied “from their jobs,” which actually proved my point. Without jobs, consumers have no purchasing power. And without production, there is nothing to purchase.
I'm calling for these protesters to educate themselves on the causes of the current financial decline and not to waste their time attacking the wrong target. They have every right to be angry, but also an obligation to be part of the solution. Yes, I am the 1% – but I've earned every penny. Instead of trying to take my wealth away, I hope they learn from my example.
CLICK HERE for the complete highlights of Peter's Occupy Wall Street expedition.
So, it continues. The mayor has been unwilling to touch them, but quite happy to provide obstructions via police and fire. Now, they've been handed a list of requirements from the fire dept on heat and tents.
I'm still stuck on what this is going to achieve. There is still no unified message on what their goals are.
Support in Vancouver is running at about 50% of those surveyed, but patience running thin on length of time they should be there.
I think after Nov.19, there may be a different reaction from City Council, you know, with pesky elections out of the way.
So, it continues. The mayor has been unwilling to touch them, but quite happy to provide obstructions via police and fire. Now, they've been handed a list of requirements from the fire dept on heat and tents.
I'm still stuck on what this is going to achieve. There is still no unified message on what their goals are.
+1
whatever it is these people are doing, i'm sure they can do much more effectively from the comfort of their own homes - you know, that already have heat and running water. i'm all for peaceful protest but when a bunch of people start being inconsiderate of other taxpayers by sucking thousands of dollars out of our taxes paid to clean up and protect their poor excuse of a tent city (c'mon i made better forts when i was 5) - not cool, bro.
Technically, it is against the law for them to have structures on the property for the purpose of protest. If the city would abide by the by-law, the protesters would have to take down the tents, etc. every 12 hours. This is why the Falun Gong protesters on Granville no long have that little house and/or wood signs.
Little bit of a double standard? unfair?
I'd be a little pissed if I was a Falun Gong protester sitting out in the rain, while one of Vancouver's finest protester gets to OD on heroin in the comfort of his own tent on the lawn of the art gallery....
From the pictures of Occupy Vancouver, it looks like the grounds where they're camping is a big mudhole.
It's been a while since I've been in downtown Vancouver but wasn't that area grass before?
Did these people destroy the grass? If so, I can't believe they were allowed to do that.
They're doing this shit in Victoria too, they've already had a small fire in the camp. The fire department should have hit them all with the full blast of their firehoses to "put the fire out".
I think they are being as considerate as possible given that it is an occupied form of protest.
Really...the people that don't want them there don't want them there for any reason necessary to pull them out and the people that support them will support them at all costs.
It IS a fucking protest...its not supposed to be all touchy feely for the city.
Let's compare the Falun Gong people. Their protest is designed to attract attention to the issue by being in an uncomfortable place(right outside the Chinese Consulate) and bring attention to the issue through the length of time they have devoted to it.
Sound like a protest you know? Yeah, its a double standard to have tents at one, and not the other. However, the idea of having an encampment in every major city gives them clout.
I would suspect that the tents will go right about November 20th.
News1130radio News1130
#OccupyVancouver group refuses to recognize auth of police/firedept. #Vancouver Fire told them to tidy site by 10am today via @DanBurritt
so what's going to make them leave? What is the ultimate goal? to ugly up downtown? We just got a drastic change in our quality of life with the hst gone and the minimum wage up to 10.25. What the fuck do they want now? Free school? Rich to be taxed 99%? Company's to have higher tax rates? I don't even fuckin no what the problem is anymore. If I go out and make 100,000$ by working my ass off and making some company a shitload of money, half of that is gonna be taxed and I will have supported $50,000 of this countries budget. But If I go out and get a job and work like a fucking useless asshole and make $14,000 I get taxed $300... That's about enough tax money to support the funds for a couple of shovels for the city workers to replace a dead tree, where's the equality in that? I'm working my ass off and getting taxed like a mutherfucker, while this bottom feeder provides a couple pennies for the government to survive on? I worked hard to make that money, I would have gone up the ladder in a business or chose a career that is booming or that I could succeed at. I would have made wise choices to get up their and get that million dollar paycheck. I agree that banks should never be making as much money as they are now, but they invested in a business that has a lot of income coming into it because of unwise consumers not reading the fine print or realizing what they were getting into. So taxing the rich is clearly not the answer as they already get a pretty hefty taxation. This socialism attitude has it's major flaws because some people clearly don't provide as much as the other man, and yet they believe they deserve just as much. In a capitalist system everyone has a chance to make a million dollars, or make enough to live by, we just have to work towards the goal by thinking smart and making the right choices.
I was with them when they started because it was a great achievement to have such a peaceful protest, but now their goals are way to muttled and our patience has clearly had enough. The only thing I agree with these days is that company's and people of wealth shouldn't have as big of an impact in the government as they currently do. If a company sees something in the world that might jeopardize their business, they shouldn't influence how government decides on that item that could bankrupt their company. A lot of stupid bullshit has happened because of big corporations or the major capitalism dream has influenced the decision to do something in the world. Unfortunately, not everyone seems to be protesting this and therefore it won;t work unless they get the same goal.
I know it's a bit drastic, but maybe someone who has the mentality of these protesters should go up the ladder and work towards a change within one of these big corporations, or the government altogether. Make an Occupy wall street campaign and try and run for a government position? If the anarchists have a campaign, then why not the occupiers?
^Most of them don't know what they want in the first place. The original idea of occupying Wall Street was sound as posted by Skinny a few pages back. However, as it progressed, most of the ppl there r just blaming the world about their problems. Their so-called 99% argument can be torn apart easily. The real issues was lost and now everybody is just trying to find someone to blame. It's always easy to point fingers and say it's your fault than to take responsibilities.
__________________
Ignorance is bliss
How I wish I can remain ignorant, why do I know so much?
1. Cut power.
2. Remove the portapotties.
3. Put police there to crack down hard on drug use.
They'll be gone in a week if that happens.
If not...
4. Organize 50 people or so and schedule individual shifts. When it's your shift, you drive around the Occupy site for 10 minutes with honking your horn. This happens 24 hours a day until they leave.
LOL think about how awful that place would be with no toilets, water, power, heat and not being able to sleep at any time.
it still pisses me off every time i drive through downtown, i see them there wasting our taxpaying dollars doing their stupid pointless protest. I want to go tehre at 3AM and start honking my horn every night [/rant]
__________________
Quote:
[03-07, 03:26] Yodamaster - The feeling when you quickly insert without hitting the sides
it still pisses me off every time i drive through downtown, i see them there wasting our taxpaying dollars doing their stupid pointless protest. I want to go tehre at 3AM and start honking my horn every night [/rant]
I would start tossing these guys in their tent city.
Yes, the spread of wealth is junk....housing is pricey, healthcare is slow, education is expensive, gas prices are moving up by the day...this city/province/country/continent/world has a shit pile of problems that we would all like to see get fixed. totes on board with it...
my issue is, have an organized plan of action and for fuck sake, stop looking like a pot smoking squeegee kid! this is where they are fucking losing it! you look at occupy NY and Oakland, etc and at least the protesters look like you and I. Nobody is taking these fuck-tards seriously....and really, who should?! They are their own worst enemy.
They have valid point! They have the attention of the media, and for that matter, the world! Speak like you have some form of education, dress like you care, and for the love of god, stop smoking a bowl when the cameras are out there interview you!
You look at the Falun Gong peeps....I didn't know much about it years ago. I saw them...they looked legit...they were peaceful...HAD A POINT...and were getting their point across while abiding by the city by-laws. I went home, researched, learned a lot about, etc.....they got their point across without having to act like the occupy vancouver morons...
I read through the demand list....honestly, I was expecting worse.
Yes, there are a lot of demands that are just fucking crazy, but there are some (and, I said SOME) valid points....however, I won't be holding my breath...
Rather humorous that a lot of the demands contradict themselves though