occupy

Extreme Inequality or Democracy?

by Ron Forthofer Dissident Voice January 18, 2012 Last autumn, likely due to the Occupy movement, there was a shift of media attention from debt reduction and the cutting of vital public programs (for example, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid) to the issue of extreme wealth and income inequality in America. Extreme inequality is of concern for many reasons, but Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis provided perhaps the most crucial reason when he said: “We can have democracy in this country or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.” Many…


Why the movement to Occupy Wall Street?

by Ron Forthofer The Boulder Daily Camera December 15, 2011 The corporate-controlled media’s treatment of Occupy Wall Street (OWS) has not provided much useful information about the movement. Instead of reporting on OWS, media pundits whined about a lack of leaders and criticized the appearance of some participants. After a while, the coverage focused on the violence around the removal of OWS from their sites and the costs of dealing with OWS. Unsurprisingly, the corporate-controlled media coverage has led some to have negative impressions about OWS. This type of coverage is certainly not unexpected; after all, OWS is challenging the…


The Occupy Movement Must Also Become a Voters’ Rebellion

By Scott McLarty FireDogLake, December 19, 2011 To vote or not to vote — that is the question for Occupy Wall Street protesters and for Americans sympathetic to the Occupy movement taking place in cities throughout the US. For many of those who intend to vote, it means casting a ballot for Democratic candidates, including President Obama. For those who don’t plan to vote at all, the outcome of elections is irrelevant, because nothing will change under the current political system. Are these the only two choices? The US is in a crisis, a political holding pattern in which Democratic…