What is your take on the Wall Street protests?

[sasvermont]

Just curious. I am not sure I understand what these people want and expect to achieve by protesting corporate greed. What do you think?

Please don't be mean to each other, if and when you comment.

Thanks!

[momoffuzzyfaces]

I don't know. I wonder if it's just frustration over not only corprate greed but greed in Congress too. It seems they are all working for the rich while the middle america and the lower classes just get worse off every day. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

[kuhio98]

I'm not sure I understand what they're protesting either.

I asked on another board and got slammed with "Don't you read the papers!?!" and various vulgarities about what a stupid person I am. But, one said it was to protest the bailouts given to companies back in 2008.

Okay, so I asked -- "So they are protesting the President and Congress voting (without evidently reading the bill) to bail out corporate America because some companies were "too big to fail".

Well, I was called all kinds of awful names saying that it had nothing to do with that.................But, still no one can explain to me what they feel is the problem and what needs to be fixed.

[Grace]

I'm not sure what they hope to accomplish. I did hear a short segment on CNN the other day. CNN was talking to a recent college grad who was unable to find a job, so he was protesting. It was not specified what his major was, but after two minutes of listening to him, I knew why he couldn't find anything. He couldn't put a complete sentence together without you know, like, and other assorted fillers.

[sasvermont]

Quite a few banks were allowed to fail. Probably the smaller ones - ones the big shots have cared less about. I surely would not have wanted a total meltdown of our banking system. That would have been deadly.

I suspect these protestors are going after Wall Street and big Corps. because they can. Bank regulators and the people responsible for setting up the banking and investing rules and regulations need to be hung out to dry.

Long ago, I worked for a big bank in PA. I worked in the corporate accounting section and handled the paperwork for MBS investments. (MBS = Mortgage Backed Securities). Sound familiar. Back then, there were regulators crawling all over us - making sure we had good collateral for borrowings against the mortgages. We had auditors in our offices nearly every day, making sure we weren't screwing around. Somewhere, somehow, all that must have stopped or maybe the regulators weren't caring much about what was happening. Lately, there was no regulation against selling bad mortgages to investors, I suppose. I never did understand how the banks/investors/borrowers/appraisers got away with such outrageous activity.

Do these protestors plan to take over Wall Street? What do they want? Do they think the higher ups in the Corp world will reduce the salaries and perks and give them the money?

There has always been a gap in earnings between the highly paid and the middle class. I think the gap is widening and it hurts. The Corps are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. How do we change that? Greed is greed.

If you want to talk greed, how about Hollywood and the money the big movie moguls make for each lousy movie. Millions. Why not start protesting in front of the movie stars' houses.

How about the sporting world. I see the dollar amounts to the contracts being handed out. Outrageous. Let's protest them. Let's NOT go to or watch the sporting events. That's how you protest.

I just don't see them organized enough to get any one point across! They are pissed but aren't we all!!

[kuhio98]

...
If you want to talk greed, how about Hollywood and the money the big movie moguls make for each lousy movie. Millions. Why not start protesting in front of the movie stars' houses...

And the hypocrisy of a couple of the movie stars who have shown up there to "support the movement"! They are cheered like they are one of the masses. Give me a break!

I'm soooooooooooo sick of these celebrities flying all over the world on private jets and then preaching to me about how we're killing the planet with fossil fuel! Of course, these are the same ones who put out exercise and health tips who keep their weight down by smoking.........

But, I digress. If anyone can explain to me what their goal is, I'm all ears. Maybe they just want to show their frustration with this whole mess. I can understand that. But, if this is another -- take money away from one guy because YOU think they have enough -- to give it to someone who didn't earn it, well, then I think that's GREED!

[Marigold2]

I agree. What can they hope to gain? They should be out working instead of sitting in the rain. Or perhaps getting together and trying to figure out a way to fix the problem instead of just standing around.
Obama tried to regulate the banks but the Republicans shot down the bill.
He had to bail out the auto companies, otherwise GM and Chrysler would now be gone. Imagine those two companies gone, what that would have done to the economy.
As for the bankers they had the Republicans in their back pocket and that is why they shot down Obama's bill which would have regulated all of these charges. Now the banks can do what they want and we are at their mercy.
The people need to truly read and understand what the law makers are saying and how they vote and act.
Not voting on looks or because my dad always voted Democrat or because he is pro-life. One needs to look at ALL the issues and how they affect our daily lives.
I have a friend who did not vote for Obama because he is pro-choice.
Well no president has changed the law on that in 38 years.
What will happen, I don't think anyone knows. Lets just hope that for once we as a nation can put aside or petty differences and do what is best for most, no one can do best for all but for most we need to try and try harder. What are we leaving for our children?
We will all be moving in with them because we can't afford to live on SS. That in itself should be motivation enough to do something.

Quite a few banks were allowed to fail. Probably the smaller ones - ones the big shots have cared less about. I surely would not have wanted a total meltdown of our banking system. That would have been deadly.

I suspect these protestors are going after Wall Street and big Corps. because they can. Bank regulators and the people responsible for setting up the banking and investing rules and regulations need to be hung out to dry.

Long ago, I worked for a big bank in PA. I worked in the corporate accounting section and handled the paperwork for MBS investments. (MBS = Mortgage Backed Securities). Sound familiar. Back then, there were regulators crawling all over us - making sure we had good collateral for borrowings against the mortgages. We had auditors in our offices nearly every day, making sure we weren't screwing around. Somewhere, somehow, all that must have stopped or maybe the regulators weren't caring much about what was happening. Lately, there was no regulation against selling bad mortgages to investors, I suppose. I never did understand how the banks/investors/borrowers/appraisers got away with such outrageous activity.

Do these protestors plan to take over Wall Street? What do they want? Do they think the higher ups in the Corp world will reduce the salaries and perks and give them the money?

There has always been a gap in earnings between the highly paid and the middle class. I think the gap is widening and it hurts. The Corps are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. How do we change that? Greed is greed.

If you want to talk greed, how about Hollywood and the money the big movie moguls make for each lousy movie. Millions. Why not start protesting in front of the movie stars' houses.

How about the sporting world. I see the dollar amounts to the contracts being handed out. Outrageous. Let's protest them. Let's NOT go to or watch the sporting events. That's how you protest.

I just don't see them organized enough to get any one point across! They are pissed but aren't we all!!

[RICHARD]

He couldn't put a complete sentence together without you know, like, and other assorted fillers.

Dude, you just hate like the people that are out there trying to like get ahead in the world.



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Most of the college kids are under the impression that a sheepskin guarantees a 'good' paying job.

The days of 'starting in the mail room and working your way up the ladder' are long gone.

They have no sense of WORKING for paycheck.

That's part of the "Go on line and get a degree" world we live in.

No one want to work to get ahead, they think that sitting in front of the idiot box and taking a test makes them qualified.

Effin morons.

[wombat2u2004]

No one want to work to get ahead, they think that sitting in front of the idiot box and taking a test makes them qualified.

Yeah, but I've been on the virtual farm on Facebook for a couple of years now. I have 3 goats, a pig and a row of cabbages.
I am now a farmer.

[Puckstop31]

http://pajamasmedia.com/tatler/2011/...eve-our-goals/



Where is the media outrage about this? Can you imagine if the "Tea Party" said this.

I'd say that a majority of these people protesting are just doing what they are told. How sad.