West Seattle group gathering to plan for ‘Occupy the Capitol’

For those concerned about the big cuts looming in the state budget, Su Docekal sends word of “West Seattle Neighbors Against the Budget Cuts” gathering this Saturday “to do flyering to let people in this neighborhood know about the inhuman cuts that are being proposed for the upcoming special legislative session and about the protests that they can participate in.” The gathering is at noon Saturday at Salvadorean Bakery, 1719 SW Roxbury. She says they are looking ahead to “Occupy the Capitol,” a week of protests planned November 28-December 2. She says the demand will be:

— Oppose all cuts to jobs, services and education!
— Restore services, jobs and benefits by taxing corporations and the rich!
— Pressure the federal government to end U.S. wars and redirect military spending to the states!

If you want to find out more, you can contact Su at sudocekal@comcast.net or 206-953-5601.

OP November 17, 2011 (10:49 pm)

There aren’t enough rich or corporations for you to gut without killing the job market altogether, our dear economically challenged countrymen, so get real. We have an 80/20 spending to revenue problem, and that’s pushing it. BTW, this is a deeply blue state, so if you want to blame somebody for the state’s financial woes, blame the people you voted into office. I do.

JanS November 17, 2011 (11:07 pm)

BUt…if people remain silent, those in power will assume that everyone agrees with them. So, noise needs to be made for no other reason but that….

Tuesday November 18, 2011 (12:00 am)

“Tax corporations and the rich!” Always nameless corporations, and faceless rich. If I ever read or heard anything specific come from anyone occupying anything you’d be able to knock me over with a feather.

Yes, what we definitely need is to tax corporations to the point where they move their operations overseas and then complain about the unemployment level.

And surely no one ever worked for what they have, so people who don’t think they deserve it should benefit instead.

I still want to live in a country where working hard means something. I don’t want to be a worker bee in a hive collective where someone tells me what rewards I do and do not deserve to reap. Kill the reward, kill the incentive to excel.

redblack November 18, 2011 (5:40 am)

“nameless corporations?” let’s start with exxon, BP, shell, GE, conagra. how about the bailout recipients? bank of america, goldman sachs… i have plenty of names.
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i want to live in a country where people can get rich and fill the government coffers at the same time.
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today, 1 in 5 children in america is hungry.
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yet buffy in clyde hill just can’t stand the capital gains and inheritance taxes any longer! we simply must stop spoiling these rabble! they’ve come to feel positively entitled!
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am i right?

CandrewB November 18, 2011 (5:58 am)

Please Tuesday, enough of the Atlas Shrugged routine. I’m definitely not Joe Socialist, but I hardly think there’s a successful person thinking to themselves “I made $4.5 million last year. If they raise my taxes to where I am only making $4.1 million, it’s just not worth getting out of bed in the morning.”

Yardvark November 18, 2011 (9:38 am)

So nice to hear about this! Thank you, Su!

Tuesday November 18, 2011 (10:10 am)

Hilariously, still no specifics on what to do with the evils of job providing corporations. I remain standing.

Additionally, I agree, people should be furious about corporate bailouts. It’s ridiculous spending like that that doesn’t make me super excited to fill the government coffers. Let them fail. However, corporate/ union money elects presidents and presidents will always take care of the hand that feeds them. Even “benevolent”, “selfless” politicians are not immune to selfish motives.
The truth remains, people get out of bed in the morning to work for themselves, not for other people… no matter how much you wish it were so.

Alvis November 18, 2011 (10:29 am)

My late stepfather grew up in the towns of America’s richest 1% (his mother was head housekeeper for the Cabots). He didn’t bear a grudge against the wealthy, and he wouldn’t have endorsed the Occupy protests. Yet I recall he said that if people ever realized how much the rich are subsidized at public expense, there would be a revolution in the streets.

Dc November 18, 2011 (10:36 am)

Well said Tuesday!

Dave November 18, 2011 (10:48 am)

Wow, the tea-baggers here really love their corporate masters. Just so you know, you’ll never be part of the 1% no matter how hard you wish. That “work hard and you’ll get ahead” rhetoric went out with the 1950s. By all means keep doing big business’ bidding, but that warm trickle down your neck isn’t jobs, my friend.

Max November 18, 2011 (1:32 pm)

I agree OP and Tuesday! I would only add that if occupy wanted to get back at corporations like big banks, then vote out of office the president that used our money to bail them out, and they in turn paid their execs big bonuses. I say to let them fail, and use the “bail out” money to give to the people who may have lost money when the bank failed. The other way to get back at a company is to stop buying their product. So, stop buying gas for your car, and ride the bus.

CandrewB November 18, 2011 (2:38 pm)

George W Bush was President when the Bail-out was signed.

Max November 18, 2011 (5:11 pm)

Yes, Candrew, I realize that. But is that a license to continue the same practice? And how does blame solve the problem? I was only trying to bring to light how “Occupy” is playing into the class warfare game brought on by this administration, and that I believe that doing so takes the spot light off of failed economic policies, (yes, this administration and the last), and try’s to place them on individuals. This is another diversion tactic. It’s another bowl of koolaid.
Occupy is protesting the result of bad policies that lead to corporate greed, when they should be protesting the policy itself. Besides the fact that we are the ones funding this greed with OUR tax dollars that our politicians spend as if it is their own. Remember, the government has no money! They only use ours.

Dandelion November 18, 2011 (7:40 pm)

In response to Dave’s quote from above: “That “work hard and you’ll get ahead” rhetoric went out with the 1950s.” Dave, I think that is the problem. People did quit believing that, but I don’t think that is a good thing – and I don’t think it is a coincidence that this change in attitude came about the same time welfare became available for those other than the elderly and disabled – ie the able-bodied.

redblack November 19, 2011 (7:25 am)

maybe we wouldn’t need welfare if the nameless corporations and the faceless wealthy really were interested in providing jobs in america instead of simply improving their bottom lines at others’ expense.

Max November 19, 2011 (9:00 am)

It’s not the corporations! It’s the economic policies that allow the corporations to rip off the Amercan tax payer. Just look at one of Obama’s biggest contributors, GE. They had revenues of 156B, earnings of 11B, and paid a big fat $0in taxes. Yes, this has been going on for years, not just this administration. But the focus needs to be targeted in the correct direction in order for real change to take place.
You can’t foist guilt on the conscience of some millionaire, or socialistically decide that he has made too much money and therefore take it from him. But you can talk facts and vote for yourself and not how some smooth talking politician tells you to.

StringCheese November 19, 2011 (11:07 am)

Max, take a look at what you just said.
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“It’s the economic policies that ALLOW the corporations to rip off the Amercan tax payer.” (emphasis mine)
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I can hear them now: “I know that our current business practices are causing thousands to lose their jobs and polluting the environment, but heck, they LET us do it…”. “We are weak! We can’t HELP IT!” Really? Corporations and the Right are always fighting against all forms of regulation. “Trust us!”, they say. Take away this pesky regulation and we will be good corporate “citizens”. The fact of the matter is that corporations have shown over and over and over again that they will choose profit over workers, the environment, health, safety, human rights, and meaningful contributions to the community around them.
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Why people seem to trust those in their gilded office towers who answer to no one other than the rich who wish to get richer, but instead blame everything on publicly elected officials simply baffles me.
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If a politician doesn’t work in the best interests of their constituents, they lose their job. If a CEO doesn’t work for the best interest of their employees or the world around them, no one cares – as long as they are providing a cash flow to their big investors. Screw the 99% for the favor of the 1%.
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The 1% needs to be reminded that they would not have made it to the top of the pyramid without the back-breaking work of those below them. They need to contribute significantly to strengthening the whole structure or the whole thing will crumble to the ground. As part of the base of the pyramid, I know that I am tired of breaking my back to give them outrageous bonuses that could have kept a thousands of people employed for another year…

Max November 19, 2011 (11:53 am)

I’m in no way saying to de-regulate or have no policy. I’m saying that the current policies are not working. They encourage corporations to locate out of country, they allow off shore companies to avoid taxation, they give your tax money to failing banks who in turn give giant bonuses to their corporate executives, and much more. When a bank fails because they decided to pay their own huge bonuses, then I say let it fail. But by all means, don’t use my money to give these fat cats a hand out. That is the government policy that bothers me. No, I am saying that the government should regulate. Only, regulate to the benefit of the people. Like I said before, it’s our money that they are handing out. I blame the politicians that hand it out, not the greedy ones that are taking it.

Don November 19, 2011 (2:26 pm)

North Dakota is financially sound.
Why?
Because their tax money is deposited into The Bank of North Dakota, which is state owned, like a credit union.
All other states (and the US) borrow from private banks and use their tax money to repay their loans.

boy November 19, 2011 (5:45 pm)

Fight cacitallism Give us jobs. But don’t the capitalist give us jobs? Maybe the other 50% in this country that don’t pay any taxes should start to pay alittle. Heck the top 2% already pay over 40% of this countries tax burden, The aditude that everybody owes me has got to go.

redblack November 20, 2011 (7:26 am)

the top 2% pay over 40% because they have the bulk of the wealth and income. even if we had a flat tax, they’d still pay around 40%.
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btw, everyone – and i mean everyone – in this country who legally collects a paycheck pays income taxes. so enough with the “pay no taxes” bologna.
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maybe it’s deductions you’d like to talk about, boy, to which i’d argue that the top 2% get treated a lot better under our tax code than the bottom 50%.

Sorry, comment time is over.