Democratic Capitalism?

1. 56

   xmasdecorationsposted 12 years ago

   Surely all that people worldwide are currently demanding is a return to the democratic capitalism that the United States and much of Western Europe were famed for up until the early 1980's?
   
   I know that as a full supporter of the OWS movement (albeit, the protests began a couple of years ago in Europe, rather than Wall Street), that this is all that I want to see.
   
   The United States, and their pet dogs in the UK and Europe, have - in the past 30 years since the election of Reagan and Thatcher - moved further and further away from democratic capitalism to a culture or environment which can be described as authoritarian capitalism.
   
   All that people want is a society in which the entire population truly influences  politics and policies and not the corporate lobbyists, who naturally encourage policies in areas in which they hold a vested interest with the sole objective of manipulating or conserving their profits.
   
   I am waiting to see somebody, anybody, who is asked the question "why are you protesting?" to just come out and say "we want a democracy", because that is effectively what 'the 99%' are asking for. Not that it is 99% of course, maybe 99% of people who actually pay attention to politics.
   
   This movement really is no different to the uprisings in Libya, Egypt, and wherever, they wanted democracy, Americans (and Europeans) want democracy, even if the dictatorships come in very different forms.
   
   I'm hoping that this movement gains momentum in London, because I would love to show solidarity, and because I would love to say into a camera "I want a democracy in the UK".

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   1. 60

      Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I think that OWSLSX is gaining momentum, if my tweets are anything to go by. The camp at St Pauls has allegedly doubled in size, having the support of the Cannon is great too. I also think that solidarity with our American, middle Eastern, European, in fact global friends is of real importance, as this is not just a nationalistic issue. I support the Greens (I completely lost faith in the labor party after the disaster of the New Labor construct) and I know the Greens are behind OWS and OWSLSX 100%. Another positive is that Liam Fox has been exposed, I think the clock is ticking for the rest of, what I would assert, as a far right government in the UK.

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2. 84

   rebekahELLEposted 12 years ago

   And it's a direct influence from those uprisings. The US is even more unequal than Egypt or Tunsia when it comes to income inequality. The 99%, which is most of us, should be mad and taking action. But political partisianship holds people back from standing up and trying to make a difference. If the political leadership isn't going to do it, then the people need to make their voices heard and start boycotting.
   
   How are people ok with this?
   
   The 400 wealthiest Americans have a greater combined net worth than the bottom 150 million Americans.
   ¶The top 1 percent of Americans possess more wealth than the entire bottom 90 percent.
   ¶In the Bush expansion from 2002 to 2007, 65 percent of economic gains went to the richest 1 percent.
   
   How many people on this site currently owe more on their homes than they're worth? Probably a majority. That's just wrong.

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3. 77

   lovemychrisposted 12 years ago

   Rate of pay beween CEO's and workers in various countries:
   
   http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/28 … ers-in-var

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