[mikemike]

so you think only poor people need to protest?

Well we have the bottom 50% of the country that are either freeloaders living off the dole or "free riders" (to borrow a union term) because they work but don't pay any income taxes. The next 49% have been protesting for a few years already because they are Taxed Enough Already. The remaining 1% are patriotic millionaires and billionaires who are begging to be taxed more.

[shooz]

One of your most nonsensical comments yet.
Take long hard look at the "free loaders" on wallstreet. If you can.

One more time I ask.
Where are the jobs from the "job creators"?

You should watch the video on the middle class too.
Teabaggers are nothing if not deluded by Koch Bros. style propaganda.

[larryinlc]

Well we have the bottom 50% of the country that are either freeloaders living off the dole or "free riders" (to borrow a union term) because they work but don't pay any income taxes. The next 49% have been protesting for a few years already because they are Taxed Enough Already. The remaining 1% are patriotic millionaires and billionaires who are begging to be taxed more.

That's right Mike. 150 million Americans are total douche bags and have no right to even breath the same air you breath. Scum, they are. Nothing more than liabilities to the rest. How in the world can you stand to live among all this filth that surrounds you? Seriously, you need to take a step outside your comfort zone at take a good hard look at reality. Think for yourself.

You know, I live in farm country. Everyone here farms and I know them all. They are all good folks that work very hard to put food on your table. Problem is, they can't make money doing it. They do pay taxes. Lots of them to be exact, just not on income. Because their income doesn't even begin to approach the middle class, by your own admission, they are freeloaders?

Again, step outside, look around, talk to people and think.

PS: I will forward your message to all my freeloading farmer friends and get back to you with their collective reply. This might be fun.

Larry

[mikemike]

They do pay taxes. Lots of them to be exact, just not on income. Because their income doesn't even begin to approach the middle class, by your own admission, they are freeloaders?

If they work but don't pay federal income taxes then they would be free riders not freeloaders.

[jogiba]

If they work but don't pay federal income taxes then they would be free riders not freeloaders.

So YOU are saying a family of four were the parents are making minimum wage and live below the poverty line should pay taxes while many large companies pay zero taxes ?

[larryinlc]

If they work but don't pay federal income taxes then they would be free riders not freeloaders.

Semantics Mike. I suspect in your view, it makes no difference

[séamuis]

If they work but don't pay federal income taxes then they would be free riders not freeloaders.

either you’re the most delusional citizen in the entire country or you are just playing antagonist. I can’t really decide which is more accurate. maybe you are both. I’m not even going to waste my time trying to offer up any sense or reason to, as others are doing. I’m simply going to write you off as a lost cause. my god, your thought process could be an instructional guide to everything wrong with this nation...

[shooz]

Well, he has recently come out of the closet as a teabagger.

[johnmflores]

You Tube

You Tube

Amazing how the humble camera - from the cell phone to the dSLR to everything in between - is proving to be the great equalizer. Just look at all of those glowing screens just daring the police to step over the line.

My favorite part is near the end when one the of officers starts yelling at people to get on the sidewalk. Someone off camera yells, "say Please!" The cops start saying please and people start listening.

[johnmflores]

You Tube

You Tube

I feel bad for the good cops.

[shooz]

Looks like tyranny to me. Very much so.
Where's those second amendment folks that said they would use that right to prevent tyranny?
Nowhere to be seen. Nowhere to be heard.
Gutless wonders. Cowards.

[jolepp]

BBC News - Wall Street protesters march in New York

Reuters - Wall Street protest grows as unions swell ranks

[subeeds]

Some of the photos coming out of NYC remind me of the Chicago convention in '68. Cops in riot gear and all that. Wonder how that would have gone in the age of twitter and the internet?

[Nesster]

I would note two things - one, while I don't know the demographics of the protesters, I do know that This Time things were Different. Past recessions and job exoduses didn't really affect the white collar professional classes, while this last financial crisis and recession finally did. And given the direction of things, the next one is likely to affect them even more. This group has seen steady erosion of pay and jobs over the last decade, and there's real fear, and the idea that our kids are not going to have things as easy as we did... I'd also note that the press is by and large in this class of people, as are most of the best target demographics and the people whose opinion Counts a bit More. This isn't poor people, this is the upper middle class - like it was in the 60s.

The second point is that it is more than likely the case that very few of the top 1% would care about Leicas and Hasselblads. Most of them would think of cameras as appliances. The rich are different

[shooz]

very few of the top 1% would care about Leicas and Hasselblads

They hire someone at minimum wage to push buttons for them, after all pushing buttons is soooo banal.