Nothing ticks off the mainstream media more than us having our facts straight and being wired tight when they are looking for a way to make us look bad. Fire off one of these and see if they run it, and have someone else filming so we can show what they didn't run on Youtube. Instead of us looking stupid, THEY look stupid. We turn it around.
Here is a cheat sheet in case you get hit up by media and are not sure of what to say.
- (What is Occupy Wall Street about?) OWS is about stopping the transfer of the wealth from the middle class and the working class even further into the hands of one wealthiest one percent. This is done through bank bailouts, through war profiteering, and other forms of crony capitalism. They only call it class warfare when we fight back.
- According to former Special Inspector General for the TARP bailouts Neil Barofsky, the American taxpayer may have to pay up to $23 trillion in bailouts as a result of the bailout deals made between corporations, mostly banks, and the government in 2008. To put that in context the US federal budget is about $4 trillion a year. (Politico, 7/20/09)
- Bank of America just moved derivatives nominally valued at $75 trillion into FDIC-insured accounts, putting the taxpayer on the hook for potentially trillions of dollars for bad casino debts (bankers bet in the subprime mortgage crisis that housing values would go up forever, which is stupid because nothing goes up forever. ) (Avery Goodman, 10/20/11)
- All means-tested entitlement programs, including Medicaid, food stamps, AFDC, SSI, child nutrition programs come up to about 7% of the yearly federal budget. The bailouts eat up a good part of any discretionary money that's left after the Pentagon's $700 billion a year, and interest on the national debt is about ten percent of the yearly budget. That is at least 20% of the budget the American taxpayer is getting nothing for in return, much more if you consider that the Pentagon budget is filled with enormous waste. The bailouts disproportionately benefit the wealthiest 1%, and because the debt limit is being increased every year, we are printing money and devaluing the currency to pay for these bailouts. ("Occupy Wall Street Talking Points," WarIsACrime.org)
- What is the 99%? Many people don't know that if the total wealth of America were represented by a pie, 1% of the population would own fully one-third of that pie, and 99% would own the rest. And that concentration of wealth has been getting more concentrated for 30 years. (Business Insider 4/9/10)
- We spend $120 billion a year for military operations in Afghanistan, but for 5% of that we could end the war by giving Afghans infrastructure programs run by a clean ministry, the Afghan National Solidarity program. Half of Afghans are malnourished after 10 years of occupation, and that is shameful. We should give them reparations for bombing the heck out of their country and get out. ("Quran Burning Touched Dry Tinder of Afghan Misery," DailyKos.com, 4/4/11)
- Occupy Wall Street wants to get the money out of politics. Most people don't know that on average 80% of congressional campaign contributions come from outside the district. Ban money from outside the district, including special interest or corporate money of any kind, and make congressmen work for the voters again. Personal donations from within the district only. I don't have any business giving money to your congressman when I have my own. That's called bribery. ("Demand to Get the Money Out of Poltics," Truthout.org)
- If you want to know more about Occupy Wall Street it's real easy. Just google "demands" and "grievances" and you'll get many different points of view. We don't have leaders, and we are still in the process of putting together a final list of demands. But the work is being done.
Please add your own in the comments. We are keeping a running fact sheet from the community. Please be sure to include your source link.
(All links to back-up sources at http://OccupyMediaPoints.blogspot.com )
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"BoA Dumps $75 Trillion In Derivatives On Taxpayers, Super Committee Looks Away. Seize BoA Now."
Who is the "99%" Anyway? What Does OWS Mean by This?
"Occupy Wall Street Talking Points: Who You Calling Slacker?"
"Harvard Has Been Occupied: "Money for Jobs and Education, not for Banks and Corporations!"
