where do you stand in the 99% - Political Action - Occupy Fort Myers - groups


michaelanarchist 2011-12-29	politicalcalculations.blogspot.com/2010... Use the above link to calculate where you stand in the 99%. We need to realize that those below the 40th percentile are probably the ones who participate the least in our political process. We must reach out to the community in East Fort Myers, Lehigh, and get them to register, and vote if we are to change anything. My life is an open book. I am in the 36.8 percentile, and my income is below 20k a year. I did this as an example of why we need to motivate those below us. My best guess is that most of us are above the 40th percentile. These figures are based on 2009 statistics, I will search for updated.


michaelanarchist 2011-12-29	According to an analysis of Federal Reserve data by the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal research organization, the top 1 percent of Americans by net worth hold about a third of American wealth. The average net worth for the 99th percentile in net worth was $19,167,600 as of 2007, based on this research. The average net worth of the next 9 percent of Americans was $2,371,500. That means, of course, that the bottom 99 percent of Americans includes an awful lot of millionaires. economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/10/a... The quote above taken from this article. An awful lot of people in 99% who are millionaires. Where does the true income inequality begin.


michaelanarchist 2011-12-29	economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/10/a... Hard to read the income figures on this chart,


michaelanarchist 2011-12-29	these are 2009 figures if you earn $50,000 you are 76.46 percentile if you earn 35,000 you are in the 62.09 percentile, When are you truly oppressed and suffering. A family of 4 on 35,000 is struggling, but only because of their need for conspicuous consumption, keeping up the Jones’ possessions. On my income I can live simply and meet all my needs, but I am not supporting anyone else. My wife works. If I want to live high, drive a hummer, have a house I can’t afford, have a 50 inch flat screen, etc., then I am “suffering”. This is not to say that our country doesn’t need change, but we need to realize that we don’t have it so bad. It troubles me that I don’t see more minorities at political events, that I haven’t seen any outreach to NAACP, Hispanic organizations, Immokalee Farm Workers Village, etc. We need to motivate the truly oppressed, and we will gain real popular support. These income figures illustrate why there are so many tea party members, they are part of the 99%, they are selfish, and they don’t have it so bad. Hard to overcome a selfish attitude. We need to try to come up with strategies to get people to truly follow their religious beliefs to assist others, too many hypocrites in this country who pay lip service to the “Golden Rule” yet live their lives differently.


miy 2011-12-31	Hi! I’m an Occupier in Hildesheim, Germany, who ran into your platform when strolling trough riseup. It seems that you are worrying about recruiting the lower net income groups. Heard, you had a lot of underpaid tomato pickers down in Florida, who fought a courageous struggle against their employers for a few cents more to their hourly wages. Raj Patel writes about this issue in his book “The Value of Nothing”, where he also writes about La Via Campesina , a worldwide movement of 200 million mostly landless peasants and small scale farmers. I Guess at least a portion of your poor tomato pickers are in that movement. La Via Campesina have been truly Occupy for more than ten years although they don’t call themselves that. They offer concrete and practical solutions to a whole bunch of top priority world problems. They really deserve our support and solidarity. IMHO it’s high time to join forces with them. And I don’t mean that strategically, but morally, Occupy should go together with the poorest in this world, especially since they are the true sustainers of our luxurious and wasteful lifestyle. Cheers, Roland.


Layla 2011-12-31	Greetings, Roland! Occupy – particularly Occupy Naples – is working with the CIW – the Coalition of Immokalee Workers; and, indeed, they are a wonderful bunch! I will look into La Via Campesina… For those perusing this discussion, here is what appears to be their official link: viacampesina.org/en Also, here’s the CIW’s site: ciw-online.org Thanks for your input, Roland. I do hope we work with these groups. I, myself, wish I were bilingual, though, as well… :/ Thank you, again, and wishing you the best, L.