Is The Occupy Wall Street Movement an Answer to The Tea Party Movement?

[nathanm]

I think it's funny also. Instead of looking for work, the unemployed OWS are camping out and b!tching why they are not working.

After looking for a couple of years, I might also get pretty discouraged.

[Conan71]

After looking for a couple of years, I might also get pretty discouraged.

The only people who are still honestly looking for work after two years and haven't found a job have a longer list of things they won't do rather than what they will do.  There's a job out there for anyone who wants one.  It might not be what they envision doing for the rest of their life and it might not be near the level of income they were used to before, but there's jobs out there to be had you've just got to make the list of things you will do longer than the list of things you won't.

[Townsend]

Judge tells Tennessee to stop arresting Occupy protesters

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/31/us/tennessee-occupy-protests/index.html

(CNN) -- A judge told Tennessee officials on Monday to stop enforcing new rules that have been used to arrest Occupy protesters in Nashville.

The decision was a victory for the fledgling movement and for the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, which sought a temporary restraining order to block a curfew put in place last week.

U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger issued the order, which state officials did not fight.

"Political expression deserves the highest level of protection and it was unacceptable for the state to suddenly shut down protesters' speech and forcibly oust them from Legislative Plaza that has long been used as a place for peaceful expression," said Hedy Weinberg, executive director at the ACLU of Tennessee.

Heated debate on the Occupy movement "The state conceded that the temporary restraining order should be issued and we hope that this is the first step (that) the state is recommitting itself to safeguarding -- not thwarting -- public political expression," she added.

Efforts by CNN to reach officials in the state attorney general's office were not successful.

The order will remain in effect for 21 days. A hearing in the case is scheduled for November 21.

Demonstrators across the country are protesting what they consider to be corporate greed and corruption as part of the weeks-long "Occupy" movement. Many say the nation's wealthiest 1% hold inordinate sway over the remaining 99% of the population.

In Tennessee, protesters have gathered at Legislative Plaza in downtown Nashville since early October.

Authorities issued the new rules on Thursday, requiring protesters to have permits and restricting the times they would be allowed to gather.

In subsequent days, protesters were arrested, including more than two dozen overnight Saturday, after they defied the curfew imposed by the state's governor. Most received citations for trespassing, while two others were cited for public intoxication.

[carltonplace]

Now you are getting it.

You crack me up.

How did Halloween go? Did you give a lot of handouts to filthy street urchins that won't buy their own candy?   

[Hoss]

You crack me up.

How did Halloween go? Did you give a lot of handouts to filthy street urchins that won't buy their own candy?   

[Gaspar]

The only people who are still honestly looking for work after two years and haven't found a job have a longer list of things they won't do rather than what they will do.  There's a job out there for anyone who wants one.  It might not be what they envision doing for the rest of their life and it might not be near the level of income they were used to before, but there's jobs out there to be had you've just got to make the list of things you will do longer than the list of things you won't.

But, but, but the rich are still getting richer, and the middle class are still getting a little richer, and the poor are not getting as rich as the rich or the middle class, and Battlefield 3 on Xbox is like $50 bucks, and without the microphone and earphones, it's like crap!  A good set is going to be another $50 bucks and that's like a whole day's pay, but if we work extra, then we fall behind on our battle experience points, and that bastard Ricardo will unlock the the Type-88 and I'll start screaming out F-bombs again from the basement and Mom will make me go live with my girlfriend again, and I'll have to listen to her grumble about that baby being mine even though everyone knows it looks like Ricardo.  I am the 99%

[heironymouspasparagus]

The only people who are still honestly looking for work after two years and haven't found a job have a longer list of things they won't do rather than what they will do.  There's a job out there for anyone who wants one.  It might not be what they envision doing for the rest of their life and it might not be near the level of income they were used to before, but there's jobs out there to be had you've just got to make the list of things you will do longer than the list of things you won't.

Bull S***!!

You have obviously NEVER been in that situation.  And I personally hope you never get there!  It is NOT a good place to be!!

[Gaspar]

Awesome!  In support of OWS. Seattle Central Community College is adding a class in "The Art of The Protest Sign" to its curriculum. Now you can complete that $40,000 associates degree in Transgender-Diversity Studies with this handy elective, guaranteed to boost your career possibilities into the realm of fries and, perhaps some day, even the cash-register.

[we vs us]

But, but, but the rich are still getting richer, and the middle class are still getting a little richer, and the poor are not getting as rich as the rich or the middle class, and Battlefield 3 on Xbox is like $50 bucks, and without the microphone and earphones, it's like crap!  A good set is going to be another $50 bucks and that's like a whole day's pay, but if we work extra, then we fall behind on our battle experience points, and that bastard Ricardo will unlock the the Type-88 and I'll start screaming out F-bombs again from the basement and Mom will make me go live with my girlfriend again, and I'll have to listen to her grumble about that baby being mine even though everyone knows it looks like Ricardo.  I am the 99%

You guys crack me up, every single time!  Man!  It's as if you didn't know that there are four applicants for every job opening, that with underemployment, the current rate would be more like 16%, not 9%, and that a minimum wage job doesn't keep a family of four above the poverty line even at 40 hours a week!  Hilarious stuff, you guys!  I love it when you discard facts in favor of your personal ideological GRAR!

It's also as if you didn't know that 70% of the OWS folks are actually employed, either full or part time [warning: pdf]! 

[Gaspar]

It's also as if you didn't know that 70% of the OWS folks are actually employed, either full or part time [warning: pdf]! 

Must have freekin awesome benefits packages to get all of that time off to camp and poop in trash-cans.

[Conan71]

Bull S***!!

You have obviously NEVER been in that situation.  And I personally hope you never get there!  It is NOT a good place to be!!

Really? Prove me wrong on this instead of screaming "bullshit!".  In fact I call bullshit on your bullshit!

I'm far more qualified to work as a sales engineer on engineered commercial and industrial heat transfer systems.  However, if my company goes tits up tomorrow and there were no other imminent opportunities for me in this industry locally I can do the following instead of sitting on my donkey for two years waiting for someone to bring me a job offer on a silver platter:

1) I can take a look at my skill set and figure out what related industries could make use of those skills.

2) I have a list of about 700 to 800 customers and design engineers I've worked with, I can network through them to try and find something close to what I do now and close to what I'm used to earning.

3) I can put my house up for rent or sell it and broaden my search nation-wide for a similar position with a similar company.  I'm pretty well-respected within my industry and have many contacts.

4) If all else fails, restaurants are always looking for waiters, bartenders, line cooks, or dishwashers.  I'm quite mechanically inclined, so I'd have no problem filling out apps at big box and local hardware stores, big box retail, parts stores and I'd be sure to let them know I'm quite happy to start out swabbing floors and toilets if that's what it takes to get on board.  I'll trim trees, mow lawns, there's simply nothing I won't do that I'm physically capable of.  Okay, well I might not want to retrieve bodies for funeral homes.  The point being, the list of things I will do is far longer than the list of things I won't do.

5) Temp agencies.

Finally, I don't have tattoos all up my neck or ear gauges.  I hear frustration expressed from time-to-time from young people who are all marked up that no one will take them serious.  "Well no smile!  You look like a bucking clown!".  You really limit your list of potential employers when you look like you took a face plant in a tackle box.  I'll hire people like that for our fab shop or field welding crew, but I'd never hire someone like that as a sales person for my business as that's not an image customers will take to in my line of work.

[Conan71]

You guys crack me up, every single time!  Man!  It's as if you didn't know that there are four applicants for every job opening, that with underemployment, the current rate would be more like 16%, not 9%, and that a minimum wage job doesn't keep a family of four above the poverty line even at 40 hours a week!  Hilarious stuff, you guys!  I love it when you discard facts in favor of your personal ideological GRAR!

It's also as if you didn't know that 70% of the OWS folks are actually employed, either full or part time [warning: pdf]!  

Why do you keep making excuses for others?  Minimum wage is better than zero wage.  We've covered this before: minimum wage is an entry-level wage.  Take the minimum wage job, get experience and move on.  Or at least show that you are employable and not afraid of being underpaid for hard work.  There are a lot of people who have succeeded working 60 hours a week at two or three jobs at minimum wage while also going to school.  It's possible, it's simply a matter of how hard someone is willing to work to change their circumstances.

Edited to add:  I did a cursory scan of the first link you posted and nowhere in that report did it say there are four applicants for every job opening.  Where did you get that idea?  If that is correct though it means you've got a 1 in 4 chance of getting any job you apply for which isn't the worst thing that could happen.  Apply for four different jobs in a day and you might well wind up with one of them!  That glass is always half full in the Conan household.

[Red Arrow]

2) I have a list of about 700 to 800 customers and design engineers I've worked with, I can network through them to try and find something close to what I do now and close to what I'm used to earning.

3) I can put my house up for rent or sell it and broaden my search nation-wide for a similar position with a similar company.  I'm pretty well-respected within my industry and have many contacts.

4) If all else fails, restaurants are always looking for waiters, bartenders, line cooks, or dishwashers.  I'm quite mechanically inclined, so I'd have no problem filling out apps at big box and local hardware stores, big box retail, parts stores and I'd be sure to let them know I'm quite happy to start out swabbing floors and toilets if that's what it takes to get on board.  I'll trim trees, mow lawns, there's simply nothing I won't do that I'm physically capable of.

So you admit to having an unfair advantage?  What about all those without any of your unfair advantages?
 

[Conan71]

So you admit to having an unfair advantage?  What about all those without any of your unfair advantages?
 

Busted.  And of course all those advantages are ill-gotten, I might add.

[Gaspar]

I can do you better Conan.

When the economy tanked in 2009, I was laid off from my job as an architectural rendering specialist.  My first day home without work, I sent out around 100 resumes, set up a website for myself and called several of my clients.  I was able to line up 3 projects for local developers, but that was not enough money to keep me farting through silk (as I are accustomed).  In the evenings I delivered Jupiter jumps, cotton candy machines, and pop-corn machines for kid's birthday parties.  Every weekend I did landscape projects.  I spent every free minute clawing my way to the next deal, the next project, the next interview, the next opportunity to network with previous clients, vendors, and suppliers.

After 3 weeks of 12 hour days, I got a job doing technical recruiting for a staffing firm for about half of what I used to make.  After 3 months there I contacted a company that I had been a previous client of for 15 years offered to hire me on the spot.  The next day I started my new job at the same income level that I was laid off at.  Over two years, in the worst economy since the great depression, I have doubled that income through bonuses and commissions.  I will continue to increase my income.  If I ever come to a point where I can no longer earn more, I will buy the company, or move on to another.

The absolute worst thing a person can ever do is believe that their success is dependent on others.  Whether that be government, parents, educators, friends or co-workers.  The second worst thing that anyone can do is sit behind a computer screen and simply earn a living as you watch others enjoy all of the success that you dream of.  In 20 years you will look at yourself and say "What have I done?"