masoudA

HFB

You said it better than I did. This is the biggest robbery in the world history. It has absolutely nothing to do with Islam.

[sarcasm] There is one funny thing: Islam opposes "interest". Well recently banks interest rates on savings are reaching Islamic levels i.e. 0! If there is an Islamic "conspiracy" it is by the bankers. Other than it only applies to depositors. When it comes to lending they are still very non-Islamic :-)

Righs vs Rights

We have the right to express our anger and disgust at WS. No question about it in my view. However I do not approve of vandalism or that kind of thing. Occupation of WS is fine as long as people keep peaceful.

Now to the facts of the matter, In a Capitalist system banks would have been left to fail. No bail outs. But we do not live in a Capitalist system. Bailouts are Socialist by nature. When you ask people to fork out money for you then they get their say. WS is no longer a "private" entity. It stopped being private when they took the first peny of tax payer money. Nor are the banks who took money. The worst thing is to have government guarantees but no regulation.

Would you guarantee your neighbors spending without a say in what they do? Only a fool will do that. In addition there was a huge government push to get people to invest in WS. By giving tax breaks and "work place plans" they basically pushed us into WS. Now our retirement money is in their hands. I remember all the "seminars and teach ins" at work about how I will get 8;10 or 12 % return on my 401-K. In return we agreed to no pension plans. I was taken.

Since 1998 the stock market has been flat. I am ***. Once more: if you want private ownership then do not get government involved. Do not push your products on us with tax breaks and "work place plans". Personally I much rather go to the days I was able to get 8 % from a CD or a US bond. ***  the stock market. Now I get 0.1 % so I have no choice but to invest in this garbage. I have no option of a pension plan. 

In short: if WS wants to be private fine. Don't ask for bailouts. Don't ask for public money. Don't push your product as "retirement" on us. Take your chances and be done with it. Free market means if you loose you take your losses; not me! 

VPK

Occupation Wall Street

Calling American Progressives "Islamists" is not a line of argument I would recommend.

OCCUPY WALL ST. -  has educated most of us regarding some brushed-under-the carpet realities that nearly crashed the US Economy in 2008. Distinct realities far too similar to what nearly broke this country in 1929.

1. 400 vs. 150 million: Since 1979, the income gap has become so huge in America that now, the top 400 families in the country have as much wealth as the bottom half of the country - ie. 150 million people.

2. Unprecendent Tax Cuts: Clinton's Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich,  waxes lyrical on tax cuts for the rich, continuing to crash to the same levels as they were when this country irself crashed in 1929. Also, under George Bush, the US, for the first time in its history, continued with its tax cuts for the wealthy at a time of War.

3. Glass-Steagall repealed: This law was put in place after the crash of 1929 when the US went into a depression. It separates Investment Banks from Commercial main street Banks. It was repealed in 1998/99. (a Republcian proposal, that Clinton did sign into law.) This means, that Investment Banks have been able to speculate and get rich off of YOUR money, without a dime of their wins coming your way. While, when their gambles fail, they still take YOUR money to bail them out. Re-instating Glass-Steagall is a major slogan of OWS.

4. Minimum wage: The US now has the lowest minimum wage in the developed world.

5. 300% vs. 25%: The past 30 years has seen the top 1% income go up by close to 300%, while the average increase for the 99% has been 25%. 

To call this an Islamic conspiracy, is very demeaning to American Progressives - and the 50% of those living in the United States that regularly poll as being supportive of Occupation Wall St.

Sir, and with due respect:  50% of Americans cannot be "anti-American." 

sorry masoud but you just

sorry masoud but you just don't get it.  the statements you make are incoherent (and grammatically incorrect) and does not speak to the right of people to protest nor the root of their anger.  statements such as "...occupy wall street is an anti-american movement" "...love and respect america, it's [sic] constitution and everything it stands for..." are just ridiculous.

btw, greed is actually good. gov't incompetence = bad.

last comment on this blog.  good luck and i mean it.

With apologies due,

Since I'm based in Canada, Toronto, I'm not qualified to post any comments on your blog. But, with apologies due, just couldn't resist mentioning this incredibly wonderful, best selling book (it has sold more than 2,000,000 copies) on the history of that great country, United States of America:

by Howard Zinn

//www.historyisaweapon.com/zinnapeopleshistor...

In retrospect, the history of the US is all  about protests!

Good Comments -

2 points -

HG & Mr. Bahmani - I am in no way defending Wall Street - in fact, I go a step further and call it a bookie joint.   But Wall street is not the point of my thread - my thread is about Occupy Wall Street - it is about American Enemies trying to use Wall Street as an exuse to hurt America.   Something that most of you living outside America don't even mind!!  and I do not expect you to.   Love and respect for America, it's constitution and everything it stands for, is up to true Iranian/Americans.   Again - there is a ton wrong with America - but we chose it over every other country in the world - and we were right!!   As bad as it may be - America is still the best formula mankind has to establish freedom and democracy in the globe. 

Also - Wall street is a private American entity - whatever it does or it's high rank members do in Europe or elsewhere may not be considered a USA venture.    It is an entity based and established on Greed no better than it's kind in Europe or Asia......but in the name of Wall Street, there are now people who express problems with wealth distribution - and other "Fairness Doctorines" which would require a new Castro to come in and observe fairness implemented in America - thanx but no Thanx. 

masoud, i still didn't see

masoud, i still didn't see an iota of explanation about your anger about the occupy wall street.  re-read your blog and your response.  my guess is that you probably heard someone rant about these people on fox news but forgot the arguments.  can you tell me why the taxpayers should bail out rich banks for their misadventures to the tune of 13% of the GDP?  can you tell me the total amount of money that the u.s. gov't has paid in its history in bailouts?  can you tell me whether the administration was republican or democrat during each one of the bailouts?  do you think transfering money from taxpayers to these corporations is considered income transfer?  can someone call it class warfare?  actually, don't worry about answering these questions; they were rhetorical.  but i hope you think about them.

Republicans' buzz word for Rich = Job Creators!

Nice comment by Bahmani, to the point and valid.  There are a lot of articles about this occupy thing and more and more are coming out and more and more pundits are expressing views where before they kept silent.  Like when it was out of fashion and considered an insult if you called someone "liberal".

The one article I liked the most is the one below:

 The word Obama won't dare say

Instead of "educated," they say "elitist."

Instead of "the rich," they prefer "job creators."

The wealth is definately being distributed as Tea party is trying so hard to have us believe and fear!  But it is being distributed from poor to rich, not the other way around!  Occupy wall street is sign of times and we should all be involved in it! 

Let's go we can eve use our own homemade slogans!  Allah-o Akbar!  Khomeini rahbar!   

Everything is sacred

People exercising their rights is bad?

Face it. The world is unfair. The rich bankers who in these times of financial crisis have taken stolen, and rewarded themselves repeatedly and entirely failed to uphold their end of the bargain.

The primary European issue today is Greece. Did you know that Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley helped the Greek government illegally conceal their true debt in order to make Greece meet the EU entry requirements?

In case you don't get this important face. GS and MS helped get Greece in to the EU, who as a result of this are now effectively bankrupting the entire EU and over it!!! And Wall Street drops 200 points every day from that!!!!

This has been caused by GS and MS doing illegal deeds, and the money managers who helped Greece pull of this scam, are where? Are the in jail? are they wanted? No, they got their commissions, and are likely helping Germany restructure Greece's (new found) debt and taking a fat commission on that "arbitrage service" too!!

As we are told by the Republicans, supposedly, ALL jobs are "created" by the wealthy. Where are the jobs? I mean the price of labor is the lowest in 20 years.

We are told the wealthy pay more than their fair share of taxes. Why are there tax revenue shortfalls?

Even the Republican presidential candidates who uphold the rights of the rich, can't get donations for their campaigns out of them!

Even the Iranian millionaires at PARSA stopped giving and folded their tent and took off. Actually Iranian millionaires giving is an oxymoron.

Look I'm not an advocate of distributing wealth. I am a true market forces law of the jungle survival of the fittest guy.

The fact of the marketplace and law of the jungle and survival of the fittest, is that sometimes the rich become SO rich, that when it becomes clear or rumor they CHEATED to get that rich, the poor or masses kind of resent it. This is what I believe is happening with all of the Occupy protests around the world. Instead of laying low, the rich have continually flaunted their wealth in the faces of the poor as they are getting laid off.

Sometimes the Poor get so mad that they want to "Eat the Rich!"

We still have a ways to go. However, it is perfectly natural and just for those that flaunt and have cheated to gain great wealth (the primary targets no one has asked for Warren Buffet's fat head yet), to lose a little sleep at night wondering if that sound of the crowd is getting closer to their estate or not.

Call it part of the "cost of doing business".

To read more bahmani posts visit: //brucebahmani.blogspot.com/

As I Said:

"There is a lot of greed in USA and a ton wrong with Wall Street - but the people behind the Occupy Wall Stree movement have a destructive agenda - we know too well !!  don't we?"

I am pinoneering this one if you don't mind... I just raise the flag - and plant the seed - to make sure you will know the evil when it shows it's face.   I hope most of you get it before it's too late - as it was with Iran.   Do you think Iranians did not have any legitimate concerns in 1977??!!!  The problem was that movement was planned and instigated - and was never about making Iran a better place in fact the opposite!!  Same is this one.   Funny is the fact that it is planned by the same people!!!  

BTW - I love to know which one of you lives here in USA and share the same love I have for this country - those of you who live in Europe, please spare this thread unless you want to tell me how is Charles?!!  I hear he is big on saving forrests these days - plrease do share info on what exactly and how he is doing that?  I hope his plan is not the usual reduction of GDP in everywhere else except northern Europe!!!   

Take Citizens United

for example: it must be repealed in the interest of "true" democracy. I was floored when the right-leaning Supreme Court passed it. Not sure what, or if,  the justices were thinking, but those who were the founding fathers of this country are still rolling in their graves.

We all saw the demise of communism because while it was a noble concept, it did not work in practice. Capitalism seems to be looking at the same destiny, albeit via different route, i.e., Greed of a few with the backing of "The Institution" behind them! 

CoP

____________

IRAN FIRST

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masoud, your fallacious

masoud, your fallacious argument in your short blog is astounding.  for one thing, any time western people protest against their government , it is publicized and supported in iri newspapers.  does that mean the media which is controlled by iri dictates what you think is wrong or right? (other commenters have alluded to this point)  secondly, although i don't agree with the strategy of occupy wall street, i understand their well-placed (and well-intended) anger.  you just need to look at history of bailouts in the u.s., some understanding of keynsian economics (not the wiki version), and the rise and fall (?) of neoclassical economics.  the majority of government bailouts (taxpayers money including protesters) have occurred from the deregulation of financial institutions starting from the reagan administration in the 1980s. those who operate or who benefit from financial institutions (through investments) not only have not been punished for their shenanigans but have been rewarded.  that is attributed directly to financial deregulation.

i can go on and on about the ripple effect of narrow-minded economic policies in the past three decades and its effect in terms of unemployement and underemployed people and markets, unequal distribution of wealth (approaching iran's distribution), and a host of other issues but my comment is longer than your blog already.  you need to put a bit more effort in articulating your argument before you get a free lesson on economics.

استاد

استاد
دوباره گل کاشتی

But seriously.......

..........Never mind what IRI says or does in this matter..........On the other hand, though,  the only reason that our Jewish friends don't display too much enthusiasm for this movement is because indeed they have already occupied Wall Street......

"نظام سرمایداری را مردم اروپا و آمریکا به آتش میکشند"!!

زکی!

این شریعتمداری  سرمایه دار اسلامی  فاشیست دروغگو پر رو یا خیلی‌ خودش خره  یا فکر می‌کنه اکثر مردم ایران خریت تشریف دارند.

این دزدان اسلامیست که فاسد ترین، آدمکش‌ترین و فاشیست‌ترین نوع رژیم سرمایه داری رو تو ایران راه انداخته اند، که باعث فقر، بی‌ کاری و گرسنگی  اکثر توده‌های  زحمتکش، کارگر، برزگر، و طبقه میانه  ایران شده‌اند، این ادمکشان تروریست که دستشون تا بازو به خون پاک کارگران، زنان، روشنفکران، دانشجویان، اقلیت‌های ملی‌ و مذهبی‌ ایران  آلوده است، حالا آومدن با پر رویی تمام به سرمایه داری لیبرالی غرب فحش خار مادر میدن، و اشک تمساح برای معترضین غربی میریزند!!!

رو که نیست...

Occupy what?!

Europe, Canada... and how exactly do Islamists fit into this "conspiracy?" Hence, because Khamenei said some B.S. about the nature of the protests, an entire movement is fostered by Ialamists?!

Thanks for the unsolicited advice, but no thanks!

     These people are protesting the ever widening gap between rich and poor in this country! They say the Wall Street has to pay for ruining the economy and livelihood of the country. They say corporate money has to be removed from politics! Now that needs support of anyone who is for justice, democracy and fairness!

     The fact that bunch of boneheads in Tehran are trying to jump on bandwagon doesn't discredit this grass-root movement in US!