by Summer Reese,
Chair, Pacifica National Board*
Whereas, the concentration of wealth in the hands if the few, at the expense of the many, is more excessive than at any other point in human history, and
Whereas, the greed and excess of the banking, investment and financial services industry has been left unchecked by proper government regulation, and combined with failed public policy, has led to massive unemployment, rampant foreclosures and homelessness, hunger, starvation in many parts of the world, skyrocketing rates of poverty, dramatically escalating higher education tuition fees, attacks on pensions, medical care, public education and all forms of safety net and social service programs; and,
Whereas, corporations continue to be granted ever greater rights, including the right to unduly influence elected officials through unchecked campaign contributions, while the people are ignored by their governments and left no avenue to correct these gross inequalities,
Be it Resolved that the Pacifica National Board officially supports the Occupy Wall Street movement, in New York, in cities across this country, and around the world.
Further, we encourage local government bodies, elected officials, police agencies and business and community board organizations to support the occupiers in the exercise of their Constitutional rights. These shall include their right to
- peaceably assemble to petition for a redress of grievances;
- engage in free speech and freedom of the press;
- protest, march, demonstrate, gather, camp and occupy public space for as long as necessary to bring attention to the issue of the aggregation of wealth in the hands of 1% of the population to the detriment of the other 99% of the population; and,
- make such arrangements as necessary to support the occupation, including sleeping, food service and sanitation facilities.
- effectuate change of this unacceptable and egregious imbalance of wealth through non-violent occupation of land, including public space and private space open to the public; and,
Further, we support the occupyers in having their voices heard in all major and alternative media outlets, so that the media may once again perform its function as the Fourth Estate, holding the government accountable to the people, as well as holding business accountable, as it now controls much of government.
We further encourage other boards of directors throughout the country and the world to support this important global people’s movement for economic, political, ecological and social justice.
Therefore, be it resolved that every effort will be made by the Pacifica Foundation to support the Occupy Wall Street movement in every city throughout the country, including expanded coverage, opportunities for the occupiers to be heard, and encouragement of affiliate participation, as well as public endorsement of the movement.
Sincerely,
Summer Reese
Chair of the Board
The Pacifica Foundation
*The text here is being submitted by Summer Reese to the Pacifica National Board for consideration. It has not been approved by the Board thus far, save for the PNB’s general support for Occupy Wall Street.
We have been mislead by Reagan, Bush Sr, Clinton, Bush Jr, Obama, and nearly every other public figure. Economic growth, job creation, and actual prosperity are not necessarily a package deal. In fact, the first two are horribly misunderstood. Economic growth/loss (GDP) is little more than a measure of wealth changing hands. A transfer of currency from one party to another. The rate at which it is traded. This was up until mid ’07’ however, has never been a measure of actual prosperity. Neither has job creation. The phrase itself has been thrown around so often, and in such a generic political manner, that it has come to mean nothing. Of course, we need to have certain things done for the benefit of society as a whole. We need farmers, builders, manufacturers, transporters, teachers, cops, firefighters, soldiers, mechanics, sanitation workers, doctors, managers, and visionaries. Their work is vital. I’ll even go out on a limb and say that we need politicians, attorneys, bankers, investors, and entertainers. In order to keep them productive, we must provide reasonable incentives. We need to compensate each by a fair measure for their actual contributions to society. We need to provide a reasonable scale of income opportunity for every independent adult, every provider, and share responsibility for those who have a legitimate need for aid. In order to achieve and sustain this, we must also address the cost of living and the distribution of wealth. Here, we have failed miserably. The majority have already lost their home equity, their financial security, and their relative buying power. The middle class have actually lost much of their ability to make ends meet, re-pay loans, pay taxes, and support their own economy. The lower class have gone nearly bankrupt. In all, its a multi-trillion dollar loss taken over about 30 years. Millions are under the impression that we need to create more jobs simply to provide more opportunity. as if that would solve the problem. It won’t. Not by a longshot. Jobs don’t necessarily create wealth. In fact, they almost never do. For the mostpart, they only transfer wealth from one party to another. A gain here. A loss there. Appreciation in one community. Depreciation in another. In order to create net wealth, you must harvest a new resource or make more efficient use of one. Either way you must have a reliable and ethical system in place to distribute that newly created wealth in order to benefit society as a whole and prevent a lagging downside. The ‘free market’ just doesn’t cut it. Its a farce. Many of the jobs created are nothing but filler. The promises empty. Sure, unemployment reached an all-time low under Bush. GDP reached an all-time high. But those are both shallow and misleading indicators. In order to gauge actual prosperity, you must consider the economy in human terms. As of ’08’ the average American was working more hours than the previous generation with far less equity to show for it. Consumer debt, forclosure, and bankruptcy were also at all-time highs. As of ’08’, every major American city was riddled with depressed communities, neglected neighborhoods, failing infrastructures, lost revenue, and gang activity. All of this has coincided with massive economic growth and job production. Meanwhile, the rich have been getting richer and richer and richer even after taxes. Our nation’s wealth has been concentrated. Again, this represents a multi-trillion dollar loss taken by the majority. Its an absolute deal breaker. Bottom line: With or without economic growth or job production, you must have a system in place to prevent too much wealth from being concentrated at the top. Unfortunately, we don’t. Our economy has become nothing but a giant game of Monopoly. The richest one percent already own nearly 1/2 of all United States wealth. More than double their share before Reagan took office. Still, they want more. They absolutely will not stop. Now, our society as a whole is in serious jeapordy. Greed kills.