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Friday, October 14, 2011

What the 99% of us need

To every smug "pundit" who wants to know what Occupy Wall Street wants, here is a working list:

1. Raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.00 per hour. At 40 hours-per-week straight pay this would be $20,800 annually. Not a lot to be sure, but a reasonable minimum If anyone claims some businesses can't afford this, ask them why they can't produce a business model that doesn't rely on slave wages.

2. Reinforce the 40-hour work week and overtime. Nobody should be considered on "salary" until they make at least 100K per year. If the business doesn't want to pay overtime to people working more than 40 hours, they should allow you to stop working after 40 hours and hire more employees.

3. Reinstate the 90% tax rate. Every dollar paid over $2 million per year should be taxed at this rate.

4. Make the first 30K each year free from income tax.

5. Provide government-paid, national health care for all U.S. citizens. Even the worst criminal deserves an attorney, so why doesn't a law-abiding citizen deserve a doctor?

6. Make public colleges and universities tuition-free to qualified students. Think how great it would be to graduate from college without crippling student loans.

7. Prosecute the Cheney-Bush Oil Junta for war crimes and violations of 4th Amendment rights.

8. Set up a South-African style truth and reconciliation commission for Bush voters to come clean. And consider a Constitutional Amendment stating that no descendant of Prescott Bush can ever be president again.

9. Re-institute the fairness doctrine and educational-programming requirements for broadcasters.

10. Require TV and radio stations to provide free air-time to all major political candidates, and make private campaign contributions illegal.

11. Fully-fund Public radio and TV news so that they will be free from corporate funding and pledge drives.

12. Do not allow banks to charge usury over 15% on credit cards, and require interest rates on savings to be a minimum of 3%.

13. Repeal the 2006-bankruptcy revisions; further, allow student loans to be declared as well.

14. Strictly enforce zoning laws on all empty, foreclosed homes; and cap home interest rates at 8%.

15. Institute stock transaction taxes, inheritance taxes, and tariffs as needed.