jacee

Really good point, WWWTT. In fact an ancester of mine chained herself to the Manitoba legislature and helped gain the vote for women. These are things kids learn in public schools, about the struggles of ordinary Canadians for equal opportunity. I wonder whether they teach the value of struggle and protest in private schools for the wealthy, or teach from an entirely different perspective of the struggle of 'aristocrats' to keep control of the reins of power? Don't know, but it's food for thought. Certainly the wealthy and powerful still seem to have the attitude that the working people are entitled only to whatever scraps they are inclined to throw them, whenever the mood strikes them.

CONFERENCE BOARD OF CANADA HOT TOPIC: World Income Inequality Is the world becoming more unequal? Key Messages Of total world income, 42 per cent goes to those who make up the richest 10 per cent of the world’s population, while just 1 per cent goes to those who make up the poorest 10 per cent. Income inequality among countries in the world rose sharply between the 1980s and the mid-1990s, before levelling off and then falling after 2000. Countries with very high inequality are clustered in South America and southern Africa. Countries with low inequality are mostly in Europe. Canada and the U.S. have medium income inequality. The increase in income inequality has been more rapid in Canada than in the U.S. since the mid-1990s The post-2000 decline in income inequality was due to much stronger economic growth in the same three groups: Latin America, Eastern Europe and former Soviet countries, and African countries Even with the post-2000 fall in income inequality, however, the Gini index in 2010 remained higher than it was in the 1970s and most of the 1980s. The explanations for why income inequality is higher today than in the early 1980s tend to fall into two broad categories: market forces and institutional forces. Market forces, particularly skill-biased technical change (SBTC) and increased globalization, are creating a rising demand for highly skilled labour. Edward Lazear, chairman of the U.S. President’s Council of Economic Advisors, explained this in a 2006 speech: “In our technologically advanced society, skill has higher value than it 1 does in a less technologically advanced society.” 11 As developed countries import does in a less technologically advanced society.” more low-skilled-intensive goods and export more skills-intensive goods, jobs in low- skilled industries are lost in those developed countries However, not all researchers agree that market forces are at the root of all or even most of the rising inequality. For instance, in a paper published in the Economics, David Card and John DiNardo argue that “contrary to the impression conveyed by most of the recent literature, the SBTC hypothesis falls short as a 12 unicausal explanation.” 12 An alternative explanation, put forward by economist Paul unicausal explanation.” An alternative explanation, put forward by economist Paul Krugman and others, is that the increase in inequality can be attributed to institutional forces, like declines in unionization rates, stagnating minimum wage rates, deregulation, and national policies that favour the wealthy Branko Milanovic argues that even if market forces are partly to blame for rising income inequality, the idea that governments should not intervene in the market should be rejected. The question of global income inequality cannot, he states, “be taken out of the social arena by evoking ‘the market.’ The market economy is a social construct, created, or rather discovered, to serve people, and thus raising questions 13 about the way it functions is fully legitimate in every democratic society.” 13 about the way it functions is fully legitimate in every democratic society.” The influences of power/wealth will always try to increase flow of wealth to the wealthy and away from middle/lower income people. Without strong public input, protest, strike etc., there will always be increasing inequality and resulting poverty, dissatisfaction with government and wealth, and civil strife. The influence of ordinary workers/employees on employers/investors/government must be powerful and persistent to balance the constant power and 'pull' of wealth to the wealthy. As I see it, these protests are a sign of a democracy healthy enough to tolerate the opposing force of ordinary people expressing their outrage at the current and increasing destruction of the middle class due to the increasing flight of wealth to the wealthiEST.

Depends on who you talk to. Republicans would agree with you, but some original Tea Partiers say that the movement was co-opted by Republicans and perverted to fit the establishment mold.I'm not surprised to see Liberal (Bob Rae) and NDP reps attempting to co-opt the OCCUPY movement in Canada for photo ops and media exposure, but I hope the movement can maintain its independence in spite of such political tactics.

And you know that how? Warren Buffett was the first protester.

If that's what you want to do, go for it. By a 67 – 23 percent margin, New York City voters agree with the views of the Wal Street protesters and say 87 – 10 percent that it is “okay that they are protesting,” according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today http://htpolitics.com/2011/10/17/poll-two-thirds-of-new-yorkers-support-occupy-wall-street-protests/

Some of them don't pay enough.Corporations don't pay enough. The real problem is the growing income gap, the fact that wealth is streaming into fewer hands faster and faster. Where does that trend end? It doesn't ... unless we end it.

Don't you mean 'turncoat', 'traitor' perhaps? We can use more rich people who tell the truth.

There's a thread in progress Here http://www.mapleleafweb.com/forums//index.php?showtopic=19336&st=900 and one here http://www.mapleleafweb.com/forums//index.php?showtopic=19618&pid=720168&st=45entry720168

Corporations in Canada pay the same rate of taxes as people on welfare. Deduct corporate subsidies and they are paying nothing in taxes, or less. From voting for reps who put people before greed and power? See capricorn's signature. Dream on ...

Corporations in Canada pay the same rate of taxes as people on welfare. Deduct corporate subsidies and they are paying nothing in taxes, or less.Who's stopping you? Not to sound sarcastic or crass, but based on the rather small showing of the occupy movement, has it occurred to you that perhaps you’re in a very small minority of the “99%”, and the real majority is either content or indifferent? Dream on ...

Dream on.Those are just the ones who chose to go to Bay Street this morning instead of to the rally at Ryerson Several hundred went to Bay Street this evening and tied up traffic just a bit. A couple hundred are camped out, joined by more during the day.

ofercrissakes cappy.Save it for the next election. Party lines aren't for everyone. Politicians who train for the current system aren't the kind we need.(see your signature ) Activism outside the system is absolutely necessary. Did any politicians save the homeowner from eviction? No. Activists did. Stuff your party politics party line crapola. Listen to the young people and learn. It's about time we stopped waiting for politicians to make 'change from within'. They can't. Greed and power have them locked up tight. The youth are showing us how to go out and make changes ourselves.

There's good cops and bad cops, but I don't call cops pigs.We pay their salaries. They work for us. Protecting our rights is their first responsibility. They need a reminder sometimes. The individuals who assaulted people should be fired. They're bad cops. Good cops don't like bad cops either. I want the name(s) of the one(s) who gave the orders, all the way up the line ... and we all know where that line of authority ends ... PMO/PCO Public Inquiry ... when the court cases are over, and the class action suits will be VERY interesting. Taxpayers will be on the hook for those, and we'll want to know EXACTLY who's responsible for that public debt. Who set the context and gave the orders and did the dirty deeds of the largest violation of civil rights in Canadian history ... and I have a special interest in knowing whose idea it was for cops to remove their badge numbers. I reserve 'pigs' for the corporate greed and wealth pigs, the tax evading criminal scumsuckingpigs that I abhor ... like ones who would say that young people should eat rat sht and think it's funny, because they're pi$$ed that 'uppity' young people are protesting corporate greed and wealth scumsuckingpigs. The Toronto police do seem to be on their best behaviour so far. We'll see ...

Cops have bikes.

Yes you're right Derek. Different context in Arab countries. Same underlying issues though. Greed for money driving dictators to imprison and murder dissenters. And it's also true that North American corporations profit from the murder of dissenters, mostly young adults. As someone pointed out a while back, the life we enjoy is subsidized by the bullets killing Arab youth. Greed for resources (money) pays the war industries to help dictators kill people who oppose them, mostly youth. Young people are organizing everywhere in support and to honour their counterparts, the youth of the Arab world who are fighting back against oppressive regimes and the corporations that support them. Apples and oranges ... but the struggle for the Middle East has to continue here. It's really all about greed and power that violate human rights for profit, here there and everywhere. To vote for representatives who put people ahead of profit and power. We'd like that opportunity too.

Cops take care of that. Your tax dollars at work, protecting free speech and commuter traffic.

When was this rosy past where the 'makers' operated independently without taking from the people/our governments?

I want us (collectively, including our gov representatives) to have control over our affairs so our reps are accountable to us, not to the wealthy and powerful.Voting is fine, but it's not a solution to the sway of the wealthy and powerful. It's never changed that yet, has it? Our responsibility to make politicians honest and accountable and responsive to the needs of all Canadians doesn't begin and end with elections. Maybe the youth want to improve the corrupted system so it becomes something they are willing to participate in by voting.

Heard on tv "Tim Hudak ... who reminded women of their first husband."

If the police try to provoke ... Can't load video. Oooooooo ..... the scary commies!

Either or both.I think right now they are wondering ... and we want to continue and intensify their uncertainty.

Congralulations Derek! You finally found a nutbar to hold up as an example of "protester". Um ... he's a nutbar? What nutbar is saying is his opinion. It is not the consensus of the protesters, not discussed or agreed upon by the General Assembly. Violence is specifically NOT a tactic of the protesters. When marching, the protesters themselves surround and isolate such nutbars, who might provoke conflict. (These are experienced organizers.) OR ... he might just be a police provocateur trying to stir violence so they can shut the protest down. That's their usual strategy.

Hadn't you heard? They were in college/university. Now they are looking for jobs. Are you sure you're not the "loser", BC. You don't seem to know what you're talking about. Hunh? You are really losing it bud.

If banks can legally advise customers to take out low cost mortgages (they can't afford), make loans they know are bad, bundle and sell them to unsuspecting customers as investments knowing they are bad but not disclosing that, then create a hedge fund betting that the investments they just sold will go bad, then make a bundle for themselves and their 'preferred' investors ... then get accolades for "the best trade of the year" ... Who is the problem? It's not Joe ... who is not "average" but low income ... who followed his banker's financial advice . Since bankers appear to have no professional standards and wouldn't know an ethic if they found one by accident, and in fact celebrate such usury as 'good business practice' while intentionally sacrificing innocent people to make a bundle for themselves ... obviously governments need to make tighter laws and regulations to define 'crime'. It was crime packaged as 'good business', and the laws need to reflect that. Banks are crooks. Investment banks are bigger crook. Join a credit union.

very much opposed to the bailouts, yes.It seems corporations that run themselves into the ground with dinosaur products no one wants are opposed to government assistance for the poor because they want it for themselves. How the hell can an economy work that way? I'm well aware of Canada's economic reliance on extraction industries. However, that's reliance on dinosaur industries too, very unhealthy economy and no more sustainable than the dinosaur cars they were making. The 'old' economy won't pull us through this time because environmental destruction is too pervasive to ignore and too costly to repair. It's like building an addition on your house by ripping out and using the existing studs on the addition: A self-limiting strategy. However, I sincerely doubt your premise that corporate taxes pays for health care and education, since corporate subsidies and tax breaks reduce taxes paid to welfare rates. Individual taxes (from employment, it's true) pay for services.