A defense of the 99%
teenskepchick.org
teenskepchick.org
All of these things were around before wall street and they will be around after wall street. I'm not sure how protesting is going to give these people any more money, unless it means taking it from the people that are working.
"This is a SYSTEMATIC FAILURE for those people who are struggling to make ends meet and to help this country grow and flourish"
Minimum wage already exists and you can get by on it (although it's not easy, I've done it myself).
"The government has given tax breaks to the highest 1% and has given nothing to the rest of us"
50% of the population doesn't pay federal income taxes. How is this not a tax break?
"And everyone in this country has realized that health care is not functioning the way it should, which means that many of these people who have done everything they were “supposed” to are struggling because their health got in the way of their jobs or sapped their money."
This happens, but not to as many people as you would like us to believe. The last stats I saw showed > 70% had some form of health care.
"I don’t know if I would go so far as to say we’re the 1% seeing as there are MANY countries that take care of the majority of their citizens better than America does (see: all countries that do not have a paranoid terror of anything remotely socialist, e.g. Norway, Sweden, etc.)"
You do realize that it's almost impossible to start a business in those countries due to regulations and taxes, Right? You also pay 60-70% in taxes (income+VAT+other).
There is a reason people don't like socialism: It gives the government control over you. Instead of being able to choose where your money goes, it's taken right off the top and spent by the government in any way they see fit. It's a monopoly that you are forced to pay.
The government is an important thing to have, but it needs to have limits.
"Simply because a person has a cell phone does not mean they’re wealthy. It means they chose to spend their money on one of the most useful inventions of the last century."
A cell phone costs how much? Usually $60-$70 per-month (sometimes more) depending on the plan. You don't need a cell phone. You can get a high-deductible individual health-care plan for that much. If you don't have insurance through your employer, it won't break your bank account if you get into an accident.
This article hasn't changed my mind about the protests.
"50% of the population doesn't pay federal income taxes. How is this not a tax break?"
The last time I paid no income taxes, it was because I made so very little money. My understanding is that because I make so little it is understood that it is better for me to keep that money than to shuffle it around in government assistance.
Now, with a 50%, that would imply that half the population lives on a small amount of money, and thus be an argument that something is not at all balanced.
Or, if you think the 50% makes perfectly good amounts of money thus they could afford taxes, and the people making small amounts are paying too much taxes, then again, I think you are only bolstering the arguments of those you are arguing against.
Your other comments don't seem logical to me either (people start businesses in european countries all the time, cell phones can be cheap on a prepaid plan, it is arguable that you do need a phone to live in today's society, etc). Saying 30% of people do not have health care is shocking to anyone who thinks health care fundamental for life (you take care of your car, but not your body?).
Of course I have made a lot of assumptions in what I've written, but without understanding your assumptions and what you are trying to say, I could only use this as arguments to why I should support the protestors.
I thought everyone needed to pay their fair share? Or is it only for the people working? If more people were taxed, they might not be fighting so hard to have money taken out of the pockets of other people. It's easy to support laws that give you all of the benefits.
"Now, with a 50%, that would imply that half the population lives on a small amount of money, and thus be an argument that something is not at all balanced."
no, it just means that the other 50% are paying the taxes for everyone else. I seriously doubt 50% of the population are making so little money that they can't pay federal income taxes.
"Saying 30% of people do not have health care is shocking to anyone who thinks health care fundamental for life (you take care of your car, but not your body?)"
Right, if you can afford to take care of your car, you should be using that money towards your body (IE: healthcare) instead.
There is a problem with health care in the US, but government-run care isn't the answer.
"Your other comments don't seem logical to me either (people start businesses in european countries all the time, cell phones can be cheap on a prepaid plan, it is arguable that you do need a phone to live in today's society, etc)"
You could easily get by without a cell phone. Most libraries have free Internet access.
"people start businesses in european countries all the time"
As it is, starting a business is tough. I can't imagine how the difficulty of it with the government taking out 60%+. I would also be interested to see the percentage of small businesses compared to huge businesses opening up a European branch.
"I could only use this as arguments to why I should support the protestors."
I feel like everyone supporting the protesters are making it into something it's not. You're supporting them for all of these reasons that probably have nothing to do with the actual reason people are protesting.