Why Stock Buybacks Benefit Corporate Greed
One of my last posts touched on how corporations are spending their money, what they are doing and not doing with the piles of record profits they’ve been making in the past few years while median wages have stagnated or fallen. Here’s some additional information. First, the cites: online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444657804578052472320753336.html www.thereformedbroker.com/2012/10/12/the-buyback-epidemic/ If you piece the two [...]
Occupy Prov: Bail Out Workers, Not CEOs
Note: This was written by Paul Hubbard, Chris Murphy and Jared Paul. It reflects Occupy Providence’s position on the 38 Studios debacle. The die-in represents the destruction of jobs by trickle-down strategies not the workers who lost their jobs. CHANTING “MONEY for jobs and a decent wage, not for bailouts and 38,” 75 members and [...]
VP Candidate Talks Politics, Race, Music at RIC Friday
There is room at every election for new voices – including the ideas of former communists and those of modern-day socialists. That’s my premise and I’m sticking to it. Well actually, I’m doing more than that this Friday at a panel discussion I’m facilitating at RI College called “Race, Politics and Music: A Look at [...]
Reza Rites and RI Future at SXSW in Austin, TX
Heard of South by Southwest, but can’t be in Austin yourself? Pop in daily to “Take 5 with Reza Rites” on RIFuture.org for photos and live updates about her adventures at the annual festival – or follow her on Twitter and Facebook @rezaclif. Besides blogging for RI Future, Reza will be recording interviews and footage [...]
Surprising Occupy Surprises Even Cynical Me
From the very beginning, the Occupy movement has been one surprise after another. The scale of the turnout in lower Manhattan is said to have stunned the AdBusters crew. The scale of peripheral support that came to the major protests surprised the activist core. The scale of the police response surprised the major media that [...]
Beyond Occupy
About half a decade ago, I sat in my college freshman orientation class and it was discussed that my generation was apathetic, detached, and essentially unresponsive to the issues that faced us. This is a common refrain about my generation, the Millennial Generation, and typically, newspaper articles have been written about it. That day we [...]
Imagination, Collective Struggle, and the Inclusion of Artists and Ordinary People: Angela Davis Speaks at RISD in Providence
PROVIDENCE, RI – Click on the image above to hear a short podcast with Dr. Angela Davis. It is from a brief interview I conducted with her after a keynote address she gave on Monday, June 23, 2012 at Rhode Island School of Design. More information about her talk is below; in the podcast/interview, I [...]
Ignore POTUS: It’s the McGuffin
While I, like all of you political junkies, am practically main-lining the GOP Presidential primaries, they bring to mind a basic criticism I’ve had of almost every “outsider” political movement: they foolishly focus on electing a President. But that really doesn’t matter. It’s the McGuffin. While so many on the left have expressed outrage at [...]
National “Occupy” Day in Support of Prisoners: February 20th
A proposal passed yesterday by the General Assembly of Occupy Oakland is to generate a national day of action that will call attention to prisons across America. While presidential candidates take to their stumps, one might be unaware that America is the international leader of incarceration with no competition in sight. February 20th, amidst American Black [...]
Two Ways to Destroy “Occupy” Movement
Two Ways to Destroy “Occupy Wall Street” As somebody’s momma once said, “the best thing you can do is show up.” This has been happening all over the country since a group of folks decided to head down to that bull on Wall Street and call out to stop the bullshit. This is not a report [...]
“Centrist” Economic Pap
Friend of the blog, Tom Sgouros expresses the following concern about protestors and supporters of Occupy Providence:I’ve enjoyed walking through Burnside Park on my way to and from work lately, and I find the activity and energy invigorating. One point that worries me, though, is represented in some conversations I’ve joined or overheard as I [...]
A Statement from Mayor Angel Taveras on Occupy Providence
All citizens have a right to have their voices heard, and I, like the Occupy movement, am concerned about the causes and impacts of the most serious economic downturn in decades. This movement is important because our city, our state, our nation need to do much more to address the jobs and foreclosure crises which [...]
RI ACLU Supports Occupy Providence’s Right to Peaceably Assemble
RI ACLU executive director Steven Brown yesterday on the Occupy Providence protest:The ACLU fully supports the right of ‘Occupy Providence’ to engage in forms of peaceful protest at the park and elsewhere in the city in order to express their political views and promote their cause. We believe that some of the particular rules and [...]
Whose City? Our City!
We learn this week that the ostensibly progressive Mayor Taveras is seeking legal action to forcibly evict Occupy Providence protestors from Burnside Park “in next few days.” One has to wonder which constituency he’s serving in taking action (hmm, are their initials BOA?). For their part, the protestors have expressed their intent to continue to [...]
Nader/Paul 20012?
took the liberty of picking the lead on the ticket. Either way, among the most interesting dynamics in the Occupy Movement is the left-libertarian convergence[my emphasis]:
“We did not spend our way here — We were robbed.”
Friend of the blog, Tom Sgouros, has an excellent piece out on GoLocalProv, “Occupy Movement is on Right Track.” I attended the rally and march and think Tom best captured the spirit of the event and provided probably the most accurate count of the number in attendance.
Occupy Providence begins @ 5pm on Oct 15: Burnside Park
Date: Saturday, October 15th Event: Gathering/Rally & March Against Corporate Greed/Assembly/Occupation Time: 5pm to (indefinitely) On Saturday, October 15th, at 5pm, Rhode Islanders will gather together in Burnside Park (Downtown Providence) to express a feeling of mass injustice and stand in solidarity with those occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square. This will be done as [...]
Occupy: The Action is the Demand
THIS IS AN INDEPENDENT ESSAY! SEE DISCLAIMER BELOW! On Sunday across the US in various publications opinion-setting writers lamented (1) /attacked (2) the lack of a coherent set of demands from the Occupy Wall Street protesters. It seems like a reasonable thing, you know – protesters having their demands. Only, nothing couldn’t be further from [...]
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