BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: GUEST,Chongo Chimp
Date: 14 Apr 11 - 02:27 PM

How do you go on strike effectively by not payin' yer bills on one particular day? The next day everything goes back to normal again, and yer bills have still gotta be paid, so it don't make any difference! A bill does not go away because you didn't pay it on Friday, fer Chrissake.

- Chongo

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 13 Apr 11 - 05:41 PM

Rubbish.

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 13 Apr 11 - 02:22 PM

LMFAO

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Little Hawk
Date: 13 Apr 11 - 01:12 PM

Why not go on a Mudcat strike instead...for the next 30 days. Imagine it! A whole month free of bitching about politics and religion and a whole month of not pissing each other off needlessly. And THINK of the keystroke savings!!!

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 13 Apr 11 - 12:34 PM

Well blimey Backwoodsman, we agree for once :-)

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 13 Apr 11 - 11:53 AM

"A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th

It won't be "all of us". I won't be striking. It's the daftest idea I've heard for a long time (and I can go back a long way).

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Musket
Date: 13 Apr 11 - 08:54 AM

Thatcher was once asked what her greatest achievement was. "New Labour" she said.

And meant it.

The thing is, the huge vast majority are the workers, even many of those seen as fat cats. A managing director told to clear his desk within the hour is not in charge of the country's destiny. He is suddenly reminded that he too is a worker.

One small conundrum for those who feel hard done to, something to think about.

if you must speak of us and them. there are more of "us" than "them." Therefore "we" can wield more votes.

And yet the gap between rich and poor is, as Shimrod states, widening. On the plus side, rich and poor in some parts of the world and indeed in our history means the difference between eating and starving, whereas now it signifies spending power and use of choices or priority.

Boycotting Nestle over their 3rd world baby milk marketing is a good example of consumer power, although how much it gets them to reflect on their strategy, I don't know. I rarely use fast food outlets as obesity is an issue and such places need less not more encouragement. Such small gestures on a continual basis by many people is a far better way of getting a message through than this 15 July nonsense. We are consumers and we are voters. Use the tools you have.

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 13 Apr 11 - 04:38 AM

Makes sense, Don. Although it's been a long time since we, in the UK, were fervently religious. In the UK the demonisation of the poor seems to have more to do with class distinction and snobbery.

Interestingly the Left in this country, particularly the Labour Party, like to make a virtue out of inverse snobbery. Although most Labour Party members these days tend to be drawn from the middle classes (school teachers, university lecturers etc.) they all adopt, when it suits them, the victim mentality of 'horny-handed sons and daughters of toil'. Nevertheless, under the last Labour government, the gap between rich and poor widened as never before.

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Don Firth
Date: 12 Apr 11 - 07:05 PM

The United States (and some other countries as well) have an underlying streak of Calvinism. Without going into the details (easily found by Googling), it holds that since God is omnipotent (all knowing) He knows the future. Hence, He already knows who will deserve being saved and those who are irredeemable. So—(look out, sports fans, here it comes!!)—He favors, in this life, those who are already saved by showering them with wealth and success. And those who are "pre-Doomed?" Why bother with them? No favors. Let them sweat their lives away, and if they need to, grub for their dinner out of their local Dumpster. To Hell with them. Literally!

And how do we mere non-omnipotent mortals tell who's who? Obvious!

The Rich. And the Poor.

The predominant religious beliefs of a lot of Americans accounts for quite a bit of politics in this country, even among those who don't necessarily consider themselves religious. But among those who do, I wonder how these good churchgoing folk square this underlying belief with what Jesus says in Matthew 25:35-40.

Not to get involved in the religious can of worms, nevertheless, it makes an interesting contradiction. . . .

Thus, conservative Americans (including, for example, Tea Partiers, who, are themselves, not characteristically well-to-do, but are not bright enough to make the connedtions and realize that they're shooting themselves in the foot) use to justify the cutting of social programs to aid the poor, things like health care, public education, Social Security, and all those other things that people frequently find beyond their means, unlike the Koch brothers, who can pay for out of the pocket change they can dig out from under their sofa cushions.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 12 Apr 11 - 05:25 PM

The trouble is, Don, people voted for 'voodoo economics'. My theory is that the political Right latched on to the fact that 'ordinary' people dislike and resent those of a lower social status than themselves and defer to the rich and 'successful'. All that the Right had to do was to use their all pervasive media to demonise the poor. In Britain the Left didn't help either - because they need the poor so that they can continue feeling smug and superior (we REALLY CARE about the poor!).

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: caitlin rua
Date: 12 Apr 11 - 04:04 PM

Massive peaceful non-compliance? Massive peaceful non-everything-else too. Peaceful because you'll be powerless to be anything else.

If you don't pay any bills you're not going to have electricity, a phone, the internet, transport, assorted fuels, and what about getting food? It has to be shipped, packaged, stored, distributed - those things are all part of the "corporate" system. The little guys are dependent upon its infrastructure too, whether they like it or not.

And YOU'RE going to starve THEM?

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Don Firth
Date: 12 Apr 11 - 03:37 PM

Someone's going to have to explain to me how:

the man who lives in an $11,000,000 lakefront mansion with a Bentley and a Ferrari in his garage and a 45 foot power cruiser tied up at his dock, and who doesn't pay taxes because the company he is part-owner of is registered in the Cayman Islands, and whose shadowy piddling around in the stock market contributed to the current recession—and who, if he didn't ever acquired another dime, it would take his heirs about fifteen generations of lavish spending before it would all be gone—

and

—the woman who, because the fellow with the Bentley, the Ferrari, and the power cruiser and those of his ilk, decided to maximize profits by laying everyone off where she worked and moving all the jobs to China, lives in her car with her two children, and keeps body and soul together by doing odd jobs such as housecleaning around the neighborhood, and hunts for a regular job whenever she can find someone to baby-sit her kids—

—are both just "ordinary people."

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

And as far as the corporations using their profits and tax breaks (and government bail-outs) to create jobs is concerned, this is the "trickle-down" theory, which has long since been shown to be pure fiction. "Voodoo economics." It winds up being used to automate factories in order to reduce the work force, and to move jobs to other countries, thus eliminating jobs here, and what is not used for that is residing in numbered bank accounts in Switzerland and the Cayman Islands. Which means that the money doesn't go back into circulation in the American economy;   it is, thus, removed from it.

There are individuals in the top 5% of the wealthy in this country who have more money than the bottom 95% combined! These are the people to whom the tax breaks and tax cuts have been given, and who keep whining plaintively "Please, sir, I want some more!"

There are countries—many countries—in which such disparities of wealth simply do not exist. And they also have universal health care, and take many other services for granted that some here in the United States call "entitlement programs" and want eliminated—such as Medicare and Social Security.

To save taxes and balance the budget.

In the meantime, 60% of the budget goes to the military, to finance two (and now, a third) wars that we never should have got into in the first place! Over which, strangely, there seems to be a pervading smell of oil.

". . . just ordinary people. . . ."

Don Firth

P. S.   By the way, the woman who lives in her car can't afford her own "Professional Politicians" like the fellow with $11,000,000 lakefront mansion, the Bentley, the Ferrari, and Power Cruiser does.

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Ebbie
Date: 12 Apr 11 - 11:46 AM

"Well, it's one way of taking power back, of showing how fed up and angry everyone is with all the Corporate Shite that's going on around us, Corruption abounding with nothing being done about it.....but hey, I guess many folks perhaps just aren't bothered."

Far from not wanting to be 'bothered', Lizzie, I think it is clear that most of us disagree with the method and means; a stiletto is sometimes a better tool than a hammer.

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 12 Apr 11 - 10:28 AM

I hope the cinema staff don't strike on that day, as my wife and two daughters are going to see the next Harry Potter film. It's one of my daughters birthday on July 15th.

So Lizzie, if she doesn't get to see it, I will give her permission to come down theer and sort you out. She will be down in Paignton the next day on holidays :-)

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 12 Apr 11 - 07:39 AM

While I was working one of my male workmates and I developed a mutual interest in digital cameras. We would, in the odd spare moment, discuss these in our usual adult fashion e.g. "Yahboo! Mine's got more megapixels than yours!" One day a female colleague overheard one of these pathetic, but enjoyable, conversations and sneered: "Huh! Boys and their toys!" To which I replied, quick as a flash: "Huh! Girls and their shoes!" I've never seen anyone move so fast in my life!

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 12 Apr 11 - 07:15 AM

I agree, Shimmy. So long as The Boys stop buying cars and gadgets also... ;0)

I don't go clothes shopping very much, just a pair of jeans and a top does me fine....and often I wear my clothes into the ground. Never have shopped for fashion, or kept up with it. I still wear pretty much what I wore as a teenager/young person in the 70s to be honest, but er...a big bigger...And it was all hippy styles back then, which I've never stopped loving, so..I'm your original ol' hippie.. :0)

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 12 Apr 11 - 06:19 AM

Here's a novel idea, Lizzie - although I realise that by making it I may be laying myself open to accusations of sexism!

I live in a big northern city. When I moved here, nearly 40 years ago, there were some big department stores in the city centre and numerous smaller shops and cafes. Since then the centre has been extensively 're-developed'. Now we have lots of gleaming glass and steel office blocks (many of which seem to be empty), an enormous covered shopping centre and several other shopping centres - many of which seem to be 'white elephants'. Smaller, more specialist shops, are now few and far between. This is probably because only the big chains can afford the rents.

But I can't help noticing that there seem to be, almost literally, millions of square feet devoted to selling women's clothes! Could it be that it is women who, if they only stopped to think about it, have a weapon in their purses to change the world. All they would have to do is to stop buying so many clothes!

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 12 Apr 11 - 04:29 AM

So does The United States of Europe and America, Arthur...

Pretty much the whole world over, to be honest. Sadly.

We have to find a peaceful way of taking our world, our lives, back again.

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 12 Apr 11 - 04:16 AM

Libya springs to mind Lizzie.

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 12 Apr 11 - 03:58 AM

Well, it's one way of taking power back, of showing how fed up and angry everyone is with all the Corporate Shite that's going on around us, Corruption abounding with nothing being done about it.....but hey, I guess many folks perhaps just aren't bothered..

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Silas
Date: 12 Apr 11 - 03:48 AM

Too right! 15th is my wifes birthday.

A nonsense idea. All piss and wind as long deceaced friend of mine would have said.

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 12 Apr 11 - 03:32 AM

Ah but Silas, what if the publicans go on strike and the TV company employees?

My comment about the Hospitals etc was about the UK, which is where Lizzie Cornish lives.

Still think it's a stupid idea.

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Silas
Date: 12 Apr 11 - 03:28 AM

Well, as long as the pubs stay open, and the telly of course.

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Teribus
Date: 12 Apr 11 - 12:54 AM

The thing about "The Corporate Bastards" is that they employ ordinary people, they are themselves ordinary people. The "Corporations" that they work for are owned by ordinary people, or the investment funds and pensions funds of ordinary people. Ordinary people rely on the fact that these "Corporations" make a profit to indirectly fund their pensions.

If you want to have a go at a group that do an immense amount of damage in order to retain their grip on power have a go at our clutch of "Professional Politicians"

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: katlaughing
Date: 11 Apr 11 - 10:45 PM

It would Bert, as far as I know. Hospitals here are required to treat folks without insurance.

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Bert
Date: 11 Apr 11 - 10:27 PM

Lets hope that the hospitals, Doctors, Emergency Services don't join you in this.

That wouldn't make any difference for those who don't have insurance.

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Don Firth
Date: 11 Apr 11 - 10:13 PM

Nope. Bad idea.

Targeted boycotts would be far more effective and would not be able to bring the wrath of the corporations down on individuals, such as getting forclosed on for not paying one's mortgage or getting your wages garnisheed for not paying other bills.

As Ebbie suggests. Take public transportation. Leave your car in the garage and don't buy gasoline. Don't buy processed food from big corporate-owned chain supermarkets, buy fresh produce from local farmers. Don't buy anything from stores like Wal-Mart. Lots more possibilities. Just think about it.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 11 Apr 11 - 09:21 PM

Thanks be to the corporate bastards who gave me an interesting job, a comfortable living, and a good retirement. Long may they thrive.

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Joe_F
Date: 11 Apr 11 - 09:13 PM

I thought it was an ice *ax*.

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 11 Apr 11 - 06:30 PM

Ahhh "The Corporate Bastards"!!!!!

The Worker's Flag is Deepest Red ...

Sorry, I'll have a cup of tea, a Bex and a good lie down ....

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Teribus
Date: 11 Apr 11 - 05:52 PM

Ahhh "The Corporate Bastards" right.

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 11 Apr 11 - 04:17 PM

It's not about hospitals, Arthur, it's about The Corporate Bastards.
They've forgotten that without us, they are nothing, or at least, they get nothing more, for they've already made a grim fortune.

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: katlaughing
Date: 11 Apr 11 - 04:01 PM

Some interesting ideas, but they lost me with this first sentence:

"WE the PEOPLE" Declare Our INDIVIDUAL SOVEREIGNTY & GOD GIVEN RIGHTS

They've just dissed anyone who doesn't want religion and state mixing it up, anyone who doesn't believe in whatever god they are talking about, etc.

I could see every 15th of the month, everyone pledging to NOT purchase one iota of anything, for that day. I don't mean rent, etc. I mean actual goods and services.

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Musket
Date: 11 Apr 11 - 03:36 PM

If I didn't pay my bills, my tenants wouldn't have lighting, heating, water etc. If they didn't pay their bills, I couldn't afford to have them as tenants and they would be homeless.

The problem is, as much as it may seem otherwise, there are two extremes;

Those with absolutely everything (of which there are none)

Those with absolutely nothing (of which there are none)

The other 100% of the population fall somewhere in between. So by not paying your way, you lose out. If the country didn't pay its way, we would all lose out. As transactions are taxed one way or another, paying and receiving is just about the only way of getting out of the mess, whether you think it a big or small mess, a manageable one or otherwise.

When Cameron said we are all in this together, we all laughed at his naivety. yet in some ways, we most certainly are....

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: JHW
Date: 11 Apr 11 - 03:24 PM

In Economic terms a corporation is nothing more than a tool
but not there to supply goods and services for a price, there to take money to distribute to its shareholders.
To stand a chance of doing that it has (usually) to supply something

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Ebbie
Date: 11 Apr 11 - 03:21 PM

Does that include not paying your mortgage or rent? I work for a business- but it is privately owned. If the tenants went on strike against them, they'd be out of business - and the tenants would be homeless.

Like others before me, I think this is poorly thought out. Why not just resolve to use public transportation for a week? - it would help the environment, encourage better schedules, and just maybe let people decide that Hey! This isn't so bad!

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 11 Apr 11 - 03:15 PM

In Economic terms a corporation is nothing more than a tool for supplying goods and services for a price. Its like striking against guns or knives or steel. If you do not like what Corporations are doing, striking won't help. Finding another way, might.

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 11 Apr 11 - 03:14 PM

Lets hope that the hospitals, Doctors, Emergency Services don't join you in this. Worse is if they do, lets hope you don't get seriously ill and need emergency treatment.

Have you really thought it through?

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 11 Apr 11 - 03:09 PM

What would happen, if the companies fired you for going on strike?

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 11 Apr 11 - 03:08 PM

We're all ready paying for it, Arthur....

Bigtime.

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 11 Apr 11 - 02:53 PM

The world has gone mad.

Who is going to pay for all of this Lizzie?

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Stu
Date: 11 Apr 11 - 02:34 PM

How pleasant.

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 11 Apr 11 - 02:13 PM

As one of the millions who has benefitted from businesses (corporations) I would suggest adding a Glock to the icepick.

Subject: RE: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: GUEST,John MacKenzie
Date: 11 Apr 11 - 04:24 AM

Is that a man with an ice-pick I see behind you?

Subject: BS: A Global Strike By All Of Us - July 15th
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 11 Apr 11 - 03:49 AM

'United We Strike' - Main site

'Enough is Enough' video


I've thought and said, for a long time, that if we all stopped paying our bills together, we'd take the power back from the Corporate Bastards...

Seems other folks are out there thinking exactly the same...Well done to them for getting this video out and trying to make a difference.

15th July is the day they're aiming to have a Global Strike...I'm taking part in it, I hope you all do too.


Taken from the United We Strike link above:

"Over 6 Billion of us are held captive through corporate dominance. We are only profit and loss numbers.

As we watch and wait for a solution, they transfer the wealth
and bill us for our own destruction.

We far outnumber those who oppress us, who control every continent and every country and greedily feast as they create our famine.

We must starve them.
We must withdraw support.

It is time to break through the illusion...

It is time to stop running from our lives and start living them...

It is time for Peaceful Global Non-Compliance"