A Message to OWS

18 Must Accomplish Goals

Occupy – In forty years as an adult, I have never written anything or publically shared my inner thoughts about our country, our lives, our future, or my children’s future. I think that as I get older, I have less fear and a more stoic attitude.

After two months of watching and listening to the voices from Occupy Wall Street (“OWS”) as they march and protest, it occurs to me (as is often said by various commentators), that there is so much esoteric verbiage concerning this movement, that specific “must accomplish” goals are not clearly enough defined to allow a specific response to a specific individual goal.

The OWS movement is about “fairness and equal treatment” under the law. As a citizen of 99% of the United States, I believe that it is not practical to believe that Congress will never be concerned about fair and equal treatment for someone else. As my grandmother often said about members of Congress…”it’s easy to be a big shot on someone else’s rear end.”

In my opinion, we, the 99%, have to “force (Congress) by protest” to take the specific actions required to build a level playing field for all citizens of our country. Successful protest requires specific goals to be specifically delineated, so that everyone (on all sides) including the 1%, can follow a path to successful change.

This path requires understanding, patience and specifics that can be held onto (by all) every day. The path needs to be open to active negotiation and mutual confidence that changes will be made.

I suggest eighteen specific, “must accomplish goals,” that should stand as the guideline for the actions and protests of all OWS supporters:

OCCUPY WALL STREET – Eighteen “must accomplish” Goals

Reform Washington

• All private funding (from individuals, corporations and common interest groups) must be removed from federal elections, without exception,
• No member of the government (elected or appointed) may ever become a lobbyist,
• No member of the government (elected or appointed) may ever become a representative for any company, group or individual with whom the member had any direct or indirect supervisory role (while in government) within the industry in which the company, individual or group operates,
• All voting in Congress to require a fifty one (51%) percent simple majority on all proposed laws and rules changes,
• Eliminate all individual state voting restrictions for previously registered voters from any state,
• Eliminate the ability of members of Congress to filibuster without active, ongoing physical participation,
• All insider trading rules that apply to general population to be equally enforced against all members (elected or appointed) of the government,
• Insist on a substantial Jobs Programs with immediate results, such as bringing back teachers, firefighters, and policemen as well as country wide construction projects of bridges and roads, with funding to come from not renewing the Bush era tax loop-holds,

Reform Banking

• Glass Stiegel Act immediately reinstated without any dilutions,

Reform Home Ownership

• All mortgage loans called into default under the non-judicial foreclosure system in which robot-signing was utilized, will be declared void and if the home has not been sold or recaptured, the loans will be restored (at the discretion of the borrower) at the then present balance on the date of default (excluding accumulated interest and fees) or par (whichever is lower),
• Home owner/borrowers who were foreclosed through the robot signing process will be reimbursed to the value of the home taken by non judicial foreclosure that utilized the robot-signing process, at the then market value (on date of default) as determined by an appraiser, less fifty (50%) percent of the balance of the then mortgage loan as of the date of default (excluding accumulated interest and fees) or par (whichever is lower), to the home owners who were victims of the falsely certified documents used in the enforcement of the non judicial foreclosure process. Funds to come from lenders or bond holders (if CMBS),
• All banks and other lenders active in the robot signing process, will make the equivalent amount of funds (recaptured through the robot process) immediately available to all home purchasers who quality under the current FHA, FNMA or VA programs,
• Non judicial foreclosure process must be ended immediately and permanently, allowing all borrowers to have their “day in court”,

Reform Social Security and Health Care – (Congress will get the point)

• All members of the government (elected and appointed), must have their government sponsored or congressional sponsored health care insurance transferred to an unaffiliated insurance company.
• No separate, private insurance plan or health care plan for members (elected or appointed) of the government,
• All government retirement plans cancelled and all members of the government (elected and appointed), must have their government sponsored retirement plans transferred to the social security system with accumulated funds transferred as well,
• All hospitals and other medical facilities currently available to any member of the government (elected or appointed) will be open to the general public, except VA hospitals that continue in current policy,
• No individual state restrictions that discriminate against “cross boarder” insurance companies,

Reform Student Loans

• Eliminate all interest on student loans and allow student/borrowers to repay their loans (within ten (10) years of borrowing) at 50% of original or current balance (exclusive of interest), whichever is less.

Submission By: Anon N. Sider