Occupy Los Angeles: More Class Warfare Downtown This Weekend

• Occupy Wall Street: Please shut your mouth. How dare you count every person in the ninety-nine percent you talk about as in with you. You do not have a right to speak for me or anyone else. I like the rich. Many of them started with nothing or almost nothing. Steve Jobs and countless others became VERY rich after being very poor. They did not complain. They had ideas and went with them. The top one percent creates jobs. Our companies, stores, firms and on and on that employ millions were not started by poor people. They were started by the wealthy. Now you state that the rich are your enemy. Great, go against those who create so much. You morons have got to be the most stupid bunch of idiots to ever band together. You have no real clue as to what you are doing. In Los Angeles, you accomplished nothing and left a mess that cost the city a lot of money. In Seattle, you blocked docks and tried to prevent people from going to work. Yet, you claim that you want people to go to work. The entire Occupy movement is a joke. You talk for the entire ninety-nine percent, but of those ninety-nine percent of the people, about ninety percent are working. I live in Beverly Hills and I'm doing fine. I don't need Occupy Wall Street to tell me what to do. George Vreeland Hill

• For those who were not able to attend the march from Pershing Square to City Hall, there were apx 10-15, 000 people who came down to show their support for the Occupy LA movement and who genuinely seek change to the status quo that has crippled our nation. 

• Wake up la. Yes, i know you need to watch fill in the blank reality show. But its time to show the world we are involved with making some changes as well! Unless you like a government that is by the corporations for the corporations! Apathy is death inside!@#

• It's terrible how wealthy corporations have been waging an economic war against the poor and middle class for so many years (ever since Nixon got into office).  It began in 1973, and it's gotten worse and worse for us (the 99%) ever since!  The war of the ridiculously rich against ordinary people must end!

• GOVERNMENT IS THE POBLEM BY NOT STANDING BY THE CONSTITUTION, THEY TAKE BRIBES / CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS AND THEY EITHER GIVE HUGE BAILOUTS OR THEY GRANT RETRO ACTIVE IMMUNITY FROM PROSECUTION,   SBX211 Retro Active Immunity given to California judges for openly taking bribes. Judges are employees of the state they receive their pay and benefits from the state. The Los Angeles Superior court judges are currently receiving an additional $57.688,00 from the county of Los Angeles. there is no bigger user of the court than L.A. County.(A party to the case and has a financial interest in most cases in the courts) Those payments were found to be unconstitutional / illegal in Sturgeon vs L.A. County. After that decision the judges paid a lobbyist to pass SBX211 ( RETRO ACTIVE IMMUNITY )   SBX211 does not restore due process SBX211 violates Article 1 section 9 SBX211 violates the 14th amendment (no equal protections) SBX211 violate checks and balances between legislative and Judicial powers. Judges do not disclose the county payments at the onset of any trial where the county is either a party to the case or has a financial interest. (Judges violate Judicial codes of ethics) Judges refuse to recuse themselves when requested under CCP170 Judges find themselves unbiased and then file an order striking statement.   In the year of 2010 alone $57,688.00 per year per judge X 460 judges = $26,709.544.00 paid to judges from L.A. County from tax payer money to only have the judges rule against the tax payer in favor of L.A. County or the County's interest. THE BRIBES WORK.  HISTORY OF RETRO ACTIVE IMMUNITY IN THE UNITED STATES 1. given for unconstitutional use of torture 2. given for illegal merger of banks (we can see the effects of that now) 3. given to telecom company for illegal wire taps. (Fisa bill that led to the patriot act) 4. SBX211 given to Judges for taking bribes.   SBX211 is evidence of conspiracy of the California legislative branch of government to cover up the multiple felony's committed by the Judicial branch of government. By an act of Legislation, California's judicial branch has admitted to be corrupt.   SECTION FROM SBX211 This bill would provide that no governmental entity, or officer or employee of a governmental entity, shall incur any liability or be subject to prosecution or disciplinary action because of benefits provided to a judge under the official action of a governmental entity prior to the effective date of this bill on the ground that those benefits were not authorized under law.

• I agree that the rich should be taxed at the same rate as others. Of course, you do realize that 50% of Americans pay no income taxes at all, while the top 1% of wage earners in the country pay like 40% of the income taxes that are collected, right? Therefore, if you taxed the rich at the same rate as everyone else, the tax revenues would dwindle to nothing or those 50% would have to start paying 35% of their income into the govt. I support the Fair Tax where people get their entire paychecks, plus a rebate from the govt equal to the amount of taxes that they would pay for buying necessities, and pay a national sales tax (at a pretty high rate, I must say, but, since the businesses would not have to pay income taxes they would not pass those costs on to the consumer - so most of it would come out about the same) on only new items (i.e. if you wanted to save, just buy used stuff - no taxes). This would help provide jobs in this country because, among other things, it would somewhat level the playing field for competition between businesses in this country and others selling in this country from another. You see, neither would then be paying US income taxes that they have to pass on to consumers and both would have the same national sales tax applied, thereby making pricing somewhat more equal - or at least possible to be more equal. Of course, foreign goods could still be cheaper due to lower wages paid to workers, but if something could be done about teh artificially high wages engendered by unions not only could this be alleviated to some extent, but inflation could also be attacked.

• I am single father of two in 08 I had broken my neck leaving me 100% handicapped since then we lost our home cars everything Id worked for in 32 years the affect this has had on my children to go from starving over taxed middle class to second hand citizen it has taken almost four years for our government to help with anything only after going homeless did we begin to receive any help I had never been on unemployment never on welfare tho it was taken out every week and at then end of every year we paid again and again now I cant drive hardly walk raising two teens while our gov gets the best health care we pay for cell phones we pay for cars trips vacations all pay'd by tax payers[ cut congress pay] flat tax after forty thousand a year stop the gov over spending we have to pay for health why is there FREE? its no wonder the us is broke we need our rights back a smaller gov. better health for the elderly better health for vets I worked 70 plus hrs a week for 17 years spent 32 years building home depot six flags over Ga main entrance 100s of mall stores for a check for major contractors thinking I was covered what a joke. while you are bleeding the american public save your money it pays good for a term or two then move on and wait for your ssi WHY SHOULD WE HAVE TO PAY FOR SLOPPY AND MISREPRESENTED LEADERSHIP REP AND DEMS ALIKE FOR LIFE?

• Income taxes 'dude' INCOME TAXES!

• Heard the whole thing went really well. It is nice to see different people getting together for the same cause, soon I think there will be 100's of cities doing this.

• Why is this article so negative?  I'm tired of the LA Weekly "we're too hip for you" attitude.  Over 1000 people showed up for this, and it is intended to continue.  Change and revolution has to start somewhere, even if it's initially only 70 or so people.  And by the way, the reason that this started on Saturday (when no one was working ) was so that they could get set up easily with the intention to remain there permanently if needed.  

• There are NO Americans who pay NO taxes. Everyone with an income pays taxes, and everyone who buys anything pays taxes. Everyone who owns a car and buys gas to make it run pays taxes. Wake up and smell the oppressive meme you're consuming, dude.

• you used the term class warfare four times, in the same context as the radical republicans are using it, though you know that this is conservative rhetoric that tries to persuade the general public that the upper class is under attack (as if they don't have bureaucrats working for them). there is nothing war-like about a peaceful protest, yes we are calling ourselves the 99%, but you can't deny that we  have been losing benefits since the gov't went to bed with  corporations, and began deregulating.   

• yeah, i was down there this afternoon.  there were at least 1000 people.  dicks.

• Wow looks like LA WEEKLY is fill of amateur journalists. The LAW is losing a lot of cred by letting all these rookie hipsters their soap box. BRING BACK REAL JOURNALISM TO THE WEEKLY. WE GET OUR FILL OF BULLSHIT FROM FOX CBS AND ALL THE OTHER CORPORATE MEDIA OUTLETS!

• You've been had. That figure comes from the vast majority of working stiffs who pay in every week in their paycheck - therefore at tax time they "pay" no taxes and sometimes get small refunds. Get educated and them come join us.  You are one of the 99% I'd guess.

• *autonomous humans

• The system that created the central banking system where elite bail themselves and their buddies out, military Keynesianism, domestic Keynesianism, has nothing to do with the free trade of ideas, goods, and services. Neo-cons and Obama prefer autonomous drones and the war on our liberties over freedom-loving, liberty-loving autonomous drones. They prefer the worst possible tax on the poor - inflation tax, over letting the 99% keep the fruit of their labor. They would have us believe that wealth is created out of thin air by an elite group of central bankers, as they steal from the people to bail themselves out. They take away our privacy and liberties as they generate perpetual interventionist wars and assassinate their own citizen without due process.

• Although the whole thing, organizationally, leaves much to be desired, nearly 200 people attended last night's General Assembly... main organizer is from Michigan, referred to "Banker Hill" and "Grant" Avenue... lots to disagree with--it's sort of "he who registers the domain name first, wins" in the case of OccupyLA--but hundreds of people are there now, and more on the way, white City Hall hosts a get-to-know-your-police-force public event. More to tell... 

• 'wake and bake people'??? What a great way to support a movement?! Come on. All over the facebook and website for Occupy LA they ask for a drug-free, non-violent protest- where's that in your article?? And 'our revolutions are laid-back'??? A little more faith in OUR city and people would be great. Thanks for nothing Denny!

• WAKE up! The American people aren't going to be clouded by the capitalist class' propaganda any more! Let's go LA #globalrevolution #OccupyLA

• Dennis Romero - thank's for informing your readers about the march and occupation.  You should go visit the occupation.  It's not a bunch of hippies and stoners.  It's a fairly diverse group of people, with some older folks, some younger, maybe a bit more middle class suburban than the usual LA activist meeting, but also more are unemployed young people too.  They managed to get the thumbs-up from the PD and at least one City Council member.  They've got an opportunity to present themselves at the City Council meeting. I know 70 is a small showing, but that mobilization was very different from the big immigration, labor, LGBT, and other marches.  A meeting was called on Friday, another two on Saturday, and the march happened between meetings.  This was not a meeting of an organization, but of interested persons, over the internet.  How many people (aside from celebrities and media people) can do that?  The large marches are supported by dozens of established organizations that are informed of the events months before, by organizers tasked to put the march together. Today, the online part of the mobilization has registered over 2,800 attendees on Facebook for the Saturday events - great for around five days notice.  The attendees are a wide range of people, younger and older, and even politically diverse.  What if even half show up?  It would be a noteworthy event.

• Here's the thing too: some people have been looking at it that, since someone getting taxed a % on a much larger amount (say 100,000 from 300,000 instead of 2000 from 12,000) is contributing more. I urge those people to look at the situation in a different light: what does that amount actually mean for the person being taxed? For the wealthy person, yes it is a sizable chunk of disposable income they will not be able to spend as they see fit. For the poor person, that amount means not eating as well, not buying new clothes, not replacing the broken refrigerator. The reason those tax exemptions exist for the working poor is because there are base "costs of living" that will not be satisfied otherwise. Higher income earners pay more because they can, the effect of the loss is unfathomably different. If ever you find yourself one of those bitter high earners losing your hard earned money, try to remember a) that it is reliant upon you to make this country, or any country, the great place that it can be through contribution by ability, and b) what it is like to be working multiple jobs and still barely be able to live, let alone fancy the wonderful dream of "living comfortably."

• When they make enough to pay taxes I would imagine. 

• "Now blame the black guy." You've been dying to use that line, haven't you? How ridiculous...

• Steve: Answer: They already do. David Cay Johnston: Gretchen Carlson, the Fox News host, said last year "47 percent of Americans don’t pay any taxes." John McCain and Sarah Palin both said similar things during the 2008 campaign about the bottom half of Americans.  Ari Fleischer, the former Bush White House spokesman, once said "50 percent of the country gets benefits without paying for them."  Actually, they pay lots of taxes -- just not lots of federal income taxes.  Data from the Tax Foundation shows that, in 2008, the average income for the bottom half of taxpayers was $15,300.  This year, the first $9,350 of income is exempt from taxes for singles and $18,700 for married couples, just slightly more than in 2008. That means millions of the poor do not make enough to owe income taxes.  But they still pay plenty of other taxes, including federal payroll taxes. Between gas taxes, sales taxes, utility taxes and other taxes, no one lives tax free in America.  When it comes to state and local taxes, the poor bear a heavier burden than the rich in every state except Vermont, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy calculated from official data. In Alabama, for example, the burden on the poor is more than twice that of the top 1 percent. The one-fifth of Alabama families making less than $13,000 pay almost 11 percent of their income in state and local taxes, compared with less than 4 percent for those who make $229,000 or more. 

• Simple question for Dennis (no taxing the rich the same way working class folks are taxed)  Romero.... When are the 51% that pay no taxes gonna start paying taxes?

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