Across the nation events are being staged in solidarity with the ongoing protest in New York City, Occupy Wall Street. It is a nonviolent movement for fairness in our society, a protest against the corruption of our financial system that has left 99% of Americans victims of the greed and excesses of Wall Street’s 1%. We are the 99% who will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%.
At 12 noon tomorrow, Thursday, October 6th, Occupy Portland will assemble at Waterfront Park and SW Ankeny Plaza, just south of the Burnside Bridge, where Portland Saturday Market touches the river. (Those taking the MAX should get off at Skidmore fountain and walk east to the Waterfront.)
Be there or be square! And while you’re there, join us in gathering signatures on the Tax Wall Street Traders petition.
The Occupy Salem event is Saturday, October 10th in the park on the west side of the Capitol.
Salem Tax Fairness advocates, please also print out the petition and gather signatures there.
Eugene activists are in the process of planning a similar event, see Occupy Eugene.
Tax Fairness Oregon will be there with petitions, gathering signatures in support of Oregon Representative Peter DeFazio’s bill, H. R. 4191, the Let Wall Street Pay for the Restoration of Main Street Act.
Some background: In recent years rampant speculation and high speed trading have come to dominate Wall Street. Focusing on very short-term gains, this kind of trading has severely threatened our economic stability. A minimal tax on financial transactions would steer Wall Street back toward its traditional role of making long term investments and loans to American businesses. A similar tax existed from 1914 to 1966 and was doubled during the Great Depression. Warren Buffett and many other prominent investors have supported bringing back a similar transaction tax. In order to ensure that the tax is properly targeted at high volume speculative traders on Wall Street, H.R. 4191 specifically exempts average investors and pension funds.
Please print out and bring a copy of our petition and talking points and your clipboard to the actions around the state, and help us gather signatures to deliver to each member of the Super Committee and to the Oregon delegation. We are asking them to cosponsor H.R. 4191.