Pre-Occupied.
To all the people that come here expecting to read history about the South Fork Canyon, I apologize for my apparent preoccupation with the grass roots movements afoot in America. The movement is happening as we speak. But, having been there, done that, I’ve seen these things before in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Whether you agree with what is going on or not, most of you have heard of some of the rumblings on the streets. Some of you are smart enough to know that there is a freedom and democracy movement all over the world.
To the people that truly believe that “we live in a world economy now” and that we just have to accept it. I understand. You are either deluded by the media, or you are a very wealthy stockholder.
The people that are on the streets in America right now are people like The Tea Party, who have a more conservative bent than the Occupy group. There is also the group that fits most of us that sit at home and watch the insanity unfold on our TV sets, scan the internet and watch for the most recent updates. Small few of us change the channel, or just don’t care. But, we all have something in common, only a fool would not realize that something is wrong. So, I did a little research to see if I could find what’s wrong with America. All along, I suspected that we had no real producers in America, that Joblessness was probably the root of the problem. The unemployment figures are deceptive, because they don’t include the people that have just plain given up and moved back in with Mom and Dad, so I looked up to see how many people paid federal income tax. I thought that would give me some idea of who was working and who wasn’t. Bad idea! I found that in 2009 51% of the people paid NO tax at all, and 30% of them actually got tax credits! Hummmm…
So, I looked up the see what the wealthy 1% of America actually paid. Low and behold, they paid more tax than they ever did since the Bush tax cut for the wealthy, and they pay a higher percentage than the rabble. The rabble actually pays less than ever before. The facts are that the wealthy’s income almost doubled. The taxes that they paid dropped, by percentage of their income, however they paid more in the long run. Even though the very rich now pay more taxes, the over-all tax collection has dropped, because more people are without jobs. The rich get richer, and the rabble are getting poorer. But, there is signs that the rabble are becoming roused. Most would rather be working at a good job.
Most of the Wall Street protesters have mental problems, probably about eighty percent are homeless. New York city now has 40,000 homeless people. I can’t blame them for crowding in around the Occupy Camps. Free food and entertainment. It’s no wonder they don’t make much sense. About twenty percent of the Occupy Group have a handle on what’s really wrong with America. Those few are hard to find, because if somebody holds up a microphone the rabble run to it. Some of the reporters aren’t that much smarter than the homeless. So making any sense out of what is happening is pretty futile. It takes a little understanding to know that the reason that people are protesting is because they know that something is wrong, even if they don’t know what. Most don’t have anything else to do, so they might as well protest.
So, even if you can’t identify with the protest, you can certainly understand why they are there. America needs jobs.
Now, the people that want to talk about Bigfoot are free to talk.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2011/jul/08/john-cornyn/john-cornyn-says-51-percent-american-households-pa/
http://www.american.com/archive/2007/november-december-magazine-contents/guess-who-really-pays-the-taxee
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Sunday, November 13, 2011
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42 comments:
et tu, ernie? Assuming homeless people don't feel a genuine want to protest? Homeless people somehow "don't count"? They could go be homeless anywhere doing all kinds of other things instead, you know.
Don't fall for that trick, whatever you think of "the homeless" they're a reality, they're what our system is making of fellow human beings in growing numbers all over the world. They have as much a right as any to protest.
Personally I think the reason there is so much unemployment is because of government regulation.
As for most of those OWS folks I think it came from progressive indoctrination, such as "everybody gets a trophy", Not keeping a score when playing games and passing and graduating kids from school so they didn't get there feelings hurt.
It is an entitlement society and lots of folks do not have any work ethic.
That's just two of my cents, lots more from where that came from.
Oregon
Anon, you never seem to get it do you? Of course the homeless have the right to protest and demonstrate, but you will have to admit that most of them aren't brain surgeons that all of a sudden became homeless and decided to demonstrate.
Most of the homeless are too busy trying to survive, they don't really have the time to get a clue. But, "THEY KNOW THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG". When I was a kid in Humboldt County, all of these homeless would have had jobs, they would have been working in a sawmill, setting chokers in the woods, or working on a clean-up crew, there was NO welfare in Humboldt County until you had lived here for a year first, then you had to prove a darn significant need. lazy wasn’t an excuse. Got it?
If I were homeless I would be demonstrating also! Those are the people that NEED jobs.
Some of the politicians seem to be testing the water of how tough to get with China. China has undervalued money that makes us buy their products because they are cheap. All of our cash is moving to China, while our people are losing their jobs.
Anon, you need to get a clue and stop picking on the people that are on your side, unless you really don’t want a good job.
Oregon
Lay it on me. I want to hear what you have to say. I know that you are one of the hardest working people that I know. I also know that the industry that you worked in is no longer a part of America. The lumber industry's good wages dwindled away to nothing but, they still couldn't compete with the offshore lumber industry. I remember when you could have worked anywhere. How many choices do our kids have??>
Just look at Occupy Eureka. Nothing but a bunch of fucking bums. The sense of entitlement is sky high. And by the smell of the shit and piss and SKUNK, entitlement isnt the only thing high here.
These BUMS are infringing on my rights. Those are parks my tax dollars pay for. They violate the rules. I WANT THEM EVICTED.
I WANT THEM CHEMICALLY REMOVED.
I can use the "F" word in every sentence. But I don't use it on Ernies blog.
This country needs a big national project again,something like Hoover Dam,"back in the day".
A project the whole nation can watch being built and be proud of.
somebody's been smoking too much fox channel
I'm simply saying that America needs jobs... I'm not saying there's "Too Much Fox". I watch all stations, but believe none. Yes, the demonstrations are nasty, but playing nice sure the heck hasn't worked.
Does anybody understand that you can't feed yourself trading dollar bills... somebody has to grow food and build houses.
Ernie,you mention growing food. My son (27)now is a field mechanic for Crain Walnut. They have about 20,000 acres in Walnuts here in the north valley. My son had 180 hours on his last 2 week pay period,this was during harvest of course.
Just saying..............
Dang... my best pay period was 160 hours for two weeks.
Yes Ross, the good kids with a bit of intelligence, and a willingness to qualify themselves, get jobs. Then the world tries to work them to death.
There are a lot of kids out there that have lousy parents, and a lousy work ethic. You might say the kids that just fell off the turnip truck. Those are the ones that you see following the concerts, begging, stealing, and yes, joining “Occupy” groups. Those are the kids that in my generation ended up digging ditches, and doing the work that nobody else would take. But, they had jobs back then, they couldn’t get of welfare unless they were disabled. Today, a poor attitude seems to qualify as a disability.
Where’s Cousin Oregon? All his kids are working too.
All I’m saying is that this Occupy movement will be history. Name one event in history that was clean and wonderful, and I will show you ten that was filthy, brutal, and disgusting, but they changed the world.
160 hours in two weeks. That's the lot for field mechanics. My brother almost always worked 80 to 90 hours a week as a heavy duty mechanic.
I used to work 3500+ hours a year but it was by choice. I was not forced into it. I am retired now but still get job offers that are not solicited by me. There is lots of work out there and North Dakota is a good place to work if you don't mind getting your hands dirty. If a person NEEDS work they can get it but it might not be in an air conditioned building doing $10 an hour work and demanding $30 for it. It might help to get a job too if your hair isn't in dreadlocks, face full of piercings and tattoo's on your neck. Just saying.
Oregon
I always assumed that people looked, dressed, and smelled like that so that nobody would give them a job. Much easier to get on welfare and spend your life partying. Strangely, they always seem to attract girlfriends, what’s up with that? My wife won’t even let me come home at night without taking a bath.
I guess that I got used to baths when I worked in the woods. Sometimes in the evening, coming home from the dusty job, the only thing that was clean was my teeth and eyeballs.
Update:
Occupy Eureka camp raided, 32 arrested
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Update:
Oakland Occupy
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Update:
Lost Coast Outpost version of occupy Eureka raid
I quit my "job" about 6 months ago so I could respond on Ernies Blog more often. Now I'm having to work three days this week,Whats up with that??? LOL!
My Son has the work ethic of his Grandfather.It skips a generation!
I WANT THEM EVICTED.
I WANT THEM CHEMICALLY REMOVED.
entitlement
80% of these people are homeless.
i agree ernie, all of the media is controled by the corporate elite. but the above type of rhetoric is from fox. just pointing that out. some people seem to be addicted to fox which leads me to believe that they are incapable of thinking for themselves or having an original idea. but some people get off on fear and loathing in america. they certainly have a right to be pissed off but the protestors are the ones being arrested, not them. and they are pissed off too. the trouble is that the news media is instrumental in dividing americans into two camps, red and blue, democrat and republican. no more compromise. my way or the highway. why is this happening now? there is a movie out called THRIVE. for 5 bucks you can stream it off the internet for 48 hours. just google http://thrivemovement.com/
this is a long movie but is non political. it just makes you aware of things the government doesn't want you to know.
as far as bashing someone
because of their politics or the way they were raised, i really believe that each person has a right to their own experience and has to realize how unique that experience is and they really have no right to judge someone else. i see it happening both ways all the time. i've done physical labor all my life but that was my choice. i had a job that no one else could do and that's the only reason i didn't lose my job like all the other arkies and oakies where i work. basically because mexican nationals are cheaper and not willing to stand up for their rights.
i don't know that any of those men and women protested anything, but i know that some committed suicide, some died of drugs, many of them never got another job. what's up with that. the right to make a profit or corporate greed. forget about the people who kept you in buisness for 30 years.
Ross... These "big projects" are no longer labor intensive. They use far fewer workers and far more machinery. The WPA was labor intensive and it worked. This "shovel ready" bull is profitable for corporations and fuel companies but not a good way to put money into the economy through salaries. The stock market does well and the general population continues to suffer.
I think that if someone wants folks removed CHEMICALLY they should sign their name.
I'm surprised Spy doesn't know any of those protesters. He has met or known just about everyone else in the bay area. I say that humorously.
As for people watching Fox News that means the majority of the news watchers. Just sayin'.
And as far as the liberals are concerned, I have a few friends and maybe relatives that are liberal but they do not protest by looting and burning. For the big part, all the destructive protesting that goes on is almost totally liberals.
Now my dislike of liberals is things like the folks that run around naked in SF, gay marriage, gun control, sanctuary cities, trophy's for everybody and that is just the way I think.
As for the WSO's they are misguided. The problem is the Federal Reserve and the government. And for most of those protesters, I think they are only there to belong to some group and don't have a clue.
Kind of reminds me of those unruly little kids in the restaurants that are so annoying, they might be the next generation of destructive protesters.
Oregon
*OWS. Dang that "o" is not even close to the "s". Must have been distracted by Fox news while trying to type.
Oregon
Judge okays Tents at occupy in the park!
i think i got one trophy in my life, for winning a bowling tournament. i had a 140 average and bowled about over 200 for 3 games. i play golf the same way, placed in most of the tournaments but just an average golfer the rest of the time. but your handicap goes down and it's harder to win.
i was a soccer coach and somehow i got the bad news bears team. i had 2 girls who never played before and didn't want to be out there but their parents made them. both of them had a knack of getting kicked by the ball in the stomach every game. then they could stay on the sidelines without having to play at least half the game which was a league rule. because i'm a good coach, i was able to teach these girls some defense so we would only get beat 1-0 most of the time. we actually won a game against a pretty good team. so i entered us in the year end tournament in the spirit of maybe we would get lucky. well, one team coached by a man who later got arrested for being a child molester backed out of the tournament and the mexican team that didn't lose a game all year didn't have enough players, so we wound up winning the gold medal without having to play a game which didn't seem to matter to any of the girls during the awards ceremony. especially, my two little stomach crunchers. their parents told me, they wore that medal for weeks, they wouldn't take it off. they even wore it in the bath tub. the moral of the story is, anybody can be a champion sometime if you just give them a chance.
my father was a republican and my mother was a democrat and they voted that way most of their lives. toby keith calls himself a southern democrat and says his whole family is democrat. my mom's family was democrat because most of the ranchers and farmers were democrats where they came from. going back farther in family history, patrick henry was in the son's of liberty or the original tea party and we are direct descendents. my 5g grandfather's son george is mentioned in mccain's book why courage matters. and my 99 year old aunt told me that my great grandma on my dad's side was a first cousin to mark twain. so i'm pretty sure i'm an american and i have very conservative friends and some not so conservative. but basically i vote for who i think is the best candidate no matter what party they belong to. when i was in sf, i was a methodist going to a catholic school. i had short hair amongst many people with long hair. and i spent most of my time at the beach surfing rather than protesting. i did have high school friends that were in rock bands so i did go to quite a few concerts in the old days. but stopped going when they started charging $4.oo at winterland. i stopped going before most people started. i only had $10 to spend a week but most of the concerts i saw were free or $2.00. i gave some girl my posters, but i still have some handbills. i was on their mailing list.
and like they always say, if you can remember anyone or anything from the 60's you weren't really there.
Spy,I like your last sentence. But it doesn't apply to me. I can remember more from in the sixties than I can remember current!! LOL!
"Currently"
Anyone know what a "Clumsome" is?
Only 25 comments here?
Twenty seven!
#28
Does anybody remember those paper thingy's that were on car bumper's that said "Tree's of Mystery" or "Oregon Caves"? Does anybody remember car bumpers?
Oregon
#29
Yeah, I remember them. When you visited "The Trees of Mystery", or I believe "The Tree House", or "Confusion Hill", they would go out into the parking lot and wire a paper banner onto your bumper. That was back when cars had real bumpers. They didn't become known as "Bumper Stickers" until they came out with the adhesive kind. I don't know what they were called before????
Thingy's..
Oregon
I remember those wired on advertisements, too. Why?
Just curious who remembers them and who is OLD enough to remember them...he he he
Oregon
i just turned 64 this month. i remember bumper stickers but my parents weren't into that.
i was watching a wyatt earp bio to whom i am also indirectly related. it said that the townsfolk or city slickers of tombstone who he worked for were republicans and the ranchers and cowboys were democrats. so there you go, if you are a republican you are a city slicker. if you are a cowboy or a rancher, you are a democrat. yippie tie yi ya.
I had an uncle by marriage and his dad was the judge and blacksmith in Eagleville, CA. back in the late 1800's, early 1900's,,, Modoc County. Anyway, my uncle Pat grew up being a cowboy working North Eastern CA and Western Nevada til he ended up as a millwright at the Scotia sawmill. I don't know what Uncle Pat's dad's affiliation was but I do know Uncle Pat was a registered democrat,,, but always voted Republican. I guess he was one of those mixed up cowboys..
It seems, looking back that in the old days there was not much difference between the two party's but as usual I was wrong, thinking about President Wilson here.
Oregon
Happy Birthday spyrock..
Oregon
I remember the "Trees of Mystery" Bumper thingys very well.
Some people would get really Pissed if they put/wired them on their fancy chrome bumper!
Oregon,Remember "Chrome" ?
Happy Birtday Spyrock!!!
My Dad logged quite a bit above Confusion Hill. They also owned logging property up Bridges Creek,which I think connects with the road above Confusion Hill.
I always wanted to ride on that little train,but never got to!
Got to ride on Cats,but never that train. Sometimes life is unfair to a little kid.
Sorry to interrupt but I think you're right on the mark, Ernie. Bring the jobs back. The message of Occupy has become so broad, vague, and muddled in so many directions. It's easy to grasp if the message is kept as simple as you pointed out: bring back jobs and manufacturing. People want to work and earn a reasonable living.
Fellow readers: sharing a bit of the lesser reported news and local Occupy Haps archived in the Humboldt Sentinel column here has been a steady work in progress-- with your comments and criticisms not only being appreciated, but sought after. Please give it a read, offering some valuable feedback if you’re so inclined.
Sorry, Bigfoot didn't make the cut... but we gave Ernie a shout out in a column or two back. Thanks. Carry on and back to the conversation, friends...
thanks for the birthday wishes. my cousin sharon always tells the story about her dad being on the rodeo circuit for 10 years back in the 50's and being good friends with slim pickens. he used to keep his horse at their ranch when he was working as a rodeo clown in the area and sometimes his pet bull who liked him but hated everyone else. i don't think uncle delbert ever voted but most of his descendents are fans of the fox channel and give me a hard time thinking that i'm a democrat like my mom was. when i tell them, i don't care about politics, they get upset, like they don't get to play their favorite game. so i told them that sometimes i watch cnn and they said, no wonder. they think that i was the one who elected obama and don't like it when i tell them he will probably be re elected for being a war hero and killing bin laden, gadaffy, and several other terrorists that the bush adminstration could never seem to find.
i did however, spend the weekend with this hawaian dude and his wife who is working a developing a website for dove. he was telling me he went to hunapoo high school. the same high school obama went to. but i don't think the fox channel thinks hawaii is a state. whatever, from hunapoo high to the white house.
I heard on Fox News that somebody refereed to Hawaii as Asia.
Oregon
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