Occupy Wall Street Started 5 Years Ago!

Occupy Wall Street started 5 years ago.

Concepts such as the 99% versus the 1% helped articulate our frustrations.

Money Out Of Politics!

A growing awareness of corporate power corrupting our democracy 

no doubt made Bernie Sanders' success possible.

Appalling

Appalling, hypocritical Newt's audacity to run for the presidential nomination! Can anyone imagine an adulteress as First Lady? While he blasted Clinton's morals and touted Christian family values, Newt himself had secret affairs, had brought his mistress in to the home of his wife! Maybe some entitled 'white boys' can overlook such a sordid affair, but no woman voter ought to disregard a character as vicious, callous, deceitful and mean spirited as that of the former speaker of the house. Jon Stewart says it best as usual.

Boys will be boys no longer holds. Enough of white men's privilege! Enough already of outdated patriarchal values that make it o.k. for Newt to blast our sitting president, to call President Obama "stupid" simply for having refused to sign on to the further raping of the earth through the Keystone Pipeline. Yes, we need jobs, but not on cost of the environment. We need to further the healing of the environment and create green, environmentally sound jobs for real solutions.

Appalling, Mitt Romney's jitters in regard to revealing his tax returns. No, we, the majority, do not begrudge success, but we do hold financial success won on the backs of the poor (meaning unethical business practices, even if legal) against anyone that runs for public office. Off-shoring wealth to the Cayman Islands will not land any favors either with us, the voters, the 99%. Romney belongs to the 1%, no surprise the repugnant Republicans can even consider Mitt as presidential candidate.

Appalling finally, that our own Republican Governor Susana Martinez who looks like a nice enough lady, wants to reinstate the death penalty, wants to undo a decade of labor to abolish this outdated form of pure injustice and cruelty.

The Place NOT to be - WALMART!

 

- Research has shown Walmart pays an average wage of just $8.81/hour for their sales associates.

- Walmart is the world's largest private employer, with more then 21 million employees 

   (14 million associates in the US alone.)

- Despite the economy, Walmart continues to be profitable with 16.4 billion in net income for fiscal 2010.

- CEO  Mike Duke's compensation in 2010 was 18.7 million. 

- Walmart has been consistently anti-union.

- Walmart pays nothing ($0.00) in state corporate taxes in New Mexico

BUY LOCAL!

- For every dollar spent in a locally owned business, 45 cents stay within our Santa Fe economy.

- For every dollar spent in a non-local business, only 13 cents stay in our community.

- Locally owned business recycle a higher percentage of profits back into the local economy.

- Two major chains, when compared with local businesses, gave 75% less to charities than locally    

  owned businesses.

I have avoided Walmart for decades, but I will admit that many items can not be found from a local source, much less for a competitive price. So, if you do decide to shop at Walmart, at least do so not blindly, but know the facts, know the high cost of cheap shopping. (The above info was taken from  a Walmart Fact sheet off the internet.)

Our upcoming legislative session is the place to finally plug those corporate loopholes as regards  fair taxation and in so doing give local businesses a fair chance and the local economy a boost.

Finally the holidays are about people, not things. No need to shop 'til you drop. Just say no!