How Can We Get The Nation, To Go On Strike?

The purpose of this thread is valid, alive and well. But see it for what it is.

The purpose of this thread should not be to actually mobilize a nation on some whim to cripple its' economy. It is not to overthrow a system that many cry foul upon. It is not to have millions stand and take issue.

Its' purpose is to remind you that you can.

The system works as long as the mice run. If the time comes that the mice feel like they should stop running, this is not only a choice we have but one that would prove effective. It can be done legally and it can be done peacefully.

reply to post by chissler


I agree fully, that it can be done, if done right.
it wont be easy, but I truly believe it can be had.

Originally posted by chissler
reply to post by OptimusSubprime

 

There are non-criminal ways to go about it.

Our entire system runs on our compliance. It runs on our agreement to be good mice and continue running on our wheel. What if we stopped running?

Non-criminal? The IRS and the tyrannical taxation that is forced upon the citizens of this country is what's criminal. All we would be doing is keeping what is already ours.

Perhaps the OP should read
“How can we get the nation to go on strike without the powers that be marshalling the police national guard and army to arrest and imprison the illegal strikers who will be accused of insurrection and treason whilst being beaten, hung, drawn and quartered by the Patriot Act?”

Hang on, you want us all to stop working and/or paying tax, so that public services don't get cut?

Kinda makes no sense. Either we accept NO public services and just look after ourselves, or we all pay into the system that distributes the money to the service providers.

No tax= no fire service, no NHS (UK), no street lights etc etc.

I think the problem is more about corruption within public life (UK and US) and the corporate rape of the developed world.

reply to post by C21H30O2I


The strike thing is being done sopposedly worldwide. There is a website just for when the strikes are. www.unitedwestrike.com. From reading the posts ( I did not read all of them so I may have missed someone else who knows of this site.) the word of this website is not common knowledge yet. The only way to gain more support would be word of mouth or in this case internet. They have flyers etc. you can download. .

reply to post by C21H30O2I

Why go on strike? Why not Actually Vote the Crooks Out Of Office???????????????????????????? We have a chance every election to change things, but do we? Congress, every 2 years! President, every 4 years! Senators, every 6 years! But they get re-elected over and over and over....... Sure, their campaigns are now corporate sponsorship, but WE get to Vote! No violence, no riot police, no teargas or rubber bullets..... we need to take back control in a way that doesn't allow them to declare military rule. Don't give them any excuses for that future for us.

reply to post by C21H30O2I


throw all televisions out the window! no more tv. i have not done this, however i would. this is a great start. better than taking it to the streets. then; watch the talking empty heads spin, or dont watch, i guarentee the media ptb would be hit broadside with a public strike against watching the boob-tube! i would love to partake, only if you will...i love majoritys!!

reply to post by OptimusSubprime


Paint it anyway you want, what you're saying is against the law. Like it or not, it is against the law to refuse to pay your taxes.

While it is novel to speak about these tall tales in such a thread, I remain practical. There are far more effective ways than to make fugitives of your activists.

Originally posted by tamusan
Agreeing to not buy more than what we each individually deem necessary would be enough to gum up the works. I know that I have personally cut my spending by as much as 70%, when compared to my spending level from few years ago. I went from a life of excess, and straight down to having just the basics, as a way to express my dissatisfaction.

I and many I know have done the same. Either by need or descision. This is why the government is going haywire and why the "recession" has lasted so long. It is happening. Just a little slower than a massive protest might have. More and more people will get on bossed, unfortunately against their will, out of necessity.

Originally posted by chissler
reply to post by OptimusSubprime

 

Paint it anyway you want, what you're saying is against the law. Like it or not, it is against the law to refuse to pay your taxes.

While it is novel to speak about these tall tales in such a thread, I remain practical. There are far more effective ways than to make fugitives of your activists.

Though it is illegal to not pay, it is not illegal to not have the company withhold your taxes, you just have to pay at the end of the year. Why let the government have your money first. Make them wait. We all can do this easily.
Why should you have to wait for a return if you paid too much.

I think this is a great idea and its something I"ve been thinking about for years.

Our collective labor power is the only TRUE power we have. Politics is a dead end, protesting is a joke. The profit machine stops destryoing us when we stop accepting it. Businesses cannot thrive without profit and profit is made of YOUR labor power. By the way you dont get any of that profit. It goes to a small group of managers that ALREADY have way more money than you. Why? Because some rich guy (Adam Smith) said so 200 years ago.

Its so funny we think we're free because were allowed to vote (but only for criminals), yet every single day we go to work we submit ourselves to a dictatorship. We've been tricked to think the only freedom is political freedom. What about economic freedom? What aboout Economic Democracy

I think a global workers strike is the only way to send a message to our leaders (and ourselves) that WE have all the power. Its just potential energy right now. A mass global strike is something they cannot stop. Ever.

Also, a giant strike is VERY appealing to people because they dont have to do anything...in fact the point of it is to DO NOTHING. Dont go wake up early, dont go to work and finally exercise YOUR labor power FOR YOUR BENEFIT. Doing nothing: very appealing to all us lazy Americans.

Besides, it would only take one day...one day where nobody goes to work. One day will grind the profit machine to a halt and maybe the CEOs will start giving us some money back.

By the way, a mass general strike is peaceful protest. And the only truly meaningful peaceful protest.

Why strike? Equal access to food and shelter? Tax relief for the poorest 99% of the population? Maintaining public services instead of cutting them? Gaining a foothold for Economic Democracy? Demanding bail out money be used to hire people? Ending three major wars that take government jobs away from tax paying citizens?

Name me a reason NOT to do call for a global general strike

Originally posted by chissler
reply to post by Skewed

 

Why would they want to?

How about expecting a level of fair taxation? Have the rich pay their fair share of taxes?

If everyone, rich and poor, small business and large corporations, all paid their fair share of taxes.. the western world would be in a much better situation.

In the USA, the top 2% already pay 46% of all the taxes and never get a thank you. Tax 'fairness' is if you earn any amount of income, everyone pays the same percentage without exceptions or adjustments. There are 100 million workers here (those earning up to $50,000 per year with a family of four) who pay ZERO income taxes . TIME TO START TAXING THE "POOR" SINCE THEY GET ALL OF THE BENEFITS.

If we use the USA minimum wage as a guide line ($9.00 per hour=$18,720/year), taxing 10% from $20,000-$50,0000 per year will generate about an additional $70 billion per year. In addition, no welfare family should get from the government more than 70% of this amount combined (or $13,104) to make sure that there is an incentive to get back to work or make alternate living arrangements to save costs. Current welfare recipients can receive $23,000 a year in government benefits while NOT WORKING, more than working at minimum wage, so no incentive to work! No additional funds for additional children while on welfare, mandatory disclosure of the father so that the government can make them pay for support.

I'm real tired of those of you who think that the money 'rich' people have is somehow yours via the government because that is just communism. Other people's money is not yours for the taking. Are you jealous that somebody else is smarter than you and figured out how to make money? We gave you free education and you choose to waste your time and play video games instead of learning how to design video games which pays $150,000 per year. I'm not rich but I'm working hard to get there. I just got a raise and 50% went to the government so they can use it to buy the votes of stupid people like you. I'm tired of paying for the takers of society, our county was founded based on everyone taking care of themselves and their families. It use to be embarrassing to ask for help, now it is demanded and expected.

Corporations are not suppose to pay taxes since profits and paid out to the corporations owners (stockholders) and they pay the taxes. What, you now want double taxation? already double taxation after you die and you pay taxes again. Almost every working person has a 401k savings program which is based in stocks so taxing corporations just means you will get less, government will get more money to waste.

Want the government to have more money, then get rid of the 15 million illegal aliens who cost the state and federal government $300 billion per year (76% of the illegals are getting government funds, 7 million illegals have jobs while 17 million US Citizens are out of work, 50% of the illegals are not working and just hanging around.

reply to post by C21H30O2I


Your just wasting your time. The state has no need of you, but you need it. Also I will fill in your place, like many others.

reply to post by Wetpaint72


Well met, brother. I also know others like us. I feel for those who are forced into our lifestyle, but also commend those who take a simple lifestyle with purpose. It is a peaceful way to express our discontent. However, speaking for myself and my wife, we have grown to enjoy a life free of the many mundane material distractions which surround us. I may never go back to my old ways for quite some time.

Thanks everyone, for their views and thoughts. I appreciate it.
But from what I gather here, We all, seem it would be, impossible to do.

I think, It would be great, If we all, could unite in some way. To stand up against the machine.
Have a plan, and our demands..Health care, disclosure,abolish the fed, ect.

If we were able to stop the system, by way of us Americans uniting as one. What would be high
on your lists?

I think the only way that it would happen is if some revealing piece of information caused all of us to wake up to the economic slavery that is our society.

Say, a camera is left on between commercial breaks and Henry Paulson admits to manipulating the US govt for Goldman Sachs benefit.

Maybe some CEO is caught telling the wrong person just what he truly thinks of the poor in America.

Maybe George W says something stupid about the WMDs, Iraq War, Halliburtons trillion dollar no bid contracts.

Really anything we talk about here on ATS, any conspiracy that comes true, is enough to shake people. Aliens, HAARP, Financial manipulation, etc, etc.

Either way, the only thing that could wake people up is information. Its the only thing that ever has and ever will wake us up.

So, instead of waiting for it to happen, make a personal plan of what youre going to do when it does happen. How are you going to persuade people to join the giant strike AFTER this revelation of information?

Who are you going to be when this catalysing event takes place? A leader of a new populist movement? Or a believer in corporate and govt lies?

This is my personal way of dealing with the catastrophe that is our society. Wait for our fragile, interconnected, hierarchical culture to be put on the ropes then be there to gently say "I told you so." then forcefully say "Now this is what we have to do about it".

Unionize, unionize, unionize.

You're all saying it without realizing it. Who were the first to strike? The unions! Union membership in this country is dismal! 11.9% of the entire workforce (public/private) is unionized.

It's all right there in front of you. Unions aren't the evil-doers they're painted out to be, expecially if you agree with the concept of what the OP is proposing.

Industrial Workers of the World
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations

There are unions for nearly every profession in the world. You're not alone in your belief and desires. We're out here and fighting for you, even if you don't know it.

You morons think collapsing the system is going to bring you your 'socialist utopia' - it is only going to bring you unimaginable horror and the global serf state that the elites want.

They have spent the longest time wrecking and poisoning the system to the point that it is untennable and ripe for collapse - now they are just nudging the hapless dupes in that direction.

What really motivates the masses to take action is when food prices rise to the point of unaffordability, a sense of resentment and entitlement, injustice, breakdown of law enforcement etc

Just look at the situation they are creating in Mexico - they have set you up for a 'Reconquista' invasion, once it all goes to pot!

reply to post by JohhnyBGood


I don't want a socialist utopia. I want less fiscal responsibility for my fellow countrymen. This country was founded with a get up and go get it yourself attitude. Why do I have to care if some dude can't feed his multitude of offspring or get to the doctor. Sounds like survival of the fittest to me. I will support any benefits for people who try to work and can't manage to. Every one one of us has potential to do something. A downs syndrome fellow made me my fast food today and even managed to serve it with a smile. Just making drug tests mandatory for welfare and food stamps would make me happy enough. I also don't like how people can get disability now, just because they are drug addicts.

They can tax my money as I earn it, that's fine. I feel my only control over where some of my money goes is by not spending it in the U.S.

I have managed to get my living expenses below $600 a month for 3 people. I will start spending again when I feel there are less freeloaders hanging out.