Bank Transfer Day scheduled for November 5th, 2011.

(Edit update: Sunday, 6:45 am, Nov. 6, 2011 - Credit Unions report more deposits in the past month than they received for all of last year, wow. I hope the Credit Unions have a way to invest the money locally so they don't clone the investing ways of the big banks.- end of update.)


(2nd Edit update: Sunday 10:40 pm, Nov. 6, 2011, Awesome Kentucky Occupy News story! 


I'm not for or against Bank Transfer day that is set for November 5th, 2011 by the Occupy Movement. The reason for my neutrality is based on my belief that local credit unions follow the exact same banking guidelines that the big banks follow.

Therefore, any debt restructure that a person may require will be still treated as a default by both a big bank, and by a credit union as well.

I'm on a crusade to see that people be allowed to restructure their debts without being placed into default first by the same banking entities that helped cause the economic climate that is forcing consumers to ask for a debt restructure in the first place.

If a consumer has a medical emergency, is care taking for a family member, has a student loan, credit card debt, is out of work, or has a mortgage, they should be allowed to restructure that debt without being placed into a default by the banks, or a credit union.

If Bank Transfer Day makes the Occupy movement feel good and gives them reason to go on, then good for the Occupy Movement. But as for what really matters to me, "Give me debt restructure without default"


You can learn more about how to be a part of Bank Transfer Day by clicking here.

Goldman Sachs won't share the limelight with the Occupy Movement at a Fundraiser.

Read the full story at the Wall Street Journal.

Why Occupy News believes the Occupy Movement should focus on one, and only demand, for now.

The New York Post reports that the Occupy Kitchen in New York shut down for a few hours as the food preparers aired their grievances over feeding the perpetually homeless and con artists posing as Occupy supporters.  You can read the article here.

I've been tracking over 100 Occupy blogs here on Occupy News and I've noticed that some really great people are giving up on the Occupy Movement because of inappropriate behavior and interactions they have seen among the occupiers.  

The CIA and Corporations don't really need to do anything to destroy the occupy movement, it seems to me that it can easily be done by having the mentally ill, drug addicts and the con artists do the dirty work from within.

Inappropriate interactions, strange behavior, selfishnessness, all of these traits can easily be found among the mentally ill, the drug addicted, and the con artists, and they can demoralize the true occupiers into backing off, even leaving the Occupy Movement.

While the Occupy Movement believes the longer they go on, the better their chances of "victory", it is possible that the longer the Occupy Movement goes on without a true coalescing of a "top demand", the more the occupy movement can be perceived as a nuisance from the outside while being demoralized by bad behavior from a relatively small proportion of individuals from within.

I have been protest blogging against banking policies and programs since 2007. I've written hundreds of articles on many different blogs that I started and continue to write for to this day. I've researched the banking issues and controversies and believe I have already gone through the process of disbelief, anger, frustration, and demanding change when it comes to banking practices.

Recently I had a moment of revelation that defined the number one issue for me in regards to banking practices that are wiping out the wealth of the 99%. That number one issue facing the 99% is that bankers force the 99% into a default any time the 99% wants an existing debt restructured.

Since many of the occupiers may have not written hundreds of articles or read over a thousand articles on banking complaints and outrages, it is possible that some of the occupiers are not recognizing just how evil and destructive the banks are by forcing the 99% into a loan default simply because a person wants their loan renegotiated.

If ever there was a time for the 99% to restructure their existing debts, it would be now, and specifically because of the criminal banking and wall street practices over the past decade that caused the economy to tumble.

If the Occupy Movement can control their anger over the wall street fraudsters for the time being, and instead focus on saving main street's remaining wealth, they will have done more good than they can ever imagine.  

Since the first quarter of 2006, the 99% have lost 7.3 trillion dollars in home equity. Every day, 5,000 to 10,000 homeowner are foreclosed upon, and NONE OF THEM have the right to renegotiate their debts without first being placed into default. Those with credit card debt, student loans, or have lost their job or have a family medical emergency also have no rights to renegotiate a debt without first being placed in default. Defaulting can have very costly ramifications when it comes to finding employment, or getting a new loan, or keeping ones home.

If the Occupy Movement can ever get behind this one issue, that the 99% should have the right to renegotiate an existing debt without first defaulting, the Occupy Movement will have scored an amazing victory, one that will hit wall street and the elite rich right in the gut while preserving whatever wealth the 99% still possess. 

Awesome Occupy Editorial by the Reverend Billy, "What is the Movement?"

Well worth the read, What is the Movement by the Reverend Billy.

Barack Obama's Student Loan and Home Mortgage Proposals still tap dance around the real issue, the interest rates on those loans and mortgages.

Barack Obama is somewhat attempting to help both homeowners and those with student loans. However, until people can actually renegotiate existing loans without first being put into default, these changes are baby steps at best.

Read about Obama's new student loan proposals here. Read about Obama's new home mortgage proposal here.    


Orginally, Obama would only allow a homeowner to apply for HAMP if they first defaulted on their mortgage payments, now Obama is only helping those who have not defaulted on their home mortgages. 


Just sayin.

Anger against Wall Street Criminals, or helping the 5,000 to 10,000 daily foreclosure victims, which should be more important to the Occupy Movement?

When I went to college many years ago, I noticed that what fueled most college level protests were anger against something or someone. It was much easier to find anger energy among my fellow college students than proactive energy that involved helping others. 


I fear the Occupy movement is in danger of focusing too much energy on anger towards wall street,  their own student loans, and ending the fed, and perhaps not enough energy on actually saving the 99% from the further loss of their remaining assets.

What is the point of punishing wall street if in that same amount of time millions of homeowners are unfairly foreclosed upon? 

Today I had what I consider to be a disturbing chat discussion on the Los Angeles Occupy Live stream.

On the Los Angeles live stream chat I mentioned that 5,000 to 10,000 homeowners are being foreclosed upon on a daily basis and I got the following series of responses from one responder who shall remain nameless. "NPR does stories about the home foreclosures", the implication being that the foreclosure victims are already being publicized and therefore are a non issue in the Occupy Movement. 


This comment was then followed by a reference to foreclosure victims as "those people". Not to be outdone, the "those people" comment was explained as meaning many of the foreclosure victims were actually foreigners buying up properties in the United States, and therefore not U.S. citizens.

Can the Occupy Movement afford to believe that the 5,000 to 10,000 home daily foreclosures is not a top priority?

Then there is a certain percentage of occupiers who want all of their debts wiped free and clear. I feel that this is the kind of tactic or maneuver I would expect from the CIA were they to attempt to cause disruption and public disfavor over the Occupy Movement.

I am amazed at how many people just don't get that it is the interest rate charges on debt that can make the debt insufferable and impossible to ever pay back. 

Just like the Republicans versus Democrats, I feel like I am witnessing the ultra's from opposite ends of the political spectrum battling each other. The republican conservatives who want to ridicule the Occupy movement as being about entitlements and freebies on side, and those within the Occupy movement who clamor for entitlements, freebies, and revenge on the other side.

Right now the banks are running their foreclosure buzz saw at the rate of 5,000 to 10,000 homes a day and the "no restructuring of debt unless the homeowner first defaults" is the blade the bankers are using to do their dirty work.

From my experience, the Occupy Chat rooms are 99 comments about bringing prospective wall street criminals to justice, debt absolution and end the fed, for every 1 comment about how the banks are STILL stealing assets from main street. That's a 99% I don't want to be a part of, do you?

What is going to be the number one priority of the Occupy Movement, anger at wall street, or coming up with a simple tool for fighting the banks when it comes to the foreclosure and defaulting of the 99%?

If we change one simple banking rule to "Restructuring a Debt DOES NOT require a default first" main street can begin to fight back against the "law abiding" bankers who presently are defaulting on anybody who asks for a debt restructure.

Occupy News now has over 100 Occupy blogs listed with RSS feeds.

Occupy News is pleased to announce there are now over 100 Occupy blogs that automatically update here on Occupy News.

Each occupy website listed on Occupy News first required a google search and verification of an RSS feed. Occupy News may be one of the fastest ways to check up on over a hundred Occupy websites in an instant.

Occupy Los Angeles Protest Video

We (the filmmakers, not affiliated with this site) shot this march on the financial district of Los Angeles Oct. 15 and also toured the Occupy LA camp at City Hall. 

Occupy Stream Streaming Video from Occupy Sites.

Occupy News was pleased to find there is an Occupy Stream that makes it possible to stream video with the Occupy Movement all over the U.S. and even the world.

Both this site, Occupy News, and the other site, Occupy Stream, are completely independent from each other, don't know each other, but both are part of the 99%.

If you can't attend the occupy protests, you can always promote these two sites from your own computer.

The Separation of America. 12% of the U.S. workforce is in a Union, 88% are not.

If every workers union in the United States showed up to occupy wall street, it still would not solve the underlying reason why the economy is struggling. If the occupy movement wants to really make a difference, they cannot rely just on unions to win the argument, but it is a start.

I question the 99% to 1% argument that some in the Occupy movement are using. Less than 12% of the workforce in the United States is in a union, therefore approximately 88% of the country's workforce are not in a union. Not everybody in a union is unhappy. The unhappy union workforce percentage as compared to all U.S. workers most likely shrinks to 10% max in support of Occupy.

So while Occupy Wall Street can claim they represent 99% of the population versus the 1% elite, the other truth is that 90% of the U.S. workforce is not properly being represented in the Occupy Wall Street protest. If Occupy Wall Street only connects with those who are in a union and unhappy or those who don't have a job, they are then missing the biggest percentage of the U.S. Workforce, and the 99% vs 1% loses legitimacy.

When Occupy Wall Street asks it's own supporters what is the high concept message that could be stated in one sentence, the answer MUST be something that affects all of those who either have a job, or want a job, whether they are in a union or not.

My belief is that debt is the number one complaint. Rather than demand that debt simply be removed, how about more control over HOW one pays off their debt?

Right now, the banks control all the rules regarding personal debt. If one has no debt, one is truly free to decide what to do with their life. If one has debt, choices quickly become limited. Since most americans have debt, debt control should be the most important issue put on the table.

Right now, Bankers and our own government have set up guidelines that state, Debt cannot be restructured without first defaulting. 

It would seem logical that if a debtor can come up with a plan that allows them to pay down their debt in a reasonable manner, they would regain control over their lives and they would not be a parasite living off the backs of others. However, if they are first forced to default, this is like placing a global positioning device on their skull, letting the world know this person is an irresponsible deadbeat.

The litmus test becomes this, if all future interest rate charges were removed from a person's debt, could the debtor eventually pay off their existing debt without creating new debt?

If the answer is no, most people could not eventually pay off their existing debt without incurring new debt even if all interest rate charges were removed, then we are all truly screwed.

If the answer is yes, the majority of people could afford to pay off their debts without incurring new debt if all future interest rate charges were removed, we at least have created a position of strength from which to build from.  From yes with zero percent interest as a starting point, one could consider slightly ratcheting up the interest rate charges. Perhaps a very nominal interest rate charge, like 1.9% (which is still more than what the fed charges the banks) would still allow the majority of people to both pay down their existing debt without creating new debt.

Consider strongly supporting the following new rule, "Debt Restructuring DOES NOT require a Default". Bring this one change to the banking rule of law, and Occupy can help stop the theft of main street's remaining wealth, not just the union's portion.

Why Corporations are not the biggest problem that main street faces.

If the Occupy movement continues to believe that corporations are the root cause of hardship in the world, they may be missing the bigger picture.

People are struggling because they have too much rising debt. Rising debt is heavily influenced by onerous interest rate charges on credit cards, student loans, and home mortgages. Excessive interest rate charges dilutes the buying power of whatever income the consumer presently has.

Target Credit Card is a perfect example. At some point a few years ago I think Target rate jacked their credit card customers. Rate jacking involves significant raising of the interest rate on existing debt, overnight.  The customer might have been maintaining a certain level of debt, but once the interest rate is raised, their buying power drops dramatically. Additionally, the high interest rate charge makes it harder to pay off the debt as well.

In essence Target becomes a store that could be making more money off of interest rate charges than the merchandise they sell! At this point, Target becomes a jobs robber since money that could have been spent either paying down the credit card or buying necessary merchandise instead just goes into Target's pocket, the result is less product is sold or the consumer has less money to spend locally.

While one can say, "Aha, your Target credit card example provides proof that the corporations are the problem".  No, the problem is not Target, the problem is that existing debt cannot be restructured without defaulting.

If a Target customer desires their 22.90% credit card interest rate be lowered, Target customer service will do nothing to help. A customer cannot come up with a reason, no matter how pitiful or tragic their life situation, that will motivate Target to lower that 22.90% interest rate. The best Target will do is lower the monthly payment so that every month, the customer is basically just paying interest with virtually no money left over to purchase an item in the store!

However, Target's credit card tyranny can be over ruled by simply passing a law. Pass a law that Restructuring debt is NOT GROUNDS for a default, and Target can be beaten. Pass a law that restructuring debt is NOT GROUNDS for a default, and the individual regains a significant portion of their power back over both the corporations, the banking industry, and wall street.

Is the Occupy Movement the Tea Party of the Left? Michael Shcherer of Time Magazine thinks so.

Read Michael Scherer's take on Occupy's role as the Tea Party of the Left.

Personally, I think it's too early to define Occupy. Clearly the progressive portion of the democratic party is not happy and is lashing out.  However, I personally feel that progressives are to the democratic party what the neo cons are to the republican party.

They are both too extreme.  

However, I think it is too early to call occupy anything more than dissent with a purpose. The purpose is to stop the status qu gridlock, and that is fine by me. However, within occupy there are factions that actually oppose each other but they are too busy protesting to notice, and that too is fine by me.

I feel there is a defining yet all ecompassing phrase that explains what the driving force is behind so many problems that have been pointed out occupy members. The banks are robbing main street of its wealth because ALL Debt restructuring requires a default first. This is what is DESTROYING the world's economy and robbing main street of it's wealth.

Corporations have the power because the rest of us are too busy working far too many hours trying to pay off debt. Debt restructuring without defaulting would help stop the siphoning of main street's wealth and give main street more time to be more pro active in the world's affairs.

Occupy websites and RSS feeds.

I would like to suggest that people who set up "Occupy websites" for a specific state or city actually reside within the same same state or city that they are setting up the Occupy website for.

It's not only the ethical thing to do, it's actually a BETTER thing to do for technical reasons that relate to being able to share an RSS feed link of your content with others around the world. If you use wordpress and are at one location setting up dozens and dozens of occupy blog sites all over the country, wordpress won't allow you to do more than one or maybe two RSS feeds.

This means that the multiple blogs you are setting up cannot be auto updated so others can see your newest article without having to keep checking each and every specific website blog link, which can be an incredible waste of time if there is no news to report.

I will caution that RSS feeds makes it easier for ANYBODY to keep track of new content from sites that support RSS feeds.

Welcome to Occupy News, your one stop location for Occupy News.

Welcome to Occupy News, your one stop location for Occupy News.