The average Joe has a 20% chance of being unemployed.

The average Joe has a 15% chance of being below the poverty line

The average Joe has a 7% chance of living below half of the poverty line.

The average Joe has probably graduated from college in a mountain of debt during the worst financial crisis since the great depression.


I mean, as long as we're generalizing about averages.

Quote :

"however the majority seem (based on interviews, wide sweeping pan shots of the crowd, etc) to be idiots."

You can gather someone's intellect based on a wide sweeping pan shot of a crowd? That's fuckin' amazing.

How would you describe these guys:



or these guys:




[Edited on November 20, 2011 at 10:37 PM. Reason : ]

11/20/2011 10:32:13 PM

i cant wait for free college tuition

i'll be doing night classes like a fucking fiend. hopefully everybody does until they break the bank so hard that they have to continuously raise taxes to keep funding it..

1. more people go to college...
2. higher maintenance prices, more professors, more buildings, bigger budgets needed...
3. raise taxes to pay for surge in college budgets
4. higher levels of education needed to get higher paying jobs to make ends meat bc of competition
5. go to step 1




shit lets just apply the same logic to food and gas too. why pay for the basic necessities of life. they should be automatically free to anybody without work. fuck bosses. fuck work. fuck having to do anything for that.

[Edited on November 20, 2011 at 10:35 PM. Reason : .]

11/20/2011 10:33:09 PM

Quote :

"i cant wait for free college tuition"

Seems to work out alright for countries like Sweden.

11/20/2011 10:35:12 PM

^^^ search "occupy wall street interview" on you tube and watch a couple of them

[Edited on November 20, 2011 at 10:35 PM. Reason : .]

11/20/2011 10:35:30 PM

every step you just described already exists except that tuition is being exponentially raised in lieu of taxes

11/20/2011 10:36:02 PM

http://m.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/wall_street_cra_pad_s31YWPjPTt0TYuxLGnu7IK

Quote :

"Hell no, we won’t go — unless we get goose down pillows. A key Occupy Wall Street leader and another protester who leads a double life as a businessman ditched fetid tents and church basements for rooms at a luxurious hotel that promises guests can “unleash [their] inner Gordon Gekko,” The Post has learned."

I wonder if they are in the Uptown or Downtown Class of OWS?

11/20/2011 10:36:52 PM

pack_bryan, do you have an empathetic bone in your entire body? do you subscribe to a straight survival of the fittest mentality where the streets should be lined with the failures of society and those too weak to protect themselves or obtaining help. stone cold.

11/20/2011 10:38:13 PM

Quote :

"You act like our education system didn't exist for the last 150 years. It only started failing in the last 12 years. If you haven't pinpointed where the system went wrong, please study your history. "

More like last 40 years. Roughly the moment when computers started being used in business and geographic barriers started being broken down allowing for cheaper labor elsewhere. People need to be learning design, engineering, and computer science if they want a job in the future.

Quote :

"The average Joe has a 20% chance of being unemployed. The average Joe has a 15% chance of being below the poverty line The average Joe has a 7% chance of living below half of the poverty line. "

Technically the average Joe has 0% of all of those things if they are the median Those are the bottom 20, 15 and 7 respectively

11/20/2011 10:39:09 PM

wolfpackgrrr

Quote :

"(FREE TUITION) Seems to work out alright for countries like Sweden. "

remember guys. liberals never lie. ever. 100% truth each and every time. drink it up good.

[Edited on November 20, 2011 at 10:39 PM. Reason : ,]

11/20/2011 10:39:38 PM

Quote :

"Technically the average Joe has 0% of all of those things if they are the median Those are the bottom 20, 15 and 7 respectively"

No, that's why I used the word "chance." The probability of all those things are still true

[Edited on November 20, 2011 at 10:42 PM. Reason : ]

11/20/2011 10:40:05 PM

so a country that used to have free tuition but just this year changed is fact enough that someone who incorrectly cites to previous conditions is a liberal liar. nice spin.

11/20/2011 10:41:31 PM

lol what does "seems to be introduced" mean? According to my Swedish friend undergrad is still free but he also graduated from college a few years ago so he could very well be mistaken.

11/20/2011 10:42:05 PM

For what it's worth, Sweden only introduced tuition fees for students who are outside the EU or Switzerland. Everyone inside those countries can still attend for free.

11/20/2011 10:42:31 PM

^^^^ hahaha nice stealth edit. but too late dumbass... sorry i caught your shit lies you tried to sneak through. fucking dumbass. you'll do anything you can to defend it.

OBVIOUS KNEE JERK TO DEFEND SOCIALISM AT ALL COSTS IS OBVIOUS

JesusHChrist

Quote :

" 1000 kroner"

=

Remember guys. They never lie. Ever. drink up everything they say 100%




Socialism- A political and economic system based on collective ownership of the means of production and distribution. Socialists claim that their system of government and worker ownership bases production on human needs rather than on the profit motive.


you can forget your bonus or chance to get rich. EVER! Have fun motherfuckers. You'll never succeed on this continent. Get the hell out if you don't like a competitive and productive system!!!

JUST FUCKING LEAVE. GO AND NEVER COME BACK. KISS OUR COLLECTIVE HARD WORKING ASS. WERE SICK OF BABYSITTING YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE

[Edited on November 20, 2011 at 10:54 PM. Reason : ,]

11/20/2011 10:42:40 PM

I won't be insulted until you post a bunch of emoticans and carl sagan gifs.



I honestly don't understand the enjoyment you get posting your bullshit every day, but uh...I guess if that's your bag, then carry on.

[Edited on November 20, 2011 at 10:50 PM. Reason : ]

11/20/2011 10:49:08 PM

lol i just looked it up and the yearly cost of living for sweden for a student is a little under $11,000 (73,000 SEK)

for my student loans now its like $20,000 including books, rent, and other necessities

[Edited on November 20, 2011 at 10:50 PM. Reason : http://www.studyinsweden.se/Home/News-archive/2010/Tuition-fees-from-2011/]

11/20/2011 10:49:41 PM

Quote :

"^^^^ hahaha nice stealth edit. but too late dumbass... sorry i caught your shit lies you tried to sneak through. fucking dumbass. you'll do anything you can to defend it. OBVIOUS KNEE JERK TO DEFEND LIBERALISM AT ALL COSTS IS OBVIOUS Remember guys. They never lie. Ever. drink up everything they say 100% "

Only international students have to pay. Check your fucking facts. Higher education in Sweden is free for not only Swedes, but also the entire European Union.

Quote :

"As of autumn semester 2011, higher education is free of charge only for Swedish, EU/EEA, and Swiss citizens."

Not only that, but Swedish students get a nearly $400/month allowance.

Quote :

"Swedish students receive economic help from the Swedish National Board of Student Aid (CSN) for studying. Every student is entitled to 12 semesters of allowances and loans, totaling 1,841 SEK per week (July 2007: 200 EUR, 474 USD, 127 GBP) for full-time studies (after 1 July 2006). Allowances are usually 632 SEK per week (August 2007: 68 EUR; 94 USD; 46 GBP) with loans covering the rest. The limits for loans and allowances may be substantially increased under certain circumstances."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Sweden#Higher_education

So who's the one spreading disinformation here?

11/20/2011 10:51:40 PM

didn't sweden do pretty well during the financial crisis?

they seem to have their shit in order.

[Edited on November 20, 2011 at 10:53 PM. Reason : ]

11/20/2011 10:52:54 PM

Sweden also has the lowest Gini Coefficient (measure of income inequality) of all nations last I checked.

11/20/2011 10:55:26 PM

sooo.. Sweden fucking rocks, is what we're getting at here

11/20/2011 10:55:57 PM

My taxes are already high enough. I don't need to pay more so that we can generate more art majors.

11/20/2011 10:56:25 PM

Free education works in Sweden!

Quote :

"The Swedish higher education’s resources will be emptied if we pay for the all the international students' education, says spokesperson Eva-Marie Byberg in the Swedish Ministry of Education."

11/20/2011 10:56:27 PM

JesusHChrist

Quote :

"sooo.. Sweden fucking rocks, is what we're getting at here"

YEH BABY SWEDEN FUCKING ROCKS BABY. I lose 50% of my paycheck every month for the rest of my life. but hey at least my 4 years in college were free!!! oh baby!!!!!




[Edited on November 20, 2011 at 11:02 PM. Reason : ,]

11/20/2011 10:58:00 PM

Quote :

"all the international students' education"

So they want their tax benefits going to those who pay taxes in Sweden. The issue is?

I'd be perfectly okay with paying Swedish level taxes if we also got Swedish level benefits.

[Edited on November 20, 2011 at 10:58 PM. Reason : a]

11/20/2011 10:58:01 PM

Now correct me if I'm wrong. The annual rainfall in Sweden varies from about 40 inches in the winter to about 200 inches in the summer, and the chief export is modular furniture. I did a report on Sweden in the eighth grade. It was really hard, I stayed up all night on it. Then the next day, in gym class I was on the minitramp and I got diarrhea.


I really wish I hadn't told you that.



[Edited on November 20, 2011 at 11:00 PM. Reason : ]

11/20/2011 10:58:58 PM

No such thing as a free lunch. The education isn't free - the cost is subsidized by the rest of the population.

Table 1 Maximum Marginal Tax Rates on Individual Income

1979 1990 2002
Sweden 87 65 56

A little stale but makes the point.

source: http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/MarginalTaxRates.html

11/20/2011 10:59:49 PM

^^ They also export Swedish fish and au pairs.

[Edited on November 20, 2011 at 11:00 PM. Reason : a]

11/20/2011 11:00:01 PM

Isn't Sweden a small, mostly rich, mostly native country? Their policies are sure to work in very different environments.

11/20/2011 11:00:20 PM

47% tax rates in sweden guys lets all go!!!

but hey at least i didn't have to spend 30k on student loans and work a side job while in college when i was over there to pay it back!!

OCCUPY WALL STREET!

more like... occupy a dictionary or history book and then get back to us when you have a serious idea

[Edited on November 20, 2011 at 11:04 PM. Reason : m]

11/20/2011 11:01:16 PM

pack_bryan scrambling to make up for being outed as a liar

11/20/2011 11:03:57 PM

ah where i have seen this before.....
yep this is the part where you queue the direct insults and personal attacks because you the shit pwnt out of you


^ oh i can play that game too this is fun.
adultswim kills puppies and stray cats for fun. he justifies it by claiming they are 1% dogs and cats compared to the 99% dogs and cats who die in the wild anyways



[Edited on November 20, 2011 at 11:09 PM. Reason : ,]

11/20/2011 11:05:25 PM

I really don't get the complaints with higher education in America. We have the best higher education system in world. Other nations send their best and brightest to America to get educated.

My tuition at State was $2,500 a semester. Seems like a good deal to me. Don't go to a private school if you can't afford it.

IMO, the US higher education system is one of the few successful national establishments that we can hang our hat on.

11/20/2011 11:08:30 PM

Quote :

"We have the best higher education system in world."

Not anymore. Not by a loooooooooooong shot.

11/20/2011 11:10:04 PM

^^ OWS WILL MURDER YOU FOR SAYING THIS. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE THAT OPINION. NOT IN MY AMERICA!!!!!

GET OUT OF HERE WITH YOUR HORSESHIT!!! AMERICA SUCKS. NOBODY COMES TO AMERICA FOR EDUCATION BECAUSE WE SUCK. NOBODY COMES TO NCSU COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING ABROAD. WE SUCK AT EDUCATION BECAUSE WE ARE HORRIBLE WHITE HETEROSEXUAL CHRISTIANS AND THIS IS THE WORST GROUP TO EVER EXIST IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD



[Edited on November 20, 2011 at 11:12 PM. Reason : ,]

11/20/2011 11:10:40 PM

Quote :

"ah where i have seen this before..... yep this is the part where you queue the direct insults and personal attacks because you the shit pwnt out of you ^ oh i can play that game too this is fun. adultswim kills puppies and stray cats for fun. he justifies it by claiming they are 1% dogs and cats compared to the 99% dogs and cats who die in the wild anyways "

haha, what? more like, this is where i become convinced you are a troll

11/20/2011 11:11:22 PM

Looks like a rather one sided list.

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2011-2012/top-400.html

11/20/2011 11:12:57 PM

TUITION IS TOO HIGH IN AMERICA. AMERICAN EDUCATION SUCKS. AMERICA SUCKS. I NEED SOMEBODY TO DO MY EXAMS AND TEST FOR ME TOO! THIS PLACE SUCKS




Stanford University Courses, Online and Free: Spring 2012

* Machine Learning (one of the offerings this past fall) http://jan2012.ml-class.org/
* Software as a Service http://www.saas-class.org/
* Human-Computer Interaction http://www.hci-class.org/
* Natural Language Processing http://www.nlp-class.org/
* Game Theory http://www.game-theory-class.org/
* Probabilistic Graphical Models http://www.pgm-class.org/
* Cryptography http://www.crypto-class.org/

Entrepreneurship courses:
* The Lean Launchpad http://www.launchpad-class.org/
* Technology Entrepreneurship http://www.venture-class.org/



oh shit. i know how to google. and thats just the 1st result out of literally millions. I GUESS IM IN THE 1% NOW AMIRITE???!?! hahahaha


FUCK OWS

Sweden is 1 flight away. don't let the door hit you on the way out. OH. and enjoy your 50% tax rate too.

[Edited on November 20, 2011 at 11:16 PM. Reason : ,]

11/20/2011 11:14:07 PM

We have the smartest dumbasses on the planet.

11/20/2011 11:16:28 PM

^i am so thankful for the invention of the internet and the freedom to gain access to any knowledge on the planet.

its working in cairo. its working in syria. its going to work in many other places.

but your 'hijacking and trolling' of this information here is coming to an end. hard work and truth will prevail.

may all the jobs here quickly be taken by hard workers seeking an honest life, like immigrants from asia and central america seeking the opportunity and blessings that only a nation like this can give to anyone.

11/20/2011 11:20:24 PM

Quote :

"i am so thankful for the invention of the internet and the freedom to gain access to any knowledge on the planet."

You're comically ignorant.

11/20/2011 11:22:50 PM

It's a shame that gross internet-trolling addiction doesn't have the same devastating side effects as heroin addiction.

11/20/2011 11:23:34 PM

Quote :

"Looks like a rather one sided list. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2011-2012/top-400.html"

That list is obviously hogwash if UNC ranks on it.

11/20/2011 11:25:52 PM

Quote :

"i am so thankful for the invention of the internet and the freedom to gain access to any knowledge on the planet."

First, we lost anonymity on the Internet.


Second, we will lose your claim to fame "freedom to gain access to any knowledge on the planet."

Quote :

"The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), also known as H.R.3261, was introduced in the United States House of Representatives on October 26, 2011, by Representative Lamar Smith [R-TX] and a bipartisan group of 12 initial co-sponsors. The bill expands the power of U.S. law enforcement and copyright holders to fight online traffic in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods.[2] Now before the House Judiciary Committee, it builds on the similar PRO-IP Act of 2008 and the corresponding Senate bill, the Protect IP Act.[3]"

Say goodbye to Freedom on the Internet.

[Edited on November 20, 2011 at 11:28 PM. Reason : .]

11/20/2011 11:27:52 PM

Some of my favorite demands of OWS:



Make outsourcing illegal

More equality / More equal distribution of wealth

End capitalism / Get rid of capitalism / Abolish capitalism,

Reinstate the Glass-Stegall Act / Re-regulate the financial system / Re-regulate the banking sector

Forgive loans and debts / Debt relief for individuals

Keynesian spending / FDR style New Deal

Employee's free choice act


GO FORTH TROLLS AND DEFEND THESE DEMANDS MY CHILDREN

11/20/2011 11:27:59 PM

Are you reciting what you hear on corporately owned media?

11/20/2011 11:29:38 PM

hahaha you just called your very own huffington post 'corporate/state owned media'



hahhahahaa you cant make this shit up



[Edited on November 20, 2011 at 11:33 PM. Reason : ,]

11/20/2011 11:31:52 PM

Quote :

" CORPORATELY OWNED MEDIA"

Quote :

" STATE OWNED MEDIA"

11/20/2011 11:32:47 PM

My own?


You're the one using it.

11/20/2011 11:33:19 PM

ha, i guess i'll have to pull my boy howard stern and jon stewart into the trolling of OWS once again:

http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:video:thedailyshow.com:402475

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsJPKMvWDmY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWvmGepj12Y&feature=related



make sure you don't watch more state and corporate owned media!!


Lets try to go grammar nazi on him and use personal attacks now that he's basically blown the shit out of the Sweden >>>>>> USA theory


[Edited on November 20, 2011 at 11:37 PM. Reason : ]

11/20/2011 11:35:48 PM

11/20/2011 11:37:36 PM