I am the 1%

Steve Jobs is the 1 percent Beartoons

It started with Occupy Wall Street and has since spread to different parts of the United States and the World. People who are upset about joblessness, opportunities, corporations in bed with government and a host of other things (many legit, several absurd).  Those in the 99%, feel that too much power and money are being held by the 1% and positioning that the 1% is evil (and the 99% are not).

I support many things that the protesters are seeking.  Tax reform to wipe out loop holes and shelters, limiting corporate (and PAC – which isn’t brought up enough) donations to political candidates, etc.  One I would like to see is limiting betting against companies stock going up and increase the tax on gains if you don’t hold the stock for say 30 days.  I am not a financial expert, but in my limited purview these tend to cause major negative swings that can be avoided.   But there are so many people with different agendas that I wrote this on Google Plus.

People are sharing the Occupy Wall Street videos all over G+ and while I fully support their right to protest, I have a question:

What is the end game? I hear 1000 different reasons why people are there and if it is just to blow off steam or even to be heard, that is great. But if there is going to be that point where the protesters feel they got what they wanted, it isn’t clear what that is.

Had some nice discussion about that.  But beyond that, I created this poster to show that everything the 1% does isn’t necessarily bad and just because I am in the 99% doesn’t mean I am necessarily good or can relate to the needs of those in the bottom 10%.  We can’t broad stroke anyone.  Not all banks were involved in subprime lending, not all of Wall Street is out to hurt the little guy.

We can get into whether Jobs is the best example given his notoriety for not being philanthropic like a Bill Gates or because his manufacturing is done overseas, but I am interested in your thoughts.  What is the top 2-3 things that would fix this (or your) country?

About Bearman Cartoons



Previous/Next Posts
«
»

86 Responses to “I am the 1%”

Read below or add a comment...

  1. nursemyra says:

    It sounds disturbingly like you’re trying to teach me maths

  2. MC/Curtis says:

    A giant jeopardy question! What is apple?
    I have personally never purchased an apple product. They don’t appeal to me.
    My wife has a mac and I’ve used it. Not impressed.
    She worked for them too. She hated it.

    What’s-his-name had absolutely no impact whatsoever on my life.
    Globally he was both good and evil as you’ve said, but under a microscope I think all of us do more evil than good. Morally, environmentally, you name it.

    But I think the level of attention desired is different from one person to the next.
    That dude needed a lot of attention.
    Had I been in his shoes I would have cashed out and disappeared a long long time ago. That dude on the other hand had to keep on affecting things.
    I bet he did more bad than good, but I wouldn’t really know.
    I think he’d be mad that I don’t know much about him.

    • Bearman says:

      Wow she worked for them and you didn’t get a discount. I’ll say I love my ipad but I thought it would change the way I drew and be able to use it for most of my drawing. Honestly I see amazing stuff but I am not that good.

      I need a lot of attention too. Sadly I don’t get enough. haha

      • MC/Curtis says:

        She did get a discount when she worked there. So instead of paying inflated rip-off beyond retail prices for apple products like everyone else, she paid slightly less inflated rip-off beyond retail prices. 🙂

        They are kind of like the Amway of computers I guess.

        • Bearman says:

          Funny having used both macs and pcs, I prefer how pcs manage my files. More intuitive…esp pictures. That being said…I love my iphone.

        • He impacted your life more than you know. The first home PC was a Mac and they dominated the market to get computers and cell phones into the hands of the every day consumer. You may not of had a mac. The computer I had growing up I was 6 and it was an Apple II GS. It was amazing.

          • MC/Curtis says:

            I had a friend that had one of those. I remember trying Ultima IV in orange monochrome on it. 🙂
            I’m not certain he did me any favors though. Life would be different without all these toys but I’m not convinced it would be worse.

            Anyway… some buddies of mine also mentioned him this week and if anyone has a moment, another Steve Jobs comic post is up at this link.

            http://www.twotokens.com/?p=2306

  3. lisleman says:

    We probably agree on most of these issues. You are certainly right about “We can’t broad stroke anyone.” I think the wall street vs. main street is a bad way to view it. Many of us have IRA’s, 401K, pensions, etc. that depend on wall street performance. However I agree with one big wall street player, Warren Buffet. The 1% benefit greatly from the legal system, infrastructure, banking system, and general safe life most of us enjoy. I don’t like this extreme microsecond trading but I would not like your wall street trading idea.

    • Bearman says:

      As I said, I don’t know specific impacts of my proposal on a macro scale so can’t say whether it is actually a good idea.

      I don’t want Wall Street to go away for specifically the reasons you said. I have too much invested in it (but thankfully not Bank of America right now as they are getting shit shoveled)

  4. Friggin Loon says:

    The number one thing EVERY country should be doing is buying product and produce made in that country. I don’t know about America but in Australia farmers and primary producers are held to ransom by bureaucracy and boards. Many of our industries no longer exist because they have been squeezed out of the market by imports.
    Buying your own products and produce creates jobs, stimulates the market and keeps your dollars in your country.

  5. Binky says:

    You want us to think and be serious now?

    A minimum tax for the rich.
    More transparency in government’s/politician’s associations with big business when awarding contracts, etc.
    A guaranteed minimum chocolate allowance for the poor.

  6. Comedy Plus says:

    I agree with you on this. I’m in the 99% too. All I see is more dependance on the government and that’s not good at all. People need to work and care for themselves if they are able. I’m so sick of everyone hating those that achieved greatness as the bad guy.

    Have a terrific day. 🙂

    • Bearman says:

      The government can help people or it can hurt people. I know several people legitimately struggling to find jobs (either over experienced or not enough). Sadly there are those who never try and want more.

      • I am on this plane of thought as well. I am all for the government helping out people who are genuinely trying to get a job. but there are a lot of people out there just milking the government for all it’s worth.

  7. Nef says:

    These are the things I would change in this country:

    1) Eliminate the Federal reserve bank and return the money-printing power to the Department of Treasury. (Why does the US Government has to pay interest for printing US dollars?)

    2) Bring the troops home. End the endless wars.

    3) Encourage investment in alternatives to fossil fuels to wean the nation of foreign oil. Oil is obsolete. Drilling more is not an option.

    4) Get out of the unfair trade agreements we have gotten into (and plan on getting into still) The people of those countries that can afford our stuff are going to buy it anyway. The rest cannot afford it. Tax all imports.

    5) Stop allowing corporations to provide support to politicians in secret. Demand to know who sponsors your representatives.

    And I could go on and one and on…

    • Bearman says:

      Sounds like a good list. Some I agree with more than others. Problem with saying Drilling is not an option is that we haven’t come up with a better option for the near term except electric. And that we are still pulling coal out of mountains because now more than ever people are afraid of nuclear.

      • Nef says:

        I’m sure you and I could agree or disagree while still finding ways to solve the real problems of the country without paralyzing government or repeatedly bringing it to the brink of shutdown in the process.

        This is something that our elected officials have not been able to accomplish so far.

  8. Bo Lumpkin says:

    Earn all you can, Can all you earn, then sit on the can. :). JK
    Things usually only get worse when we try to change from the top down. True change for the good usually comes when the 99% decide (or are forced) to change.

    We have become a nation of consumers and not producers.
    PS
    A government gets in trouble when it starts paying women to produce and farmers not to produce.

    • Bearman says:

      “paying women to produce” what is that?

      I am all about ending government subsidizing farmers NOT To produce. If you want to artificially keep prizes high so farmers can make a living, great. Take the excess to countries that can’t create a stable food supply. But people who have tons of acres who don’t actually farm are still pulling in farm subsidies.

      • Bo Lumpkin says:

        I agree with you. Paying women to produce… Surely you know that there are many families living in poverty who have babies so that the size of their government checks will increase. This is not just a redneck legend. I know some people personally who do that.
        P.S.
        The money usually isn’t well managed for taking care of the children either.

  9. writerdood says:

    How to fix this problem? Well… I don’t know. I mean, that 1% at the top (for the most part) had to earn that position. Not that a certain amount of luck wasn’t involved. There are plenty of poor geniuses and rich morons. Taking all the money away from the rich and giving it to the poor doesn’t exactly seem fair. It seems like robbery. Although in some cases it feels right, particularly when you’re talking about wealthy individuals who are using their money to slant the media and political machinery to make themselves wealthier at the expense of everyone else. (You know who you are – and so do we).

    In the end, I don’t see the Occupy Wall Street movement as a movement that is actually likely to get anything done other than call attention to the problems we have in regard to employment and business regulation. In that regard, they’re doing us a favor, but I still think they should go naked and burn their cell phones, computers and iPods. If they’re serious about getting attention, they should all take off their clothing and ditch their tech. That way people won’t be able to point at them and claim they’re hypocritical for wearing brand-name labels. And no more Starbucks coffee you guys. Folgers for everyone!

    • Bearman says:

      haha…but isn’t Folgers still supporting the big corporation? Interesting though about the burning their clothes…that may have got more media attention from the start.

      Then again, there are several in the one percent who got their money the old fashioned way…they inherited it.

      • writerdood says:

        Right on both accounts. Hard to find coffee though that doesn’t come from some big company. I guess they’ll have to grow their own or get some from some small local Mom and Pop stand, but even so…

        Yeah, some of them inherit it rather than earn it. I don’t know the percentage on that though. What percent of the 1% got their money the old fashioned way? I have no idea.

  10. Hjörtur says:

    A well written article

  11. I agree with many of the changes you mentioned but I think it is a good thing there are people protesting out there and one of the reasons their agenda is not centralized is that they are an expression of everyone’s frustration and most people do not know exactly how some of these banks ripped us off but they did a damn good job of it. The banking industry should not be this friggin confusing and the main reason it is because of loop holes and legislation to prevent loop holes.

    Also – I’m not a huge fan of government intervention but in the case of Wall Street is unfortunately needed badly because the moment greed enters the picture most people cannot help themselves. It is human nature so I really thing the Government needs to step in and re-institute regulations that has slowly been torn away since the 1980’s.

    And Steve Jobs – The most fascinating thing about him is that we all drank the Kool-Aid that he gave us, me included. I think we need to step back and think about that for a moment figure out how he did and question if it was such a positive thing or not. I can tell you – No one was going to tell Steve Jobs what to buy, think or do but that is exactly what he did to us.

    • Bearman says:

      I am with you on regulation to an extent. All the free checking that has gone away and charges for using ATMs that are Popping up are all the result of increased regulation. But on the other hand If you ever get a chance to see the documentary on Enron you see what happens with lack of oversight

  12. Tony McGurk says:

    I own an ipod. That’s the only Apple thing I have. Except for apples, there’s one left in the fruit bowl. I’d never heard of Steve Jobs till he died.

  13. George says:

    Cheaper prescription drugs would be a big help especially for those mature folks who are living off Social Security, but yet are spending 2 to 3 thousand dollars a month for five or six different medicines that are essential to their lives.

  14. G says:

    Here’s a scary depressing thought about all of this: These are our future leaders.

    Another depressingly scary thought: I was watching this on Fox News the other day, and on one of the updates, they came up with this interesting encounter that one of their correspondents had with one of the protesters.

    The correspondent, after listening to usual blah, blah, blah from the protester asked him this question, “What do you want to replace capitalism with?”

    The protester had a completely blank look come over him as he couldn’t answer that simple question.

    • Bearman says:

      When the tea party started it’s message was so broad that a lot of people agreed with them. Once it became defined, so many jumped ship because they didn’t agree. I think this is a double edged sword for the occupy group. If they don’t define their goals cohesively they won’t be taken seriously. If ey do, they may alienate a large base of their support who wanted something different

      • G says:

        They’re already being taking seriously by the media and the guv’ment (read, Democrats), so defining their goals doesn’t really matter.

        BTW, we have out here to in a couple of our larger cities, New Haven and Hartford. It’s mostly the Democratic politicians that are working for them, simply because the cities are being run into the ground by Democrats.

        • Bearman says:

          I don’t hear the government working toward any of their ideas so not sure how it is listening to them. Using them in the case of the Dems/Unions, yes, but listening…no.

  15. Nate Fakes says:

    I agree with the protest, but yea – what DO they really want?

    I don’t know. When I lived in Kansas, my uncle (a farmer) became mayor. He wasn’t rich, but he did a good job with his crops and getting things done. Maybe Washington should be more like that? (True story, by the way.) It seems to me money buys power, and that’s where the trouble begins.

    • Bearman says:

      I would like to see term limits on congress. There is no reason anyone needs a lifelong politician representing their district

  16. planetross says:

    I’m not sure if saving the music industry after being partly responsible for providing the means to ruin it is an overall plus on a report card.
    That’s like saying, “I took the child’s toy away and made him cry, but you should have seen the smile on his face when I gave part of it back.” hee hee!

    • Bearman says:

      Well unfortunately the only option that the music industry provided for years was going after people pirating their music instead of coming up with a model themselves. So maybe they only get a portion of the .99 but that is more than they got when everyone was just stealing it

  17. i was watching news last night and yea, none of them had a clue why they were there. but they’re using the whole GEN Y excuse of we don’t need to be defined by a theme. haha.

    anyway, my friend works at bank of america and yea, like 200 people stormed one in albuquerque last week and started hitting and spitting on the employees..

    um, not a good way to get people to take u seriously.

  18. Mark Stokes says:

    All my life I’ve thought of myself as a man, not a number. Now I’m not even a number, I’m a statistic!

  19. Jason says:

    Greed finds a way around the law. From what I can tell, Occupy Wall Street seems like a weak attempt to achieve a foggy utopia. I don’t buy into greed, but I can’t see this Occupy Wall Street thing doing anything more than confusing people at a grand level. Having said that, I don’t like the stock market anyways – just my own personal view.

  20. MJ says:

    I’m struggling to just make it into the positive percentile. Ha!

  21. DadaHyena says:

    I never thought much of being a percentage…probably because I’m a zero…(sob!)…

  22. Jande says:

    What a huge hullabaloo! Personally, it all just makes me feel powerless. I guess that’s why I come here to learn what’s what in politics. ;`)

  23. This sounds like a thinker.
    Is there an app for that?!
    🙂



Previous/Next Posts
«
»