99 Percent Declaration
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 | This article's factual accuracy is disputed. (November 2011) |
| 99 Percent Declaration | |
|---|---|
 Document logo and Washington State Route 99 road sign | |
| Created | October 7, 2011 |
The 99 Percent Declaration or 99% Declaration is a document associated with Occupy Wall Street.[1] It calls for a "National General Assembly" to convene on July 4, 2012 in Philadelphia. The attendees will be 876 delegates elected by direct vote. There will be a man and a woman from each of the 435 Congressional Districts and one delegate from each of the US territories. The delegates will vote on final Petition for a redress of grievances. The 99% declaration puts forth 22 suggested grievances and solutions including an immediate ban on all monetary and gift contributions to all politicians, implementing a public financing system for political campaigns, and the reversal of the Citizens United case by the Supreme Court.[2][3][4][5]
Background
Occupy Wall Street is a movement, which began as an advertised demonstration asking "What is our one Demand". It has been notable, however, for not having any demands. This has led various individuals and groups to propose demands and try to get Occupy Wall Street support. None of these efforts has succeeded. The 99 Percent Declaration is one of these sets of demands. It has since gone on, however, to have it's own organization. [6] [7][8] [9] [10]
Document
The declaration calls for a national general assembly to represent the 435 congressional districts and 6 US territories to gather on July 4, 2012, for the purpose of assembling a list of grievances and solutions.[2] A National General Assembly idea comes from the Demands Working Group, a protester committee designated at one of the General Assembly meetings in Zuccotti Park. The plan includes elections by direct vote of two delegates (one man and one woman) from the Congressional Districts and one delegate from each territory. These delegates would vote on a list of grievances at an assembly in Philadelphia. After forming, the group launched a website and published a proposed list of grievances online. The subjects of the grievances/solutions are[5]:
- Elimination of the Corporate State
- Abrogation of the "Citizens United" Case
- Elimination of All Private Benefits and "Perks" to Politicians
- Term Limits
- A Fair Tax Code
- Healthcare for All
- Protection of the Planet
- Debt Reduction
- Jobs for All Americans
- Student Loan Forgiveness
- Immigration Reform and Improved Border Security
- Ending of Perpetual War for Profit
- Reforming Public Education
- End Outsourcing
- End Currency Manipulation
- Banking and Securities Reform
- Foreclosure Moratorium
- Ending the Fed
- Abolish the Electoral College, Comprehensive Campaign Finance and Election Reform
- Ending the War in Afghanistan
- Repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act ("DOMA")
- No Censorship of the Internet
The declaration has not been backed by the OWS movement in New York or accepted nationally.[3][4]
Conservative response
The 99 percent declaration has been cited conservative organizations to highlight the differences between their positions and the Occupy Wall Street movement.
- According to Edwin Feulner, president of the Heritage Foundation, the Tea Party stands for freedom of expression whereas the 99 percent declaration calls for “a ban on political contributions by individuals and political speech by associations and groups, including companies and unions.”[11]
- The American Enterprise Institute cites the 99 percent declaration as calling for "paying our teachers a competitive salary commensurate with the salaries of employees in the private sector with similar skills." They agree, but only in the sense that teachers are currently overpaid relative to the private sector in terms of their benefits and pension. They would like to see states and localities have greater freedom to make teacher compensation related to teacher performance.[12]
See also
References
- ^ Kennedy, A.L. (October 22, 2011) "Protesters Plan to Occupy Williamsburg" Williamsburg Yorktown Daily
- ^ a b Walsh, J. (October 20, 2011) "Do we know what OWS wants yet?" Salon
- ^ a b Duda, C. (October 19, 2011) "Occupy Wall Street Protesters Call for National General Assembly, Put Forward Possible Demands" Juvenile Justice Information Exchange
- ^ a b Dunn, M. (October 19, 2011) "‘Occupy’ May Hold National Assembly In Philadelphia" CBS Philadelphia
- ^ a b 99% Declaration site
- ^ Haack, D. (October 24, 2011) "How the Occupy movement won me over" The Guardian
- ^ Hoffman, Meredith. "Protesters Debate What Demands, if Any, to Make". The New York Times. Retrieved 11-3-11.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "Wall Street occupiers need a rethink on strategy". Times Live, AVUSA, Inc. Retrieved 11-5-11.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ ""The 99 Percent Declaration" from "An OWS Working Group"". TaylorMarsh.com. Retrieved 11-3-11.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "The NYCGA-True Hollywood Story: The 99Declaration Group, an Exposé". New York City General Assembly Official Website. Retrieved 11-3-11.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "Tea Party vs. Occupy Wall Street; Contrary to Obama's assertions, movements are poles apart." Washington Times, 2 Nov. 2011.
- ^ Biggs, Andrew G., and Jason Richwine. "Are public school teachers really underpaid? Nope." USA Today 16 Nov. 2011.
Further reading
- Lefcourt, D. (October 21, 2011) "The Essence of the Occupy Movement, 'Redress of Grievances'" Op-ed news
- Benn, J. (October 2, 2011) "Occupy protestors make demands in The99Declaration" Rocky Mountain Collegian
- Moore, T. (October 25, 2011) "The Populist's Dilemma" Cornell Sun