----- Original Message ----- From: "c b" <cb31450 at gmail.com>
Any thoughts on this contradiction's potential impact on the Occupation ? Stock holder's democracy and all that.. -------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't know how much of a contradiction it is in reality. Wall street investment is mainly a game for insiders.
The 401k movement was brilliant in its way: it allowed capital to get rid of defined benefits while making every man feel like a little capitalist king with a vested interest in the system. But far from allowing everyone to share in the profits, it basically just moved more money from the poor to the rich, for you may be sure the smart money got out before the crash.
Pretty much everyone I work with lost half their savings in 2008....half their college funds, etc. And of course, due to fraud, a lot of pension funds went under too.
So, I don't really see a contradiction, given that the general plan was not going to be shared profits, but a thorough fleecing. And that was apparent to me from the get go.
Joanna