The video below of Thomas Thurman at Day 30 of Occupy Raleigh portrays a congenial occupier who believes in his cause of “economic injustice”:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h35_bggNA6Q
I spent an additional hour with the seven people representing Occupy Raleigh on Sunday, 11/13/11. To be fair there were another five people illegally camping on the Capitol grounds since the Capitol police were not present.
Here are several disturbing points which I learned from these useful (or rather useless) idiots.
1. If the corporations would pay their fair share of taxes, the country would be fine. As much as I presented facts to the contrary, they could not grasp the true economic condition of the United States and the world. Mr. Thurman has two degrees: Biology and Accounting. When I suggested that if the fair share of corporate taxes was 100%, it would not make a difference as outlined in this video, he became agitated and repeatedly stated no one wants them to pay 100% in taxes:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=661pi6K-8WQ
2. If you want to get an occupier upset, ask them to define “fair share”.
3. The Koch Brothers fund the TEA Party and they know this is absolutely true. When I explained that NCFreedom Triangle Region never received any outside funding and that I personally funded any shortfalls from these events, “Molly” beat a hasty retreat.
4. I was told that I was not telling the truth when I said that 47% of the people working pay no federal income taxes. This was quickly disputed by Mr. Thomas who immediately restated this to be all taxes instead of my premise. When I pointed out that I said “federal” taxes, he still said it was not true. I told him that since he was has an accounting degree (who receives money back from his federal income tax returns), he was more than welcome to write an article debunking this fallacy for this site. He declined multiple times. Here are three articles supporting the 47% figure including the New York Times and the Washington Post:
http://news.yahoo.com/numbers-47-percent-pay-no-income-tax-look-170500327.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/business/economy/14leonhardt.html
5. A young couple approached Thomas to congratulate him on his work to stand up for his cause. The woman then asked what was their “cause”. After explaining economic injustice, she offered to help by giving them food or donations. They asked for cans of coffee. The couple explained their views and that they go to church. The man then stated that without action, the movement would fail. Action meant violence since the rule of law is no longer valid in the country.
I tried my best to engage Thomas and another woman in a dialog but their resolve and misconceptions are too ingrained. They have no concept of the nation’s debt or economic policy. The mantras “Economic Injustice” and “Fair Share” is their only defense. Facts such as the federal deficit and unfunded mandate liabilities cannot be comprehended. I want to thank Thomas for proving me wrong. I have been told that my efforts to talk to “occupiers” is a waste of time. I disagreed and felt that we should be reaching out to all Americans. I now realize that the division between patriots and occupiers is too wide to be breached. Their greed is hidden under a cloak of altruism and their ignorance is seen as their version of the truth. Lenin would be proud.
I learned a new term this weekend: 48 hours. When the economy collapses, these people will be gone within 48 hours.
David DeGerolamo
