Okay, I found some a list of Occupy's Chicago's demands. My understanding is that this list was voted on by the people present. I chose Occupy Chicago because I live in Chicago.
1.PASS HR 1489 REINSTATING GLASS-STEAGALL. – A depression era safeguard that separated the commercial lending and investment banking portions of banks. Its repeal in 1999 is considered the major cause of the global financial meltdown of 2008-2009.
2. REPEAL BUSH TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHY
3. FULLY INVESTIGATE AND PROSECUTE THE WALL STREET CRIMINALS who clearly broke the law and helped cause the 2008 financial crisis.
4.OVERTURN CITIZENS UNITED v. US. – A 2010 Supreme Court Decision which ruled that money is speech. Corporations, as legal persons, are now allowed to contribute unlimited amounts of money to campaigns in the exercise of free “speech.”
5. PASS THE BUFFET RULE ON FAIR TAXATION, CLOSE CORPORATE TAX LOOPHOLES, PROHIBIT HIDING FUNDS OFFSHORE.
6. GIVE THE SEC STRICTER REGULATORY POWER, STRENGTHEN THE CONSUMER PROTECTION BUREAU, AND PROVIDE ASSISTANCE FOR OWNERS OF FORECLOSED MORTGAGES WHO WERE VICTIMS OF PREDATORY LENDING.
7.TAKE STEPS TO LIMIT THE INFLUENCE OF LOBBYISTS AND ELIMINATE THE PRACTICE OF LOBBYISTS WRITING LEGISLATION.
8. ELIMINATE RIGHT OF FORMER GOVERNMENT REGULATORS TO WORK FOR CORPORATIONS OR INDUSTRIES THEY ONCE REGULATED.
9. ELIMINATE CORPORATE PERSONHOOD.
10. INSIST THE FEC STAND UP FOR THE PUBLIC INTEREST IN REGULATING PRIVATE USE OF PUBLIC AIRWAVES to help ensure that political candidates ARE GIVEN EQUAL TIME for free at reasonable intervals during campaign season.
11. REFORM CAMPAIGN FINANCE WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE FAIR ELECTIONS NOW ACT (S.750, H.R. 1404).
12. FORGIVE STUDENT DEBT – The same institutions that gave almost $2T in bailouts and then extended $16T of loans at little to no interest for banks can surely afford to forgive the $946B of student debt currently held. Not only does this favor the 99% over the 1%, it has the practical effect of more citizens spending money on actual goods, not paying down interest.
You may personally disagree with some, even many of these demands. But I post this to point out that the focus of OWS is NOT to ask the rich for handouts. You can argue that this is part of these demands, but it is hardly the focal point. I feel that people who disagree with OWS, as well as many right-leaning news organizations, focus on the forgiven of student loans, and ignore all of the other, much more rational and completely justified demands.
I agree with most of these except:
2.) I would change this to repeal ALL bush tax cuts, or leave it out. Repealing the bush tax cuts for only the rich will not result in significant revenue, IMO. And regardless of who started this mess, the unfortunate reality is we ALL need to sacrifice in order to get out of it.
12.) I personally think it is kind of ridiculous. When you take out a loan, you should realize the risks and costs before you take out the loan. And just because the banks got bailouts, that doesn't mean people should too. Two wrongs don't make a right. And I think that the US deficit/debt is a huge problem. And to what extent was the bailout money paid back? Some of it? Most of it? How much is outstanding?
I do think some type of program to mitigate mortgage and student debt would be in everyone's interest, however. But I will leave it up to someone smarter than me to figure out what such a program would look like.
So, in conclusion, everyone needs to STOP pretending that OWS' focus is on demanding handouts from the rich. As you can clearly see most of the demands listed hear deal with getting money out of politics and fixing the banking system.
Also, in reference to the original post, these demands aren't anti-capitalist