I love it when one of my favorite authors, who is definitely in the one percent, supports something like the Occupy movement.
On the Occupy Bangor website, King and his wife Tabitha wrote:
“It’s time for the wealthy to pay their fair share before the middle class becomes the forgotten class. And it’s time for the banks to give back what they were given. There are those in politics, particularly those on the conservative side, who can’t get enough of telling people that the wealthy one per cent must not be taxed because doing so kills jobs. The real job-killers are corporate greed and political expediency. It’s time for working people in Maine and all across the country to take back the American dream.”
Have read about the first 299 pages of THE TALISMAN, and am putting it down. It’s almost 800 pages long and hasn’t hooked me in at all, unlike his much more recent works. This one is loaded with people on heavy-duty recreational drugs and the alternative dimension they visit while under the influence. It’s too crazy and far-out for me, and also entirely too complicated in terms of jumping around all over the place with characters who are not believable, AND isn’t suspenseful or interesting for my tastes. So back to the book exchange this one goes. I’m disappointed. It seems his stories became so much more intensely readable after his accident a few years ago….or maybe that’s my imagination. If a novel doesn’t grab me rather quickly, I give it up.
You could try a Trish or Rob novel! 😉
Ditto, Darren! Ditto!
The Stephen King book I started reading is THE TALISMAN, one of his older ones, penned in 1981. I don’t know what drew me to even bring it home a few weeks ago from the book exchange, but I seem to be reading a lot of Dean Koontz and King again, after a hiatus from them for several years. One of the very best novels I’ve ever read in my entire life, and there have literally been thousands, is his FROM THE CORNER OF HIS EYE. It’s worth the time; it’s a keeper. I won’t be taking it back to the book store but will keep it to read again at some point. Reagarding the subject of this post and a few of the comments, my thinking conitinues to be that global compassion is needed, but that it absoloutely MUST begin here at home, and if it doesn’t, we are doomed. We desperately need to take care of our own problems before we cast out our net of resources to the world and interfere in the woes of other countries. That isn’t intended to sound selfish. It’s simply to note that, here in this country of so-called plenty, we have far too many homeless, starving, sick citizens with no recourse to assistance, and yet we send billions and sometimes trillions across the water to other places and ignore our own American family. Our U.S. “family” is more and more in need, and TPTB must open their eyes and tend to that and if there is surplus, THEN assist the world. My heart aches for the little African babies stricken with Aids, in the throes of starvation whose ribs are sticking out of their tiny chests and who have no medicines, but we have similar situations in our own back alleys and under our bridges and in our woods. We need to address HOME first….in my humble opinion.
A country with less and less of plenty for their own people.
Like that slogan goes “Think Globally,But Act Locally”.
Always!
Strong synchro. Two hours ago I went through my un-read books, looking for one to read while waiting for the MacGregor novels to arrive, and picked a Stephen King novel to read. Just started it, then came to turn off the cmputer and read your post. Cool synchro.
That’s a good one, Math! Which King book is it??
I have a friend, Thomas Greco, a former economics professor, who travels the world teaching and researching alternate currency systems (such as the Ithaca Dollar), local economies, and ways different countries and regions have, or might have, economies that serve the common wealth. I recommend his books to anyone who would like a wider understanding of some of the issues – most recently, “The End of Money and the Future of Civilization” which can be seen at:
https://beyondmoney.net/the-end-of-money-and-the-future-of-civilization/
Kudos for Stephen King’s comments. And I also have to say, I am in agreement with Vicky’s thoughtful post. I, like Tom, do not believe our system is sustainable, and is disintegrating because a new system, and new worldview, is necessary. We want jobs, and the unemployment is a terrible thing – and yet, we have all aquiesced in a system that has sent virtually all American manufacturing out of the country, in order to obtain cheap, exploitative labor, avoid equitable labor practices, as well as any environmental protection restrictions. There is an ethical question written into every sweatshop do-dad we buy from Walmart, even as we lose our manufacturing jobs to buy them so “cheap”. For example, Ford, that great bulwark of American industry, has its largest manufacturing plant in Brazil, and continues to send what little is left of its manufacturing to Mexico and China.
Thanks for the link, Lauren. The book sounds like another for my must read list!
You’re right Lauren.
WE are are own worst enemies,and if we don’t change our ways,it will be all too late.
WE had better wake up soon,or we will be sleeping with the fishes (that’s if there are any left).
Don’t worry about Al Gore’s little global warming film,because this is the film that will really save the planet,but you will never see Al Gore screening this film;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLBE5QAYXp8
Annie Leonard was in Byron Bay last week,but I didn’t know she was in my part of the world until she had left.
I encourage people to visit her website and see what you think.
https://www.storyofstuff.org/about/about-the-project/
Her heart is in the right place.That’s for sure.
But it’s up to us collectively,to get the planet back on track,because it is quite obvious that we are all heading for a brick wall at 100 MPH.
“FALLEN MAN”
the boys been laughed at for years when he talks of a society with out money.. MONEY encourages selfishness… and we all know what the monkey goes for on monday,, but not today, up all night!!
King has always been a generous man with his money and has supported a lot of good causes.It’s not the overnight rich that surprise me with such statements…because they have been there (Middle class,Working class) before,most times.
But it would surprise me if a family member from the upper crust came out with such a statement.It’s the traditional rich families going back generations who are the real 1%,not the overnight success stories like King or Springsteen.
And while I agree with what Vicki is saying,let’s see what sort of compassion is left when there is no more Middle class.I fear that day.
I myself am from the Working class in case anyone is wondering,so I know what working to pay off a mortgage means,and I pity the young ones starting out today.
King began life dirt poor. I’d like to see a great gatsby type come out and support the occupy movement. I somehow don’t think that megan’s generation will be buying houses or getting mortgages. By he time she’s ready to do that, there probably won’t be any middle class.
great to hear from king, for sure! so few of that 1% think in those terms and fewer still have the wherewithall to speak up and speak out on such issues – bravo, mr. king!
about the global compassion issue – of course, it should be the goal of all – however, it’s that thing of one step at a time as i see it here –
While it’s always pleasing to hear individuals speaking up for a more equal, fair economy and society, I’ve been a little confused by the focus on the suffering of the middle class during this Occupy Movement – as demonstrated above in Steven King’s quote.
Of course, some in society have always been discontented with and protested against its flaws, but isn’t the middle class also full of people who unquestioningly bought into dreams associated with mortgages, loans, pensions, shares, investments and wanton consumption, before the economic system finally failed them too?
During the years that many of us were riding along on the crest of this wave, there were people in working classes, under classes and in third world countries suffering for our comforts, who were and still are largely ignored by wider society.
If we – the middle class – are now only campaigning because the middle class is suffering, surely the protests are simply perpetuating the kind of self interest that got us into this mess?
I hope the truly important lessons of genuine compassion towards all will be learned by those negatively affected by the economic system this time around, so that any positive outcomes will finally ripple out for all in our global society – and ensure that the already forgotten class is once again remembered.
Nicely put, Vicki. True compassion should extend across the globe.
Good to hear Stephen King say this. Taxation is a difficult problem though. During Maggie Thatcher’s reign as the UK Prime Minister they actually reduced income tax for all – including therefore the very wealthy – and this actually produced more revenue from taxation for the country.
Taxation is always a difficult problem, I think. Great to get insights into the UK, Mike.