As of right now this has about 220 shares on facebook. I thought it was pretty interesting to read through the comments. Here are a few highlights:

> The whole idea of predatory lending is absurd!

False, it is a widespread and profitable practice. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predatory_lending

a thousand words, too bad they are all wrong. The financial sector is massively regulated, a more pertinent sign would direct the US govt to apply the regulation it enforces on the financial and private sector to itself, the government operates free of essentially any fiscal responsibilities or with even the most tenuous links with any economic reality, why do you think the US fed gov is in FIFTEEN TRILLION DOLLARS of debt? no regulation on the regulators, government waste, government graft, government stupidity. don’t blame the private sector for poverty and debt, blame the public sector (I cite the US because thats an OWS protester)

True, the financial sector has lots of regulations many of the important ones are not enforced because the SEC has systematically been weakened. The US pays almost no interest on it’s debt. That debt is entirely unrelated to the meltdown.

From Melissa, the woman in the photo holding the sign:

Wow, I was unaware that my coat and glasses would offend people. I had hoped my poster would induce more intelligent debate. Alas, the problems of being female in this society. Also, I do actively occupy several legal jobs that I occupied a college degree for that allowed me to occupy a legal dwelling. I out here for my family, who work hard and have not been so lucky. I am also out here because what the hell is so wrong to demand a better community? Your anger that people are tired of having opportunity stripped away from them and are saying something about it is simply stunning. Occupy a heart. Also, occupy the bill of rights, the constitution and the damned inscription on the statue of liberty. Obviously, you hate freedom.

most of our civil rights were won through acts of peaceful civil disobedience. There’s nothing in the constitution that has insured rights for african americans, women, native americans, workers, etc… If you study American history you’ll find that this is how our individual freedoms and civil rights have been won time and time again.

annnnnnnd, I no longer have the energy to read all these.

I am fairly excited about this film. The trailer gets me in all the right places.

A couple days ago I was among the vanishingly small number of people who turned out to vote in San Francisco. Normally I vote by mail because I prefer to research and consider from the privacy and comfort of my couch. Although I just found out that san francisco doesn’t even really count mail in votes before declaring victors in local races. Another fun fact:

“About 40 percent of the population,” the same manager said, “think Gavin Newsom is still the mayor.” But even that number might be optimistic, said professor Corey Cook, the resident political expert at the University of San Francisco

:: src Sf Weekly via email (thanks Nev!) ::

Unsurprisingly, the incumbents took pretty much everything. It was also one of the lowest voter turn outs in sf in a long time. I voted to fund schools, roads&bridges and basic municipal stuff because the city can’t afford it due to some elaborate pension scandal that involves bus drivers retiring as multimillionaires.

There were two propositions that were supposedly going to deal with the pension problem. My research indicated that neither of them would.

This is what voting makes me feel like: