"TAKE BACK AMERICAN DREAM": Author Stephen King releases statement supporting ‘Occupy Bangor’

[kpete]

“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.”

http://occupybangor.org/announcements/stephen-king-says-its-time-to-take-back-the-american-dream
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/11/05/author-stephen-king-releases-statement-supporting-occupy-bangor/

[Union Scribe]

1. I LOVE that man!

Writes great stories.
Gives great advice about his craft.
Came back from nearly being killed.
Has his feet planted solidly on our side.

He is awesome.

[graywarrior]

2. I'll bet he spends time there

I used to run into him down in Sarasota at anti-war marches.

[IamK]

22. i'm surprised he ever left his 7,000 sqft mansion in FL

[graywarrior]

23. You don't even know him---I do

He earned his wealth and he uses it to help people, so think before you misjudge him.

[GentryDixon]

27. And your point is?

[Downtown Hound]

48. If your attempt is to knock the man

It might interest you to know that King grew up poor. Very poor. He didn't even have running water for the early years of his life.

He has earned his wealth and has hurt no one in acquiring it.

[IamK]

74. He is Sam Walton with better PR...... He is the 1%.. if u think otherwise u r a ....

whatever..... SK is a super rich aristocrat that made his money off the backs of the poor and middle class that buy his books and watch his over priced movies.. nothing more, nothing less... He is the 1%.. He laughs at the poor saps that defend him while he wonders which of his 9 bathrooms he will take the next crap in... he throws a few thousand now and then at the democrats so he can sleep at night... total phoney...

[eShirl]

78. what a load

[firehorse]

80. Yes, Steven King is a terroist who forced people to buy his books and be entertained with movies.

He bought a big house. So what. It's not like he bought congress. It's not like he paid lobbyists to de-regulate and rig a system. It's not like he's a CEO of a bailed out bank.

Get a grip.

[dionysus]

85. ROFL... yes, he made people buy his books and see his films..

whatever your grudge is, it's hillarious!

:rofl:

[deutsey]

90. Oh boy.

:eyes:

[Downtown Hound]

93. Dean Koontz is that you?

[hifiguy]

94. What a crock of crap.

No one has ever been forced to buy a book or watch a movie. He made his money the old fashioned way - creating something that people wanted to read/see. Hard to get less exploitive than that. And he has always been an outspoken Democrat.

[CJCRANE]

97. An aristocrat is someone with a hereditary title

who inherited his wealth. Stephen King is the opposite of that.

[bitchkitty]

99. Pick your battles.

He's one of the good guys, rich or not. You sound bitter and jealous.

[Brother Buzz]

65. He does summer at his 'cabin' on Kezar Lake, Maine.

I watched him making his daily walks with his journal tucked under his arm the summer before the accident. I believe he may have curtailed the walks a bit, but he still summers at the lake.

[kestrel91316]

3. Love his stories. Love his politics.

He used to be a high school teacher. He knows about being undervalued and mistreated by TPTB, and how much help unions are.

[brewens]

6. I was a huge fan and read everything of his for years. I always

love the settings of his books. He seemed to like my kind of music too, although some references were slightly before my time. Little things in a story that make it more enjoyable. It makes you feel like you're in the car if you know what's playing on the radio.

I stopped reading his stuff years ago. One time a book just didn't click and I never went back. I will make a point of picking up one of his latter books and give him another shot now.

[Laluchacontinua]

10. I've enjoyed his recent short-story collections.

[druidity33]

18. The Dark Tower!

My favorite books of his...

:)

[Jamastiene]

42. I love the Dark Tower series too.

But, The Talisman is my most favorite by him.

[kestrel91316]

73. Yeah, I quit reading him for a while, too. I just finished Under the Dome.

It's classic old-style King. You MUST read it, if you can lift it.

[hifiguy]

95. Great book!

Couldn't put it down once I started it and flew through all 1000+ pages in a little more than a week.

King has acknowledged that the villains in the story are loosely based on Chimpy - the idiot mayor - and Darth - the ruthless, murderous Second Selectman.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

4. More very well known people need to stand up in favor of OWS. nt

[AzDar]

5. Love, love, love Stephen King. He was speaking out against Bush/Cheney

when many seemed afraid to. :loveya:

A fine author, and a true liberal American.

[Zorra]

7. A totally brilliant writer and storyteller. It's awesome that he supports us. nt

:bounce:

[jmondine]

8. Welcome aboard Mr. King

You are welcome in our movement. You are one of us and thank you for standing up with us.

[Firebrand Gary]

9. Thanks Mr King!

[Fire Walk With Me]

11. Good on him! :)

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. That means I will have to buy a king novel now

:-)

[deafskeptic]

13. Yay!

That is awesome! I love his stories too!

[themadstork]

14. God I love him

An an author I think he's pretty horrible, but damn if he doesn't seem to be one hell of a person.

I sometimes "dream" about sharing a cup of coffee with him or something. I love his fanatic devotion to craft; the man has accumulated some serious hours at the writing desk.

[Scuba]

15. Never read his books, but I like his politics. n/t

[AsahinaKimi]

16. As a horror writer, I am sure he can see

The horror and fear thrown on the Middle Class and the poor. I am glad he has spoken out! Kudos to him!!

[IamK]

17. his net worth is estimated at 350 milllion...

but i guess he one of the "good ones".....
:nopity:

[Fumesucker]

19. Unlike many of great wealth King earned his money by being productive..

Entertaining millions of people around the world, allowing us to escape if only for a little while the humdrum cares and fears of daily life.

[pintobean]

20. Yup. Another 1 percenter

feeding bs to the 99%.

[raging_moderate]

30. Absolutely off the mark!!

I lived in Bangor 3 years. Mr. and Mrs. King donated many millions of dollars to that town alone (the entire pediatric floor of Eastern Maine Medical Center was pretty much paid for by him, along with many parks, ball fields, rescuing libraries etc....). In fact, it seemed at times he was pretty much the only person in town who WAS doing that kind of giving back. I am more liberal and socialist leaning than most, but what I DON'T do is take a broad brush and generalize like you just did. Successful people (financially speaking) do exist and always will.... whether thru education and hard work or just inventing the next widget. There is nothing wrong with that. What is wrong is being wealthy and feeling entitled to be treated differently, to not give back what you can and should for the general population.

It's quite clear who's side Mr and Mrs King are on thru deeds as well as words.

You do us no favors by being an "anti-snob".

[pintobean]

33. If philanthropy is the test

start here and make your list of who gets a pass.
http://www.kochfamilyfoundations.org/FoundationsDHK.asp
Just where do we draw the lines?
The 1% are the 1%. Political views and popularity are irrelevant to me and your "anti-snob" crack is a personal insult. I don't know who else you presume to speak for, but I'm not out to do you any favors.

[geomon666]

34. ROFL! n/t

[CJCRANE]

38. Philanthropy is admirable but there needs to be systemic change nt

[dorksied]

47. Of the 99%, you 'hate all the 1%' types are pretty much the worst.

Yes, he's one of the 1%, but doesn't a persons actions and words, what they put forth into the world, demonstrate what is in their hearts? You are blinded by hatred of the 1% so completely that even when one of them are on your side, and on the side of the people, you hate them, and its pathetic, petty, and stupid.

[pintobean]

52. I don't hate anyone

Making assumptions is "pathetic, petty, and stupid."

[Downtown Hound]

57. Assumptions based on your own words?

Maybe you don't hate King or others, but you sure have no problem labeling them and judging them based off of your own prejudices. It may or may not be hatred, but it definitely is petty.

[pintobean]

58. I'm the petty one?

You jumped in here and started slinging personal attacks. I have a right to my opinion, just like you. You're welcome to disagree, but you need to look in a mirror when it comes to petty.

[Name removed]

59. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[pintobean]

60. I find your assumptions ammusing.

An anonymous poster on a message board can't hurt my feelings. You keep on trying, though. :-)

[Downtown Hound]

62. That's okay. Got better things to do. n/t

[dionysus]

88. so, are you saying you dislike king merely because he's rich?

[pintobean]

92. I never said I dislike the man.

I've been a big fan of his work for 30 years. I recently bought a hardcover copy of The Talisman for my daughter. We have most of his books.

It amazes me how people jump to conclusions.

[newspeak]

46. you think we're all against the 1%ers?

when little boots proposed his obscene tax cut for the wealthy, it was a group of 1%ers who fought against the proposal. There are actually some 1%ers who have contributed to others and wanted to contribute their fair share, while not killing labor or stealing other's innovations.

[pintobean]

53. I only speak for myself

Who are the 'we' you speak of?

[Downtown Hound]

49. And you are another 99%'er

just feeding plain old BS.

[pintobean]

55. Gee. That really hurt.

:eyes:

[Name removed]

56. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[FloridaJudy]

21. King earned every penny of that!

He grew up in poverty and did a lot of crummy minimum wage jobs for years before he hit it big. He didn't cheat people, or make his fortune speculating with other people's money. And he's never forgotten where he came from. I met him decades ago, and even then he was was vigorously campaigning for progressive politicians because he cared about what kind of world we were leaving our children.

Yes, he's been fortunate - most novelists have to take second or third jobs to keep their families fed and housed. Nobody who goes into that line of work expects to become rich: they write because they love it. He's also donated a lot to charity and to liberal politicians, and he's been campaigning for years to have the tax rates raised on millionaires like himself.

He really is one of the Good Ones. If you want to go after the rich fucks who crashed this economy, fine. King is not one of them.

[IamK]

24. he just feels guilty now... He is the 1%

He SAYS he wants the income tax for the rich raised to 50%. He could legally pay up to 50% tax on his income by giving extra to the government but he does not... He could give his books away but he does not... He is a 1%, don't let him fool you.

Nice house in florida....

[tomp]

28. kind of a black and white thinker, aren't you? nt

[Name removed]

69. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[high density]

32. So people are not supposed to be rewarded for their efforts?

"He could give his books away but he does not..."

I suppose I could work for my employer for zero dollars. Though then I wouldn't have a home, food, or this keyboard I'm typing on right now, and it wouldn't benefit anybody but my employer who is making money off of my work.

Who else should give their work away for free? Burger flippers at McDonalds? Airline pilots?

[CJCRANE]

35. His fortune is a drop in the ocean, there need to be higher taxes on ALL millionaires nt

[Name removed]

50. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[smokey nj]

51. How do you know he doesn't give extra? Are you his accountant?

[IamK]

77. he paid 0% in taxes by giving money to his "charities" just like GE....

[Name removed]

81. Deleted message

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[mainer]

83. This reflects a serious misunderstanding of charitable gifts and taxes

The only way you can reduce your taxes to 0% through charitable giving is to give away enough to reduce your income to the 0% tax bracket. Which means you'd be living on a poverty income.

If I make a million bucks income and give away $750,000 to charity, my adjusted gross income would now be $250,000, and I'd be taxed on that amount. But in the meantime, I've written a check to charity for $750,000 which I will never see again. A donation of $750,000 is still a donation -- something I'll never get to personally use.

Basically, writing a check to charity means only taking that amount off your gross income. You still get taxed on whatever you didn't give to charity. And you're still out that charity gift because, well, you gave it away.

[firehorse]

54. It's not like it was handed to him w/ a silver spoon. Hard work and talent is the American Dream

and that is what he stands for, Occupy the American Dream, make it possible again.

Geez, its not like Steven King is someone like Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian - privileged idiots whose made their money off their name or ass.

[Name removed]

76. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Buns_of_Fire]

64. Nice house. He earned it.

I'd like to have one like that, too. I don't, because Mr. King can do what I can't. And what he does do so very well doesn't involve screwing over everyone else in the country in the process.

[dionysus]

89. why should he feel guilty? he earned his dough, unlike other rich people.

[IDemo]

25. All by outsourcing his writing and selling fraudulent derivatives

Right?

[CJCRANE]

36. His fortune is based on SUCCESS, not like the CATASTROPHIC FAILURE of the banks

which was rewarded with taxpayer bailouts.

OWS is not about punishing success. It is about the successful giving a little more back, and about preventing catastrophic failure being rewarded by massive bailouts.

[Jackpine Radical]

45. I hear he outsourced his writing to a Chinese word factory.

Damn capitalist.


*sigh* (I just know I'm gonna need this--) :sarcasm:

[tosh]

68. Please show me where he has used his fortune

to buy politicians or to influence policy to further his gains.

[IamK]

75. He is an over paid turd,,,,,,

[dionysus]

87. replying to your own post?

:rofl:

[dionysus]

86. jealous, much?

:rofl:

[WonderGrunion]

26. Proud owner of Bangor's only liberal talk station

http://player.warpradio.com/player.asp?id=4418&streamType=&streamRate=0

Stephen King is part of the 99%

[slay]

71. +1

yeah he said he was sick of all the right wing lies spewing forth 24/7 in bangor and decided to put some real truth and facts on the air. bravo for king!

[WilliamPitt]

29. Best storyteller of the latter half of the 20th century

IMHO.

[geomon666]

31. Man some people here really need a reality check.

Bashing King because he's a self made millionaire? A guy who came from nothing and built and fought his way to the top without undercutting or fucking other people over to get there. A man who gives vast amounts of money to libraries and schools, who's marched in anti-war rallies, but heaven forbid he owns a big house and wants to live comfortably after getting run over by a fucking van and almost dying. The guy doesn't even own a cell phone but you want to hate him because he's rich. Pathetic.

[redqueen]

39. It's very sad to see.

I know right-wing people attack Michael Moore using that kind of meaningless BS.. but to see it here, aimed at King... it's disturbing and sad.

[CJCRANE]

44. I think those people don't understand

the mainstream left wing/liberal point of view.

They're attacking a caricature, they think liberals who accept or value success are hypocritical.

They don't realize that liberals just don't value unearned riches (like the bailouts) and think the rich should pay their fair share of taxes (as they used to before).

[eShirl]

72. very well said

[pintobean]

82. Don't understand? Maybe they just don't

agree with your definition of "the mainstream left wing/liberal point of view".
DU is proof that group-think doesn't work.

[CJCRANE]

96. It just seems strange to attack someone who's doing the best he can

to help others under the current system and also advocates for those who want to change the system.

IMO you should be attacking the bankers, neocons and lobbyists if you feel so strongly about the 1%, not some guy who struck it lucky due to his talent and hard work.

[Zorra]

63. +1

:applause:

[Withywindle]

67. No kidding.

He didn't get rich by high-stakes gambling with other people's money. He didn't step on people to get where he is. He made his money by producing something that people enjoy. Luck and timing played a role of course (I bet a huge chunk of his money really comes from movies and TV adaptations of his work)--and he constantly acknowledges that. I don't begrudge him anything; he earned his money honestly, and that's rare enough among the rich that I admire it when I see it.

[JanMichael]

79. was someone bashing him?

;)

I think my view of this thread looks very different than yours... (hint: use the "ignore" feature...it works! and makes DU so much less stressful!)

Love SK!

[eShirl]

84. just a few "wealth = evil" types (as opposed to "greed = evil") n/t

[dionysus]

91. it really shows some folks here just hate rich people. bitterness? jealousy? king didn't inherit his

wealth like donald trump or the kochs, he earned it fair and square.

[Odin2005]

37. Awesome!

[redqueen]

40. I love that guy. (nt)

[Jamastiene]

41. He just keeps getting better and better.

I was happy to find out he was a Ramones fan. This is even better...way better. :thumbsup:

[SidDithers]

43. K&R...nt

Sid

[SomethingFishy]

61. LOL.. my two favorites Roger Waters and Stephen King

with pro OWS messages on the same day. I love these guys.

[Bluenorthwest]

66. Love Stephen, also his wife Tabitha

good work, good people, good politics.

[wakemewhenitsover]

70. K&R n/t

[Liberalynn]

98. Bravo Mr. King