THE CAMPBELL OCCUPIER

An organ of Occupy Campbell County

November 2012

A message from the editor

Welcome to The Campbell Occupier. This bippus-bustin new monthly newsletter is the publication of record for Occupy Campbell County. The nonpartisan Occupy movement is over a year old now, and OCC takes great pride in its accomplishments. OCC participated in the rally for a niftier tax structure in front of the Cincinnati Post Office in April, and in June we conducted a protest against the corrupt Campbell County Fiscal Courts irresponsible plan to close the Lakeside Terrace senior home. We Occupy, and we Occupyand when we finish that, we Occupy. I will stand tall as part of the Occupy coalition for as long as I dare. And surrender will not be in OCCs lexicon for as long as Im part of it. Raw, rough, sinewythats the Occupy I know and love. OCC stands in solidarity with Occupy Cincinnati and other Occupy chapters. Enough bullshit. Time for action...

Splitting the county: an idea whose time has come?

Occupy Campbell County is in no danger of splittingbut the county itself is. Campbell County is no giant of a county, but its certainly ambidextrous. Break the county into a northern half and a southern half, and youll see that each half features political and economic goals that are generally the opposite of the other half. Im not sure exactly where the line is, but the divide is largely urban versus suburban, so the halves are not the same size in geographic area. Many poor and working-class folks in the urban areas say wealthy suburban neighborhoods have too much sway in county government. Indeedity-doodledy, a disproportionate number of county officials live in opulent suburbs. The main problem though isnt where they live, but that they fail to represent the whole county. Its a demonstrable fact: Most county officials dont care what the cities think. If they did, they wouldnt listen to self-anointed budget watchdogs who dont give a hot diggity damn about protecting urban taxpayers money but dictate what items this money is used for. In the interest of disclosure, Ill admit my own urban perspective, but that doesnt change the facts of this story. County officials should speak for the entire countynot just half. Is it time for Campbell County to split into two counties? A split may bring back the voice of beleaguered urban residents. County officials dont want to get along with the cities, so why should they be able to impose their will on the cities? They dont like us. So why would we want to stay? Plus,

theres a precedent of sorts: Briefly in the mid-90s, a handful of wealthy Kenton County residents wanted to form their own countyand name it Boston County, after the Boston Tea Party. If that effort could be taken seriously, anything can. Will splitting Campbell County require a change in state law? Kentucky law establishes a minimum size for new counties, but some say the county can be split without changing the law because a 2010 court ruling established that we already have two county seats. Should Kentucky law instead be changed to allow independent cities that are not part of any county (as in Virginia)? If so, I think youll agree that independent cities should be actual citiesnot shapeless exurbs. Will all of this be a moot point a few years from now if the county becomes more urban or if one of the major political parties crashes and burns? OCC is neither endorsing nor rejecting a splityet. That would require input from OCC participants. Think about it. Although no new counties have been formed in Kentucky since 1912, splitting Campbell County may be an idea whose time has come.

Corporations breaking the law? It doesnt matter in Kentucky

Studying the law books recently, my ojos detected a pesky pustule in Kentuckys penal code. Peep KRS 534.030which outlines the fines for felonies. Any person convicted of a felony is automatically subject to a fine of at least $1,000. But the fifth clause in this statute reads, This section shall not apply to a corporation. KRS 534.040which sets forth fines for misdemeanors and violationsis similar. The third clause says (drum roll, please), This section shall not apply to a corporation. Then what does apply to a corporation? A corporation cant very well go to jail. Kentuckys criminal code essentially gives corporations license to break the law by exempting them from punishment. And it shows, judging from the things Ive seen corporations get away with. The Bluegrass State has a penal code so thick that it reminds me of the episode of The Dukes Of Hazzard where Boss Hogg brings out a book of Hazzard County ordinances thats the size of an unabridged dictionary. Buttry as though I mightI cant find a word in it that holds corporations accountable for criminal acts. Kentucky law does have a chapter dealing with business and commercial fraudsbut it appears that corporations cant even be punished under it! Big Business is completely above the law in Kentucky. All that in addition to Kentuckys absurd laws that give corporations eminent domain powers (a

policy thats clearly unconstitutional). Im a damn good amateur legal eagle, and as my work progresses, I think youre going to read a lot in this newsletter about state law freeing corporations from condign penalties. You know why youre going to read a lot about it? Because we, the people are the fucking boss, and we say so.

Should the Department of Defense reimburse Social Security?

The flagship Occupy Wall Street chapter started the Peoples Think Tank. I support this endeavor, of course, but it might not have been necessarybecause Occupy itself is the peoples think tank. Heres another idea to think about: Should the Department of Defense be required to reimburse the Social Security trust fund? Much noise is made about Social Securitys future solvency, and hackneyed politicians usually respond by demanding either a cut in benefits or an increase in the retirement age. But its a fact that trillions of dollars were taken from Social Security to pay for the Iraq War. You might call it waste. But I call it...uh, waste. My remedy is this: The defense budget should be docked a little each year to replenish Social Security. Call it an installment plan, if you will. If you buy a house, it can take over 20 years to pay it off. We all remember being falsely accused of breaking something at school and not getting our allowance until it was paid for. In my opinion, the same stiff standards should apply to the Department of Defense. If they want to loot Social Security to carry out one of the deadliest wars in modern history, they should reimburse Social Securityno matter how long it takes. Just like how we all pay when we buy stuff. Twinkles or stinkles, folks?

The Walmart that wasnt

On October 28, I was part of Occupy Cincinnatis onslaught against Walmartin which we visited several local Walmart stores to distribute flyers and show solidarity with the nationwide Walmart worker strike. I wasnt in the group that hit the terrifying Alexandria location, but I was among those who descended upon Walmarts in Florence and Fort Wright. Not surprisingly, we were ejected from both stores by management. (Amazingly, there were no reports of the obligatory physical assaults that tend to be carried out against OC during major rallies.) At both locations, we were chased plumb to the edge of the parking lot by store managers, and police were even called in Florence. Did you know that a Walmart was almost foisted upon Newport against residents wishes? It happened in the middle of the last decade, when city officials colluded with the developer of what is now Newport Pavilion to illegally abuse eminent domain to gut a residential neighborhood. Hundreds of residents lost their homes, and the city didnt give a shit. Butto sweeten the deal for the citys remaining inhabitantsthe city promised that no Walmart would be built there. Later, however, the developer announced that Newport Pavilion would include (drum roll, please) a Walmart. Folks all over Newport and surrounding cities were outraged. City officials then

boasted that they had already agreed to give up veto power over what stores the new shopping center would includeso they could not stop Walmart. It was as if they were folding their arms across their chests and sticking their tongues out at us. Nyeh, nyeh, nyeh! Motorists all over town soon began sporting bumper stickers opposing the proposed Walmart. Before long, however, the issue blew over. A Kroger and a Target eventually sprang up but no Walmart. Im sure this is still no comfort to neighborhood families who were uprooted to build Newport Pavilion. Where did they go when they lost their homes? Away. Ive never found any account of where they settled once they lost what they worked so hard for. Its as if theyve dropped off the face of the planet. But if theres one saving grace, Newport remains a Walmart-free zone. Although a Grand Avenue in 2006. This area is now gone developer received a sweetie deal, the appearance replaced by Newport Pavilion. of a Walmartthe worst fear of most locals was never realized.

Useful OCC links

Occupy Campbell County shall attempt to represent a sustainable form of the Occupy movement. This doesnt just mean cosmic exhortations to Occupy your mind (whatever that means). It means public action as well as behind-the-scenes investigation. The revolution begins with you! So heres a couple of important links specific to OCC. This link is for OCCs main website... http://occupycampbellco.blogspot.com Heres a link to our Facebook page... https://www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy-Campbell-County-KY/195203393896758 Read em and peep, peeps!
The opinions expressed in this newsletter may not necessarily reflect the views of all Occupy Campbell County participants.