The Occupy Wall Street Movement is Like a Breath of Fresh Air

The Occupy Wall Street movement started as a call to action by the website for Adbusters magazine on July 13. It is inspired by the “Arab Spring” uprisings in Egypt, Libya, and Syria earlier this year. The actual protests began on September 17, with just a few dozen people near the New York Stock Exchange, but quickly grew to thousands. The Occupy Wall Street Movement has spread to other cities across the United States and parts of Europe and Asia, as well. Their slogan is, “We are the 99%”. One of the reasons for the movement seems to be an overall discontent with political corruption, corporate greed, and lack of true representation for the common citizen.

Media outlets have rebuffed the Occupy Wall Street claim that 1% of the population in this country, have the most power and wealth here. Well, whether this number is 1%, 10%, or 20%, is really besides the point. One of the real issues, is that it is wrong for a small segment of the population to have the ability to manipulate politics and the economic system in this country, at the expense of the rest of the population.

I am very glad to see that the American people are finally waking up from their long slumber. They are coming to the realization that the system is damaged. People who were formerly distracted by American Idol, Harry Potter, and ipods are learning that the American dream is waning and our rights are slowly getting taken away. The main culprits behind the destruction of this great system founded by our forefathers, is greedy corporate officers and the complicit actions of politicians.

Corporations have made billions of dollars in this country through illegal activities and kickbacks, in addition to campaign contributions to politicians. We have started wars in the Middle East for the sake of making money for defense contractors. Of course, the U.S. taxpayers are footing the bill for the wars. Many of the politicians (across all party lines) are corrupted by their relationships with the mega corporations and corporate lobbyists. 

Huge corporations like GE can get away with not paying any taxes to the United States. Jobs are getting outsourced overseas to workers in India, China, and Mexico, where those workers are being exploited. The corporations have far reaching influence on what we see in the biased media and the types of laws that are created and amended by Congress and how the laws are interpreted by the United States Supreme Court. The corporate lobbyists are pushing our Congressmen to craftily construct laws which will reduce our rights as consumers and citizens of the United States, while boosting corporate profits.

How could people like Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney say that there is a class warfare, with an attack on the rich? Well, reality check: In the United States, there has been class warfare against the middle class and poor for decades now (The rich don‘t want to pay their fair share of taxes). Herman Cain has said, "Don't blame Wall Street, don't blame the big banks, if you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself. It is not someone's fault if they succeeded, it is someone's fault if they failed" (I can’t believe this guy is running for president). Bill O’Reilly made the comments on his show, The O‘Reilly Factor, “All [the protesters] have to do is take a shower and get a job”. ( Who‘s the real pinhead here?). What in holy hell is wrong with these guys?

Obviously, the aforementioned people are delusional and completely out of touch with reality. There is the implication in their statements that the middle class and the poor are anti-capitalist, lazy, and jealous of the rich. It just shows what conniving, condescending, insensitive, and elitist jerks they really are. I think that Michael Moore pretty much hit the nail on the head with this subject matter. During an interview on Current TV, with Keith Olbermann, Mr. Moore stated that “They have taken our democracy and formed it into a ‘kleptocracy’ ”.

Some of the super rich and politicians in the U.S. are turning a blind eye to the economic injustices and disparities going on in this country. It is as if they think that if they feign ignorance, the rest of the population will follow suit.  Some of them could care less about the state of the impoverished and jobless masses, because it has little or no impact on their lives. There are people who were formerly upper middle class, working hard their entire lives, only to end up in the twilight of their lives as destitute, homeless, with no retirement, and seemingly no hope. I can’t believe that in the world’s richest nation, there are human beings that work two or three jobs who still can’t afford safe housing, a quality education and health care.

Although hundreds of the protesters were arrested and/or pepper-sprayed, the movement has been peaceful, for the most part. I would like to see the movement organize and continue, provided that it remains peaceful and civilized. While it is not clear whether it is legal for Occupy Wall Street protesters to pitch tents and campout, these people have a right to be angry and frustrated. They have a right to exercise their first amendment rights to freedom of speech and their fourteenth amendment right to peacefully assemble.

Sources:
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-10-05/news/30265175_1_herman-cain-pizza-ceo-protesters



http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/09/18/rep-ryan-accuses-obama-waging-class-warfare-with-millionaire-tax-plan/

　

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