My Thoughts on Occupy Wall Street

So, the protests have been going on for a while now, but have yet to reach any kind of critical mass that will actually do anything other than get themselves arrested it seems.

I love the idea of Occupy Wall Street (wikipedia). The idea that if everyone making less than $400,000 per year stood up and said, “this is crap!” we could come up with some rules to reign in the craziness that is isn’t true capitalism and start to really fix the world we live in.

If the banks had been allowed to fail and if the auto industry had been allowed to fail, what kind of world would we be living in? Would small businesses and enterprising ideas have created a new market or filled the niche left behind? Would we be better off at this point with many new competitors trying to vie for our dollars? We will never know. Instead, we got more of the same, and it isn’t good for anyone except the super rich. They got a huge infusion of cash into their business, and took home bonuses many times larger than the average full time worker brings home in an entire year.

While I think that protesting is a great idea, I’m worried, like many others, that the people that really need to be out there, saying their peace, are too busy working two jobs and taking care of their children to be out on the street letting the world know that they are sick of being stepped on by the government and large corporations. A group that colludes to keep the wealthy super wealthy so that they can continue to pull funding from them to buy votes for their political campaigns. It is a “I’ll scratch your back, if you scratch mine” system that the average person can’t participate in.

At the end of the day, I think all of the Occupy groups need to come together and get their messaging straight. I, like many others, think that the big change we need to be asking for is a more realistic, approachable government that makes a fixed salary, and can not take any outside funding. Have the majority of government officials make the national average wage, and they’ll quickly work to try to raise that average. Have them enjoy average benefits, and they’ll work to make those benefits better.

Our politicians shouldn’t be able to live a blessed life, but instead should share in the successes or failures of the nation they serve. Get the money out of politics!


Add Yours
  1. Brad Leclerc (@BradLeclerc)

    Have you seen the newest proposed list of demands? Some interesting (and needed in my opinion) stuff in there.

    I think you’re right about the trouble with getting most people that really need to be protesting actually out into the streets because they are too busy trying to keep the shitty jobs they have (and need to keep, since most of them live paycheck to paycheck and even a few missed days would mean disaster). But I hope that those people that can manage it have some impact, however small, on the system in general… things NEED to change, or humanity is pretty much fucked. Maybe not this year… maybe not in the next 5-10… but the current system is not sustainable in any sense.

    Mad Max might at some point be looked at as a docudrama if we don’t pull off some serious changes in the very near future.

    • David Peralty

      I had not seen the list of demands.

      The whole corporation as a person thing would be fine as long as they could be sent to jail for their crimes…lol.

      Some of the things they are requesting are great, but they mostly focus on fixing the outside problems without too many things focused on stopping the corruption in government.

      I think things need to change now though. If we wait years, I think the “slave” mentality will become normal, and the next generation won’t revolt, they’ll buckle down and continue to dream about being part of the 1%.

  2. Andrea

    Amen to your thoughts David! Well-said and very true. As one of those holding down 3 “full-time” jobs (I only get paid for one, darn), there aren’t enough hours in the day to do more than try to make ends meet. One thing is for sure, stress leads to fatigue and injury which leads to loss of job which leads to even more problems and stress on tax-payer funded social services and the vicious circle continues…it is not sustainable and something needs to change in the current system.

    When does self-interest and entitlement get replaced by fairness and concern for the happiness and lives of the electorate which in turn leads to a successful society?

    Besides Exxon, the mortgage scandal and the European debt, how many more warning signs for change do the powers-that-are-elected-to-serve-the-people need???? Duh!

    As a former Walkertonian you might be interested that our former Liberal MPP learned that the hard way…she supported her government’s idea to close the Walkerton jail which would take millions annually out of the local economy and have a huge social impact across several Counties. There was no consultation with her constituents and the Liberals refused to release their figures.

    The decision was made to close three jails to pay for a Superjail in another faithful Liberal riding…go figure! Our riding had the highest voter turn-out in the province and she has been replaced. It could have got them the majority they were looking for but the Liberals were playing political favouritism at the expense of taxpayers.

    PS. One theory is that the bright light who decided to close the jails here and in Owen Sound thought Walkerton was still part of Grey-Bruce riding and since brazen Bill Murdoch was retiring no one would care or take up the cause. Walkerton was actually moved several elections ago to the Huron-Bruce riding and the people here care a lot!

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