In the last few weeks, what started out as a small group of frustrated protesters who've taken the task of highlighting the injustice of the financial system, has become the talk of the Internet, Facebook and especially Twitter. I leave out our TV news stations because until there was disruptive interaction between the docile protesters and authorities, they refused to mention the occupation on Wall Street at the request of their corporate owners.
The lack of a clear message has never bothered me, any more than the lack of a clear message in the early days of the tea party bothered conservatives. But now that the original gathering and the copycat protests in other cities has grown to uncomfortable numbers, the press and those in DC are taking note. Likewise the message is being shaped to appeal to what's called The Other 99%.
Mainstream issues like repeal of the Bush tax cuts for the rich, stricter financial regulations, more stimulus spending and so on. Changing our trade & tariff deals with China, closing loopholes in corporate tax structure coupled with investing in our nation's infrastructure and lowering the cost of higher education all provide the drive to journey to lower Manhattan and sit in a park.
You'll remember that Initially, the Tea Party started out as a grass roots effort, but was absconded very quickly by Fox News, the Koch Brothers and Dick Armey who provided funding and message to beat down anything remotely progressive coming out of the White House. They even wanted to repeal the 17th amendment. Lower taxes and reduced spending are noble ideas when you have a prosperous economy, but when you've been given a sluggish economy that's saddled with the abominable "Bush Tax Cuts", it's going to take almost the same 10 years it took to get us here to get us out.
Thankfully, Keith on Current, Dan on RT and Rachel on MSNBC have brought us the earliest reports on Occupy Wall Street and America is starting to listen. As you'd expect, Fox News is painting the middleclass outcry against the corruption in the financial sector as childish hippies, communists and tantrum prone bed-wetters. Projection is what Freud would call that.
5 comments:
The organized slow walking on this jobs bill is nothing less than a "lock out" of American construction workers. It is a despicable act of hatred and contempt for the middle-class. These actions by a group that has only marginal support of the electorate cannot be allowed to prevail. Only 392,000 people will pay for this jobs bill out of 300,000,000. Most people will see tax cuts. This movement has a message and they have a mission. What they lack is a target. Boycotts of specific companies. Where's the "hit" list to turn this thing into an effective vehicle for change?
Thanks for getting back to work.
Thanks so much for getting back on here with your insights..Much appreciated..Nancy and Bob
Happy to see you blogging again, Mike!
Mike - The co-called "Occupy Wall Street demonstrations shows the frustration and anger over political bickering about how to help unemployed workers. What is staring Congress in the face is the attempt by President Obama to get his jobs bill passed. Their approach should be to immediately pass the infrastructure portion of the bill and begin to rebuild our country's roads, bridges and pulic buildings. It will put tens of thousands of people to work and begin the long overdue job of overhauling our infrastructure.
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