OCCUPY WALL STREET

OCCUPY WALL STREET

I try not to get political on my blog.  Politics is too polarizing.  I do not hide that I am basically fiscally conservative and socially liberal but I also do not want to flaunt my positions, I aim to be entertaining.  On the Occupy Wall Street movement, I must comment.

It seems to me, that for the most part this movement is without direction.  Some of these people are angry.  Most do not have jobs, most do not have money.  They want to blame someone.  Some are just protesting because protesting is the in thing to do. 

In my day we had the Viet Nam war to protest.  There was one simple demand, get out of that horrible war which had no real possible benefit for our country regardless of the outcome.  That protest was clearly legitimate, yet many of those protestors were in it just because it was the “thing” to do.

Viet Nam protestors were prepared to protest until our troops all came home.  What do the Occupy Wall Street protestors demand? 

I have heard they want the bankers and brokers who are responsible for our economic woes to be prosecuted.  If you can identify these people (along with many in government who stuck their heads in the sand), and you can identify what laws they broke, then I am all for it.  Clearly there were bad business practices that led to our problems today.  Financial instruments were invented and sold which were not fully understood and ultimately caused our current recession.  Many of those responsible escaped with multi-million dollar packages. 

Would I like to see these people pay for their transgressions?  Yes, I am all for it.  If you are protesting for justice for those people, name them, explain their crime, I will be with you. 

Many protestors want the rich to pay a greater share of taxes.  This may or may not be legitimate.  If the wealthy can pay more without creating negative incentive for expanding business, I am all for it; as long as I’m not identified as one of the wealthy. (I think I’m pretty safe.)

Many protestors, from the interviews I have heard, are just plain stupid.

 “Like dude, these rich guys need to give up their money.  They got lots, why not share?”

“Capitalism sucks man, like we need to end that shit.”

“These people need to like hire more people you know.  They need to give up some of they money.  Just because they got educatedist they don’t got to get all the moneys.”

Well if we are going to end capitalism, what system are the protestors proposing to replace it with?  I am willing to listen.  If there is an economic model or has ever been an economic model which has created more wealth and less poverty than capitalism let’s look into it.

In the meantime all these protestors are accomplishing is to mess up a nice public-use park.  I worked for many years at 1 Liberty Plaza, the building whose management owns the park and maintains it for public use (The greedy bastards).  I spent many lunch times in that park which served many functions.  Comedians tested their material entertaining lunchtime crowds in the park.  Chess and backgammon tables were set up and dozens played at lunchtime.  If you wanted a joint or a nickel bag of pot, the park was the place to find a friendly dealer.  Wealthy bankers and brokers spent no time in that park.  It was used by hard working, lower paid, far from the 1%, employees of the surrounding buildings

Now this park is littered with wrappers, bottles, urine, and smelly people chanting their chants and drumming their drums, but offering no real demands and certainly no solutions.   

Mayor Bloomberg is being cool letting the protestors occupy Zuccotti Park.  He knows that what these protestors really want is some good old fashion police brutality.  A few crushed sculls and videos of unjust unprovoked mace attacks would garner them sympathy, greater support, and disguise the fact that they have no real list of demands. 

The protestors have made their point.  They are pissed off.  They want jobs (or at least money) they want justice (not fully defined) they want those that have to have less. They want new cars, free drugs, unlimited sex, they want free stuff.  Dammit!

You made your point, now go home.  Go home and continue your protests in a productive democratic way.  Define your views.  Find candidates for office that support your views, and support them and vote for them.  If your cause is just, your views viable, our system allows for change.