Taken to Task: Occupy Wall Street’s Nattering Nabobs of Negativity

[formercia]

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/taken-task-occupy-wall-street-nattering-nabobs-negativity-180512423.html


By Aaron Task | Daily Ticker – 20 hours ago

--snip--

Beyond the Fringe

There are a lot of whackos in the movement but if you look beyond the fringe there's also a lot of people just like you and me: Working class and college-educated people who have a stake in the system but feel the playing field has been titled way too far in favor of the wealthiest Americans and their corporate brethren.

One critique of the protest is it lacks a unified message or mission. Indeed, in my reporting I found evidence of people supporting any number of issues, including:

Higher Taxes on the Wealthy
Prosecution of Financial Fraud
Anti-Fracking and other "Green" issues
Mortgage Modifications
Campaign Finance Reform
Anti-War
Universal Healthcare
Student Loan Forgiveness and, of course,
Jobs, Jobs Jobs

So, sure, maybe the Occupy Wall Street movement is a bit unclear in its views and lacks leadership. But to those who mock the protesters, I have to ask: What exactly is it that you're defending? Crony capitalism? Bank bailouts? Rising income inequality and the slow death of the American dream?

To everyone out there dismissing the Occupy Wall Street movement, I say it's time we stop, and say 'hey what's that sound'
everybody look what's goin' down.

--snip--


Watch the video. Great kudos for OWS.

[Arctic Dave]

1. KILL THE "FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS"!!!

STOP OFFSHORING US JOBS!!!

[bemildred]

2. The protestors want fundamental reform of the poitical system.

There is no reason to focus on one particular issue when you want fundamental reform. They want us to focus on one issue so they can use it as a diversion, and they want us to have leaders so they can attack and discredit them.

[State the Obvious]

3. Who is "they"?

I think I agree with your statement, but I am confused by your last sentence. By "they" do you mean the protesters, or the opposition?

I do think the opposition is frustrated because they cannot pinpoint one specific issue to attack.

[bemildred]

4. "They" is anybody that says OWS needs "leaders" or "specific demands".

OWS may or may not want such things at some point, but it hardly needs them now, and in fact they would be counter-productive, offering the enemies of OWS specific points of attack. As long as it's just "the People" complaining about the shitty, incompetent way the country has been run, there is nothing much that can be attacked, the country has INDEED been run in a shitty, incompetent way; and "the People" are the source of all legitimacy and sovereignty in our government.

Edit: the first thing that has to happen is to re-establish that "the People" are the boss in our political system, that the views of the public OUGHT to determine policy, even when some ego-driven politician thinks they are wrong. Failing that, nothing useful will follow. Compare with Iceland, where exactly that occurred, the public revolted and took back the government, and things are now getting better again, no more babble about "austerity" and such like.

[State the Obvious]

5. Thank you for the clarification.

I completely agree.

[bemildred]

6. My pleasure. nt

[truedelphi]

7. Thanks bemildred. It is very well worth noting that

Iceland understood that the whole "bubble" of derivative selling was a huge fraud, and that although many average Icelanders participated, they did so because they were sold a shoddy bill of goods.

Our country would do well to follow Iceland's example.

And that means that all of us need to support OWS, because those in the WH and in Congress have been bought out by the Wall Street Financial firms.