Occupy

Here in Washington, DC, like in several cities in America, and even overseas,we see a group of people trying to force the ruling entities to listen to their voice. Frustration with how things are going in our country is not a new thing. The impression that politicians, who promised to fix the problems, are themselves part of the problem, is growing. The everyday news that portrays our government leaders as a glorified group of middle schoolers adds to this impression. Why do the politicians from one party spend more time trying to shoot down ideas from the other party, just to "make the president and his party" look bad? These people are supposed to be looking after the country's interests, not playing stupid games. They seem to think that the American people don't really know what is going on. Reality check. The people outside with their Occupy signs are not just poor, ignorant people. There are doctors, nurses, engineers and a plethora of other professionals mixed in with the homeless, under-employed, and the young. This is more than the sit-ins that occurred in the Sixties, where the protesters were portrayed as hippies, and naive college students. The politicians give the impression that if they ignore the Occupy people, that they will get tired of protesting and will go away or winter will come and it will be too cold for them to want to hang around. Even if they do go home for the winter, don't forget politicians, next year is election year.

1. Let's look a bit at exactly why these people are protesting, shall we? The American government has bailed out the car companies and the banks. Fine. There is a bit of a rub when the typical American can barely feed their family and many are losing their homes and jobs, only to see on the news that the very banks that were bailed out have given their top executives bonuses in the millions of dollars. I'm sure that a share of the wealthier population see the protest as one that would take their wealth away to evenly distribute among the masses i.e. communism. I recall that one of the Presidential contenders, Herman Cain, basically has said that the protesters should get off their butts and work hard like he did to get his money. Granted, there are some people that expect to live off the backs of others, but I propose that a good share of those protesting are not asking for a hand-out, but a chance at making a better life. I had a good job, until they eliminated my position to cut costs. Let me tell you, it was not easy to find another job and I have a graduate degree. It does seem awfully unfair that the wealthy get wealthier and the poor get poorer. Okay, wealthy person, if you want the protesters to go away, give them a job and a chance to do well. Don't just hoard your wealth or flaunt it, use it to make the world a better place. Oh, and I think that Congress should share some of the pain. Right now, they seem to be immune to the rise and fall of our economy. Vote in a caveat that, if the budget is not passed, they can be looking at not getting a paycheck with the rest of us. Tie their paychecks to the way the government is going. It has become extremely obvious that Congress is in the pockets of those who hold the most money and influence. "Money talks"--let's let it talk for the 99% of Americans too.