Monday, October 10, 2011
Capitalism
Many make the mistake that the protesters on Wall Street are just kids with nothing else to do. If you believed FAUX NEWS, you'd think they are bearded unbathed leftists from the 60's who hate capitalism. The MSM isn't any more flattering in their portrayal. Everyone seems to be determined to discount them from the get go, and negate what ever it is they are trying to say. There seems to be this idea that since they haven't created a list of demands like kidnappers, they aren't serious and can be ignored. Other folks on the right, such as B-Daddy, do seem to get it.
The message is very simple. We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore. A pretty familiar message to Washington. So what are they mad about?
The middle class is hurting. Its been experiencing a downward slide for the last decade and the last few years its dropped off a cliff. They want this acknowledged. They want the kleptocracy in Washington to stop calling them whiners and start taking them seriously. They are tired of feeling like there are two Americas - the ones being screwed and the ones doing the screwing. They're tired of hearing how great things are just because the job hoarders are getting their bonuses and stock options are soaring.
Over all, they are tired of the rich and powerful, being the rich and powerful. They believe in the myth of the American dream, and that hope is being strangled right before their eyes. Many of the protesters don't oppose Capitalism. They just oppose the trend toward a second gilded age. They remember an America where the middle class used to be comfortable, not homeless. And they are tired that no one in Washington seems to be facing this new reality.
Note to the rich and powerful. People in large numbers can become rather dangerous when when hope is taken from them.
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4 comments:
Kelly, Thanks for the link. I recognize that there are legitimate demands out there. However, I personally blame Washington more than Wall Street. There is a good overview in today's WSJ, no irony intended on the root causes.
What galls me is that after profiting from disastrous Washington policies, these bankers get bailouts when the policies go bust, but get to keep their prior bonuses. That is a real injustice. But the root cause is the desire of federal level politicians to meddle in the economy. Ultimately, we can't deliver any good or service in above market amounts or below market prices without the system intended to create those conditions collapsing.
I love Oingo Boingo. Thanks.
I see it as chicken and egg. One can't exist without the other. Blaming Washington is blaming the "whip, not the hand that wields it." The real power is with the money. It always has been.
Citizen's united has doomed us to politics corrupted by endless money. It was bad enough before when they had to try to hide it.
Linked.
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