Monday, October 10, 2011

Occupy Wall Street

So the protests that started on Wall Street are still going and are going national. This is good. Are these folks the Tea Party equivalent of the Left? I'm having a hard time thinking so. There really isn't much difference between the left and right. Both sides are bought and paid for (left with super strong unions and the right with super strong corporations, with each side sharing the banks. This is simplistic, I know).So what is this movement all about? I'm not sure. Hopefully it can coalesce into something with political clout, cuz sign me up! Let's get money out of politics (Money is NOT Free Speech), let's break up the banks, let's turn off our TVs and get some good discourse going here.

Paul Krugman is saying that these protests are scaring the crud out of the wealthy elites because the elites know how gamed the system is.

Robert Reich is saying that Democrats are going to have a hard time joining with the Occupy Wall Street movement.

While I agree that some of the folks in this movement are a bit misguided, this is no different from those in the Tea Party who demand that the government keep its hands off of Medicare. The 'We are 99%' sub movement is also gaining ground and also has some misguided souls on its tumblr feed. That's ok. All this movement really wants is to bring attention that the current status quo is not sustainable nor inclusive, and the only way to get attention is to exercise a constitutional right and take to the streets. It does not help this movement if it becomes violent, however. If the cops keep aggressively trying to suppress supporters or onlookers, then things will get ugly. (Imagine the potential violence if those over 55 suddenly realize their benefits could be cut. The Horror!!)

A lot of right-wing commentators are saying how OWS is doing things wrong and they should do things differently, but as Yves Smith notes on her blog, the movement continues to spread with favorable media coverage.

Some criticism is being made towards the protectors use of corporate goods. Not all corps are bad, but these critics don't seem to get that and are still stuck in the us vs. them mentality.

And on a sad note, R.I.P. Steve Jobs. You will be missed.