I’ll come right out and say that I am flatly against the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement. Far from something that “opens the eyes” of its followers, I think that it is a destructive and selfish movement aimed at the perceived symptom without providing a real means of solving the problem. This group of self-avowed anarchists calling for the destruction of Capitalism and the start of a Revolution does not seem to realize that by calling for Big Government to come in and cancel their mortgages, their student loans, or to make the price of broccoli affordable (I’m not kidding you), they’re acting hypocritically.
What is the solution that this Leftist, Union-backed movement is looking for? To take 99.99% of the ‘Top 1%’s wealth? I don’t think even that would satisfy some of them. That still would not be enough money to fix the problems in this country. Do they really want to destroy capitalism? After all, the only thing capitalism ever did for you and me was make the United States an economic powerhouse at the turn of the 20th century, enabling us to fight off two world wars and keep Communism in check. It was the dynamic spirit of America. To all those wannabe anarchist, communist types out there, I challenge you to go look and see what East Germany looked like after the Berlin Wall fell, and compare that to the capitalist West. Do you want that for America? Communism (and socialism) had a stagnating effect on the economy and forced everyone to conform to the Party’s rules. But! They did it all in the name of economic fairness for the little guy! Sounds great, right? Sign me up!
Who are the protestors? When I look at the gathering herd, I see a collection of the unemployed, I see union workers, I see students, and I see the last gasp of the aging 60’s generation grandma’s in their hemp hoodies all trying to stir the pot against those evil, fat-cat capitalist pigs. They’re all wearing nice consumer goods and carrying expensive cameras made by those ‘evil’ corporations, though aren’t they? For a spontaneous movement, they sure have a lot of pre-planned literature, printed signs, and robotic “I will not conform by conforming” chants.
Something that really struck me was an interview of a union worker, sporting his Union Tee, in which he proclaimed that it was immoral for his managers and big corporations to deny benefits and entitlements to union workers in the recent moves toward economic austerity. I nearly spit out my coffee with a fit of laughter. This is the same person whose advocating that we steal the wealth of the ‘upper class’ and just give it to everyone else. I have an announcement to make: You’re not entitled to half (or more) of someone else’s hard-earned money. I’ll agree: There are many problems with the tax code, and a government that thinks it can spend, spend, spend without consequences to you and me. Do I even need to mention the fact that government employees enjoy higher salaries and better benefits at a much lower cost to that of their private sector counterparts? How many private sector workers can take a day off work, bring their kids with them, and sit out in a park for a few days? I know that my parents could not, nor would they. They have more respect than that.
There used to be a time when people believed in personal responsibility and hard work. I think that percentage of people is shrinking, especially in this entitled, over-credentialed generation of mine. No longer do you ask what you can do for your country, but what can Big Government Sugar-Daddy Barney Frank and Co. do for me? I think it’s a sign of ignorance when students go to expensive schools, racking up tens of thousands of dollars in debt to get a useless degree and then point the finger at everyone else but themselves when they find out that their double major in environmental studies and art history just does not stack up to the current jobs market.
These protestors aren’t the real victims; those people that were trying to get home from their jobs, return to their families and just get on with their busy days are. When you have to shut down a bridge because the whining mob cannot follow through with basic police instructions you begin to see the real tragedy here. What we’re witnessing is the decay of the American spirit. Rather than advocate that we pull ourselves up and help each other out, we’re instead witnessing a movement that scapegoats a smaller number of people, most of whom are simply trying to earn money for their families and their employees.
All of this is being goaded by Democrats and leftist politicians, some of whom are responsible for this whole mess. Frank-Dodd, anyone? Community Re-Investment Act? These people think that Government will save them, and that Government has to be their new parent. Far from bringing us together, this foolishness cleaves us. I find it crazy that in a modern, developed western nation some of our citizens are willing to give up vital, big-life choices like healthcare, education, and housing to government bureaucrats, while placing more attention on how many hundreds of cable channels they can watch on their televisions. It’s an inversion of the American spirit, and I only hope that there are enough good people willing to stand up against the encroachment of Government. Living in America gives you the chance to succeed; it cannot and should not be the guarantor of your success.
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I was absolutely hounded by one or two critics who insisted that their father (who was a fire fighter) did much more than merely polish the fire truck at the station. He was offended by my comments. My reply? I'm happy to be of service. Here's the second article.
Occupying What?
Certainly not occupations. So, by now the quaint protests at Stonehill have subsided, and those gathered with their nice handmade signs have retreated back to the comfort of their dorms to get back to the hard life of being a pampered student at Stonehill College. I still cannot fathom what it is that my fellow students (and folks in the nation at large) are protesting. I’ve heard the same tired 1960’s platitudes about ending greed, giving the poor 99% what they deserve, hosing the rich, etc., but nothing had any substance. Nobody likes to quote the statistic that the top 1% pays 40% of the taxes in this country. How much more do you want to take from them? How greedy are you?
The wonderful thing about the Tea Party is that they brought themselves into the political discussion and co-opted politicians that espoused their views on economic policies. They actually had specific grievances that could be addressed by the political class in Washington. Right now, the Occupy Wall Street movement has no sense of direction, no leadership, and nothing to show for it except being a sinking money pit on the very citizens they proclaim to represent.
What do I mean? The Boston Herald just reported that it’s had to spend an estimated 2 million dollars in security so far, and the protestors seem content to sit under their tents and pound away in their drum circles for hours at a time. The New York Daily News reported that in New York, the protestors have caused the taxpayers another 2 million dollars over their three-week protest binge. These costs will be dispersed to an already over-taxed citizenry from states that are strapped for cash as it is. On October 7th, the Brookfield Office properties, which owns the Zuccotti Park, has issued complaints that it cannot ensure the safety and keep up the sanitary conditions in a park that is supposed to open to everyone. One can only wonder how the local small businesses feel about a bunch of grimy, unemployed college kids gumming up the areas around their store fronts? One Vietnamese businessman who runs a small food vendor operation has been closed for two weeks because of these morons. Did anyone happen to see the picture circulated in British newspapers of a protestor defecating on a police car?
Despite proclamation by Vice President Joe that crime would skyrocket, President Obama’s latest attempt at Big Government Stimulus, the laughably-labeled ‘Jobs Bill’, was soundly defeated in the Senate. Those damned conservatives, always in bed with corporations! But… wait… I seem to remember hearing all throughout the election season back when King Hope-and-Change was all the rave that he received more money from Wall Street corporations than any other politicians in recent history. I’m also willing to bet money that my fellow students (and most of the protestors) support President Obama and either voted for him or plan to vote for him in the future.
We pride ourselves on being an intelligent, active generation of young idealists looking to make the world a better place. Sadly, I’m beginning to doubt that many of us are very intelligent. A college student was interviewed just the other day by Charles Cooke, and when he was asked what he was protesting he replied, “I want them to forgive my college loans because I want them to forgive my loans.” Amazing logic there! Surely, that kid had nothing to do with his current predicament? He didn’t choose to go to an elite school in the North East, he didn’t choose to major in Intra-Cultural Feminists Studies and Interpretive Dance? Right. He just wants someone else to bankroll his life. It’s just whatever you want, man.
Someone else rattled off an interesting argument as to why he should be given a job. It went something like because he went to a prestigious school, racked up over 100 thousand dollars in personal debt, and graduated, that he was then assured and promised a job once he left school. That has to be one of the fallacies of the American education system. Too many over-credentialed people with degrees that are absolutely worthless in the real world are clamoring for jobs in an anemic market. So what do they do? They turn to government as the savior and demonize the corporations for their expensive education, their lack of a job, and the price of broccoli. I wonder how many Stonehill students are toiling for hours on end with degrees that will end up not helping them in the slightest.
Instead of attacking ‘corporations’ as greedy, maybe my fellow students should organize a separate protest against the administrators of Stonehill? Take a look at the rise in cost of college education and chart that with inflation over, say, the past twenty years and tell me who the real crooks are. Higher education is really nothing more than a sophisticated extortion racket, and is much more disingenuous than these “corporations” that so many people are railing against right now.
- -Lucas Sylvia
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