The rally I attended on Saturday was awesome. There's nothing like working with people towards a common goal to make your spirit feel empowered. I crocheted a hat, made and flew signs, participated in a march, and enjoyed the company of an amazing group of people. It was truly an amazing experience. I encourage everyone to get out there and take part. These people are protesting for your rights.
The detractors seem to be missing the point of the movement. These are not people looking for a handout, many of them have jobs (some more than 2 or 3), the ones that don't have jobs (lost when the economy collapsed beneath them) have been actively looking. This isn't about politics. This is about stopping the progression of our country from democracy to corporatocracy.
The threatened clean-up of Zucotti park is a prime example. It's a public park, right? Wrong. Even though everyone is TOLD it's a public park, it's owned and run by a private corporation. Brookfield said that their agreement with the city required the park be used for free enjoyment of the public... That is, until the public don't toe the company line and then they have to go. Indiana's toll road is another good example. It was built with public funds but is now owned by a corporation.
How much more do you want to give to big business? Tax dollars saved them when they were "too big to fail". The hope was that by saving them, the government would be saving and creating jobs. Tell that to the people who have been unemployed for over a year because companies have learned that their workforce is so desperate to keep their jobs that the employees do 5 times the work for half the pay.
This is what the movement is about. People are angry about the state of the country. And they should be. The government (all parts of it) and the corporations are in bed together. Companies don't differentiate between Republican or Democrat, they'll give money to both to guarentee that the laws passed benefit THEM. But governments shouldn't work for companies.
Lincoln said in the Gettysburg Address that our government was "of the people, by the people" and most importantly "for the people." When did that stop? When did the government give up on the people and become "for the corporations?" We've let it happen. But as the situation degenerates, I believe we need to avoid violent revolution and take part in non-violent, constitutionally granted ways of changing the system. An Op-ed piece in the NY Times calls this America's "primal scream." We need to scream our heads off before things get worse.
Occupy Together
Occupy Indiana: Occupy South Bend
Facebook: Occupy South Bend
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