I went last week and saw the Occupy Wall Street protest for myself. The protest appeals to the counter culture side of my personality. I’m sure many will not agree with my observations & opinions, but here they are. The Occupy Wall Street movement is not and should not go away. I saw articulate speakers, and a well behaved crowd. It kind of reminded me of a scene from Les Miserables minus the guns (there are barricades). It would be great if they had a more succinct message, but this will change. I don’t think the protesters are against capitalism, or want to close down the US economy.
These are people frustrated. Currently over 9% of the US population is out of work, and over 80% of college graduates move back home b/c they can’t earn a living wage and afford a decent place to live. The infrastructure in our country (schools,bridges, & highways) is embarrassing. The US gov’t spent a lot of money bailing out (subsidies/guarantees) banks and financial institutions. It is a reality that we can not continue to provide for the community without everyone paying a fair share of taxes.
My opinion is that we as a society must evaluate the long term costs of failing to address problems by avoiding, ignoring, or postponing taking action. We owe it to future generations to figure out solutions. Failure could result in a much more devastating environment to live, work, and raise a family.