Do you occupy Wall St.?
We have been reading about The Occupy Wall Street movement
that is going on its third week in NYC.
It still doesn't have a spokes person and appears to
lack a unified message.
"We are the 99 percent."
I saw a link and the site has statements from
people who aren't in the top 1% of wealth and income.
By its definition, that's just about everyone.
Some say that our incomes have been stagnant for
over 40 years, and in a period during which the
income of the top 1% soared.
The reason it is said is due to the middle class getting
their full share of economic growth.
I sense that what the people calling themselves 99% want,
is some type of economic justice.
They don't have a single "demand," because there's
no single thing that produced this result.
They see a long list of things that are wrong
and that need fixing:
A foreclosure process,
Government bailouts of big business,
a system of higher education that has saddled students with great debt,
a healthcare system that bankrupts people without insurance.
That's what I believe that the Occupy Wall Street movement
is trying to bring attention to and fix.
A political and economic system where the extremely wealthy
have had laws and regulations designed to ensure that
future economic growth continues to flow their way - the 1%.
So I write today because my blog is aimed at helping people
live a more grateful existence.
No matter how large or small their budget.
As for life and the cost of living it - we have to spend less,
learn how to get more for what we do spend,
and design a life for living better.
We all must understand that we a part of the global economy.
How well or how poorly we do is dependent on our own
strategic and tactical thinking and planning.
I too have debt.
Yet no one ever forced me to take on a credit card,
apply for a car loan or put a gun to my head to sign up
for a student loan, or a mortgage.
Although personally I do think that this movement
is going to help bring about the discussions needed
to improve our economy.
I pray for the people that struggle,
and I am praying for the folks down in NYC.
Both the left side of the political spectrum,
and the far right too.
I once thought that the ultra-conservative Tea Party
movement was a reaction to the loss of economic security.
Sadly the Tea Party followers just like the Big Business
interests that support them, espouses deregulation which
was the very recipe that will accelerate the decline of
our middle class.
The Wall Street demonstrators stand for a fairer America.
Who doesn't want that?
Some of the reading I have done on this say that they
want higher taxes for the rich.
Others want the financial institutions brought into line with
stricter regulation.
In the end I believe both would help.
But what we need the most is education reform.
Even if our entire wealth is unevenly distributed,
the possibility of moving upward should at least remain
an option for everyone.
My Father would say, " The only true inheritance I can leave you
is that I worked hard to keep you in school.
No one can take what you've learned or your education away from you.
Make it a compassionate día!