Riding the crest of broad news coverage lately has been this "movement"
known as "Occupy Wall Street", which is supposed to be some kind of
"people's action" against so-called "corporate greed", "wealth-hoarding",
and a number of other populist themes and ideals. But just as
the real aims, goals, and message of this "movement" are ambiguous,
murky, muddled, and fuzzy, I thought I'd post my own jumble of disconnected
thoughts on what this "movement" is... er... *Seems* to be... I guess?
Sort of? Maybe? Not sure...
One thing's for sure: It ain't no Tea Party
From the very start, this "movement" has been a rag-tag band of squatters,
who have taken over a park in New York near Wall Street and who have
decided to LIVE there, for the time being; reports are that sanitary conditions
are geting worse by the day, with participants urinating in the streets and
strewing their garbage in every direction. In addition, there are fights
and scuffles with local police on a daily basis, vandalism, public nudity,
even -- by some reports -- pot smoking and other drug use going on...
There is even a YouTube video showing a sympathetic Democratic congressman
who came down to speak to some of the rabble, but who was used, instead, as
the centerpiece of a mock-theatre skit intended to show how "ineffectual"
the government is; the congressman never got to speak and wandered away...
This weird, filthy, combative, drug-using mob-mixture has been joined by
all types of anarchists, Union thugs, scoff-laws and other crack-pots for
a street-festival style, political "mardis-gras" of sorts, but the MESSAGE,
if there is one, seems to be nearly impossible to pin down...
Contrast this to the Tea Party:
It's public gatherings have been almost universally calm, clean, peaceful,
and orderly, events which you could easily see your elderly loved ones
participating in and enjoying without fearing for their safety... The message
of the Tea Party has been CLEAR and CONCISE from the beginning; a quick Google search shows that from chapter to chapter, state to state, and from one Tea Party organization to another, the fundamental principles and themes of this movement have been, and are consistent; the Lists vary slightly, but they are all in agreement with these Core Values:
- Free Enterprise beats Socialism
Government must be limited
Government spending must be frugal
The Constitution is our supreme guide
I actually agree with SOME of what OWS is supposedly about
To the extent that this quirky OWS "movement" -- and anyone else from the Left --
proclaims that the "Wealthy" ought to "pay their fair share", I completely AGREE
with them; everyone -- rich, poor, and everyone else -- should pay what they
OUGHT to pay (in Taxes), and nobody should have the benefit of Loopholes,
special Tax shelters, or any other mechanism that provides advantages that only
some people get to enjoy...
I also AGREE that the Federal Reserve is a HUGE part of the problem in this
country, and that it ought to be completely dismantled and gotten rid of;
control of the money supply, and the standard on which it is valued (the Gold
Standard), should be the domain of elected Government, not some non-elected,
above-the-law "private club" whose hidden ways-and-means (including heavy
international involvement) affect the financial health and well-being of
virtually all American citizens...
I also AGREE that it's just shameful that a few Executives
at the top levels of most of the world's wealthiest corporations enjoy
ridiculously LAVISH life-styles, funded by corporate profits, while the
"worker bees" of that organization have to struggle to make ends meet, worry
constantly about lay-offs (especially in this dismal economy), and know that
in any case, only a very few will EVER make it to the upper echelons in the organization:
There are only so many keys to the executive restrooms to go around, and
besides, who would want to tee off at the Country Club with
a RECEPTIONIST, anyway?? (Please note the Sarcasm in that last sentence).
The problem is, WHAT TO DO about it... The GUB-ment is absolutely the LAST entity
who should get their incompetent and money-wasting claws into the mix;
and you can't LEGISLATE Morality (as some on the Right have learned over the
years), forcing the Board of Directors at "Corporation X" to push more of the
Profits back down into the company... So what can be done, so that "Susie-Q
Employee" can enjoy more of the rewards that she helped create, by working hard
and doing her job well?? I honestly don't have an answer for that...
But only a Fool believes that if the Wealthy -- and Corporations -- were just
TAXED more, then more Americans could enjoy a higher standard of living via
Government programs. It's axiomatic that the more money the government takes in,
the more it spends, and usually in Deficit mode; so "Tax the Rich" won't have
any noticeable impact whatsoever on the general health, wealth and prosperity
of the OWS mob...
The Bad is drowning out the Good
Unfortunately, any GOOD that might be included in whatever one can make out as
the primary message of this so-called "movement" (which, not surprisingly, has
gone global by now) is being out-shouted by all the BAD associated with it:
The shouting and uproar is from those who've identified themselves as
Anarchists, and Socialists, and Free Loaders; many have been outspoken and
unabashed in their support of the classic Liberal
"Cradle-to-Grave-Government-Dependency" model,
demanding more Big Government spending (without, apparently, a single thought
about the 800-pound gorilla issue, the 14 trillion dollar National Debt);
add to this the disgusting and dangerous public behavior (urination, fights,
drug use, trash everywhere, smashed windows, etc. etc.) and the sum total
is that this so-called "movement" lost any serious consideration before
it was even off the launch pad...
It is, to put it simply, a Riot that will eventually have to be put down with,
probably, military intervention.
- "The public is a ferocious beast; one must either chain it up
or flee from it." -- Voltaire
"A mob has many heads but no brains" -- Thomas Fuller
"Nothing is so contemptible as the sentiments of a mob" -- Seneca
"It is proof of a bad cause when it is applauded by a mob" -- Seneca
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