The Occupy People

I just read an article talking about the Occupy Wall Street folks that really got my back up. You can read it here

Let me start by saying I find the fact that these people claim to speak for me absurd, because I am certainly not one of the 1%. But I apparently am not one of this 99% either. Because I find many of things they stand for, and make no mistake they do stand FOR quite a few things, according to their statements on the web and elsewhere, totally misguided and offensive. So the premise many people espouse, that they stand AGAINST things, but not FOR things is just wrong.

Yes, there is a problem with money essentially buying politicians. But some of the biggest groups doing just that are the very same unions that are protesting WITH them. And as others have noted, those unions are trying to bolster their numbers as well. So, apparently for them it is only when CERTAIN groups buy politicians. But through this their message is already tainted.

Yes, it does annoy that banks took bailouts and then sat on it. But I don't really blame the banks for this. I blame the idiots that gave them the money that so naively ASSUMED that they would use it as they thought it would be used. And did it more than once! Have they never heard the fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me mantra? But again, a lot of that money essentially went to the Occupy groups bed buddies, the unions. Why aren't they enraged about the millions of dollars wasted that went there? And the taint spreads.

But they also apparently believe in so much more.

They believe that the existence of “haves” and “have nots” is unfair. But how is it fair to expect that those that “have,” should give everything to the “have nots?” Based on this belief it is not a question of whether you are a bad person or not, it is simply that you have what they want. And this ticks me off. I started out with nothing, but I have worked my butt off to get where I am now. And while I am still not a “have” (in my opinion, something tells me these people might not agree) I am really hoping to get there someday. And my work should be for me and my family. Not for others that people like this think are worthier of the fruits of my labor. My grandfather would have put this very clearly. GO GET A JOB! Any job is better than none. If you can’t afford what you want either do without, or go get either a better job or a second one.

Oh, and the idea that this is a grassroots movement is silly. If it was then the unions would not be trying to recruit people for it. If it was then the reports out of Chicago that many of the protestors are being paid for their time would not exist. Professional protesters! Hello hypocrisy, are you there?

The OWS website has numerous lists and such and moving on I want to touch on some of them.

This one seems to be who can be one of the 99%. Never mind that logic would say if you are not in the 1% you are by default in the 99. And then there is the simple fact that there is no way 99% of Americans agree with all this. But hey, it looks great on a sign.

1. If you agree that freedom is the right to communicate, to live, to be, to go, to love, to do what you will without the impositions of others, then you might be one of us.

Yeah, I pretty much agree with all of that. But aren’t they trying to impose on the “haves?”

2. If you agree that a person is entitled to the sweat of their brows, that being talented at management should not entitle others to act like overseers and overlords, that all workers should have the right to engage in decisions, democratically, then you might be one of us.

Yeah, you are entitled to the sweat of your brows. But you are not entitled to the sweat of mine. And this idea that all decisions in a business should be made democratically is ludicrous. No company could ever survive like that. You have to have leadership.

3. If you agree that freedom for some is not the same as freedom for all, and that freedom for all is the only true freedom, then you might be one of us.

I think I already covered this. Freedom for all means you can’t take from me and give it to others. Go out and get your own stuff, you have the freedom to do that now. Sheesh.

4. If you agree that power is not right, that life trumps property, then you might be one of us.

Power is not right? Does that mean no one with power is ever right? Because, if so, that is a rather asinine statement, some people with power are right, some are wrong. Look at the power being exercised by some of the union groups. The companies they work for are not able to be competitive because of the insanely high people costs they are being forced to absorb. That is a power being used wrong, but by groups that are welcomed and supported by the members of this movement. And life trumps property? On the surface that seems obvious, but in a bit we will get a little more insight on that one.

5. If you agree that state and corporation are merely two sides of the same oppressive power structure, if you realize how media distorts things to preserve it, how it pits the people against the people to remain in power, then you might be one of us.

The same oppressive power structure? Huh? We aren’t perfect but I have lived all over the world and seen some pretty oppressed places. And America doesn’t even begin to be so. Don’t these people even realize that if it were, they could not be doing what they are doing! Now about how the media distorts things I have to agree. For instance, the media keeps talking about how this is a popular grassroots movement. That’s why there are millions of them. Oh, wait.

After that clever list of inanities they move on to a call for action. So let’s look at that next.

1. We call for protests to remain active in the cities. Those already there, to grow, to organize, to raise consciousnesses, for those cities where there are no protests, for protests to organize and disrupt the system

So basically we want more people. And we want to disrupt things. So essentially calling for civil disobedience. Got it.

2. We call for workers to not only strike, but seize their workplaces collectively, and to organize them democratically. We call for students and teachers to act together, to teach democracy, not merely the teachers to the students, but the students to the teachers. To seize the classrooms and free minds together.

Workers should all strike and seize their workplaces collectively. Wait, I thought they were only against the bankers and rotten politicians. Based on this they are against pretty much ALL businesses that operate for profit. So essentially that picture pointing out the hypocrisy of the protesters using cameras, wearing clothes, using phones, is actually true, and not a straw man statement as some have stated. What makes it even better is how many of these young people seem to have REALLY expensive stuff. 99% huh? Oh and seize the classrooms. Why? Most classrooms are liberal brainwashing centers already. Why would you want to change that? Some issues with self loathing perhaps?

Haven't seen the picture? Here it is...



3. We call for the unemployed to volunteer, to learn, to teach, to use what skills they have to support themselves as part of the revolting people as a community

Well yeah, they should use their skills to support themselves. As opposed to expecting others to support them. I have to be honest here though, I know what they are saying about people being involved in a revolt, but I can’t help but chuckle at the revolting people. Take a shower!

4. We call for the seizure and use of abandoned buildings, of abandoned land, of every property seized and abandoned by speculators, for the people, for every group that will organize them.

Ok, so again with the promoting of civil disobedience. Seizing property? With no real thought to who may own it?

Well that was one of the posts on the official site. Basically these people are a mixture of anarchists and communists. Which is a pretty interesting mash-up in my opinion.

But wait, there’s more!

On September 21st, 2011, roughly eighty percent of Americans thought the country was on the wrong track.

Ending the modern gilded age is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, roughly 15% of Americans approved of the job Congress was doing.

Ending political corruption is our one demand.

Yes, most Americans do believe that the country is on the wrong track, and yes they don’t approve of the job Congress is doing. But what the majority of them disagree with are the socialist policies coming out of the current government. Not an end to a modern gilded age, but I do like the idea of ending political corruption. But I would guess that the country will go in a radically different direction than these people expect if it were.

On September 21st, 2011, roughly one sixth of Americans did not have work.
Ending joblessness is our one demand.

I think learning math might need to be their one demand. 9.2% is way too high, but it is just under one tenth, not one sixth. But demanding it won’t make it happen. We need to have a government that is pro business in order to create jobs. Being pro union is not going to do it. Neither is this crazy idea of creating a democratic workforce that has a say in all decisions.

On September 21st, 2011, roughly one sixth of America lived in poverty.
Ending poverty is our one demand.

That sounds great, but how? If you take from me and give to someone else that just brings me down to the poverty level. You cannot pull someone up that is not willing to work for it themselves. It sucks, but there it is. Creating massive welfare states such as in Europe is proving to fail again and again. It just does not work. But these same people also claim to support Greece’s people in protest of that countries austerity measures. They are broke, and they are finally having to fix that. And they are broke because they tried to end poverty through the creation of a welfare state.

On September 21st, 2011, America had military bases in around one hundred and thirty out of one hundred and sixty-five countries.
Ending American imperialism is our one demand.

That requires a very broad use of the word base. Not to mention that there are 196 countries in the world. We actually have personnel in 148 countries, but in 56 of them there are less than 10 total people present. But I do agree we need to stop being the world’s police. Another thing that the OWS folks ignore is that the majority of those countries we are there by invitation of either the country or at the request of the UN. There are only 13 countries in the world where we have more than 1000 personnel. And considering the fact that we could have turned Iraq into a new US territory and instead turned around and gave it back, the imperialism statement is laughable.

Conclusion

These people are not truly against what they say they are. If so they would not be in bed with the unions that have skirted the giving limits again and again by donating to candidates in the name of each of their members. By allying with groups that use intimidation and corrupt practices constantly they show that they are in fact just what many accuse them of. They are hypocrites.

What cracks me up is their continued support for the people of Greece and other European countries that are either going, or have gone, broke through attempts to do exactly what they desire. How dare they stop paying for things with money they don’t have. Things that they cannot pay for because the tax base is so diluted because there is no incentive to actually work for a living. And even better, they are ticked off at the possibility that America might cut back as well, to try to keep from completely failing like Greece. But hey, who cares if we can actually afford to pay for this crap. That matters little to these folks.

The big thing for me is simply this. There is only one country like America. There are lots of countries that are much more like what they are calling for, granted they are all going broke because of it but they do exist. I propose a trade, we will send the OWS people to them, if they send willing workers that want to make something of themselves to us. Seems fair right?