I asked an Occupier in DC named Rob Wohl, why the movement he's a part of is resonating with people - why as over 3,000 Americans have been arrested in demonstrations and even journalists and vets have endured tear gas and rubber bullets, the movement is still growing.
His answer? "Because we are analytically correct."
What does that mean? Apparently, they believe they have the facts on their side. History certainly is. And as author Michael Lewis said when asked about the Occupy Wall Street movement, they also have justice on their side.
New census data released shows we have record high poverty in this country. It's up to 16 percent or 49.1 million Americans (that's over five New York Cities). We have the worst wealth inequality in the industrialized world (meaning we're on par with some third world countries). We have the highest health care costs in the world. And a recent study by the Economic Policy Institute notes, "U.S. productivity grew by 62.5 percent from 1989 to 2010, far more than real hourly wages for both private-sector and state/local government workers, which grew 12 percent in the same period." Basically Americans are working much (much) harder for much (much) less. Pair that with the fact U.S. businesses are making record profits and that's why Americans have taken to the pothole-laden streets to protest.
It's not just about the bank bailout. It's not just about Wall Street. It's about the goal of the wealthy to milk their fellow citizens until they're completely dry. And while regular Americans are condescended to about their proverbial bootstraps, the U.S. government has helped the wealthy at every turn. So it's no surprise they've won. And now that people are brittle and dusty — there are encampments all over the country.
The question isn't, "Why are there so many people sleeping in parks?" The question is, "Why aren't there more?
In the wake of this massive protest — right in the middle of the tenure of the lowest rated House in our nation's history — a group of men and women whose approval rating of 9 percent is hovering just above the margin of error — what do they do? They pass another symbolic (think: busy work) nonbinding resolution to reaffirm "in God we trust" as the national motto.
I could have made that up as satire and I'd get a letter saying I was being too harsh.
Time spent on a bill (of which there are FOUR versions) reaffirming a phrase already on every denomination of money, every courthouse and most public buildings is about as contemptuous as this body of seat-warmers can get.
It's "let them eat cake" with a little of King George III's "the colonies will submit" thrown in for flavor.
Yes, the do-less-than-nothing House has passed a whopping 54 bills originating in their chamber in their nearly full year in office. Their counterparts in previous congresses usually author and pass three times that. And if you subtract passing go-no-where bills to defund NPR, Planned Parenthood and other specters like Obama Czars and take into account their days off (next year they're only set to work 109 days out of the ENTIRE year) — they've put in a lot of effort to be ineffective.
Which is what you'd expect from self-hating government workers like the House leadership. They're illustrating how lazy, stupid and useless government can be - by example.
To sum up: the American people are paying more for less, working more for less and asking more...and Congress is doing (wait for it) LESS.
The Occupiers are right. They are "analytically correct" in their assessment. Their government is failing them. As another Occupier put it, maybe it's "time to replace Congress with people."
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© Copyright 2011 TinaDupuy.com, distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate.
Tina Dupuy is an award-winning writer and the managing editor of Crooks and Liars. Tina can be reached at tinadupuy@yahoo.com.
Rich posted at 6:35 pm on Tue, Nov 8, 2011.
Okay, analyze this.
Government exists because the strongest among us kills the mastodon and feeds us. There are a lot of us and only him, so we start setting up a government to divide the mastodon. A perfect government divides the mastodon well, a bad one gives a certain group too much mastodon. The government isn't very good, it doesn't do a good job of dividing the mastodon. Now, what is the best course? Attack the mastodon killer, or the idiot you hired to divide it up after the fact? I would contend 'occupy' attacks the hunter, not the idiot. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but if I fall for the idea that blond hair indicates a lack of analytical skills, I have to admit I'm blond. So just analyze it, if you can.
Slabside posted at 9:15 pm on Tue, Nov 8, 2011.
Rich, very well put!
Logical Thought posted at 8:43 am on Wed, Nov 9, 2011.
We must first look at ourselves. Who elected Jeff Flake for ten years to do nothing? The people of the East Valley; he didn't even have to try hard. You get what you paid for. If you want Congress to do something for the people, then Congress has to know that you will vote them out if they don't. Until that happens, there is no incentive for Congress to fix anything.
chatmandu002 posted at 10:29 am on Wed, Nov 9, 2011.
So everyone complains of a "Do nothing" Congress and wants the Congress to do more. Like what? Like tax the rich more and give more away? Like 4 more decades of growing a bigger government with more rules and regulations? Like making everyone in the country dependent on a big government? Like going down the road of Greece and Italy? What the hell does the American people want? After yesterday's election is seems the American people want more public sector unions with bargaining rights and more illegal aliens with amnesty.
Ms Dupuy seems only discontented with the House's inaction but forgets to mention that the Democratic controlled Senate hasn't passed a budget in over 900 days and doesn't even bring up most of the bills passed by the House. So don't just blame the Republican controlled House in your dissatisfaction with Congress, there is plenty of blame to go around. Even if we voted them all out, the American people would vote in another group of politicians that would end up deadlocked just like the ones we have now.
mnjcpa posted at 10:52 am on Wed, Nov 9, 2011.
Warren Buffett called it a joke but said he could end our deficit problem in 5 minutes. Buffett said pass a law that says that any time there's a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election.
Imagine what that idea requires.
It won't matter whose pocket a Congress person is in. Illegal immigration would be stopped so the massive drain on our system and social programs are plugged. While we're at it, revise ALL public pensions to comparable pensions of their private sector counterparts that PAY their pensions & health benefits. Next up let's deal with the massive trade deficits with China & India that have sucked all of our jobs out of the economy by placing an excise tax on imports. Watch US manufacturing jobs come back. Padlock the EPA that is more concerned about protecting certain species of frogs than American citizens. America has more oil and gas than every country in the middle east combined, not to mention our reliance on crazy dictators in those regions. Energy jobs would come back.
My clients are those wealthy people that you describe Tina, and not one of them are as you describe. Most have lost over half of their net worth under Obama's reign and that's not enough for folks like you.
This country was built on ideas, not ideologue and slander. Achievement in America isn't a zero sum game - where someone has to lose for someone else to win. Thankfully my 23 year old reads economics, finance, and history. She's informed and understands that she has a role to play to help educate others who are misled by emotion.
Moderation posted at 12:51 pm on Wed, Nov 9, 2011.
The wealth of this nation has been bleeding out to china and other countries due to the fact that we import more than we export. Decades of both parties leadership have lead us to this state! The occupy movement is a bunch of disillusioned people who actually share a similar anger as some Tea party members for different reasons. The banks that were to big to fail! We should have never given them a dime of tax payer money. The people that organized the subprime mess should have gone to jail and been fined into the poor house! Those banks are now sitting on such large amounts of cash that they say they can't invest to make more money off it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/25/business/banks-flooded-with-cash-they-cant-profitably-use.html
What the ???
This country needs a Flat or better yet Fair tax without loop holes and a goverment that slashes spending! (That definitly includes entitlement programs) Balances the budget and starts paying down the national debt. The banks need to lend to small business and let them start putting people to work. Finally fix the trade to increase exports! These concepts are not hard, but both policital parties are to busy pointing fingers at each other like a bunch of elementry school kids. This country needs leaders who can work with each other to make hard choices if we ever want to get out of this mess! People can point fingers and grand stand all they want, but until this nation starts working together we are up a creek. I begining to think this is a do nothing Nation, not just government.
dustbowl11 posted at 1:00 pm on Wed, Nov 9, 2011.
America does not have more oil and gas than every country in the Middle East combined. In fact the we are 14th in oil behind Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and Kuwait. In gas we trail Iran, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Just ahead of United Arab Emirates. You've been listening to too much Sarah Palin ranting.
mnjcpa posted at 1:52 pm on Wed, Nov 9, 2011.
Sorry dustbowl11 - I've valued oil & gas businesses for 20 years and there's plenty of facts to support my comments. And unlike Politico it's based on facts - not innuendo or hearsay. It is common knowledge in finance circles that we have plentiful reserves that we can't get to because of government regulations.
Moderation posted at 2:13 pm on Wed, Nov 9, 2011.
mnjcpa- I say we sit on our reserves for awhile save it for when OPEC and others run low. Also, I didn't like it when the gulf coast was flooded with oil. I like to have national parks and clean lakes unlike the pollution in problem in China. Unless they can make sure they are not going to pollute ground water and the like I will always be hesitant to allow oil companies into protected areas and completely throw away the enviromental protections.
dustbowl11 posted at 3:10 pm on Wed, Nov 9, 2011.
mnjcpa,
I wouldn't necessarily point to the financial services industry as pillars of honesty. Although I agree with a couple of your other points on congress and the trade deficit.
mnjcpa posted at 3:45 pm on Wed, Nov 9, 2011.
We can fix this country with solutions like Buffett suggested. If we put Congress in a position where they HAD to act in our best interests by tying their performance to GDP then lobbyists would be obsolete. Funny how common business principles work.
But we've become a nation of whiners, expecting results when we don't deserve it or resorting to slander to get 15 minutes of fame.
When government & union workers - who are paid by taxpayers - retire in their 50's and get paid AFTER they quit working becomes a multi-million dollar pension & health care benefit. These types of agreements buy votes, but are completely unsustainable. The taxpayers - who pay for this benefit - can NEVER achieve this kind of goldmine.
Our culture is corrupt. When Timmy gets a trophy just for showing up at school or illegal immigrants can walk across the border and get health care and my premiums go up 30% - something is wrong.
Just wait - the train is screeching to a halt - I predict late next year. That's when the US Bankruptcy Express shows up & much like Greece we won't have a choice but reform.
Cerulean posted at 12:29 pm on Thu, Nov 10, 2011.
“Government exists because the strongest among us kills the mastodon and feeds us.”
Mastodon is Greek for ‘breast’; from there several analyses could have developed but I will leave that for less creative minds.
The debt is not a mastodon it is more akin to a Typhon with many heads and many ways to solve the problem. Wealth protection and stall tactics do nothing to solve the debt problem.