Politics

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Those protestors who exercise their First Amendment Right of Free Speech to seek a redress of grievances need to rent a copy of the movie, “Distinguished Gentleman” starring Eddie Murphy. While it is true that there are abuses of wealth and power at the financial center of the world and leader of a Free Market Economy and Capitalism, still, the blame should not rest solely on the shoulders of the titans of industry. According to the latest figures from “The Center for Responsive Politics” by Staff Reporter Rob Hotakainen of the Tacoma News Tribune, November 16, 2011, of the 535 members of Congress [100 Senators/435 House of Representatives], 249 of them are millionaires; roughly 47% while only about 1% of American citizens are millionaires. Can someone who is a wealthy Congressman really understand the needs and concerns of struggling, low-income wage earners who have to juggle family responsibilities, work two or more jobs, pay for childcare and have very little or no medical/dental insurance, and on top of that, to decide on whether to pay for medicine or groceries with the little money left over from paying bills? Sure, we can vent our rage against the CEO’s of Fortune 100 and 500 Companies, AIG, Chase Bank, The Big 3 Automakers, and so on, but ignore the fact that it is the members of Congress that need to be chastised, who enact laws that allow for favorable corporate tax loopholes in exchange for generous contributions to their PAC’s and other perks.

Even some members of Congress are board members of large companies or become a Lobbyist for some industry after retiring from the Senate or House of Representatives. Reform on Wall St. won’t take place as long as the status-quo runs things the same old way as they always have in the nation’s capital. I mean, even to run for elected office today requires big money and if you don’t have access to it your message will never get heard. So, all these disillusioned demonstrators are just making news headlines for the moment and getting arrested, but as a social protest juggernaut and grassroots movement that will sweep across the country and bring down the citadels of greed, corruption, capitalism and excessive executive compensation; I think not! Instead of using all that unfocused or misdirected energy without a central or core message beyond the obvious, why don’t the organizers, whoever they are, go to their Legislators in Washington D.C., to the very place where they should have in the first place, and ask Congress to repeal the tax code which benefit the rich and make it “OCCUPY CAPITOL HILL” instead?


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
November 16, 2011
[email protected]

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