Quote:
Originally Posted by Tadzi
[You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]
some info for those confused. this took all of 5 minutes to find out for myself.
What/why they are protesting: "OWS is fighting back against the corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations over the democratic process, and the role of Wall Street in creating an economic collapse that has caused the greatest recession in generations."
Source: http://occupywallst.org/about/
Why Prostest?: From the wikipedia definition of protest- "Protesters may organize a protest as a way of publicly making their opinions heard in an attempt to influence public opinion or government policy"
Some examples of successful protests:
American Revolution
Martin Luther King's 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 |
The difference is that successful protests all have one thing in common: a goal. What is OWS's goal? Their only stated goal is to protest. What do they want done? Eliminate Wall Street? That's not a realistic or desirable goal.
I'm going to ask a genuine question, because it doesn't make any sense to me. Liberals (and I use the term loosely, because I'm not sure how else to classify the group) argue that the banking industry has corrupted the government in order to continually push policies which move capital toward the richest of the rich and away from the middle and lower classes. However, they by and large support programs that would increase taxes and increase the role of government within the life of the everyday citizen. More taxes, more social programs, more federal funding. How do you reconcile those two view points? If the government is being corrupted by Wall Street, why increase their funding and influence?
I generally agree that Wall Street -- and more specifically, the rich -- use their resources to manipulate government and maximize their own earnings, regardless of the effect that has on the rest of the country. But partially because of that, I'm wary of expanding the role of federal government within the lives of the everyday citizen. If anything, the role of government should be increased within the financial sector. Increase oversight and legislation, sure. But when everything points to the government being in bed with big business, why would you want to increase the amount of money and scope of influence being provided to the government as it relates to your common citizen? That's what doesn't match up for me.