In a refreshing approach to find out about things, I’ve been reading and listening to a lot of the give and take when it comes to all things that led to the occupy movements.
It is astounding to me that Speaker Boehner‘s answer to when asked about the pay-roll tax cut that is about to expire, if it would help the economy was “I’m no economist.” Well, jughead you don’t have to be. The people who get a little more money in their paychecks will probably spend it, and wait for it, that probably helps the economy. It’s also the justification for extended unemployment benefits as those folks have to spend their funds for the sake of running their households.
That is at the gist of the occupy stuff, my arch-conservative friends. To summary dismiss the occupiers as “go get a job, we aren’t just going to give things to you” is ignorant. George Carlin was spot on when he said the reason they call it the American Dream is that you have to be asleep to realize it. The powers that be are more interested in all tools that keep them comfortable than actually being proactive in their actual mission. Here’s your one and only tea party parallel: they are dissatisfied with the current government situation. That’s it. It’s not a level playing field. The opportunities and chances are going to those who can buy them.
Locally, I was intrigued by Donn Esmonde’s column in the Buffalo News, http://www.buffalonews.com/city/columns/donn-esmonde/article656887.ece, where bus fares are getting raised to help close a budget deficit. Generations squandered on holding waterfront land and many things nontransportation based are attempting to get balanced on the most loyal customers to the system, not right.
A good friend took a little issue, with making light of the movement when I posted this on my facebook page:
Her point was along the lines of nothing like making light of the screwing of a generation. I was more along the lines of making light of the sudden immediacy of the movement, as the screwing has been going on for a long time now. Making light beats the alternative as the Occupy folk shouldn’t be so pious as the Tea Partiers they/I resent.
My paycheck assures my place in the 99% and that is okay. It just that this thing of ours has been breaking for awhile now, and the representatives actually need to represent, yo.
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