Occupy Wallstreet: A Consideration

Occupy Wall Street (OWS) has spread throughout the United States and is gaining attention of the population as seen in the #OWS twitter tag tweet and retweets increase.  They are protesting corporate and banking greed.  Many of them have lost jobs and homes.  They feel they also lost their dignity.  The Government bailout for banks and the subsequent lack of investment into business (small and large) by banks gives the sense that the workers are taxed without being represented.  Yes, it feels like taxation without representation as outlined in the Declaration Of Independence of the United States from England.  As an empath I feel their emotion, there's no escaping it.  I am outlining good things I see about the OWS and bad things I see about the situation.

First, the good things.  OWS is a great example of outraged people embracing democracy.  Protests are key to a democratic society.  Without the voice of the people, tyranny is liable to dominate.  I applaud the OWS for this.  From reports I hear, the OWS  is organized.  They have set up general assemblies, legal teams, and other teams.  This is very encouraging to hear. Socially OWS is a good effort to curb corporate greed.  It's the first of its kind that I have heard.

Now for the bad things.  What does the OWS really expect to accomplish?  It is baffling to me in that why would corporate greedy managers care about what protesters say?  They don't run for election.  So, I really don't think they are going to come out and throw money at the crowd.  Perhaps they expect some legal action.  Greed is not outlawed.  It may be a moral sin but not one that is punishable by the courts.  Perhaps they want some legislative action?  While this may be a viable request, Congress is in no shape to pass much these days.  If they did pass some legislation that regulated banks and corporations, it would be a leftist solution.  My understanding is that the OWS is coprised of both conservatives and liberals.  I don't see any solution where everyone in the OWS will walk away happy.  The other bad thing has to do with the "Nature Of The Beast", as I like to call it.  The effects of the recession is bouncing around the economy.  While they claim that the recession stopped in 2009, it was only the bleeding of the overall money in the economy.  The effects kept going.  First the blue collar workers lost their jobs, then the white collar workers, home owners lost their housed in foreclosures.  Then small businesses started to fold, mid sized businesses folded or were squeezed, and big businesses started to cut expenses even after firing workers.  Municipal governments had to cut back spending, State governments did the same, and the Federal government is cutting spending now.  That means more people loose their jobs.  The effects have reached the big business and corporations management, that means soon it will reach the investors and share holders.  Wall Street is ready to take a hit.  This is all is in-spite of the efforts of OWS.  I'm afraid that OWS is too late or too early.  However, it could pressure share holders to consider what to do with their money.  They should invest in new businesses and new business strategies.  The old business playbook has to be tossed because the market has changed irrecoverably.  Until all are on board with the new market, the pain will continue.  This is perhaps the greatest problem with the recession.  Counterintuitive to my argument, this is where OWS' purpose may lie.  That is the final push to get banks and investors and corporate boards to understand that there is not going back to the old market and that this new market is here to stay, so they need to adjust.

Well, that was fun.  Looking at the good things and the bad things that go along with OWS, I can conclude that indeed OWS has a real social goal they could/should follow.  One thing to add.  I don't know the chants of OWS but I have a suggestion.  Try telling Corporate America, "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE RUNNING AROUND LEAVING SCARES.....".  Yes, that is the words to Christina Perri's Jar Of Hearts.  It's a heart break song that seemingly depicts the outrage of OWS.  I think it's quite fitting.

Cheers.