The Occupy Wall Street movement is becoming the elephant in the room. I refer to myself as part of the woodstock generation; mostly because I was in college at the time. Most of my dorm mates burned their draft cards; an action they did not take lightly. (I am reminded that Russell Coutts refers to my generation as the Flintstone generation, how little he understands.)
I watched Kent State happen with shock. All of this led me to believe that by the time I was a fully functioning part of society, we, collectively would have found solutions for so many of society’s problems. Instead I watched as those problems grew much worse.
Had there been a draft by the time of the Iraq war, the war likely would never have happened. It became a war for the poor and misguided.
No one on Wall Street broke a law, that I am aware. But something went terribly wrong never-the-less.
If we outlawed lobbyists and limited contributions to political campaigns I believe change would occur very quickly.
People complain that the protesters have no demands; I see a system that is broken; one that needs EVERYTHING FIXED. I remain troubled that we allowed ourselves to get where we are. But I am relieved, and comforted to see the protests finally happening.
The canard about our armed forces being “poor and misguided” just will not die. Study after study from Viet Nam to the present day show that the troops demographics are above average in terms of family income, education and other indices of status in society. The idea that the military is a haven for those who can’t make it on the outside is and has been bunk.