The 99%? (Reposted from my Tumblr)

I keep looking at these OccupyWallStreet posts, and then I see the anti-99% posts, too. I keep wondering why I’m so fascinated by them both. Surely I see both sides of the issue, don’t I? I can understand why people are so very frustrated with corporate America. I can understand why people who work hard while others get every little thing they want are frustrated. Conversely, I can see why people who work hard and have no problem with it are mad at the people who are mad.

I grew up very lower middle class. We weren’t exactly poverty level, but we didn’t have a lot of goodies. I was beaten up by my step-dad, and I’m ok with who it’s made me today. I’m unemployed and have student loan debt, credit cards, etc. And with all of this, I accept that it was a combination of choices within our household as well as outside forces that put us where we are. Corporations buy out other corporations and outsource the work (my case). Bigger corporations force the smaller ones out of business (my hubby’s case). We’re in that 99% whether we want to be or not.

I don’t think the 99% campaign is about people complaining about their own lives, just people presenting examples of how the economy has affected them. That being said, they’re not alone, and we all have to work hard to make our way in the world and take what opportunities come our way. We can’t sit on our asses and expect a handout, because then we become part of the problem. No, people are frustrated, and they have the right to speak out, just as other people have the right to be vocal against them. Hooray Freedom of Speech.

In the end, I support the OccupyWallStreet initiative not because of the 99%, but because of how our government is joined at the hip with corporate America. These companies didn’t need bail outs. If Capitalism was truly to be effective, then these companies should have failed so new ones could rise in their place. I think the Government should stop funding wars on their Visa and raise some taxes, just as it was done during the World Wars. I think the Government should crack down on job outsourcing and keep the jobs at home. I think Import Tariffs need to return. I see OccupyWallStreet as an opportunity to get people in elected offices to notice the plight of those they’re meant to represent. Even if half of the initiative is misguided, I think it will still get the dialogue going.

We are, in the end, all responsible for our own lives. We have to work with what we have. We all have to suck it up and do without and try to find work and go to school and give ourselves and our families the best life we can offer. That being said, we do have to admit that the decisions of those we voted into power have also put us in our situations, and if we want things to change, it’s also our responsibility to bring it to their attention. Perhaps in addition to occupying Wall Street, we occupy the Capitol, too.

That being said, I am one of the 99%, even if I don’t want to be.