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I think you're off on the demographics of the people protesting. There are doctors and nurses volunteering in the medical tent at Occupy Detroit. They are providing medical care with donated supplies to ANYBODY who stops in there. They provided food to all of the homeless who came to eat and tent space to those who wanted it. There are small business owners donating vast amounts of food, a warehouse and other supplies. The rallies have people in business suits coming right from work, old and young.. The church leaders in the city are supportive and allowing safe parking in their parking lots. Some of Detroit's City Council have been at protests as have the Fire Department and off duty Police. These are not all college students or young recent grads who haven't found work. They are not all unemployed. I discussed the demographics of people at the rally in Chicago that I witnessed way back in this thread. I admit, some of my perspective is limited because most of my knowledge comes from Occupy Detroit, but I've seen positive actions in other Occupy cities too. In Washington, DC, they have taken over a building that is a closed homeless shelter and are working to get it in good condition again and demanding that it be re-opened because it is needed.
The only time Detroit ever rounded up homeless people and took them anywhere was two weeks before we hosted the Super Bowl. They have tent cities and those don't get closed down.
One Occupy (I think it is Portland) was using the restrooms in the park where they had set up camp until the city shut the water off. They were also cleaning those restrooms. Then they had porta potties donated. They weren't leaving human waste anywhere, yet they got evicted from camp. The police told them they had to leave and they started packing up their belongings, peacefully. They were taking things to their cars and then not allowed back in to get the rest. Their stuff was destroyed.
I've yet to see a politician who wasn't taking PAC money for their campaign or influenced by lobbyists. Sure, we get to vote, but, above the city level, all candidates are essentially chosen by the political party and pushed and supported by the parties. I remember when McCain won the Republican primary in Michigan over Bush in 2000. The Republican party was mad, really mad and flooded the media with statements about Democrats poisoned the primary by voting for McCain. It was infuriating, as a usual Democrat who was one of those who vote for McCain, not to *poison* the vote, but because McCain, at that time, was a Republican I felt I could support.
On top of that, several states have taken away the right to vote for their local officials in the form of emergency managers who can fire all the officials that the local people elected. I'm mad as hell about that.
Protests and movements of this type have effected change. The Tea Party has DEFINITELY effected change and they started out as a protest movement like this. The women burning their bras in the early 70s while trying to get the ERA passed (and I am STILL angry that women don't have an amendment declaring us equal to men), did effect change. The Civil Rights movement did effect change. None of these changes happened over night. We still have a long way to go in some of these areas, but those movements started us heading in the right direction.
I am sorry that you are offended, as a veteran, at my statement that we are powerless. I think that if I were a veteran, I'd be angry at the structure that has taken away our power rather than the statement that it has happened.
I do agree that the Occupy movement should be more careful about their direct actions. Like I said, blocking subways (which is an action that requires police intervention) is not a useful tactic. However, in other cases, there was no reason for a city to use the kind of police resources that they used. When Bank of America announced the $5 debit card fee, and they protested that and encouraged people to move to other banks, BoA decided to renounce that fee. It's a small example of change, but it is happening.
Our news media is covering Occupy every day.
As someone who has been fighting for success every day, I disagree that if you fight hard enough, it will come. Some would define me as successful and in some ways, I am. "They" said that my generation would be the first to not do as well or better than our parents and I'm feeling that now. As I prepare to do my daughter's FAFSA forms, it has hit me that I make less money now, in 2011 than my dad did in 1983 when we did MY financial aid forms. My tuition was $45 a credit hour. The tuition at the same school now is $246 a credit hour but I make LESS money than my dad did at this stage of life, with more education, more qualifications, a solid work history and consistently superior performance evaluations at every job I've had.
All of the things that were available and promised in the 80s when I started my first career job are gone- pensions, health insurance after retirement, and probably social security and medicare (which I've paid into my whole life but will likely not get anything back), company loyalty (because I can't tell you how many people I see get laid off just before they can retire so that what few bennies are out there don't have to be paid). I've had 5 different pension funds go away because the business went bankrupt. I've worked damn hard, continually upgraded my skills, gotten certifications and degrees and for what? To realize that I am powerless because our system is broken.
I've had to make financial decisions that were tough. I choose to live in a very modest ranch house with no garage. I choose to not get things like my carpet replaced, despite its poor condition because I want to give my kids experiences. I made a conscious decision a few years ago that giving them life experiences, such as People to People trips, Boy Scout camp trips, special pre-college programs, is more important than whether our carpet is worn or our furniture has holes in the upholstery. I am determined to help them with college as much as humanly possible so that they don't graduate in a heap of massive debt. But I'm in a very weird income bracket... one where I qualify for little, but can't afford much. I am solidly middle class. I have never lived extravagantly. I don't own designer stuff. In my 46 years, I've had 3 new cars. I don't need that stuff. But, I'm tired of financing corporate exec bonuses, and this movement has made me more aware.
So, I haven't actually participated in an Occupy rally here in Detroit. But I'm making changes. I'm supporting local businesses. I'm supporting mom and pop restaurants and stores as much as I can. I'm moving away from box stores and chains. I'm refusing to use credit, except for work travel (because that gets paid off before interest is paid), to avoid giving banks more money so I can keep it for myself. I am contemplating moving my banking to a credit union, although my bank, PNC, has not been as bad as some of the others so I haven't done that yet. These are actions that the Occupy movement are encouraging.
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