It was a good-sized crowd, and there was a positive, upbeat vibe, with a lot of motorists whooping and hollering and honking to show support as they drove by. Here are some photos from the event:
You can see more photos and read my article here.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Musings: Taking it to the Streets
This afternoon, I stopped by the — well, I really don't want to call it "Occupy Kauai," because that has a whole different connotation in colonized Hawaii, so let's just say it was Kauai's show of solidarity with the "Occupy Wall Street/We are the 99%" movement that had people taking it to the streets all over the globe today.
It was a good-sized crowd, and there was a positive, upbeat vibe, with a lot of motorists whooping and hollering and honking to show support as they drove by. Here are some photos from the event:
You can see more photos and read my article here.
It was a good-sized crowd, and there was a positive, upbeat vibe, with a lot of motorists whooping and hollering and honking to show support as they drove by. Here are some photos from the event:
You can see more photos and read my article here.
I prefer the "53 percenters"
ReplyDeletehttp://the53.tumblr.com/
Some of their comments:
I come from a struggling middle-class family. My parents have virtually no money to send me to college. I worked my ass off in high school and graduated top of my class. I got into Wellesley College with a full ride thanks to the generosity of the wealthy alumnae — the 1%. So excuse me if I don’t whine about how the wealthy screw me over. I am the American Dream.
I was a religion major. Most jobs want business or computing majors, but my passion was (and still is) the big questions in life. I don’t regret my decision. I’m almost done with my student loans, but I had to go bankrupt on credit cards. Some choices I made were foolish. Others were necessary at the time. Now I live with my mom to help make ends meet. I’ve worked retail for eight years. BUT I HAVE A JOB! So many people in this world would switch places with me in a heartbeat, rather than continue dying of famine or disease. Some of my peers object: “I didn’t go to college to sell clothes.” I’m appalled by their sense of entitlement. You don’t need to like your job - but don’t look down on mine. I don’t share your opinion - so don’t speak for me. OCCUPY WALL STREET, you do NOT speak for me. I am the 53%: working hard, and grateful for my life.
Nice to see you guys protesting.
ReplyDeleteAnything (cause or purpose) that gets people off the TV and into the streets to protest our Big Corp influenced government is a step forward for all of us....middle class or poor.
ReplyDeleteComplacency causes brain damage on a community level.
Apathy kills.
Democracy IS about demonstrations and even civil disobedience.
The people in control want you to keep watching TV, eating junk food, and staying stupid.
Dr Shibai
Let's end the occupation of Hawai'i by the US! Only then can we Occupy Hawai'i before it's too late.
ReplyDeleteGotta love those 53's
ReplyDeleteBend over, spread those cheeks, and take a hundred reams for humanity
Paleese!
At least they are getting it done and not whining about it.
ReplyDeleteI can respect them. Not the 99%ers, so many of them whining about the size of their student loans. Nobody forced them to go to college or go into debt doing so.
Maybe the 99%ers should go pick produce in the fields for minimum wage, thus solving that farming problem caused by a lack of illegal immigrants doing that work.
But no....real Americans don't do that kind of work.
I like this article quote:
“To the villainy-of-the-rich theme emanating from Washington, a child is born: Occupy Wall Street. Starbucks-sipping, Levi’s-clad, iPhone-clutching protesters denounce corporate America even as they weep for Steve Jobs, corporate titan, billionaire eight times over,” columnist Charles Krauthammer wrote Thursday. “These indignant indolents saddled with their $50,000 student loans and English degrees have decided that their lack of gainful employment is rooted in the malice of the millionaires on whose homes they are now marching … What’s the Occupy Wall Street program? Eat the rich.”
Indeed, the irony of corporate influence on these protestors, with brand named clothing and braces-perfect straight teeth — presumably the benefit of parents with money who care — has not been lost on bloggers.
Bloggers - we're going to need more monkeys in front of more keyboards.
Presume and assume
ReplyDeleteYou are sure making some pretty big assumptions!
You know what they say about the word assume.
Nuff said........
That you're an ass?
ReplyDelete15.1% or 46 million Americans live below the poverty line. Surely the 1% at the top can sacrifice buying the latest top of the line Mercedes to help the rest of the country, or is ending poverty only for socialists?
ReplyDeleteI'm all for restoring the higher tax rates that applied to rich folks in the past. That would go a long way to solving this problem, and they would not be inconvenienced, really.
ReplyDeleteThat doesn't reduce my admiration for the 53%ers nor my generalized disdain for the 99%ers...with few exceptions.
I am speaking from a relatively lofty position as an approximate 2.5%er with no debt, large home and massive bank savings.
Some of the 99 percenters lost their jobs in the financial crisis/recession that began in 2007. Given the staggering number of unemployed people (roughly 14 million), it's hard to blame them for not paying taxes.
ReplyDeleteBlame them for not paying taxes? If you have no income, you have no income tax to pay.
ReplyDeleteThat's part of the social security problem...all those unemployed people not contributing to FICA.
Of course, there are property taxes for homeowners.