Occupy

I am about to do something that, in all my years of blogging, I do not believe I have ever done. I have been afraid of doing so as I am very aware that once posted, it is a public matter - regardless of how many read or comment - what I write is out there forever.

For the first time, I truly WANT my opinion out there.

Occupy ____________ (insert whatever location you desire).

So many have said that its all about young people looking for a hand out. So many  have said that they don't know what they want, they are not organized.

For the disbelievers, for those that do not see a message, for those that see only the young demanding entitlement - listen closer. Read more. Yes READ. But not the 'Mainstream Media' - for they have CHOSEN to NOT report or UNDER-report the GOOD of Occupy. They report only when Occupiers run afoul of the law.

READ....

Yes, they do have a message.  And it is simple. The system is 99% broke and needs to be fixed.

What needs to be fixed, you ask? Many things. Everything.

The system caters to the whims and desires of the few while leaving the needs of the many behind. The pyramid of cards needs to be fixed from the ground up - not the top down. Consider the flower...... a plant. Does one water the flower? Yes - but that is not where the plant gains its nutrients. Water on TOP of the flower, in fact, can kill it if exposed to sunlight as the water acts as a magnifier and burns that which it on. The water which soaks into the ground is what nourishes the plant - taken in by its root system.... at the bottom of the plant. This is how one grows things and how one builds things..... not from the top down. A plant, a building, a society, a government, a country........ all must have a solid foundation. A foundation which must be continually cared for - or it will fall apart, die, wither away, crumble..... The foundation. The 99%.

Start there.

Not at the top..... not at Wall St. Nor General Motors or Citigroup or Wells Fargo......

The 'Occupy'ers have often met with violence at the hands of law enforcement spurred by local politics....  While the movement has been at pains to keep itself non-violent, police have been called out in force and in riot gear to stand guard. What is it they are standing guard for? What are they waiting for? Some have not waited - some have began the violence. Why? The Occupy'ers understood and understand that violence is NOT the way to solve issues. They understand that violence only begets more violence. In no way does it bring about a solution.

Let me lay something out on the table right here and now. Wall St - and all the other stock exchanges world wide are nothing more than casinos. The largest gambling organization in the world. Do any of you have any clue how many ways there are to gamble in the stock market? I know only a very few........... but, I know I can take money that exists AND I CAN TAKE MONEY THAT DOES NOT EXIST and bet it all on something........ Now - if I 'win', I get my money AND the profit on both. If I lose, however - all that money that didn't exist before now exists......... and I OWE that money.......  My 'bets' can be bets on bets that someone else made.... My bets can be on bets that won't be made for months yet.....  And whether I win or lose is not truly dependent on how well a company does - much of it is computer controlled! Anyone remember the flash crash? A computer that just couldn't handle every bet it was being asked to...... and, well - the domino effect.....

Education - its required for a 'good' job. Really? Why? Except for SOME (not all) careers in the scientific, medical, engineering, and legal fields - why? Most jobs can be LEARNED VERY well - WITHOUT the 'benefit' of a 4 year degree - 2 years of which are 'Liberal Arts' - basic math, English, etc. Answer: money. Education is a HUGE money-maker. Look around you - see where the new construction is - at UNIVERSITIES!  Yet, there are kids that graduate from college that cannot construct a coherent English sentence! Conversely, there are people that graduate from college with a MASTERS degree (in something other than "Greek Mythology" ) and cannot find work. And then to have CEO's say, "I can't find people with the skills and knowledge here in the US". SERIOUSLY?????

Housing..... so, we bailed out the banks that held the mortgages - that WROTE the mortgages. Had these banks actually LOOKED carefully at the qualifications of the mortgagee's they were giving mortgages to - they would NEVER have issued the mortgage. So... now that the banks are once again on 'solid' financial footing - what are they doing? Recouping the losses at the expense of the people THEY gave mortgages to. So, for the BANKS 'error in judgement',  the homes of good, honest people are being lost. And to WHAT exactly?????? FOR WHAT? So these properties can SIT and ROT, becoming blighted - the families with nowhere to go? On the streets? Living from their cars? SERIOUSLY? 

Medical - you CAN be turned away from a private hospital.... the FIRST thing they ask for is your insurance card.... REALLY? 

And our Supreme Court has decided that corporations have the same rights as people?

SERIOUSLY?

These are just a VERY VERY few of the things that need serious looking at- preferably WITHOUT looking at the dollars. 

If I could say one thing to all the graduating classes of 2012 - I would say this - Question EVERYTHING. READ. Not the garbage you are fed - read more. Question more... Do not let yourself be led to complacency. And remember that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!