During the spring of this year, I received emails containing links warning about the Occupy protests. I looked at the links and saw they were crudely built and passed it off to a bunch of fanatic nuts. My mistake was in ignoring the warnings. These are protests created by true anarchists that are not harmless. But just who are they harming? Republicans? Conservatives? Big Business? Wall Street? Bankers? No! They are harming themselves, their President, The Democratic Party, Unions and the tax payers.
Let’s look at the movement’s issues. Oh what, just what are their issues? The 99%? They are against anyone of wealth… Hummm, Michael Moore? Barbara Streisand? Lady GaGa? Pres Obama? Is anyone asking any of these people to empty their bank accounts to feed , cloth and house the poor? No, they are attacking business owners who are providing jobs, that allow individuals to feed, cloth and house themselves and their families. They are squatting on public and private property in violation of numerous laws with impunity because they are the latest darlings of the MSM. They hamper the traffic of hard working average Americas attempting to provide for their families by blocking their ability to get to and from their jobs. They are impeding small businesses in the area of their protests by abusing their toilet facilities, blocking store and office entrances and trashing the local neighborhoods. Just how is this helping the 99%, when they have done everything to ensure that they remain poor?
Is it about jobs? I have seen numerous attempts by various business owners and head hunting firms go into the crowds offering jobs, only to find themselves shouted down and ridiculed. So where is their argument?
Is it about free college education? Just where in the Constitution is it government’s job to educate the populace? I fail to see it. The Federal Government has already overreached in mandating the curriculum of the public school system for Pre-K to Grade 12. Their indoctrination has already lead to the heavy handed dumbing down of the last 2 generations in history! Just where is it written that a college education is mandatory and guaranteed? Already government grants have allowed career college students free lifetime rides in degrees of arts, literature and basket weaving. Today’s students graduate with few marketable skills and wonder why they can’t land a job above mim wage.
Is it against Big Corporate America? I don’t think so, when you see everyone has iPhones, iPads, Designer scarves, sneakers, whatever and swilling those Café Mocha Double Lattes. Instead of berating the Crony Capitalistic deals of the Obama Administration and corrupt Congress, they attack companies that are honest and employing people with good wages and benefits. The same companies that pay the shareholders a decent dividend. The shareholders who are you and I, invested through our savings accounts, retirements funds, insurance policies, mortgages and other financial instruments.
What OWS has gotten wrong is they have no clear message. The unions backed them until they marched on the ports shutting down Union Jobs. The Greenies were with them until they left tons of garbage and human refuse in their wake. The Democrats were with them until they called for the ouster of President Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. The only ones still with them is the MSM, simply because they are not the Tea Party people.
The Tea Party has a clear and direct message, which when advanced has affected policy and legislation. There are clear results. Limited Government, Less Taxes and adherence to Constitutional Law. This is what the OWS lacks. You see the Tea Party swarm in for a 2 hour rally and leave, often leaving the area far cleaner then when they arrived. You don’t see anyone arrested for illegal behavior. You don’t hear of assaults, rapes or murders at their gatherings. No one drops trowel and defecates on a cop car. Yet all of these things have happened at the Occupy encampments, along with rampant drug abuse.
OWS has gotten just about everything wrong except for the right to exercise their free speech. Now if they can only harness all of their destructive energy into something constructive and beneficial, maybe the 99% might listen. But I don’t foresee that in the near future.
The main problem is the brainwashing of our children education system, courtesy of the federal government that has instilled this false feeling of entitlement. This is not Generation X or the Millennium Generation, these are the generations of GIVE ME! It’s no longer a “Chicken in every pot”, it’s free phones, free internet, free TV’s, free housing, free clothing, free medical care, free, free, free. Now the government is paying you to stay home and not look for work. Oh that dirty, dirty word! WORK.
They can’t imagine being responsible for their own actions and welfare. The Twinkie defense threw all of that out the window. I stole that car because my parents yelled at me! I killed that innocent person because I never had a pair of designer jeans. I took drugs because the teacher made me study harder. Sorry, those excuses don’t fly with me & that’s why the OWS doesn’t wash either. No one told you to pick up that gun and no one but you decided to pull that trigger. No one told you to buy that crack or cocaine and no one but you made that conscious decision to light that pipe or shove that needle into your arm! No one but you decided to buy that booze, get in that car after you drank that bottle and drive. You made that decision, not that Twinkie!
If you choose to make basket weaving your course major in college, then be prepared to find a job in only that field. Just don’t expect me the tax payer to pay for your education, or should I say lack there of! As for spreading the wealth? If you refuse to work, don’t expect a penny from me. I am willing to give a hand up to any worthy person, but NOT a hand out! If I work 40 hours or more for my wages, I am willing to pay taxes to provide necessary and emergency services in my community. I am not willing to pay for a slacker and leech. Yes leech! There is nothing wrong with working for personal wealth as long as it is honestly earned. The greatest beauty of these United States is that it is the only nation in the work where the poorest amongst us has the potential to become wealthy. We deserve to ability to retain the maximum amount of that wealth and spend or distribute it as we each see fit. You do not have the right to demand that I or anyone else must work for your wealth or benefit against our wishes. That is called slavery, by the way! And don’t say I owe you because you didn’t ask to be born! I have yet met a person who Asked” to be born. We all came into this world the same way, but the miracle that God has given us, called life. We arrived naked and how we leave it is up to each one of us. Do we leave fulfilled with the wealth, love and joy of family and friends or with our hands out still looking for the freebies? I may not have material wealth, but I am glad to say I am blessed with the best wealth there is, that of friends and family. Which will you choose?
Ken wakes in a free Republic to enjoy food provided by Capitalist Farmers and Big Business Corporations which is made more expensive by over taxation and regulation. Food could still be made safe and cheaper of the Liberal Congress gets out of business's way, thus saving Ken thousands of dollars a year
His medications are safe because the pharma companies reinvest their profits and shareholder investments into research and development made affordable through tax credits made by Republicans.
Ken enjoys clean air despite attempts by progressive lobbyists seeking loop holes for their clients. These lobbyists were blocked by Fiscal Conservatives who also relaxed regulations. The regulations being relaxed allowed Ken's employers to increase wages and benefits and lower the cost of their product, thus increasing production and creating new jobs.
He enjoys the fail-safe of workers comp and unemployment insurance because Fiscal Conservatives cut unfunded entitlements as well as pork projects, to ensure funding is secured and the budget is balanced.
Ken enjoys a good return on his bank deposits because Capitalist Bankers seek a good interest rate for their clients and investors, supported by the Republicans who advocate a pro-business environment with less regulations.
However, Ken is burdened with an expensive student loan and stuck in an inferior job which does not match his education level. Unemployment is listed at 9.4%, but in reality is closer to 16% overall and job growth is stagnant. He cannot find a job to match his education level in this economy stifled by a devalued dollar caused by Quantitative Easing and a high deficit.
He visits his father's farm on a road full of pot holes and ruts because the FHA forced a road on a community that could not afford the maintenance on their meager budget.
The utilities his father's farm enjoys is brought to him by a corporation seeking to expand their customer base. They would have arrived sooner had the Democrats & Progressives in Congress not imposed so many road blocks and regulations.
Ken's father enjoys his Social Security benefits because he paid fully into it all of his life. He just wishes Medicare was not mandatory, he can get a better plan from a private insurer. But, if he were to do that, he would lose the Social Security he has paid a lifetime for. Now, he is dependent upon Medicare, that most of his current doctors are dropping after the passage of Obamacare. Worse, his father has not seen a Social Security Cost of Living increase in over 2 years, while Congress and their staff got pay raises and Stimulis Funds paid for bonuses to GE & GM, courtesy of a Democratic Congress and politicians who raided the Social Security "Lock Box".
Ken enjoys his Conservative radio show and knows the host is right, because:
1 - Food would be cheaper and just as safe if government stopped over-regulation and lower taxes on business.
2 - Medication would be available sooner and cheaper if the FDA streamlined approval and allowed generics into the system sooner.
3 - The air is clean because technology has advanced and utility standards have self-policed in advance of and in spite of government over-regulation.
4 - Job benefits and wages are at a record high at Ken's job, because employees have voted to keep unions out.. This allowed the employer to place more wages into the employee programs and lower productions costs. Lower production costs led to increased sales & production, resulting in the creation of new jobs and plant expansion.
5 - If Ken becomes unemployed, he faces the real threat of losing his home, because Obama's HEMP Program does not work. Only 12% of the people who applied have been approved. Conventional mortgage refinance programs are scarce due to the current financial situation and not likely to improve soon.
6 - His bank notified him that the Democratically controlled Congress has decreased the amount insured by the FDIC. His savings are at risk. In addition, the same Congress has enacted Financial Reform which will allow the banks to increase account fees. Free checking will be a thing of the past. Worse, the same Democrats have proposed and are trying to enact a Financial Transaction Legislation that will impose a 1% transaction fee on ANY monetary transaction. This will include deposits, withdrawals, interest earned and ANY purchases, including groceries and gas.
7 - Because the government is desperately seeking revenues, they are agressively seeking repayment of student loans and addressing unpaid taxes. Now Ken finds his wages garnished to satisfy the loans outstanding.
8 - The garnishment of Ken's wages means he can't pay his mortgage and his home is in foreclosure.
9 - The FHA forced a un-needed road on a rural community that is now in disrepair, the local government must float a bond of $5 Million. This will increase the property millage rate by 1%. Ken's father is not too please to learn his farm tax bill will increase by $5,000 per year.
10 - New EPA regulations on utilities, that far exceed industry standards have increased cost productions, forcing the utility to increase rates. Ken's father sees costs of energy to his farm increase by at least $1,000 a month.
11 - Due to overall increase of cost production, supplies and new taxes Ken's father decided to sell the farm at a loss. With the economy's dramatic drop in property value, the sale enables him only to repay the mortgage, with very little profit. He is solely dependent upon his Social Security for his daily living.
12 - Obamacare being enacted, Ken's father sees his monthly Medicare payments almost double, which takes a substantial chunk of his meager Social Security check. Private insurance would be cheaper, but if he purchases the insurance, Social Security will cease all payments. Congress married the two programs and they are mandatory.
13 - Unable to make ends meet anymore, Ken's father moves in with him. Meanwhile, Ken is laid off because the Obama Administration and the NLRB won their case against Boeing, causing the plant to close.
So much for Liberal do-gooding!
Ann Ubelis
Lady's Island