I share much of the same anger about the state of things that the Occupy (Insert Name Here) people do. I don't share the same solutions. But, I do agree with them about the problem. Contrary to what you seem to believe, we do not have a free market system. We have a crony capitalist system that benefits the few and is detrimental to the many. It's a plutocratic kleptocracy that is being abetted by both sides of our supposed two party system. It isn't. It hasn't been for, at least, the past twenty years. What we have now is akin to Soviet Russia but with the illusion of choice: Wall Street Red or Wall Street Blue. It's a sham. Look at the donations! The biggest change from one election year to the next is the way corporate money moves. The CEO's might have their political preferences, but most--if not all of them--don't take those into account when they start passing out the cash. It is a simple matter of reading the political headwinds and donating to the person they believe will give them the best bang for their buck. And, hey, you read the headwinds wrong and throw a fundraiser for the wrong guy? No problem, just send a few lobbyists.
I already posted the article that pointed out the myth of TARP being paid off, but that is really just the tip of the iceberg. The stimulus and all its 800 something billion dollars is nothing. Look at the part of the iceberg that is underwater and one number screams at you: SIXTEEN TRILLION! What's that number? It's the number of dollars that we handed out like bailout candy in three years (2007-2010). According the the debt clock, sixteen trillion is enough to pay off our entire debt, the stimulus, and still have about 150 billion with which to do...whatever. Why are we arguing over the debt ceiling and cuts when the Fed could've paid off the entire debt in three years?!? Because, I'm sure they'd say, it is none of our business, wasn't meant to be our business, and was meant to do anything for you, me, or main street. We'd have never known about it had it not been for Ron Paul. I'll get back to him later.
My whole point here is that all of those people on Wall Street and around the country have valid reasons to be pissed off. Do I agree with all of their solutions? Not really. Do I think large numbers of them have no fucking clue what they are talking about? Yes. Does that mean I should just dismiss them as a bunch of bongo bashers? No. It means that I should engage them on the issues. We should be doing all we can to teach them that this isn't a free market economy. But, they shouldn't be belittled for not understanding that because it is the propagators of this system on both sides that have taught them that this is capitalism. Simply put, we should engage and enlighten rather than belittle and dismiss.
The best person, IMO, for this job is Ron Paul. Over the past thirty years, he has been the most consistent in his beliefs and the most vocal on the issues of liberty, economy, and social mobility. Most of the other candidates don't really want or look towards doing the need changes to the foundation of our economy that need to be done. They'd all be more than happy to just ride the next bubble like Dubya did with the housing market. In fact, save Sarbanes-Oxley, most of their economic agendas are just to undo the past three years and talk about how the glory days of the Bush administration are here again. And, hey, anything they say now that might be more extreme than that doesn't count because they'll shift more to the center after getting the nomination...right? Despite their rhetoric, they all come across as rehashed Keynesians (just, maybe, with a little k). One of my few exceptions to this, oddly, is Newt. The problem is that I don't think Newt holds serious aspirations for being the GOP nominee or president. He's just looking for a seat at the table and doing what he can to instill a little more substance into a field that--generally--sound like they all received the same list of Luntz talking points. Some may be able to do it a little more smoothly to the point of sounding to smooth by half (Romney) while others do it so badly that vapid isn't even a strong enough word to describe it (Bachmann).
Paul, along with other Austrian School economists, have called the bubbles and the bursts again and again. And, they have pointed out continuously the irrationality of trying to prop up the roof when the floor is caving in. You can't just say cut taxes and regulations then everything will be okay. And, none of the other GOP candidates really want or are up to the challenge of instituting the reforms that this country really needs. They are just up to not being as bad as Obama.
Let's face it, the only reason the media covers Paul when they do is because they can't just ignore him this time. This isn't to say they won't try just that it can't be done so easily this time. They can't ignore that he called the housing bubble in '01. They can't ignore that he has breathed new life into the, supposedly, eviscerated and dead Libertarian/Goldwater wing of the Republican party. He's here. We're here. And, we're Austrians!
As for my dismissal of the Tea Party as of late, I feel a large portion has been duped and co-opted (much like a lot of the pinheads that, admittedly, do reside in Zucotti Park right now). They've been so blinded by anti-Obama zealotry that they run like madmen to whomever they can convince themselves is the Tea Party messiah at the time (see; Bachmann, Perry and Cain). I'd almost feel sorry for them if it wasn't so pathetically laughable.
And, honestly, I can see some similarities between them and what is happening in the OWC movement. Those that talk of Obama standing up and, apparently unbeknownst to them, bite the hand that feeds him is fucking hilarious. Still, for every knucklehead out there screaming about death to capitalism or whatever, there are still a lot of people in the movement that don't ascribe to that philosophy (or, any philosophy other than rightful anger) that can be engaged and enlightened.
But, hey, you want it to be nothing more than "leftist rabble" and Soros goons then feel free to belittle, denigrate, and dismiss. But, bear in mind, you are taking the risk of alienating an entire generation and losing them to those same communazis you rant and rave about every day.
The demographics are clear. The GOP is getting a lot greyer than the Dems are. And, by an unwillingness to engage the youth of this country in a meaningful way in this time of crisis, you and others like you are setting yourselves up for political extinction. Good luck with that.
