Ernest F. Camel III
Guest Writer
“We Are The 99 percent!!!” This mantra can be heard in cities across America and in various countries across the world.
September 17, 2011 began the initial protest in New York Cities Zucotti Park in the New York financial district.
I became a part of the Occupy Jackson movement in solidarity with the Occupy New York protest on Saturday, October 15, 2011.
Who are the 99 percent? According to an article on fastcompany.com, 64 percent of the protestors are younger than 34. The movement also includes Generation X’ers and Baby Boomers, with one-third of respondents older than 35 and one-fifth 45 and older. The 99 percent are categorized by the movement as the group of people in America who are the largest percent of the population, but have the least amount of wealth.
Occupiers across the U.S. and the globe are protesting the corporate control on government via finacial contributions to the political system, among other things. The protest has spurred crticism, where some have said there is no cohesive message. The protestors feel like this is a good thing because there are too many problems with our democracy regarding corporate greed than can be narrowed down into one demand.
I decided to join in the protest when my eyes were opened to the way greed has caused a number of problems in the U.S.
For those of you who don’t know why the Occupiers are mad, here are just a few facts for you.
In 2008, our government gave Wall Street a $700 billion bailout package, financed by our taxpayer dollars, but who bails us out when we can’t pay our bills or when we have gone to college and can’t find a job that pays well enough to pay back our student loans?
According to an article on thehill.com, student loan debt is at an all time high and will reach the $1 trillion mark this year surpassing even credit card debt. Also it has been said in an article on msnbc.com that the rising college costs, low graduation rates and poor job prospects are getting more and more students over their heads in debt as the student loan default rate has risen to 8.8 percent and climbing.
Many of the protestors have criticized banks such as the federal reserve, Bank of America and others for their lack of transparency and not being held accountable for their actions with the money they recieved on the backs of the American taxpayers.
I urge you to ask yourself, when will the Corporations, banks and Wall Street representatives who were given $700 billion dollars in an effort to kickstart our economy be held accountable for their actions?
While you are struggling to pay your student loans, credit cards, mortgages and every day neccessities they are drinking champagne and enjoying million dollar bonuses.
These are the same people who created the largest foreclosure crisis in recent history due to shady lending practices and sent our troops to war looking for fictional weapons of mass destruction; killing, according to about.com, more than 4,000 and seriously wounding more than 30,000 troops who will return from Iraq to a country that doesn’t even have a job waiting for them.
Some of my fellow protestors here in Jackson, Miss. had this to say about their reasons for occupying Jackson.
“I like this because it is non-violent and it’s people coming out and saying we share a discontentment across the country,” said Daniel Brantly, a supporter of Occupy Jackson.
“I’m here because it seems like we are having to fight the fights that we were having in the 60’s all over again. We should already have these things taken care of. There’s no reason why every generation should have to fight for the right to a job, the right to medical care, or the right to an education,” said Carol Miles, a supporter of Occupy Jackson.
I urge you to look beyond your political ties and examine how our government is run and ask yourself, are those in power looking out for the best interest of the 99 percent of Americans or the one percent of the population who control 97 percent of the nations wealth?
With elections coming up in November, I feel you should take an active role in your local elections. Don’t vote based on party but for the candidate that will help the 99 percent.
The views expressed in the commentary are those of the writer(s) and in no way represent the views of The Blue & White Flash.
