ba1614
Silver Member
If one homeowner suffers foreclosure, that might be his fault. If millions of homeowners suffer foreclosure, if we have an epidemic of foreclosures, that is not the fault of the homeowners.
If one person loses a job and can't find a new one, that might be his fault. If millions of people lose jobs and can't find new ones, if the unemployment rate climbs to high levels and stays there, that is not the fault of the unemployed.
If one person gets stuck with a stagnant income and can't find a way to move into a better career, that might be his fault. If, over thirty years, most of the people in the country find themselves in that situation, that is not their fault.
The 99% includes most of the 80-90% who have jobs. They're still suffering from stagnant and declining wages, increasing health-care costs, and lack of job security. It includes the majority of homeowners who do not face foreclosure. They're still seeing their home values decline to less than the remaining amount they owe.
It's likely that most of the people who are involved in OWS full time don't have jobs (or they couldn't be there). That isn't an indictment of OWS. It's an indictment of America, rather, that so many people don't have jobs. It's an indictment of America that a college education has become a road to crushing debt rather than success. It's an indictment of America that the middle class has shrunk. It's an indictment of America that we have austerity for everyone except the very rich, who just become richer. And above all, as the OP's cartoon illustrates, it's an indictment of America that neither of the major political parties is prepared to do squat about all this, both of them being bought and paid for advocates for the plutocrats.
It's time for a little class war. It's time to make a lot of noise. It's time to take our country back. If OWS as it currently exists isn't enough to push the politicians into serving the people instead of the banks and corporations, there's plenty more that can be done. A general strike, for example.
This is only the beginning.
Yet those who done without during the good times, living within their means and preparing for a rainy day, are still in their homes. These folks are to feel sorry for those who over extended themselves while living like kings on average mans pay.