As Occupy Boston, the child of the national movement Occupy Wall Street, develops, some people have tried to claim it’s disorganized and purposeless.
To some extent this is true, but it is a movement that needs no coherent, bullet-point plan; it simply needs to make a point, and it has.
Sure, some may say the crowds in Dewey Square aren’t that big and this is just a movement for the purpose of belonging to a movement. Or some may echo the feelings of a comment a jogger yelled as he ran by the Rose Kennedy Greenway yesterday, saying, “get a job,” -- insinuating that protesters are just lazy hippies causing trouble for no reason.
The great thing about what is happening, not only here in Boston, but in New York and other cities as well, is the focus on a major concern we should all have about our country. This issue is far beyond left and right. In fact, this is an area where the political gap should be bridged.
The majority of us getting screwed by stagnant wages, outrageous health care costs, student loan bills, a destroyed housing market and record unemployment. But a handful of people who sit at the top of these industries are making money on all our suffering. We should all feel outrage about this.
The fact is Bank of America is raising its fees on users -- that's you and me -- while its CEO pulls in millions of dollars. This is a dangerous and irresponsible step for the country's largest bank. And it reflects the general direction our financial and business institutions are moving in. This is the kind of thing Occupy Boston and Occupy Wall Street are objecting: We all pay more while the few at the top collect.
At a time when our country is stuck at 9.1 percent (fake) unemployment and something over 18 percent actual unemployment, banks such as Bank of America should be trying to help solve the problem. But why should we expect them or any other major institution to help fix the mess they caused? We shouldn’t.
We are like abused citizens at this point. The middle class did not cause this problem, yet we are told we must be the ones to sacrifice for it. We are told Social Security must be “reformed" (aka reduced or cut entirely), we are told classroom sizes must get bigger, companies must cut salaries, overtime should be eliminated, colleges have to raise tuition and student loans are a necessity if you want to get a degree. And this is all happening as we watch the fat and bloated salaried Red Sox blow a historic lead.
Yeah, Occupy Boston is right!
How about Occupy Fenway, Occupy colleges, Occupy health care companies, Occupy everything. Also, for those that may be thinking this is just angst from somebody on the left, it's not. I blame the corruption in government for allowing this charade to continue.
Let me ask you something, regardless of your political persuasions -- why should a big national bank, where a CEO makes millions of dollars a month, be allowed to charge its customers for usingtheir money?
When did we allow this as a country? Comcast, AIG, you name it, continue to fleece us and we in the middle class stand around and yell at each other. Meanwhile those on the top laugh all the way to the... well you know how that phrase ends.
Occupy Boston is good because the insanity needs to stop. This is beyond left and right, this about the middle class coming together. We need to stop letting the ruling class divide and conquer us, using wedge issues to keep us apart. We need to unite and take our country back.
If you pass those protesters in Dewey Square, say hi, thank them and maybe even take some time to join them.
Check out Jack's new blog, where he is occupying around the clock: Coffee with Caesar, coffeewithcaesar.com.
About this column: The view on politics, sports and social issues from the edge of Bunker Hill. Read more of Jack's work at http://coffeewithcaesar.com.
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7:25 am on Wednesday, October 5, 2011
I applaud the "Occupy Boston" movement. Hopefully, Washington will wake up and take notice that "We the People" are fed up! The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer, and the middle class are getting it in the back.
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Jan Paulsen
10:39 am on Wednesday, October 5, 2011
The big banks remind me of the way dope peddlers generate new business. They give you things for free and once you are dependent upon them they "sock it to you". I am old enough to remember when interest on savings accounts was 5 3/4 % and checking accounts were free without a minimum deposit. That was as recently as 1970, and it was only right. After all, they were using OUR money. At that time interest rates on mortgages were not very high, either, or on any other kind of bank loan, yet they made enough profit to be very comfortably off. Once we were completely dependent upon the banks to "take care of" our money, they started charging for every little thing. Some of the charges added up to a considerable sum.
I understand that conservatives want to put the country back to what is their idea of "the good old days" -- if that is in fact so, they can start with the banks. If they show us that they will do something for the good of the majority (for a change) we just might believe them!
Marc Mercier
4:43 pm on Wednesday, October 5, 2011
"Let me ask you something, regardless of your political persuasions -- why should a big national bank, where a CEO makes millions of dollars a month, be allowed to charge its customers for usingtheir money? " - Uh. Freedom of contract...
Jan Paulsen
11:20 pm on Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Freedom of contract? Does that mean we are free to take our business elsewhere? If so, where? They are all doing it, some more so than others. They have even legislated that seniors social security checks have to go in on direct deposit, so that there is no "freedom" there! Uh...highway robbery...
Margie Alberti
8:06 am on Thursday, October 6, 2011
Of course you can take your business elsewhere, and "yes" all the banks are doing it. Ever think about a Credit Union? Never, in the past 20 years, have I gotten any of the ridiculous charges that banks impose. Interest rates are always higher (not by much these days) and your money is just as protected..
Marc Mercier
9:22 am on Friday, October 7, 2011
See, Margie is right. There are alternatives. Seek them out. If enough people pull their money out, the banks will change their behavior to attract the funds back. That is how free markets work. Freedom does not mean you always get what you want. It means that you can research the available options and pick one, or not pick one.
Regarding the SSI checks, if you are going to accept charity from someone, including the government, you must accept it on their terms. To expect otherwise is foolish. A beneficiary has no right to demand terms of any sort from the benefactor.
Marc Mercier
9:27 am on Friday, October 7, 2011
" If they show us that they will do something for the good of the majority (for a change) we just might believe them!" - Banks are not obligated to operate for the good of anyone but themselves, and their shareholders. If you don't like what the existing banks offer, form a bank of your own, on your own terms. Otherwise, bury your money in the back yard.
Jan Paulsen
9:55 am on Friday, October 7, 2011
"Regarding the SSI checks, if you are going to accept charity from someone, including the government, you must accept it on their terms. To expect otherwise is foolish. A beneficiary has no right to demand terms of any sort from the benefactor."
What a nasty thing to say! That remark was uncalled for. Here's hoping that no one close to you ever has to accept the "charity" that is SSI.
Jan Paulsen
9:56 am on Friday, October 7, 2011
Social Security is retirement insurance for which we paid all our working lives. It is not charity! Social Security should not be confused with SSI, which is a social safety net for the low income elderly and the younger disabled people. Who would begrudge them that, anyway?
Jan Paulsen
9:59 am on Friday, October 7, 2011
Our Social Security retirement checks are mostly under $1,000 a month. We are not complaining about it -- you people are doing the complaining and would like to see the end of it. With Social Security we are able to live independent lives at a time when if we wanted a job no one would hire us. Think about it, and keep your nasty and erroneous conclusions to yourself. Ageism is the seed of a hate crime!
Margie Alberti
7:32 pm on Friday, October 7, 2011
Regarding Social Security checks and direct deposit, which in my opinion is a safety net: No chance of any check going to the wrong address; or getting lost in the mail, etc. etc. Regarding SSI checks, I agree with Marc. If you're going to accept charity from the Gov't you should (gratefully) accept it on their terms. And Jan wrote, "Ageism is the seed of a hate crime". What does that mean? I would really appreciate an interpretation. .