This photograph is from the We are the 99% website. The stories and pictures there are beautiful and tragic. A powerful testament to the difficulties most Americans are facing today. Story after story is told in photographs and handwriting. Real people sharing with each other their difficulties and hoping that the community that has come together in the Occupy Wall Street movement will make a difference.
This woman writes "I want kindness and truth and compassion and integrity in government!" She also writes "All we want is for our children to have a fair opportunity to succeed." We are a citizenry feeling betrayed by our government. Why?
Even before the economy tanked income inequality had been growing.
And the difference between a CEO salary and the average worker is frightening and it is unique to the United States. No wonder we're outraged!
Kindness and truth and compassion and integrity. How do we make our money work for our values? How do we the 99% bring our resources together to create an economy which supports real people doing real jobs? How do we make the world that creates opportunities for our children?
We have resources as we can see in the thousands and thousands of people peacefully sitting in cities in every state saying, we have had enough. Wall Street isn't supporting us. Corporations aren't creating something we value. Our tax dollars should be working FOR the 99% not only for the wealthiest among us. Paul Krugman in his column in the New York Times on October 6, 2011 said, "The protesters' indictment of Wall Street as a destructive force, economically and politically, is completely right."
We need to find creative ways to use our money to invest in the world we want. After all, it's our money.
This is a great post. It's so easy to look at those graphs and feel angry. It's time to funnel that into creative solutions. I feel we are in such amazing times. I look forward to when those four words, kindness, truth, compassion, integrity become a core part of our society.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog, Rachel! The right topic at the right time. I'll be following and eager to see what you share next.
ReplyDeleteThat's right, it our money and we should be able to move it where we want, where it will add value back to the environment, and back to society, and not just multiply for the sake of multiplying. Great post Rachel and excellent combination of writing and impactful visuals.
ReplyDeleteRachel - Thank you for inspiring us to move from thinking about moving our money to actually getting off our duffs and doing it. I opened an account at the Kitsap Credit Union. While I wait for my new ATM card and new checks to arrive, I set up new bill payer accounts and started consolidating our (5) B of A accounts. We also have a mortgage (to expensive to move, so it will stay), and we each have a VISA. The credit union offers a WAY better deal on the VISA (no mileage, but also no annual fee, 6.15% interest, and no fee just for the privilege of carrying a balance - just interest). None of the credit union accounts have fees or minimum balance requirements and they all pay interest. This is a better mover from a social justice/corporate welfare/local economy pov, and, much to my surprise, it is also a better deal.
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