(Jackie Jeffers -- The Beacon)
By The Beacon's Editorial Board
As Occupy Wall Street moves into its fifth week, similar Occupy protests are emerging across the nation. The demonstrations were inspired by the Arab Spring movement – a revolutionary wave of protests occurring in the Arab world – and are against economic inequality and power delegated to corporations, because they have the power to donate millions to politicians who will benefit the corporate world. Let us remind you of how this financial catastrophe happened: banks took advantage of deregulation, which led to irresponsible lending. Taxpayers then bailed out the banks. However, the banks repaid taxpayers by standing behind politicians who promised to keep the corporations' taxes low. Occupy protests are now developing around the world. There are Facebook calls for a global demonstration, called United for Global Change. On Oct. 15, people from Asia to Australia, from Africa to Europe and America will take the streets to claim their rights and demand a true democracy. According to United for Global Change's website, 662 cities from 79 countries will be participating. It's clear what Occupy protesters want: reform of government. Now, here's hoping the government starts listening. How do the Occupy protesters plan to get their reform when they do not have a solution to fix the problem? We have no idea. Though The Beacon applauds Occupy protesters for peacefully standing up to corporate bullies, they should have realistic solutions to pair with the protests. The Occupy protesters say they are the "other 99 percent," referencing the fact that the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans controls 50 percent of the capital in America, indicating a great disparity between the middle and lower classes and the wealthy. However, according to the Tax Foundation, even if you tax away 50 percent of the income of the people making between $1 million and $10 million, you only reduce the national deficit by 1 percent. Our country's financial problems began with the banks and they should end with our government. The Beacon encourages you to continue writing to your senators and representatives demanding that all political parties work together in the best interests of the country as a whole, not for the benefit of their major donors.
