Today, I was on the phone with a friend when I flipped on CNN and saw the coverage of the Occupy Wall Street protests. It mesmerized me. I couldn't believe the number of people.
Then we saw the protests at Occupy LA and Occupy Portland. Wow.
For a while, I was afraid we were going to see violence, but we didn't. There were a few isolated instances, but the 99% is not about violence. They're mostly peaceful. Heck, they had a library at their camp in NYC! They're thinkers, not fighters.
I watched in amazement. I couldn't help it. I thought about the 60's. The Vietnam War protests. This feels like the same thing to me.
It's history.
It also feels like the tide is turning. Yes, I am one of the 99% and today, I was so proud to be an American and see those who can out there doing what needs to be done.
The 99% are not whiners. The 99% don't want anything they don't deserve, but when you go to college, come out in debt and can't find a job doing anything besides flipping burgers, there's something wrong. Terribly wrong.
My husband is part of the 99%. He lost his job 6 years ago after working for the same company for over 20 years. He had no notice. He got a tiny severance package. We uprooted our family to move after being promised a better job. It didn't work out and the cost of living was outrageous where we were living, so we decided to move back here. Now, my husband with his 20+ years experience plus a college degree works at a job making about 60% what he did 6 years ago.
My mom is part of the 99%. She's a senior citizen who is still working at age 72 because she can't afford to quit. She worries every day about Social Security and her health care. She works with other seniors who can't afford to buy their meds. Seniors who live without heat, without electricity, without the basics just because everything has been cut to the bare bones. Many of the seniors she sees at her meal center come in because that's the ONLY way they can get a hot meal that day. As winter starts to hit, we worry more about them.
So to those who bitch about the 99% who are occupying cities all around the country, just think a minute. You might be comfortable. You might have your nice home. You might be warm and cozy and have plenty of money to provide a nice Christmas for your kids, but that can all go away in an instant. (Unless of course, you're a millionaire!)If you haven't experienced what I've experienced, you can't understand.
The 99% care about the people like my mother. The 99% want to help people. There is a great deal of compassion in their message. They're not violent. But they're here and they're not going anywhere.
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