It's cost the NYPD $1.9 million in overtime (as of October 7). That's government spending that you're causing...while protesting that you want government spending cuts and tax reform!
They are disrupting the lives of hard-working New Yorkers who want to make a living, all the while the protesters are living outside and making Manhattan look like a homeless breeding ground! On October 1st there were an estimated 700 arrests made when protesters crossed the Brooklyn Bridge. These are 700 individuals who have made their lives a little bit harder by getting themselves a public disorder offence on their criminal record! Good luck getting a job after that!
There are no clear set of demands, and because the 'activists' are not protesting the actions of a single unified group(and instead a high-earner selection from many different areas) there is no way they will get what they want! No high-ranking CEO is going to step forward and say "You know, those smelly hippies are right! Here US Government...have a few extra million, because I feel bad!" Fuck that! For all we know, those individuals have done nothing legally wrong! You know what's worse? Look up how much European Soccer players earn! They kick a ball around a pitch for 90 minutes every other week, and they can afford a new house, new car, and a small island in the tropics every goddam week!
High-earners are everywhere. They get there by working. Not always by working hard, and not always by working clean, but there is work that must be done in order to get there! And once you get there, you get told by whoever is promoting you "Okay Mr/Mrs CEO, here's your new office, the keys to your company Porsche, and your annual salary is $2,850,000." In the grand scheme of life, do you ever think there has been a single person to turn around and say "Well, that's nice and all...but I can live off $40,000 a year pretty well, so I wanna give the rest to the government because that dude who makes me coffee only makes minimum wage." ...I doubt it!
The fact is, people generally are unhappy with their governments for one reason or another! There is normally a general feeling that if our politicians were smarter, we would need to pay less taxes, because they would be able to deal with the running of the country, using less of our money. But there are more effective ways of getting things done! With the support the Wall Street protest has amassed, the stage is set to put legitimate public pressure on the people with real power...the politicians! To achieve higher taxation for the high-earners, you have to go after the players that need your support to keep their power! The government want the money, and with enough pressure from the population they can justify passing legislation to introduce a higher tier of tax for people who earn over a certain amount. But camping in a public place isn't going to convince anyone that your claim is legitimate. Nor are your funny signs, quirky outfits, or toting facts from wikipedia that you read from your iPhone.
Write to your local representative of government in a coherent manner, with your reasoning behind your arguments, and a realistic solution. Go to your job, pay your taxes (however unfair it might seem), and work hard!
Because that's how life works!
The people who complain just make the people who work hard look better by comparison and succeed!
So...thanks hippies!
P.S. Shower! (Please shower)
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