Some commentators and even liberal ones have commented that the protest is unfocused and has no leadership. What that says is they don't understand the majority of the young folks protesting. They don't want a leader because they know that leaders can become corrupted, may be covert and lead them down the wrong path. They want true democracy and they have open forums where anyone can speak. Their form of democracy is to have large councils representing the public who might bring up issues for the public to vote by the Internet. This is a much more advanced form of democracy than exists how. And since we're moving into a leisure society (which is what they also want) then many folks can take turns being on the council. This is what I see as working in the future rather than electing representatives who turncoat on their constituents.
On 10/05/2011 03:03 AM, nablusoss1008 wrote: > Jared Bernstein<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jared-bernstein> > Senior Fellow, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities > GET UPDATES FROM Jared Bernstein > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/becomeFan.php?of=hp_blogger_Jared > Bernstein> > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=jared-bernstein> > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/login/> Like 402 Occupy > Wall St.: This Is Not a Head Scratcher Posted: 10/4/11 01:09 PM ET > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jared-bernstein/occupy-wall-st-this-is-no\ > _b_994388.html?view=print&comm_ref=false> React Inspiring > > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jared-bernstein/occupy-wall-st-this-is-no\ > _b_994388.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#> Greedy > > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jared-bernstein/occupy-wall-st-this-is-no\ > _b_994388.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#> Typical > > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jared-bernstein/occupy-wall-st-this-is-no\ > _b_994388.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#> Scary > > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jared-bernstein/occupy-wall-st-this-is-no\ > _b_994388.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#> Outrageous > > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jared-bernstein/occupy-wall-st-this-is-no\ > _b_994388.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#> Amazing > > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jared-bernstein/occupy-wall-st-this-is-no\ > _b_994388.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#> Innovative > > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jared-bernstein/occupy-wall-st-this-is-no\ > _b_994388.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#> Infuriating > > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jared-bernstein/occupy-wall-st-this-is-no\ > _b_994388.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#> Follow > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/economic-crisis> Economic Crisis > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/economic-crisis> , > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/wall-street> Wall Street > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/wall-street> , > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/economy> Economy > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/economy> , Wall Street Protest > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/wall-street-protest> , Occupy Wall > Street<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/occupy-wall-street> , Wall > Street Protests > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/wall-street-protests> , Business News > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/business> > share this story 325 193 27 Add to collections View My > Collections> <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/?action=collections> > Collect articles and browse other HuffPost members' collections. Learn > More> Get Business Alerts Sign Up Submit this story digg > reddit > <http://reddit.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fjare\ > d-bernstein%2Foccupy-wall-st-this-is-no_b_994388.html&title=jared-bernst\ > ein: Occupy+Wall+St.%3A+This+Is+Not+a+Head+Scratcher> stumble > <http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.c\ > om%2Fjared-bernstein%2Foccupy-wall-st-this-is-no_b_994388.html&title=jar\ > ed-bernstein: Occupy+Wall+St.%3A+This+Is+Not+a+Head+Scratcher> > Last night I heard a story on NPR about the Wall St. protest that is now > spreading > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/wall-street-protesters-h\ > ope-to-plant-seeds-of-a-national-cause/2011/10/03/gIQAiBmKJL_story.html?\ > hpid=z2> to other cities. The gist of the story was: "what are these > protests really about? What do they want?" > > I'm sorry, but that's just not a head scratcher. Do these news analysts > think it's a coincidence that they're occupying Wall St. as opposed to > Columbus Ave north of 79th? > > As Andrew Sorkin put it > <http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/10/03/on-wall-street-a-protest-matures\ > /?ref=business> today (after writing that the message was "at > times...hard to discern"): > ... the demonstrators are seeking accountability for Wall Street and > corporate America for the financial crisis and the growing economic > inequality gap. > I'm not saying everyone down there is ready to give a clear exposition > of the facts of the case, but commentators can stop scratching their > heads now. > > I've been writing about these problems for decades. Sometimes they've > gotten a little better, but mostly they've gotten worse. Before the > downturn, the share of income held by the top 1% was 23.5%, the highest > since 1928 and more than twice the 10% level of the late 1970s. > > These are growth shares, as in they have to sum to 100%-when one group's > share goes up like that, everybody else's has to shrink. > > That doesn't mean real income values can't rise for other groups, of > course (though it does imply slower relative growth, compared to the > high end). But in fact, the middle class and the poor haven't seen that > either... the decade of the 2000s saw middle-incomes decline > <http://jaredbernsteinblog.com/the-lost-decade-for-the-middle-class/> > in real terms for working-age households. The recession just made those > incomes fall faster. > > Protest movements are often born of two interacting injustices: the lack > of opportunity and the lack of accountability by the persons perceived > to be blocking that opportunity. > > Given the facts of the income distribution, the trends in real > middle-class incomes and poverty, the failure of policy to do much to > change these trends, the government bailouts of the only class that's > benefited > <http://jaredbernsteinblog.com/a-tale-of-two-economies-and-the-inequalit\ > y-dragon/> from the recovery so far, the absence of clear > punishment/accountability for the financial and political institutions > that helped inflate the debt bubble that continues to squeeze economies > across the globe, and the dysfunctionality of the current political > system (they're arguing more about whether they can keep the lights on > than whether they can help solve the economic problems), the more > interesting question is what took so long for such protests to show up? > > Update: A colleague sends me to this site > <http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/> which puts a face on much of the > above (hat tip: HS). > > This post originally appeared at Jared Bernstein's On The Economy > <http://jaredbernsteinblog.com/> blog. > Been to Occupy Wall Street Events? Show us your photos, tell your > storyIf you've been to an Occupy Wall Street event anywhere in the > country, we'd like to hear from you. Send OfftheBus your photos, links > to videos or first-hand accounts of what you've seen for possible > inclusion in The Huffington Posts's coverage. >
