An American and Global Revolution Has Begun

Americans are sick of having no voice in their government, angry at the crumbling economy, the home foreclosures, the lack of jobs, the gutting of schools, and the slashing of other vital services people desperately need such as medical care and Social Security. It's something the bailed out financial institutions, corporate CEO's, and the lobbyists and politicians who serve them still haven't grasped. Nor has the U.S. media which provides endless political sound bites.

Meanwhile the American Middle Class income, adjusted for inflation has slipped to 1970's levels while giant company CEO's are making record salaries and shifting evermore jobs overseas. And the U.S. spreads its "War on Terror" everywhere, no longer even bothering to justify it as its Military Industrial Complex receives a financial bonanza.

Americans know they are being had. Occupy Wall Street brought thousands of people to the streets of New York City and thousands more have taken to the streets across the U.S. and now it is spreading across the globe.* Rather than arrest those on Wall Street responsible for pillaging the nation's assets however, police are instead cracking down on the peaceful protesters. But in fits and starts and led by the young, by the vast number of unemployed and by those whose unions are being crushed Americans are beginning to take to the streets. As the U.S. and other economies grow worse, there will more protests, more demands for change and even louder demands that politicians become answerable to the people.

Dick
Note: Thank you to my friend Mary Ellen who encouraged me to publish this piece. Also, please note that an excellent case could be made that this revolution began in Greece with its vast protests and in the Middle East as in several nations, people have taken to the streets to peacefully overthrow their governments.

* To learn more, please see "Buoyed by Wall Street Protests, Rallies Sweep the Globe," New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/16/world/occupy-wall-street-protests-worldwide.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha22