The Occupy Movement gathers strength amongst it’s supporters from the fact that they claim to represent the 99%. That means that they feel 99% of American’s are being fairly depicted by these people’s actions. That somehow, the words and ideas and thoughts and thesis of this movement is embraced by the 99% of American’s that are not the richest 1%.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Much of us not in the top 1% realize what it means to succeed in America, what it takes to make a life that is better than the one given to you as a child. It requires risk, sacrifice and hard work. It means that things we might otherwise hold dear to us will have to be passed by or delayed in order to achieve the goal.
And sometimes that doesn’t work out. For some, it means that a life is spent in futile frustration agonizing over business ideas that never took hold. For others it might mean a life of unrealized potential; an otherwise qualified corporate President is relegated to a life of middle management due to circumstances. And, in some cases, it means that decisions that are made are wrong. Or if not wrong, less right.
But in aggregate, the fact that Americans all, poorest to the richest, have the best life ever afforded any group of people belonging to a nation in the history of the world is proof enough that Capitalism is the greatest anti-poverty program going.
But that isn’t enough. For some, they have to make the papers, the news, the limelight. They have to scream out that the world just isn’t fair and that somehow, of course, it’s not their fault.
And that’s where the Occupy Movement comes in:
RALEIGH — Protesters from the occupy movement disrupted a speech at N.C. State University Wednesday afternoon by the head of Wells Fargo Bank, but the program resumed after police escorted about a dozen protesters from the building.
There were no arrests during or following the outburst that occurred about 4:45 p.m..
John G. Stumpf, the president and CEO of Wells Fargo, was on campus as part of an executive lecture series sponsored by NCSU’s Poole College of Management.
His remarks were disrupted when protesters scattered amongst the audience of about 400 stood and started speaking. One woman protester began a speech and the others repeated and amplified her words.
The protesters said, “John Stumpf, we won’t take your home, but we will take a moment of your time. Your leadership has led to the death of the American dream. Wells Fargo is guilty of widespread predatory lending and holds over $5.7 billion in student debt.”
I suspect that John G. Stumpf has created more jobs in his singular life that the number of jobs that will be created in aggregate of the Occupiers escorted from that room. Further, the benefit to society by having Wells Fargo around is lost on many, if not all, of those Occupiers.
Proof?
They hold it against this man that his bank holds $5.7 billion in student debt.
I ask you, how willing would YOU be to borrow money to some kid to get a degree in Eastern European Social Studies with a focus on Slovakian history?