As the Occupy Wall Street protests spread from Lower Manhattan to Washington and other cities, the chattering classes keep complaining that the marchers lack a clear message and specific policy prescriptions. The message — and the solutions — should be obvious to anyone who has been paying attention since the economy went into a recession that continues to sock the middle class while the rich have recovered and prospered. The problem is that no one in Washington has been listening. …
When the protesters say they represent 99 percent of Americans, they are referring to the concentration of income in today’s deeply unequal society. Before the recession, the share of income held by those in the top 1 percent of households was 23.5 percent, the highest since 1928 and more than double the 10 percent level of the late 1970s.
That share declined slightly as financial markets tanked in 2008, and updated data is not yet available, but inequality has almost certainly resurged. In the last few years, for instance, corporate profits (which flow largely to the wealthy) have reached their highest level as a share of the economy since 1950, while worker pay as a share of the economy is at its lowest point since the mid-1950s.
They’ve come a long way in the last few weeks.
The message and solutions should be obvious? Really? I still haven’t heard any specific demands or requests or ideas or laws or elections or actions, from ANY of the protests. Just general bitching about politics and corporations and the distribution of wealth.
Well that only means you HAVEN’T BEEN LISTENING or simply don’t want to listen. I suppose YOU think corporations are awesome when they rob us and the same goes for our political process, eh?
You’re the one who’s bitching. Some of us actually give a damn and are doing something productive.
Nope, not gonna reply to Damos.
Someone must have figured out a way to profit off of it.
@Reymont: DamosA has been right. People have been telling you on this very blog. At this point you are simply lying.
I’m with Reymont on this – easily.
Though some of the same themes keep popping up, there is a multitude of points of view – and very little in the way of solutions coming forth.
Want a more equal society? OK, I agree.
Angry about the Wall Steet Bailout – NOW? Little late, and the Tea Party beat you to it.
Speaking of which,this whole thing seems to me increasingly like Tea Party Lite for lefties.
But you have to hand it to the Tea Party in some respects, as asinine as they are, they have a focused message and have effected change in our society.