Over the weekend I got into a conversation about the 99% label that has been going around FB and the protesters. My friend was upset with the ones protesting because in her words (roughly), "they are blaming others for their financial problems and if they just invested or saved their money, they could be like the 1% too."
Honestly, I don't see that being the case at all. Granted, I am sure that some people do like to over-spend and rather than take responsibility for it, would rather blame someone else. I get that... But most people I know do not live that way. Most, in fact, live quite humble.
As far as the protesters and the 99% percent go, I have this to say. Remember, these are just my opinions, but I am trying to keep an open mind, so if you want to give me your opinion, I would be happy to hear you out. :-) I keep hearing things about how people are claiming they are not the 99%, but to this day, I have yet to find one of you who it part of the elite. Here are my thoughts...
If you are not the 1% elite, then you ARE the 99%. That does not mean you agree with all of the protests going on, but it does mean you are part of that group.
People are protesting way more than just the international banks on Wall Street. The protests are against some of the bills trying to be passed by our government, like controlling the Internet. Others are protesting for local causes, and are still calling themselves the 99%. Some protests are for health care, and our soldiers returning home to no paid medical coverage... There are reasons longer than I could list in one night on why people are protesting, and the only reason that many of the protesters are using the 99% label is to show that it is the 1% making these laws, and the majority of us want change. This does NOT mean that all these people blame the banks for the state of our nation. We are at fault for the state of our nation by not protesting sooner, before things got so out of control.
As far as those protesting the banks go, I do agree that if we bail out banks, that the citizens should have the same opportunities. If all student loan debt was forgiven, if we didn't have to pay for health care (which I might add costs my family $850.00 a month), then bailing out banks for their misconducts at least seems a bit more fair. But as it stands, the reason so many people are withdrawing money from 'international' banks is because they commit fraud and get away with it. How many people lost everything they invested into their homes because the banks committed real estate fraud and used dishonest practices to get people into crazy balloon payments? It is outrageous what these bankers have gotten away with. If they were held accountable, and all those men and women who got wealthy over the fraud had to pay it back to the citizens and do jail time for their crimes, then I would actually trust our countries banking system.
It is my opinion that the problem is not that most people blow their money, it is fraud on the part of corporations and bank institutions. The workers of Enron that literally lost everything were not blowing their money. They were investing into retirement, saving, and had faith in their company. They lost everything because they trusted our way of doing things. They believed that if they put money into retirement, they'd actually get it back... So as far as the notion that 'if we all invested, and just saved our money, then we could be the 1% too', I don't buy it for one second. If we invest money, and we use a mutual fund through a company that has a great reputation, just to have them steal our money, that is not us being irresponsible, not in the least. If we have a savings account, or retirement, and the company or bank files bankruptcy, that is not us as citizens being irresponsible with the way we manage our money. Point blank, we can not travel from the poorest of poor to the top elite just by saving $50 a month. The 1% are not millionaires, they are not even billionaires, they have trillions. Maybe not in the bank, but in net worth. So no, I do not feel that is possible no matter what we do. Unless of course we come up with a way to steal the shirts off the 1%'s backs, and also everything else they own, then we might make that 1% group. :-)
Bottom line, I am proud of the protesters. Even though some are leaving messes and using it to excuse their own ill judgement, most of the people are out there every day trying to make a difference. They are getting pepper sprayed, hit, arrested, shot at with bean guns, and for what??? Because they are peacefully demonstrating for change? I don't find an ounce of anger with them, even if the protesting is costing the cities for clean up. What I do find I hold in great depths is appreciation and thanks. They are out rain or shine, freezing or heat, in the line of fire to help all of us that are part of the 99%. No matter what their individual causes are. So to all of you who complain about this, I will still hear your opinions, but to those of you who are out there doing all the dirty work to make change happen, THANK YOU! Because there have already been several changes made throughout different states.
To my friend that sparked this blog, I do not mean this as a personal attack on you. :-) I know you are an intelligent and open-minded person. What you said though has mirrored things I have heard elsewhere, and I just wanted to share my thoughts.
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