Voices of Frustration

The American Way?

Is history repeating itself? For the first time in forty years, the voices on the left are being raised, and once again the establishment is uncomfortable. Did a 13-year-old really write the nasty letter to the left, or does this say more about the parents? The "Occupy Wall Street" crowd is beginning to get traction well beyond lower Manhattan, as Connecticut cities are not excluded from this growing movement. What do these people want? The goals remain unclear. The reasons behind the protests should be apparent: frustration over a troubled economy blamed on corporate greed and government gridlock. There are certainly other forces at work in this drawn out recession, but the economic numbers we've been seeing are affecting real people. I call on local businesses all the time for advertising, and the stories of struggle really do hit home. During the short time since "Occupy Wall Street" got our attention, we have seen them labeled as unclean mobs by the right wing politicians who only cater to Tea Party America and their financial backers saying, "Get a job at McDonalds and pull yourself up by the bootstraps!" The overwhelming majority of people not only want to be productive; they also need to be valued by their bosses and have some degree of confidence their source of income will not be cut back or taken away tomorrow. We have had plenty of time to listen to the uncompromising talking points of those who remain comfortable. To ignore this new wave of seething anger and desperation is asking for trouble.