Moral Outrage Fuels The Occupy Movement

These last almost 2 weeks have been busy since the start of my involvement with Occupy Santa Fe/Occupy Wall Street, really Occupy Everywhere. The first day I arrived at the encampment across from the Bank of America, after that first big demonstration on October 8th, I simply joined a group of protesters and held up my own erasable board with my message. I live right near the birthplace of the nuclear bomb, Los Alamos, one of the wealthiest communities in the US, that of course thrives, due to their focus on military defense, rather then a focus on green sustainable invention in science. I am outraged at the money that flows in to military spending and I want it to stop!

Soon though I realized that there is wisdom in not making outright demands, yet. This now global movement just emerged. It is crucial to not splinter off in separate factions, to not alienate too many with our individual grievances. But it is time, it is truly time, we are overdue for a rising up and making our voices heard. This is what I believe. Injustice, not just economic, but social runs through the whole fabric of our American society, it is truly shameful.

George Lakoff is right when he calls the Occupy movement a positive and moral force that contrary to the Tea Party does not only care for it self, but includes the 99 percent (in Santa Fe we like to not be divisive and think of it as the 100%) as well as animal and environmental welfare along with world wide inclusiveness. The occupy movement does not hinge on camping out and partying, but it is about a deep moral outrage brought forth in a peaceful, non-violent manner, which may include civil disobedience.

The 99 Percent Declaration states a list of grievances, not approved by Occupy Wall Street, but certainly worth our contemplation and discussions. What follows are a few points of theirs of my choice:

1. Implementing an immediate ban on all private contributions of money and gifts, to all politicians in federal office, from individuals, corporations, "political action committees", "super political action committees", lobbyists, unions and all other private sources of money or thing of value to be replaced by the fair, equal and total  public financing of all federal political campaigns. We categorically REJECT the concepts that corporations are persons or that money is equal to free speech because if that were so, then only the wealthiest people and corporations would have a voice.  

5.  A complete reformation of the United States Tax Code to require ALL citizens to pay a fair share of a progressive, graduated income tax by eliminating loopholes, unfair tax breaks, exemptions and deductions, subsidies (e.g. oil, gas and farm) and ending all other methods of evading taxes. The current system of taxation favors the wealthiest Americans, many of whom, pay fewer taxes to the United States Treasury than citizens who earn much less and pay a much higher percentage of income in taxes to the United States Treasury. We, like Warren Buffet, find this income tax disparity to be fundamentally unjust.

6. Medicare for all American citizens or adoption of a single-payer healthcare system. The Medicaid program, fraught with corruption and fraud, will be eliminated except for the purpose of providing emergency room care to indigent non-citizens who will not be covered by the single-payer healthcare system. 

12. Recalling all military personnel at all non-essential bases ...

20. An immediate withdrawal of all troops from Iraq and Afghanistan ...  
Finally, I do believe the US needs a 3. non-partisan, independent party, eventually.

We are the 99 Percent!
It is time.

We got the power in numbers.

We will be silent no more.