#OccupyWallStreet Movement: The 1,2,3 Occupy plan.
I am so pleased that someone, anyone, is protesting. I lament the fact that my Generation (X) can't seem to march or rally- we never have. During the Gulf War we sat around in coffee shops, but that was no real action, same with Iraq and Afghanistan.
But the Occupy Wall Street movement, and subsequent world "Occupy" movements, gives me hope that people believe that they can still make a difference. That's a sharp distinction, not whether the difference can be made, but whether they believe it can. What follows is usually this: "You've got our attention, now what do you want?" and this has become the news du jour.
The intelligentsia will comment about the lack of issue PR, the lack of concrete solutions. But the point is- there is no one single change to be made, the bigger system is broken and we always knew that. But they over-reached; those in power and wealth took us for suckers, as if we would never see through the hype. They took advantage of huge sums of money and didn't even pretend to be good stewards of it. In the Google age, CEO bonuses and billion dollar revenue is very easy to see. So, we stand at a crossroads.
Rich people vs. Regular people. Here's a hint: Rich people have always won, because we ask them to solve the problem. We ask them to change their profiteering ways; we ask them to vote or run elections differently. "Scorpion on the Frog's back" if I've ever seen it.
You want a movement? You want change? You want something to come of this? Here's what to do.
1. Sell all of your stock and 401(k)- get out of the Casino right now. Pull your money out of any bank that isn't regional or a credit union. You do understand that rich people play with your money right? That's how this scam works. You put your nickels into the stock market or into a bank and they take those nickels and add them up to a dollar, then they loan it out for interest on that dollar. Then when you want your money, it's less because of fees and so on. Get it? Take their play money away and watch what happens. And then when values are all knocked down, go back in if you want to gamble. The odds will be in your favor.
2. Do not spend a dime in America for 1 week. Watch how the "Job creators" cower in fear if no one buys their wares. You don't need to spend money. Really, it's a long-standing American fallacy. Make it a game. Save it. Buy bulk food, watch old rented movies, read books. Keep your monthly bills up - utilities and cable etc. But do not shop or buy anything from a register.
3. Do not go to work for 1 week. This one I love. With that money you pulled out of the bank take a week off. Go see nature, reconnect with friends, spend time with family, volunteer, and plant a tree. Do anything but help your boss make a profit. There should be a National Walkout in protest for years of stagnant wages while profits rose and no health insurance alone. Let's see that "job creator" answer the phone, make a sale, enter in the AR payment, reconcile and then clean up the office. The secret is this: Business owners determine your worth by how much money you make them. Frankly, most people in a company do not have direct revenue value. But if the machine doesn't run, no one makes money and let me tell you 1 week of no profits would change some minds greatly.
Simple. It's called the 1,2,3 Occupy plan. Occupy your life again. This is not their life. Those 8-10 hrs a day you work is your life, that $2.50 at the ATM is your future.
These things are powerful. This is a peaceful act of anarchy. I'm sure no one will do it and it's a shame. But if you want something to rally around, go 1,2,3, Occupy.
