Just what exactly does “Occupy Kansas City” and Occupy…..other cities” represent or stand for?

The protesters behind Occupy Wall Street and their supporters, of which I am one, share a gut feeling of utter disgust, rage and frustration at the havoc our nation’s policies, from Washington to Wall Street, have wreaked not only on this current economy, but on hope of a more stable, widespread financial security for the future

First and foremost, protesters want accountability from Wall Street (“They got bailed out, we got sold out.”) They seek punishment for people who committed economic crimes against the population, rather than indignant political gamesmanship that produces no result.

(“From New York to L.A., Make the Wall Street Bankers Pay.”) People get hauled into jail for minor drug infractions, and yet major fraud and market and securities manipulation remain rampant and systemic.

Before we bail out every other country, start feeding our poor, hungry and homeless.  before sending billions in aid to people on another continent, take care of our own first.  It is their tax dollars were sending to help everyone else..

Before we give congress another raise, how about we give our state militia the raises they deserve?  Hundreds of thousands of DOD technicians had their pay frozen for up to 5 years, so congress could keep their annual raises.  Then had their insurance increased, so Congress could retire after 1 term and collect three times what the standard retiree gets for a pension.  Stop playing favorites!

Students want affordable education. Due to our current monetary policy of near zero-rate money, banks receive exceedingly cheap financing terms, which they have not bestowed upon their degree-seeking customers.

Homeowners want to keep their homes. To date, there have been about $1 billion of SEC mortgage-related “settlements” with Wall Street. They are negotiated absent requiring any admission of guilt, nor a dial-back of foreclosures or increase in refinancings to help borrowers. With $7 trillion of value lost from the housing market in the past few years, people understandably want to revise their economic profiles.

Finally, protesters want fairer distribution of wealth and taxes.

They don’t want cutbacks to social/economic programs, or for public service or private sector jobs to pay for federal generosity to a Wall Street comprising banks that are not just too big to fail, but bigger than they were before their subsidies and bailouts were initiated a few years ago. (“They Say Cut Back, We Say Fight Back”)

Many thanks to the contributors to the video,

Shanna Freedom, photographer

Dawn Eckel, Photographer

Occupykc.com

LMAObama.com

©Copyright protected 2013: JD, NWU Local 1981

©United Press International,   ©International Association of Press Photographers and Journalists   Press ID # 1007490467