Much Ado About Something

Do the Wall Street Campers understand what it is they want to accomplish with their protest? The appearance is that younger people want something they cannot define, they want it now, and they want it free of charge. On the opposite side of the media coverage are the senior citizens who want to keep what they've spent a lifetime earning, including their homes, their health, and end-of-life quality experiences that celebrate their lifetime accomplishments. Between the two is a chasm of "change we can believe in," change that has little chance of happening because the people who want change don't have the power to effect the change they want.

The media sliced and diced The Tea Party movement, dismissing it without a qualm as some sort of aimless rebellion against the first African-American president, rather than a valid outcry against the callousness of both politicians and financial institutions. It is reasonable to say, based on the past 5 years, that both politicians and financial institutions have eroded the faith of the American people and are not making progress at reforming either their callousness or business practices. However, if the media would not accept the protests then, what makes protesters now think that their efforts will be different? that they will succeed in effecting change that simply is not going to happen?

Camping out results in mild amusement from the media, but using one's financial and political resources as weapons does have merit. NetFlix, with the smug brush-off of their price increases as the cost of a couple of lattes, now has to deal with the significant loss of consumer base and revenue stream that resulted from their actions. Removing financial resources from financial institutions "too big to fail" does impact them if the actions are taken by significant numbers of depositers, but it appears that protesters lack the financial resources required at the base of their own plan. An action plan to attack financial institutions begins with ... financial assets, not camp-outs.

Don't like the monthly debit card fees? Cancel the cards. Don't like the increase in cable rates? Cancel the account. Don't like the increases at the gas pump? Don't drive. Don't like the interest rates on credit cards? Cancel the cards or pay the balance due when the bill arrives. Cell phone plan too expensive? Cut your usage to basic services or (gasp) buy a prepaid minutes phone and wean yourself off 24/7 technology addiction. If you want prices to realign to reasonable, don't stand in line to purchase the newest, the latest, the most expensive "must have" gadget just because it's the newest, the latest, and the most expensive.

It's simple to understand: those with money/financial resources have the power. If you want to fight them, you have to join them. If you cannot put YOUR money where YOUR mouth is, don't expect either politicians or financial institutions to put THEIR money where YOUR mouth is!