Occupy Wall Street Movement Spreading Like Wildfire

The Occupy Wall Street movement is starting to sweep the United States and the media is finally taking notice. The movement began in New York City, where protesters have been camping out near the Wall Street district for over two weeks. Although the grievances and motivations of those who are supporting and participating in the movement are somewhat disparate, the protests are aimed in particular at America's unseemly corporatocracy, along with its out of control banking sector. Not surprisingly, the political system that supports these institutions is also a source of intense criticism. These demonstrations have begun to spread as more and more U.S. citizens begin to identify with them. Occupy Wall Street movements are now taking place in Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Denver and Seattle and there is the very real possibility that this is the beginning of a much larger social movement. Police may have inadvertently galvanized the cause this weekend when they arrested 700 people on the Brooklyn Bridge, shutting down traffic for hours. The movement began when thousands of protesters descended on New York's financial district weeks ago and set up an impromptu camp, vowing not to leave. Now the demonstration is spreading quickly and drawing support from around the world. The movement is designed to emulate the Tahir Square protests, which eventually removed Hosni Mubarak from power in Egypt. Naturally, efforts by the NYPD to suppress the movement have backfired in a major way as videos have been widely circulated showing police pepper spraying women and harassing law abiding protesters. In cities such as Boston, Chicago, and Denver people held signs over the weekend in front of Federal Reserve bank branches in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement. Those protests are expected to continue and expand this week. On the surface, these demonstrations appear to be a leftist cause, and to be sure, many of the represented groups could be described as liberal. Many true conservatives, and libertarians, however, are standing in full support with the protesters and their cause. While the motivations of the movement are varied, and labor organizations are now getting involved, the primary message of Occupy Wall Street is that the incestuous relationship between corporations, the banking cartel, and the government is no longer acceptable. Supporters of the movement identify these influences as being largely responsible for the continued marginalization and deteriorating quality of life of the average American citizen. The focus on Wall Street naturally stems from the massive tax-payer bailouts received by most of the major banks during the financial collapse, and the complete lack of criminal prosecutions brought against any of the responsible parties. Most all of the executives at major financial institutions who brought down the global economy currently hold the same positions or walked away from the entire mess with millions upon millions of dollars. There is also considerable anger at the fact that the financial crisis has consolidated and concentrated the power of the "Too Big To Fail" banking cartel who used the meltdown to gobble up smaller institutions with the help of the Federal Reserve and the United States Treasury. Meanwhile, the American people have been subjected to a crushing economic decline while many corporations have raked in record profits by slashing domestic payrolls, exporting jobs, and lobbying for favorable, anti-competitive legislation. Anger against the private Federal Reserve also appears to be hitting a tipping point, as they continue to debase the U.S. Dollar at the behest of their corporate and political masters. This in turn has driven up the price of food, clothing, energy, and gasoline at the exact time that the American people can least afford it. Furthermore, Fed policies have done very little, if anything, to jump start the economy. Given this backdrop, it is little surprise that the Occupy Wall Street movement is galvanizing substantial support and there is a real chance that the movement will grow into something much more significant and actually catalyze change in this country. In fact, it may be inevitable. As many knowledgeable citizens and economists prepare for the second leg of the Great Recession (which could become a depression), more and more people are saying "enough is enough."