Occupy Everett and the Occupy Wall Street movement worldwide are the peaceful expression of grief and frustration felt by an increasing number of people who realize that the United States’ experiment in democracy has failed. The Occupy movement is a pathway for political expression when neither of the two political parties that collectively monopolize our government represents the interest of the majority of citizens.
The evidence is everywhere. Government policy increasingly serves the interests of an excessively wealthy minority. The upward redistribution of wealth over the past 30 years has been dramatic and destructive to a formerly vibrant middle class. Every effort of ordinary citizens to band together in their common interest, be it labor unions, environmental standards, reasonable financial regulations, anti-trust laws, progressive taxation, even the postal service, has been demonized and is being destroyed.
Constitutional cornerstones such as habeas corpus, the right to privacy, and the absolute ban of torture have been brazenly violated without consequence to the perpetrators. Money has officially become speech. Tents, not so much. Corporations now enjoy limited liability coupled with vast financial resources and the rights of personhood while effectively being relieved of the burdens of taxation or loyalty to the country.
Unfortunately, we citizens are not blameless. We’ve been pre-occupied with entertainment and consumption. We’ve been gullible, ignorant and uncritical of our news. Democracy is work. Democracy is homemade. It can’t be ordered from Godfather’s. Democracy requires more than voting. Please join Occupy Everett, 7 p.m. daily at the Snohomish County Courthouse flagpole.
Ken Dammand
Tulalip
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