And in this corner we have the percent to be named later.  This of course refers to those Americans who cannot fully grasp what Occupy Wall Street represents but they do know that for some strange reason they are not a part of the 99% and have not yet reached the minimum balance in their checking accounts to be awarded the 1% debit rewards card.  They know about the 53% but have decided that they are not comfortable having their photo posted on a website so for now they wait.  Until later.  To be named.

I can’t speak for every American so I will simply speak for myself.  I love my Android phone and playing Xbox 360 and having high speed internet.  All of these things are brought to me by corporations and I am good with that.  I am not against capitalism or the free market.  I am not necessarily anti-corporation.  I am against unchecked greed and corruption.  I am against the fact that politicians in Washington D.C. answer to corporate backers, lobbyists and special interest groups with deep pockets.  I am against the lie that the ultra-wealthy are “job creators” because they are not.  They are in fact, wealth creators.  Namely their own.  I am against the lie that U.S. corporations are saddled with high corporate taxes.  In truth, the U.S. does in fact have one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world but many in the media conveniently leave out the fact that due to so many tax loopholes, most large corporations get away with paying far less than their fair share.  This is something that I am against.

When you post a photo of yourself online and declare that you are one of the 53% I support your right to be ignorant.  When you broadcast to the world that you work 70-80 hours a week and hold more than one job and are proud that you never graduated high school what can I say?  Maybe that you are an idiot.  Do you seriously enjoy having to work that many hours in order to afford college or to buy a house?  Should anyone have to work more than one job in order to enjoy the so called “American Dream”?  Seriously.  When you get right down to the issues, the Occupy Wall Street movement is trying to address the fact that one percent of the people are basically forcing you to work that much harder just to stay afloat, much less prosper.  Think about that.  When you buy into the hype that those protesters are just dumb kids or pot smoking, socialist radicals then you overlook the fact that a minority faction in this country is quite happy to allow you the pleasure of working long hours for the rest of your life just to chase a fantasy that might not ever become a reality for you.  Wake up people.  Think about things on your own for once.  Look past the drama and see what is going on.  If all else fails, Google it.

The essential nature of capitalism is social harmony through the pursuit of self-interest. Under capitalism, the individual’s pursuit of his own economic self-interest simultaneously benefits the economic self-interests of all others. In allowing each individual to act unhampered by government regulations, capitalism causes wealth to be created in the most efficient manner possible which ultimately raises the standard of living, increases the economic opportunities, and makes available an ever growing supply of products for everyone. The free-market operates in such a way so that as one man creates more wealth for himself, he simultaneously creates more wealth and opportunities for everyone else, which means that as the rich become richer, the poor become richer. It must be understood that capitalism serves the economic self-interests of all, including the non-capitalists.

The American Dream.  Wake up America, that dream ended a long time ago.  The American Dream is now a carrot on a stick that is being dangled in front you so that you will be lulled into a sense of complacency.  While many of you have been pursuing the American Dream a huge share of the nation’s economic growth over the past 30 years has gone to the top one-hundredth of one percent, who now make an average of $27 million per household.  The average income for the bottom 90 percent of us?  $31,244.  Yes, there are people in America living the dream but it ain’t you.  In 2010, CEO’s were making 343 times what the average worker took home.  But most of you do not care about this obscene gap because you are too busy watching the latest episode of your favorite show or downloading music or wondering when the next iPhone will be available.  Nobody complains as long as their ability to consume is unaffected.  You are blissfully complacent.  Ignorance is the new American Dream.

Wake up America.

The Occupy Wall Street protests that are spreading across the nation have many average Americans scratching their heads.  They look in the mirror and do not see any kinship with the protesters in the news.  They have a good job and own their own home.  They drive a newer car and go to the movies and out to dinner on occasion.  They themselves are employed by a large corporation and have decent healthcare for their family.  They question why anyone would blame a corporation for the state of the economy.  They think that the protesters are all bored college students and disgruntled unemployed people who have not really tried to find a job.  Life is good.

But what happens to someone when they lose that good job for whatever reason?  What happens when they cannot immediately find another job or if they do find another job it pays much less and perhaps even lacks benefits?  What happens to these people when they realize that they do not have a great deal of cash in checking and savings and they still have to pay a mortgage, car payment and credit card bills on top of food, utilities and gas?

Are these people even thinking about what could happen to their good life or do they just assume that bad things only happen to other people?  They don’t grasp what is going on in this country today.  They cannot see just how bad corporate greed has gotten and how much worse things can get.  That large corporation that currently employs you and your friends has no obligation to keep you employed for the rest of your life.  When a corporation sees an opportunity to downsize the workforce or send jobs overseas in order to save money and generate profit that is exactly what they will do and worker be damned.  You defend the corporations out of ignorance.  Nobody is saying that all corporations must be dismantled.  We all understand that companies must exist in order to provide the goods and services that we all need and desire.  But the unchecked greed and lack of accountability must end.

Whether you like it or not and whether you see it or not, you are all a part of the 99%