Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Occupy This!

I’ve watched the "Occupy Wall Street" bunch with the morbid fascination I would devote to a third rate high wire act in a backwater circus, simply waiting for the inevitable fall. Unlike most of these folks, I support the whole Constitution, including the Amendments thereto. I believe in the freedom of speech and the right to peaceably gather. Their tactic of making a spectacle to gain attention does not concern me. I’m not even concerned so much with the obvious disparity of coverage and treatment by the MSM between other "grassroots movements" (read TEA Party) and the folks currently camped out in various cities around the Nation.

I say Nation because, while some of these folks want to claim responsibility for the rioting in foreign nations (a somewhat dubious desire it would seem) I don’t give them that much credence. Seems to me the Italians, Greeks and oppressed Socialists of Europe riot over a bad game of darts in the local pub and don’t give a rip what some spoiled brat mouth breathers in Lower Manhattan do with their spare time.

What does concern me, and what I do take offense at is this 99% gimmick that some high priced public relations agitator cooked up. If they are really upset at the true 1% of the wealthiest Americans (and by extension the corporations they control) they would be choosier about the people they allow to stand in unity with them. For example, have any of the multi-millionaire movie stars or musicians actually brought their backpack, closed foam cell pad and garbage bag raincoat out and set up camp with these folks? Not that I’ve heard of. And have they ever read the history books to see what similar "peoples revolts" turned into? 1905 anyone? 1917? Well, actually, they probably do and they think it was just a nifty outcome.

Now a like minded group of misanthropes are threatening to take over a ‘location to be negotiated later" in my hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada, much to the amusement of the population as a whole. According to the local papers, the organizers are in negotiations with our local Democrat controlled government for a nice public park with shade and facilities, all paid for by the taxpayers of course. Seems they are not getting what they want fast enough and now the threats of an actual takeover are coming fast and strong.

I will note for the record that they have not marched into any of the major hotels (all owned by major corporations and folks actually in the 1% wealthiest folks in the nation) because the outcome would be less than pleasant. Oh, they have marched down the world famous Las Vegas Strip a time or two, always escorted by the very well behaved local police, but never into or on ground epitomizing all they claim to hate. As I understand it they are supposed to be upset about student loans, mortgage defaults, and the bail out in general and who can blame them? I’m upset about those things too. So what keeps me from becoming one of the suppressed masses? A job.

And not just any job. A job I created. Yes, I am one of those evil business owners. I have actual employees who rely on me to pay them every couple of weeks. Every week I toil away for many more hours than I ever worked on an hourly job to do just that. I make less in real income per hour than when I worked for others. I pay everyone else before I pay myself, and that includes vendors, the government (taxes and fees) and my employees. So when someone wearing a notional union’s t-shirt and carrying a placard spewing vaguely (and sometimes overtly) socialist messages tells me they and 400 of their closest friends are going to occupy a "location" until they get what they want, all I can think is "Occupy a Job for a while, and then, maybe, I’ll listen to you." Till then, grow some stones, call Mommy for some bail money, and go take over a casino owned by someone on the Forbes list. We have several to chose from.

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