Occupy Wall Street - A Coming-Overdue Change ?

For those walking from the West Side Highway towards Wall St recently they will likely have encountered several marches uptown to Times Square. Many have accompanied these protesters seeking to seek to determine their messages of frustration. New York City is in the throes of the Occupy Wall Street protests. What has been most noticeable was not the protestors and their signs and chants. It was the amount of police accompanying them. It was a massive show of force by the Police, & frankly many viewed it as scary & overdone.

There have been many talking a lot about this movement, what it means, what it stands for, & what it could lead to. There have been many commentaries about the inevitability of a cultural revolution happening in the U.S. along with other countries. The overuse of Greed, Self Serving, Heavily Chemicalized Foods, GMO's (Monsanto), Raids by "Gestapo like troops", frozen Political process, etc. Most of us were waiting for, or felt this would be happening. Now that it is upon us - How do we make the needed adjustments.

Those that have listened to the folks in Zuccotti Park, the marchers, the various groups & some of the occupants, and do want to understand what is on their mind & what do they want to see happen.

We all understand & sympathize with the basic complaints of the #OWS movement -- that the rich are getting richer and everyone else is getting poorer, Healthcare is a Mess, USA is the sickest country in the world yet spends more for healthcare than most others combined, ranked #47 in longevity, jobs are going overseas & the middle class is shrinking. It is impossible, not to see that in America, along with the staggering worldwide debt mess/disaster waiting to happen everywhere, is in serious trouble.
Our institutions, on every level are failing us. The failing institutions are not limited to Wall Street. They are everywhere; our government (FDA, Congress, Senate, Lobbyists, our overall political leadership, our unions, our health care system, our education system) - The list goes on and on.
And yet, many are optimists. Many see a technology revolution blossomin bringing much needed change to the world. It's not a coincidence that much of the success of the #OWS movement comes from their clever use of technology to organize and get their word out effectively.
So much depends on what we get out of this growing desire for change. It's good that people are getting angry. Whether it be the Tea Party on the right, or the #OWS seemingly on the left, the citizens of the U.S. are clamoring for change. Efficient communications created the rapid collapse of several long standing Mid East regimes & allows for these large group uprisings. Sanitation & food are still challenges & therefore "Pretty" OWS is not.

We would all like to do what we can do to help make sure that change is intelligent, meaningful, & lasting in taking us all forward to a new prosperity, not backward into a false hope for a time that has passed and is not coming back. Organic Farming, Farmers Markets, Less Drug use by Drs., Better Plant Based Diets, Movement to "Buy American Products, less chemicalized foods, greater opportunity for small businesses, & TERM LIMITS in Congress for openers !

Don Porter