Occupy Paris

Volume II, Issue No. 41- October 14-20, 2011

International Tribune

Finally!  There is a reaction.  Wall Street bankers and your cahoots in the Capitol, beware!   

They are the real enemies of the state and, for that matter, even of the common people.  They knew the ins and outs of what were happening and what could possibly happen.  But still, they continue - in an unholy alliance - to deceive a hapless and, oftentimes, helpless nation.  It was a gentlemen's club of different and dubious pedigree starting with the banker-thieves with their pin-stripe dark navy suits and the ivy-league economists that they pay to endorse their financial strategies.  And equally repugnant of the latter two are the professional politicians who masterminded the heists through their deregulation policies that are now leading to the perilous path of an economic downfall of the United States and a global recession.

Just like what they say, when America sneezes, the world catches a cold.  Everywhere one goes today, governments are going bankrupt, currencies are depreciating, inflation is soaring, and unemployment skyrocketing.  It all began when the tip of the domino fell in Wall Street.  The tremors were felt in all parts of the globe.  The American dream has turned into a nightmare in Main Street USA.  What are the precursors?  Let us highlight what is ailing the American economy today.  

Source:  Anonymous to Occupy Wall Street on September 17th, Expect Us | David DeGraw.

Deregulation was the name of the game. It was the economic strategy of the Republican administration made worse in the George W. Bush years.  Wall Street was left unchecked, unregulated, and, at the end, became untouchable.  They were gambling with America’s future endorsed by the political elite in Washington.  The first killer of the American dream started when China opened its market.   Jobs were outsourced in the cheaper labor force in the Far East.  The second killer, the housing bubble that burst with a vengeance- housing prices fell, interest rates went up, leaving many a homeowner unable to pay his or her monthly mortgage.   Finally, when everything hit the fan, thanks to deregulations, the Dow Jones took some of the wildest swings in its history. The nation is now suffering one of its longest-running economic recessions in its history, and the end of which is still anybody's guess.

For the last couple of years, all you hear in the media are bank bail-outs, threats of government shutdown in America, and insolvent nations all over the European Union.   America’s credit rating has been downgraded by Standard and Poor- a grim sign that the US dominance in the international economic and financial stage is seemingly and painfully coming to an end.  In today’s geopolitical arena, economic might is everything.  A nation can have its aircraft carriers, its nuclear arsenal and modern military technologies, but if it doesn't have the money and investments to run them and a loyal and empowered citizenry, the state is almost next to nothing.  

French citizens storming the Bastille during the French Revolution.

 In reality, it is the average people that are deeply affected and arguably bear the onerous burden of the financial crises.   It is about time there was a reaction to the elite’s conspiracy that could and should have been prevented.  On October 13th, for the first time, a group of fed-up French and American expatriates will gather in the historic Bastille to get their voice out and support the Occupy Wall Street movement that started in New York.  Let the history of Bastille be a stark and powerful reminder of what took place in the same area more than two centuries ago and how it changed the political landscapes of many freedom-loving republics in the four corners of the world. To paraphrase the words of an eminent philosopher of long ago - if man refuses to heed the lessons of history, then he is bound to suffer from it.    

For more information about the global movement, go to:  www.occupywallst.org