Pity party on Wall Street

By: American Decency Staff

Written by Chris Johnson The news media and liberal politicians are tripping over themselves to provide positive coverage of the Occupy Wall Street protest that has spread to many of the large cities around the country. These protests have been characterized by groups of people taking up residence in city parks near the financial districts to protest "the 1%," the wealthiest Americans who allegedly make a quarter of the nation's earnings. Many have posted their stories on the blog wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/ – some are legitimately pitiable and many are laughably immature, but the one thing that unites them, as occupywallst.org lays it out, is that they will "no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%." By the way, it's a funny thing that they should make "the 1%" the target of their ire. A New York Times reporter, Catherine Rampell noted in her blog that in 2007 the same top 1% paid more than the lower 95% in federal income taxes. In fact, the top 1%, who allegedly make almost a quarter of the income in the country, paid over 40% of federal income tax. That's right, 1% of people pay for 40% of the programs that keep the rest of us safe and comfortable. So while the protesters want the rich to "pay their fair share," the wealthy 1% already pay more than virtually the rest of the entire country combined. An even more staggering figure comes from the Heritage Foundation which shows that the top 10% of income earners paid 70%  of federal income taxes. But I digress. The "we are the 99%" pity party is simply the public face of the movement. Beneath the puppy-eyed persona lie many motivations that are less – shall we say – marketable. The New York Post reports that one of their correspondents was offered pot for $15 and heroin for $10. The same article reported on the living conditions and lifestyles in Zucotti Park where the protestors have been camped out. "Zuccotti Park smelled like an open sewer — with people urinating and defecating in public. And some couples have taken advantage of the free condoms distributed by organizers to do the nasty in full view of other protesters. “It kinda makes me think of what Woodstock must have been like,â€Â said one protester, Sarah, 19 from the Upper West Side. 'I haven’t hooked up with any guys … but one of my friends did have sex in a tarp with a guy last night.' The free chow offered to protesters was boosting the crowd. 'People say they are here for the cause, but the real reason is the free food,' quipped Cameron, 26, of Jersey City. 'On my third day, they had smoked salmon with cream cheese. You know how much smoked salmon is a pound? Sixteen dollars. I eat better here than I do with my parents!'" That may be true for that particular interviewee in the New York Post article, but journalists for the British news site Dailymail.co.uk detail how many of the hated "rich" kids are joining the "Woodstockesque" Wall Street party dedicated to "no longer tolerating the greedâ€Â etc. In an article entitled "A very privileged protest: Wearing $300 jeans and from some of the most exclusive schools, the children of the one per cent out for a good time at Occupy Wall Street" the Daily Mail exposes ivy league students taking a break from classes to join the protestors and cites one "protestor" who "admitted she had been sleeping at the protest site with her boyfriend despite living in nearby TriBeCa, a neighbourhood which is home to many of New York's A list celebrities." Amidst the legitimate sob stories, the delusional college students, the drug addicted partiers, and the homeless who are there for the free stuff,  are the revolutionaries – like one speaker at Occupy L.A. who had this to say, "So, ultimately, the bourgeoisie won’t go without violent means. Revolution! Yes, revolution that is led by the working class. Long live revolution! Long live socialism!" An obscure video from the main protest on Wall Street shows a group of people chanting about the right to have sex with animals. There are also several videos documenting blatant anti-Semitism in the movement. This is the movement praised by President Barack Obama and many others in leadership position in America's government. So what does all this mean? Here's my take away from this whole movement and everything surrounding it. When the President of the United States supports a movement like Occupy Wall Street and condemns a movement like the Tea Party, America needs God's help. American Decency is currently working on a project to mobilize Michigan pastors to encourage their congregations to make Godly principles their primary consideration when they vote in the upcoming election. America needs Christ and, consequently, the body of Christ. If the church will not even turn out to vote for Christian principles, why should God bless America? Please pray for our country and get the people in your churches and social circles ready to vote. That's the only way to keep our nation's moral state from smelling like Zucotti Park. ========================================================== Your support is important to our ability to make a difference. Donate online at: https://secure4.afo.net/ada/donate.php American Decency Association is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. American Decency Association Bill Johnson, President P.O. Box 202 Fremont, MI 49412 ph: 231-924-4050 www.americandecency.org http://www.twitter.com/billwjohnson

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