A Comparison

I've been watching the whole fuss about the Occupy Wall Street and I remember all the fuss about the Tea Party.  It's been very amusing to watch the Facebook postings on each.  I have friends on both sides of the political aisle and I have now seen several postings comparing the two movements posted by each side.  It's fun to watch each side pick the worst fringe of the other side to compare to the best of their own.  I can't be sure if they truly believe it or if they are purposely being intellectually dishonest. 

Here is my comparison of the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street.

Tea Party	Occupy Wall Street
Grass Roots movement co-opted by Republicans	Grass Roots movement co-opted by Democrats
Represents the little guy who feels stepped on by the government	Represents the little guy who feels stepped on by corporations
Has people dressed in goofy costumes from 1700s	Has people dressed in goofy masks from 1600s
Has people playing fifes and drums	Has drum circles
Blames big government for everything	Blames big corporations for everything
Thousands of people marching in big cities holding signs calling for change	Thousands of people marching in big cities holding signs calling for change
Actually has some good points about the situation we are in with too much corporate money controlling our government	Actually has some good points about the situation we are in with too much corporate money controlling our government
Hates the government bailouts of big corporations	Hates the government bailouts of big corporations
Blames President Obama for the bailouts	Remembers that the Bailouts started under President Bush and blame him.
Offers a several overly simplistic solutions to a single complex problem	Offers no solutions to a wide range of complex problems.
Caricatures the OWS by comparing the worst fringe element of the other side with the most logical and centrist parts of their own movement.	Caricatures the Tea Party by comparing the worst fringe element of the other side with the most logical and centrist parts of their own movement.
Forgets that they only represent about a third of our country and that the other 2/3 has perspective and ideas too.	Forgets that they only represent about a third of our country (despite the 99% claim) and that the other 2/3 has perspective and ideas too.
Thinks it’s a crime to believe in socialism	Thinks it’s a crime to believe in capitalism
Old Republicans and young hipster conservatives	Young Democrats and old hippies
Primarily composed of real people with a heart to make a difference.	Primarily composed of real people with a heart to make a difference.
Complained that the media, which is (of course) all owned by the left-wing, wouldn’t cover them.	Complained that the media, which is (of course) all owned by rich corporations, wouldn’t cover them
Fox News and Drudge Report cover everything positive about this movement.  Huffington Post and MSNBC cover everything negative about this movement.	Huffington Post and MSNBC cover everything positive about this movement.  Fox News and Drudge Report cover everything negative about this movement.
Conservative media writes articles saying that you shouldn’t compare these movements because the Tea Party is right, peaceful, and the voice of the people and the OWS movement is wrong, potentially violent, and doesn’t represent most of America.	Liberal media writes articles saying that you shouldn’t compare these movements because the OWS is right, peaceful, and the voice of the people and the Tea Party movement is wrong, potentially violent, and doesn’t represent most of America.
Small fringe groups in this movement calling for overthrow of government	Small fringe groups in this movement calling for overthrow of government
People seen carrying assault weapons at rally	People seen carrying assault weapons at rally
Flyers found threatening death of government officials	Flyers found threatening death of police
Someone spit on congressperson	Someone pooped on police car
Some prejudiced hangers-on hate black people and immigrants and seen carrying signs that suggest the country would be better off without them.	Some prejudiced hangers-on hate Jews and Evangelical Christians and seen carrying signs that suggest the country would be better off without them.
Supported by two rich old white guys – the Koch Brothers	Supported by one even richer old white guy – George Soros
Held their rallies and stood around complaining, but then got people out to vote to bring some change to government	Holding their rallies and standing around complaining, let’s see if they can actually get people out to vote to bring some change to government.

What a mess we are in as a nation because of discourteous partisanship.  It's perfectly OK to have differing points of view, but the lack of any respectful disagreement and the lack of recognition that the other side might have some good points leaves us at war with one another and keeps us voting charlatans and crooks into office because, at least they vote for my side.

Let's not forget that we are all in this together. 

Cannonballs

My wife and daughter just got back from a trip to Arkansas, of all places to visit family.  They brought back a silly family game with them.  At random times during conversation, one of them will suddenly say, "Apology Accepted."  No purpose, no reason, just a goofy game.  In real life, apologies should matter.  That's what I was taught growing up, but somehow that has changed.  Demanding an apology is now just a tool of the overly sensitive and politically correct.

Hank Williams Jr. likens President Obama’s golf game with Speaker John Boener with Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu.  He is promptly castigated in the news media and issues a formal apology.

Johnny Depp likens the paparrazi taking so many photos of famous people without their permission to being raped.  He is promptly castigated by the news media and issues a formal apology.

Do a Google search for the phrase “…apologized for saying” and review the results going back a year or two and you’ll see dozens of people who made unfortunate (or sometimes completely accurate) characterizations of situations that they immediately had to apologize for.  It always follows the same pattern.  Someone says something comparing one thing to another.  The news media jumps on it and tears them apart.  Pundits speak out.  Activists call for their resignation.  The person quickly explains, “I didn’t mean it that way.”  The news cycle grows.  Finally, the person gives a formal apology, usually read  by their attorney.  This apology is never a real apology but is legalize that says something along the lines of, “I’m sorry if someone may have been accidentally offended by my words,” without actually saying anything that might lead to legal action or further misinterpretation.

Do we not know what a metaphor is anymore?  Have we become so afraid of offending someone that we cannot use symbolism or allegory?  Are we really that uptight that we cannot understand the core truth that can be found in a little hyperbole and that the exaggeration often points to the seriousness of the core truth?

Do we really need to explain that the President and Speaker have serious political differences that are radically far apart?  Can we not understand that having someone take your picture at all hours in all situations whether you want it or not is akin to having something stolen from you?

Our language has historically been very rich with the use of figures of speech to make a point.  Read some of the greatest historic speeches and you’ll find them littered with figurative language.  What a beautiful thing.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Speak what you think today in words as hard as cannon balls, and tomorrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you say today.”

Let us be bold in our speech and not give apologies every time some delicate person feels their ears are wounded by a well placed simile.  Let them take this chance to grow a little and invite them to make polite, but ideally placed turns of phrase that give a strong clear picture of the point that they wish to make.

I'm not suggesting that we all be jerks just to be jerks, but certainly, we can say things without having to worry about our every sentence having to be run through a cleanser before being spoken.  How flat and grey would our world be if everyone spoke in carefully crafted legalese so as to not offend anyone.

With that, I must apologize for using Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote that suggests that cannon balls are the equivalent to hard words.  I am truly sorry if any cannon balls felt hurt by my poorly chosen words.

Apology Accepted.

John

“What is this generation going to do?” asked John, as he stood in the doorway of my office, “How are they ever going to survive this economy?”  John is an older man who lives around the corner from the church.  He stops in my office about once a month for a short conversation.  That’s a joke, because, if you knew John, you’d know that there’s no such thing as a short conversation when he comes around.  He’s been retired for a lot of years and forgets that not everyone has as much free time as he does.  Sometimes I groan inwardly when I see him come in, because I know I have to stop what I’m doing for a half hour, but in the end, I generally enjoy our conversations.  He has seen a lot of things in 80 plus years of life and, I have learned that if you ask the right questions, he always has an interesting story.

I can’t call John an old man, because, though he is more than twice my age, he is still very spry.  He lives his life much more fully than many people that I’ve met who are a quarter of his age.  He rides around on his bicycle and tinkers around in his tool shed.  He works in his garden, and fixes stuff around the neighborhood.  And, he comes in and talks to the young pastor in his neighborhood on a regular basis.

Usually, when John comes in, it’s to talk about something specific.  He has something on his mind, be it a neighbor who isn’t taking care of their property, or to talk about some issue of the day. 

Today, he was wondering about the economy and the Occupy Wall Street protests in the streets.  He told me that this ‘recession’ seemed to be turning into a depression, and he was worried about his country.  “This generation thinks they should be given everything; they don’t want to work for it, they don’t want to earn their own way,” he told me, “How are they going to survive this.” 

I know John was a child during the Great Depression, as he has shared some of his stories about World War II.  So, I asked him, “How did your generation make it?”

He looked me in the eye and said, “Well, we buckled down and did what we had to do.  We worked hard.  We saved things and made due.  We worked together to help each other.  We didn’t run out to buy something new when it broke, we just fixed it.  But, it’s different today, we didn’t have computers and all this new stuff that everyone thinks they need.” 

“It’s no different today, John,” I replied, “The answer today is the same as it was back then.  People in the 1920s had luxuries, they were frivolous.  But, when the 1930s and 40s came, they learned.  They cut back and made better choices.  They worked harder.  They scrimped and saved.  They treated their possessions with more value.  Families and communities helped each other.  They grew gardens and canned food.  They quit being so wasteful.  It wasn't pretty, it wasn't easy, but you did what you had to do.  That’s what you grew up with, right?” 

“Yes, sir, that’s how we did it.”

“Then,” I went on, “That’s how this generation is going to do it.  We just have some hard lessons to learn first.  And, some of us are going to learn the hard lessons and some of us won’t.  The ones that don’t are going to struggle and blame others for their problems.  Those that learn those hard lessons will make it through together, and be better for it.” 

I don’t think he really needed me to tell him that, I think he was just looking for reassurance that someone else knew the answer too.

John smiled at me and headed back out the door to his truck.  He stopped and looked back at me.  His parting shot was, “I don’t think you’ll have to work too hard to learn those lessons.”

I hope not, John, I truly hope not.

#Occupy Yourselves

Cooking Up an Answer

"There is so much ingenuity and innovation right here in this kitchen that is so lacking in so many other areas of the country," said Sam Tresler, a 32-year-old consultant from Brooklyn as he dropped off a pot of mashed potatoes he had cooked that morning. "It's inspiring."*

This was a quote from one of the people donating food for the Occupy Wall Street group as he dropped off food for the protestors.  They have set up a make-shift kitchen to feed those people who are there and lack food.  Volunteers have worked together to solve the logistics of getting food through the clogged streets, portioning out food and serving hundreds of people several times a day. 

The article tells of an 80 year old Jamaican woman who drops a $100 in a donation bucket.  She doesn’t give her name because she says she doesn’t want people to think she’s rich, but she wants to try do donate again next week.

Funny. Ironic. 

It didn’t take the government to make this work.

They didn’t need to pay a large food service corporation to make things happen.

They cleaned up the park too.  But they didn’t need the city to do it.  They didn’t need a large janitorial service to do it.

These people are working together to provide for each other.

It’s almost like this is the way it’s supposed to work.

I just wish they could see the lesson in this.  You don’t have to be out blocking traffic and holding up picket signs to make a difference for one another in a rough economy.

You just have to be willing to get your hands dirty, willing to stretch your money, willing to give to help others. 

A single pot of mashed potatoes may feed a dozen people.  One hundred dollars can buy enough food for several dozen.  It doesn’t take an act of Congress.  It doesn’t take a shareholder meeting.  It takes an open heart and a willing soul.

If only they could get off the streets and put these lessons to work.  Grow a community garden.  Start a babysitting co-op.  Potluck with your neighbors.  Invite an out of work friend to live with you.  Take food to your elderly neighbor.  Barter goods and services.  Offer that $100 to the guy up the street who is out of work if he’ll fix your cabinets. 

Mr. Tressler, who so generously brought the mashed potatoes talked about ingenuity.  That’s precisely the answer.  A little ingenuity and cooperation to solve financial problems, a little personal responsibility to help others and to get each of our own financial houses together, and we won’t need to occupy Wall Street.  We’ll occupy ourselves. Ingenuity has always been the American Way. 

Do these things and you take the power away from politicians and corporations.  Riot in the streets and you give them back the power to ‘solve’ your problems.  Don’t be pawns of politicians, unions, or wall street.  Don’t let anarchy rule.  Vote with your ballot to change the politicians.  Vote with your dollars to change corporations. 

#Occupy Yourselves

 *  Quotes and information from article found in the Arizona Republic: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/10/17/20111017protest-food1017.html  viewed at 12:36pm 10/17/2011.  Article originally posted by Helen O'Neill - Oct. 17, 2011 12:00 AM Associated Press

The Only Man in the Room Without a Tallit

The service began thirty minutes ago.  I think.  Maybe.  Actually, I'm not entirely sure.  Somewhere off to my right some one is singing in Hebrew, but I can’t see him because I am sitting slightly behind the stage and my view is partially blocked by lace curtains.  Dozens of men milled around on my side of the room, shaking hands, greeting one another with a rousing L’shana Tova!*  Some were putting on their prayer shawls (Tallit), long white pieces of fabric usually with blue or black stripes and long tassels attached.  The Hebrew singing continues and periodically some of the men will join in with the chant, but most are paying no attention as they catch up with friends, holding conversations on business, school studies, and how their kids and grandkids are.  Though many people say, hello and L’shana Tova to me, I feel distinctly out of place and unsure of myself.

It all started a couple of weeks before the service when I asked a business acquaintance, who I knew to be Jewish, if he could recommend adult Hebrew classes for me to help me with my seminary studies.  We had a brief conversation about religious difference that culminated in him inviting me to Rosh Hoshana services at Chabad of Scottsdale. 


I showed up a thirty minutes early and hoped to see my friend.  I stood out front, off to the side and watched the line of people entering the building.  I wore a suit, figuring it was better to be overdressed than too casual, but many of the younger men were wearing casual clothes.  Being Scottsdale, I had to laugh at the man wearing cowboy boots, a western vest and a yarmulke.  Finally, this older gentleman came up to me and asked in an accented voice, “Why wait out here and don’t go inside?”  I told him that I was new and waiting for a friend.  He said, “From today on, I am your friend.  You can come inside now.”  With that, he took my shoulder and escorted me inside.  I told him, I have no kippah (yarmulke) and he laughed and said not to worry.  “What color you should want, red, black, green, blue?  We’ll get you one.”  Looking through a drawer, I found a simple black one and put it on.  He then showed me to my seat and wandered away, jovially saying, L’shana Tova to everyone he passed. 


Somehow, I was expecting something similar to Christian church services I have attended so many times.  Nope.  Nothing of the like.  Though it was a religious service, and there were many things that were similar, it’s the small differences that made it such a cross-cultural experience.  It’s even hard to explain all the differences, but they added up to an experience that was far from anything else I’d ever experienced. 


The elderly man who was my new friend, came wandering back with the Rabbi, who promptly began speaking to me in Hebrew.  Embarrassed, I told him I wasn’t Jewish and spoke no Hebrew.  He smiled friendly and told me that’s OK.  (it made me think of the old Mel Brooks movie joke, "I'm not Jewish" and the response is, "That's OK, nobody's perfect.")  My new friend told him I was waiting for my business acquaintance, whom the Rabbi knew.  The Rabbi welcomed me and wandered off, back to the stage area which was actually around the corner from my chair, so I couldn’t even see what was going on.


The service continued with the Chazzan (song leader) singing in Hebrew with brief moments of audience participation in Hebrew.  The service was laid out in a book with Hebrew on one side and the English translation on the other.  I tried to follow along, but, since everything spoken was in Hebrew, the English was only of limited help.  I finally recognized the Hebrew word melech which I know means ‘king’.  Since they use that word A LOT, it became easy enough to at least keep up.  The Rabbi also kept calling out the page numbers, so I managed to stumble along.  I still felt greatly out of place because the others knew when to stand, to sit, to take a few steps back and forward, and when to bow.  I was always a little bit behind.  This part was very comparable to a Catholic service, which, since my wife grew up Catholic, I have had occasion to experience.


The Rabbi came back and brought someone else with him.  He introduced us and told the new guy who I was waiting for and they both wandered off.  Periodically, the Rabbi would bring someone else by and let him know who I was waiting for and would introduce us.  All of this occurred while the service was going on.


Over the next hour or so, men and women continued arriving, going to their different sides of the room and beginning rounds of greeting with those participating in the service.  Slaps on the back.  Greetings of L’shana Tova.  Discussions about children.  These all continued while the Hebrew singing and audience participation continued.   And, the Rabbi and others kept bringing people up to meet me.  It made me chuckle to picture this happening at a Christian church, with people greeting each other while worship went on or while the pastor gave his sermon.  Hard to imagine.  What’s more, as the service continued over the next few hours, I noticed that people were not only coming in, but wandering out and leaving on their own schedules. 


My friend finally showed up and stopped to welcome me.  Several men came by and told him I was there looking for him.  He must have thought that I had met the whole congregation.  By that time, I may have, because of the busy little Rabbi introducing me.  He gave some explanation and guidance about what was going on and a little about what the purpose of the service was.  He invited me to stay or leave as was comfortable and then went to his assigned seat to participate.


After five hours of Hebrew singing, quiet prayer, a brief homily in English, shofar blowing and lots of standing and sitting, I finally had to go pick up my daughter from school.  I quietly left.  I was sad that I couldn't stay through the end, but I had enjoyed the experience.  Perhaps the only disappointing part of the whole experience was the blowing of the Shofar.  I expected a deep resonating tone, like something out of an old movie about Vikings.  Instead, it was shorter and high pitched, more like a child’s toy horn.  Just goes to show that we shouldn’t base our expectations on Hollywood.


My favorite observation concerned the children.  They came and went, often coming into the room and climbing up on Grandpa’s lap.  Even the rabbi held a young boy for awhile while still running the service.  How rich it must be for children to grow up immersed in their culture and not sent off to another room for a watered down version of religion.


I truly loved the respect they showed to the Torah.  As they opened the Ark each time, where there were several Torah stored, everyone would stand and become quiet.  These were no small scrolls, but very large, very ornate, and very special.  When it was finally time for the Torah reading, they brought two out and walked them around the room.  Men would touch the corner of their Tallit to the Torah scrolls and then kiss the Tallit.  I would wish that more Christians held that type of respect to the word of G-d.


Though somewhat uncomfortable, as all cultural experiences are, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  But, it made me question my own traditions.  When someone comes in and visits our church, do they have any idea what is going on?  Though our service is in English, does an outsider understand some of the words and phrases that we use that are specific to Christian faith and practice?  Have we missed out on some beautiful and rich traditions by losing the essential Jewishness that marked Yeshua, Shaul, Shimon, (Jesus, Paul, Simon), and the other disciples, and completely saturated their teachings?


In the short conversation that my friend and I had weeks before, when he invited me to the service, it was immediately clear that he misunderstood some basic concepts of Christianity, even though the Christian faith came directly out of the Jewish faith.  I’m sure that this is how he understood things from previous explanations, but still, it wasn’t quite right.  How can we better communicate our similarities and the truths of what we believe without assuming that they already understand.  What have we lost in our Christianity over the centuries, considering the first ‘Christians’ were actually Jews who believed that Meshiach had come in the form of Yeshua. 


During the service, it was painfully obvious that I was the stranger.  Being the only man in the room not wearing the Tallit and obviously out of place and unsure, I must have stuck out like a sore thumb.  Though people were very welcoming and polite, it was still clear that they recognized me as a visitor.  This makes me wonder, how then can we as Christians be welcoming without making someone feel like they are the stranger?  I have to be honest, while we don’t wear any special clothing like a Tallit or kippah, it is still clear who comfortably belongs and who is just visiting. 


I am thankful to my friend for inviting me and I hope to visit again, because I want to understand the similarities and the rich history that comes from our Jewish roots.  We are separated by the belief that Meshiach has come, and by some unfortunate historic anti-semitism that must be apologized and atoned for.  But, those things don’t have to separate us today as people of G-d. 


I will continue to build my Hebrew vocabulary till I am fluent, in hopes to be a better scholar and to better understand the precious word of G-d. 


Next time I visit, though, I’ll bring my Tallit.  I actually own one that I purchased for Seder several years ago.  Maybe that way, I won’t feel so out of place, and really…. just how many chances does one get to wear a Tallit?


Till then, L’shana Tova Tikatevu.  May you be inscribed in the Book of Life.

Please know that these are observations from an outsider and not meant to be flippant or in any way disrespectful.  Any accidental affronts, misuse of terms, or misunderstanding of the events described are unintentional, coming solely from my ignorance and only reinforce my desire for understanding.  Please accept my apology if there are any such offences.  Thank you for sharing your faith and traditions with me.  Thank you to Jerry, Nathan, the Rabbi whose name I missed, to the Orthodox Jewish young man who gave me his seat, and the dozens of wonderful people who were so welcoming to me.  Thanks also to Chabad of Scottsdale for the experience.  May you each be blessed by the King and Creator of all.

     *L’shana Tova means Happy New Year in Hebrew

THEY

I was at Starbucks about a month ago and saw a guy come in and ask for a free cup of coffee.  He looked like he might be homeless, but not so far gone that he really was living on the streets for any length of time, more a panhandler than someone really in need.  The Barista said, “I’ve told you before, you can’t come in here and get free coffee and you aren’t allowed to ask customers for money.  You can have water, but that’s all.”  He gave the guy a cup of water and the panhandler said, “What, no ice?,” as he walked out the door.  A female customer at the cash register started castigating the barista. 

“Why couldn’t you just give him a cup of coffee?, she asked, “Why did you have to be such a jerk about it?”  She continued to harangue him about how Starbucks can afford to give away coffee because they make so much money.  Why should the barrista care if they lost a few cents giving away one cup of coffee?

I wondered at the irony of her situation.  Here she was castigating Starbucks for being rich and not being as generous as she thought they should be, but she, who was standing there waiting to pay $5 to Starbucks, never once offered to buy the homeless guy a cup of coffee. 

It’s so much easier to blame They than to blame ‘I’.

They are mysterious. 

They are aloof. 

They are different from us. 

They are faceless. 

They cause all the problems.

They are to blame.

They don’t care. 

Government.  Politicians.  Corporate fat cats.  Banks.  Investment Companies.  They.

As if some alien species came to earth in the last few decades (during the Bush years if you are a Democrat or during Obama’s administration if you are  a Republican), suddenly, there is this ober-class of people who are to blame for all that’s wrong in this country.

Any serious student of history can tell you that it’s always been this way.  J.P. Morgan.  Leland Stanford.  John Jacob Astor.  Dale Carnegie.  Cornelius Vanderbilt.  Charles Schwab. Fisk. Duke. Plant. Ford. Seligman. Frick.  The Rockefellers.  The Kennedys.  The Du Ponts. The Lehmans. Many of these names we recognize as street names and product names.  Many are responsible for some of the greatest acts of philanthropy in our nation’s history.  Many are also responsible for terrible depredations on their workers, the environment, and on consumers.

It’s no different today. 

There are rich people like Steve Jobs, so lately lamented, but known specifically for his lack of generosity and his cutthroat business decisions and tyrant management style.. Or perhaps Bill Gates, also known for cutthroat business, but also known for enormous acts of charity and generous donations. 

It sure is easy to blame those rich people for our problems.  It’s even easier to blame the anonymous banks and big corporations.  If there is no person’s name attached, they become an even easier target for our ire. 

 “How dare they have billions of dollars when I struggle to pay my mortgage, my car loans, my student loans, and my credit cards?!?!?,” we demand with righteous indignation! 

“What’s up with these politicians, why do they keep screwing us so badly with laws that don’t help the little guy?!?!?!,” we yell out with all the moral anger we can muster.

Good questions.

No.  Not really a good questions.  Actually, quite bad ones.

Perhaps we should rephrase them:  “How dare I complain about faceless bankers when I keep using their money so poorly?” and, “Why do I keep voting for the same people just so my party stays in control, with little or no consideration to the best choices for the country?”

The problem with our nation comes down to 308, 600,000 individuals (give or take a million) who need to start taking personal responsibility and quit blaming the unnamed They for our problems.

We need to swear off debt.  Quit borrowing from Bank of America and suddenly that BOA constrictor loses its power.  Don’t like that they are charging a fee for debit transactions… Vote with your feet.  Don’t spend another dime with them.  Period.

Upset that hedge funds, junk bonds, and mortgage securities were at the heart of our current economic recession?  Maybe it’s time to reconsider the idea that everyone should own their own home, including people who cannot afford one or people incapable of paying their bills on time.  Perhaps it is time to take personal responsibility for wisely purchasing just enough home for what we need and not overburdening ourselves with large houses just because, at the top of the market, we could convince a bank to give us that much.  Perhaps it’s time for families to live together again, supporting mom and pop or giving the kids a chance to save up for a better start.  Perhaps it’s time for us to educate ourselves on mortgages before we take whatever product the realtor, banker, and broker convince us to take.  Perhaps it’s time to go back to the idea of saving up a huge down payment, learning discipline in the process, and then paying off that mortgage as fast as we can.

Don’t like that partisanship in politics?  Quit voting your party line and take the time to educate yourself on the individuals on both sides.  Consider that there are people on both sides of the issue and perhaps we need to give a little credence to the other side and the middle too.  Perhaps, instead of complaining about gridlock, we should stop listening to soundbites and recognize that a nation of 308 million people are actually going to have different points of view from you and perhaps that’s a healthy thing.

At the heart of this is individual responsibility.  Let’s not enable those who are occupying Wall Street now and blocking real working people from their jobs.  Let’s encourage them to occupy themselves with working.  .  If you have large amounts of student loans to get a degree in art history, perhaps it’s time to learn a hard lesson about the real world.  Get a job.  If there aren’t jobs there, create something new.  Start a new business or create a new product.  Maybe, consider moving to a place where there are jobs.  This is the American way and it is this innovation, stick-to-it-iveness, and willingness to work that have made us such a leader among nations.  Most of those rich people that we covered above didn’t start out that way. 

Finally, let’s not lose sight of the fact that we are the richest people in the world.  As the richest 4% or so of the entire world, let’s try to keep a clear focus on the fact that there are billions of people who would be willing to tell us, in a multitude of languages, where we can stick our pre-printed 99% signs.  In one loud and raucous voice, they would shout together in Hindi, Farsi, Spanish, Swahili, Arabic, Mandarin, Urdu, and a hundred other languages that they would be more than willing to take our jobs and work without complaining, that they would gladly accept our educations and put them to work, that they would give anything to have won the cosmic lottery that is a U.S. citizenship.

For those who are occupying Wall Street and other locations – I respect your voice that times are hard.  I don’t respect mob control and I certainly do not respect the politicians who are trying to make political hay out of this.  Clean up your mess.  Put down the signs.  Ditch the ridiculous hyperbolic rhetoric of, “hitler’s bankers,” “crimes against humanity,” “enslaved.”  Grow up and join the real world.

Yes, times are hard.  Yes, the Economy is rough.  Yes, corruption has happened.

But, stop blaming “They” and start saying, “I will take responsibility for myself.”

* For the record, I spent more than a decade working for banks and mortgage brokers, including at least half that time at Bank of America.  As a corporate culture, they are not a good company to work for.  They have led the charge on almost every fee that could be charged to their customers.  They regularly reorganized, right-sized, downsized, rif’ed, and every other pseudonym for messing with their employees lives in the interest of increasing stock-holder profits.  I always wondered at what point someone would realize that you can cut a pie a hundred ways and still have the same amount of pie, just much messier.  I don’t bank with them and I don’t recommend anyone bank with them.  If A.P. Giannini truly was the man that they said he was, who built his bank by working with the common working man, then I am absolutely sure he is spinning like a dervish in his grave at the company that Bank of America has become.  Let me take advantage of this blog to recommend that you never work for, borrow from, deposit money with, invest money in, or even walk too slowly past Bank of America or any of the other large banks.  Use small local banks and credit unions for deposits, and live debt free.  If enough of us do that, then real change can occur in that industry.