Letter to the Editor

I suppose you've heard about the protests going on in NYC and throughout the rest of the country. If not, you have now. Here is the letter I wrote to the editor of the Kalamazoo Gazette this evening (morning):

"I understand why protests modeled after NYC are springing up all over the country, but I'm not sure they are going about it in the right way.

The organizer's website (https://occupywallst.org/) states "We, the people of the United States of America, considering the crisis at hand, now reassert our sovereign control of our land." I see a who, a what, a where, and a why, but I don't see a HOW - and that's the most important one! I am all for solidarity and I completely appreciate the right to assemble, but I really wish someone would take the time to think this through. There have to be people out there who think that being rational is more effective than being emotional!
The movement has become known as "We Are The 99%", and the introduction on their website (http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/Introduction) reads as follows: "If you’re reading this, there’s a 99 percent chance that you’re one of us. You’re someone who doesn’t know whether there’s going to be enough money to make this month’s rent. You’re someone who gets sick and toughs it out because you’ll never afford the hospital bills. You’re someone who’s trying to move a mountain of debt that never seems to get any smaller no matter how hard you try."

According to this statement, I am not in the 99%. I'm in the 1% who knows they can afford next month's rent and who can afford hospital and doctor bills if it becomes necessary. My debt is limited to the $72 and some change on my only credit card.

The site also gives a description for the other 1%: "They are the 1 percent. They are the banks, the mortgage industry, the insurance industry. They are the important ones." I am none of those industries. I am a 23-year-old woman. And if this emotional thinking is truly the way our country is headed, then I most certainly am one of the important ones."

Seriously, people.


Also, here's a cool shot I took of Mad today.