Is a new party forming in America to vent its anger at Politicians pissing away taxpayer monies on crony capitalism like Solyndra Solar. Is this new party the Pee Party?
There is no doubt a lot of people are alienated, distressed and outraged by what has happened in this country, but unlike in the Arab Spring, this country is still governed at the ballot box."
The question is, Ballenger said, "Can this be converted to political power?"
LaMere has hopes it will.
She used to consider herself a Democrat until she was "betrayed" by President Barack Obama's health care reforms, she said. The Lansing resident said she's "madder than hell" at Republican Gov. Rick Snyder because his tax changes will hit her fixed income hard. She attended a tea party gathering in Jackson but was turned off by the angry "one-sided tone." (Source:Detnews)
Via Detnews
October 3, 2011
The two-week protest on Wall Street is spreading through the Internet and social media, with similar demonstrations being planned nationwide, including in Lansing and Detroit this month.
"I'm afraid of getting arrested like those people in New York, but I will be going to the gathering at the Capitol," said Chris LaMere, a 54-year-old Michigan retiree and former state employee. "I read about it on Facebook, and it's like people are waking up. We need to send a message. We need our government to be fair."
The Occupy Wall Street demonstration started small last month, with fewer than a dozen college students camping day and night in Zuccotti Park, a private plaza off Broadway in Manhattan's Financial District. The gathering has steadily grown in size despite or perhaps being fueled by two weekends of massive arrests.
Protesters lack a clear objective, though they speak against corporate greed, social inequality, global climate change and other concerns. But they're getting more organized and showing no sign of quitting.
In one sign that the protests aren't fading, people across the country are organizing similar "occupations" in their towns to show their solidarity, according to a Facebook page called Occupy Michigan and other sites.
Web postings there are encouraging people to turn out Oct. 15 for a peaceful campout at the Lansing Capitol. Another "occupation" is being planned for Oct. 21 in Detroit.
There are other Internet sites promoting protests in virtually every state in the nation — some with conflicting purposes and disagreements on dates and times of planned events.
Despite the lack of leadership and disparate information, the movement is gaining attention, said one local political observer.
"Whatever it is, it is off to an impressive start," said Bill Ballenger, editor of the Inside Michigan Politics newsletter, calling the protest unusual in that it appears to have tapped a common anger.
"It's East meets West, conservative meets liberal anger at the millionaire plutocrats they see benefiting while the country goes down the tubes," Ballenger said. "But whether it amounts to a movement that can cause real change will depend on the emergence of leadership and the coalescence of defined purpose and organization.
"There is no doubt a lot of people are alienated, distressed and outraged by what has happened in this country, but unlike in the Arab Spring, this country is still governed at the ballot box."
The question is, Ballenger said, "Can this be converted to political power?"
LaMere has hopes it will.
She used to consider herself a Democrat until she was "betrayed" by President Barack Obama's health care reforms, she said. The Lansing resident said she's "madder than hell" at Republican Gov. Rick Snyder because his tax changes will hit her fixed income hard. She attended a tea party gathering in Jackson but was turned off by the angry "one-sided tone."
She said Internet discussions about the protests being about unfair tax advantages for the nation's richest 1 percent attracted her to the movement.
"I like that they are talking about being nonviolent and that the 99 percent need to be heard," LaMere said. "I certainly am in the 99 percent, but I'm just not sure our government will ever be able to say no to the 1 percent and the money they have to hand out."
On Wall Street, the arrests of more than 700 people Saturday as thousands tried to cross the Brooklyn Bridge seemed to pour gasoline on the rage of those who camped out.
The growing cross-country movement "signals a shift in consciousness," said Jared Schy, a young man sitting squeezed between three others who participated in Saturday's march from Manhattan's Financial District to the bridge.
"We don't care whether mainstream media covers this or people see us on television. What counts are the more than 30,000 viewers following our online live stream," he said. "We heard from a lot of them, and they're joining us now!"
Gatherings elsewhere included one in Providence, R.I., that attracted about 60 people to a public park. In Boston, protesters set up an encampment across the street from the Federal Reserve Building.
The protest has drawn activists of diverse ages and occupations, including Jackie Fellner, a marketing manager from upstate New York.
"We're not here to take down Wall Street. It's not poor against rich. It's about big money dictating which politicians get elected and what programs get funded," she said.
Kira Moyer-Sims, 19, of Portland, Ore., said things have changed a lot since the protest started and that it would continue.
"They thought we were going to leave and we haven't left," she said of city officials.
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