We need Change

For me, the Occupy Wall street protests have always been on the back of my mind, even when discussing them in class. However, Taibbi’s article talks about fighting for a change in the way our government and our policies work. With that, I can’t help but agree.

When college students graduate, we are left with huge debts right from the start. Not only do we have to pick up bills for rent, phone, television, food, utilities, and other expenses, we have to worry about these debts from our education off of a starting salary. Our failing economy is not being supported or fixed by the graduating students that enter the real world with debts. A change is needed to reduce tuition fees, allowing graduates to be able to pay off their debts as well as take on the bills in the real world.

At the same time, while students find themselves unable to pay their debts off, big businesses and CEOs are getting millions of dollars in bonuses. This unbalanced scale is throwing off our economy. While I do believe people should earn the money they work for, I do not see the worth in one man getting paid six-figured bonuses; money that he or his children would not be able to get through in their lifetimes. While the money distribution is thrown off, there will continue to be debts and a shaky economy. Changing how money is exchanged across the scale will make a big difference in the country.

Unfortunately, money is the biggest influence in the nation. Big companies are going to fight for every dollar that the other 99% consider to be over the limit. The government needs to find a way to create opportunities for those college graduates, working class employers, and even high school drop-outs. To have a society that flourishes, change needs to be made in order to decrease the gap between the 1% and the 99%. Although a gap can be there, in order to inspire people to work their way up, it cannot be so large that people are winding up in serious debt even with a decent job while others are putting money away into an account and will never use it again.

The government has to be the one to do this, but they also have to be willing to do it. Like the article mentions, all of California could vote to legalize marijuana, but it still wouldn’t be passed. This is a result of power that money creates. Big business has paid for our government, setting the demands and requirements that our society now functions in. For example, big companies encourage the school systems to take more and more tests. As a result, they are able to sell more pencils, more paper, more testing booklets, etc. Money and power have held a great influence on how our entire nation functions today.

For that, I now find myself a supporter of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Changes need to be made in order to create a better nation. We speak of equality and our rights as individuals, but when only a few individuals are seeing the benefits that the Constitution grants us then a change needs to be made.