To the editor,
As I watch these protests on Wall Street, I am reminded of the civil rights marches of the 60s. Yes, I lived through them and saw the police response every night on the news. I listened to my father complain that “those people” should be happy they’ve got what they got. “They never had it so good,” he said.
Yesterday, I bought a new phone. The saleslady behind the counter mentioned that she used to play volleyball in college. Well, now she’s got her Bachelor’s degree. And her college education got her student loans, a crappy minimum wage retail job, and no time for such frivolity as volleyball.
God forbid she gets in an accident or gets sick. God forbid she gets old.
These kids marching on Wall Street are heroes. To the extent that they make people wake up concerning the class warfare that has been going on in this country for decades, they should be applauded and not corralled, pepper sprayed, and sent to jail.
Politicians (yes Republicans, you know who you are) need to face reality the way these protesters face it.
Healthcare should and can be free (it always is when I travel to Canada, and yes, I’d consider Canadian citizenship but I shouldn’t have to). Everyone (even Republicans) should want healthcare for themselves and their neighbor. We’d all have it, if we had the healthcare President Obama wanted and Congress receives.
Jobs should and can be plentiful. President Obama’s jobs bill provides jobs that bolster our national infrastructure. Considering the extent of present decay, everyone (hear me, Republicans) should be on board.
Politicians need to wake up and be happy these protests are confined to Wall Street, because they may soon migrate to their district offices and (GASP!) Republicans will not want that.
William Cooke
