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Occupy slowly finding solutions

Columnist Tom Fletcher has narrow view of movement

Re: ‘Occupy’ is just another squat (B.C. Views, Nov. 9)

Not surprised to see Tom Fletcher joining the crowd of corporate cheerleaders in denouncing the Occupy Wall Street movement protesters as “squatters” and “spoiled young drummers and hula-hoopers.”

This attempt at denigrating the protesters shows how much the one per cent are being threatened by this challenge to the power they currently possess.

Fletcher fails to mention that this protest is soundly backed by a majority of the working class.

Unregulated corporate power and corruption has utterly failed the majority working class and has reduced the living standards for 99 per cent of society.

Tax cuts to the wealthy and the “trickle-down” theory of wealth distribution has not worked to stimulate the economy.

The Occupy movement is just emerging, and may seem fuzzy, but clear solutions are emerging such as: creating a “Robin Hood tax” of one per cent on all speculative financial transactions to be used to finance job creation, creating co-ops to provide products and services not driven by gouging consumers, regulating lobbyists to end corruption, limiting campaign contributions by corporations federally and provincially, adopting a form of proportional representation so MPs and MLAs are voted in more democratically.

Most “occupiers” are not those camping, although the campers are currently the “face” of the movement. Most supporters are too busy working to survive and unable to camp.

Attempts like Fletcher’s to demonize the protesters shows just how much of a threat these ideas really are to the status quo and unregulated corporate capitalism.

Paul Waterlander

Victoria