Author Archives: PEB

Most revolutions – to include our own – are, in the beginning, driven by economic disproportional perceptions (remembering that perception is reality); the Boston Tea Party was an act by petulant protesters reacting to a series of taxes (most particularly on tea) by the government …

The French Revolution was brought on by perceived economic differences between classes and resentment by peasants, laborers and the bourgeoisie toward the traditional seigneurial privileges possessed by the nobility – the French Government was dealing with staggering debt as a result of coming to America’s aid in its own revolution.

The Russian Revolution likewise was a creation of perceived economic differences between the classes and resentment of royalty, and a government dealing with staggering debt brought on by World War I.

The Occupy Movement is also a creation of perceived economic differences between the classes – except its not aimed at a political monarchy – but at a perceived financial upper class (a nobility) in our country. It’s coupled with an economy trying to recover from the worse recession since the Great Depression and a staggering debt brought on by more than a decade of war.

One of Romney’s greatest hurdles is to break the perception he’s one of “them”, something not helped by owning five homes (complete with car elevators), multiple Cadillacs, dressage horses, $990 silk tee-shirts, and offshore accounts in the Caymans and Switzerland … “perception is reality”, and with the country in the grips of perceived economic turmoil, being fabulously wealthy doesn’t help when running for the Presidency; joking that you “like to be able to fire people” doesn’t help. Romney saying he’ll overturn controls recently implemented on the Stock Market and Banking Industry doesn’t help.The political and economic reality is that today’s Republican Tea Party (GOTP) can’t survive by protecting the uber-wealthy at the expense of everyone else; when Willard Mitt Romney fails in his bid for the White House, it won’t be negative advertising that does it, it’ll be his own wealth, and his inability to shake the rich-boy born with a silver foot in his mouth image.

It doesn’t help when Governors like Scott Walker giving huge tax breaks to the wealthy and businesses and then blaming the deficit created on “special interest” groups like teachers and nurses doesn’t help the perception.

It doesn’t help when right-wing talker Sean Hannity (a millionaire) says poor people can make great big pots of rice and beans and live just fine; a definite “let them eat cake” moment.

It doesn’t help when the controlling party in the House appears to be resentful of keeping student loan interest rates low, unless it can cut health care programs primarily aimed at low income women, while fighting tooth and nail to keep tax rates at the lowest level in 60 years for the wealthiest 1%. Congressman Ryan is a mufti-millionaire, and his “budget” proposes deep cuts in social spending while increasing spending on the military and protecting tax cuts for the wealthy (his class); the perception is the ruling class (wealthy “nobility) doesn’t care about the rest of the population.

Remember, “perception is reality”; and the perception is that 1% control the wealth and the government, and some elements of the 99% aren’t staying quiet about it; it doesn’t excuse the destruction of private property, but conversely there’s no excuse for some use of excessive force used by police officers either – that only helps the protest grow, it doesn’t cow it.

Whether you agree with the Occupy Movement or not doesn’t matter, it’s here; the perceived reality for those who are struggling to pay the rent, and to pay for school, and to eat from day-to-day is there’s a huge disparity in our country between those who have and those who don’t.