Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Occupy Los Angeles and the Charge of "Perpetuating Inequality"

"Dozens activists who have been camping on the lawn of City Hall for the past 10 days addressed the council. Despite the resolution, many verbally attacked the lawmakers, accusing them of being allied with big banks and of perpetuating inequality." (From "The Daily Breeze")

In one sense, banks and city councils do perpetuate inequality. There is quite a difference in power between a financial firm which lends, deposits, and guarantees liquidity versus the vast majority of firms invested in other endeavors. As for the City Council, they are elected to exercise greater power over civic functions and municipal economic needs. Populism alone cannot lead, let alone reform a city or a country.

In the sense of purposely keeping certain segments of the population down and out, indeed some of the blame can be laid with the City Council. Los Angeles City's elected leadership has perpetuated an underclass of welfarism and dependency, engendering despondent masses who demand more of what the municipal government has less to dispense with.

Inequality is natural in nature, when based on endowments beyond one's natural rights. After that, any attempt by the government to steer a community toward greater equality, diminished the "gap" between rich and poor, only exacerbates a culture of poverty and entitlement, neither of which can be blamed on those who "have more."

If Occupy Wall Street really wants to change the way business is done in this country, they need to march all the way to Washington D.C. and protest. If not that, they can march to the polls next November and elect leaders who will respect our rights, secure our borders, and leave everything else to the state and to We the People.

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