Occupy Wall Street? Occupy Reality Instead.

I'm going on record...the "Occupy Wall Street" movement will end with a whimper.  Though I've been wrong before, I sincerely hope this prediction is accurate...otherwise we're in a tailspin as a country that'll be near impossible to steer out of.

Let me get this straight, they hope to capitalize on the average citizens disillusionment with "corporate America" or "the wealthy" to affect change (which apparently, judging by the mishmash of messages appears to be a move towards socialism)?  The average citizen is busy working their tail off to maintain what they have, or if they're lucky, get ahead...something that's incredibly difficult to do in this economy.

The average *working* citizen doesn't wake up in the morning and say "Damn, that Wall Street is really beating me down."  Generally speaking, they get their paycheck and say "Damn, that Uncle Sam is robbing me blind."

If I don't support a particular company, or their "lack of humanity" I DON'T BUY THEIR PRODUCTS.  That's the beauty of capitalism.  If a company sucks...either by the products they offer or their "evil" business practices, you can choose to let them die by refusing to purchase their products.

Try doing the same when you disagree with how much income tax you pay.  Or how much Social Security tax you pay...that you'll never get back.  Or how much you pay in Medicare.  Or how much tax you pay on a gallon of gas.  The list is endless, and for most of us, inevitable.

These people advocate additional taxation on the "1%"?  Laughable.  How about the 47% that pay absolutely nothing in tax, and in return are rewarded with a check of varying amounts courtesy of my taxes?  I'm by no means wealthy...Wall Street doesn't piss me off.  It's business, and businesses are in it to make money so that people like me can make a living.  I'm pissed that my tax dollars are subsidizing a bunch of whiny-ass, unorganized chuds.  You're not the 99%.  You're the .00009% who had the means to get to a rally, who have no real interest in gainful employment (otherwise you wouldn't be camped out for weeks, pissing in shrubs and handing out communist literature), or if you did have interest in gainful employment it was dashed because you realized that no one in the business world will pay you $250,000 a year for your degree in Journalism (a degree that probably cost you a minimum of $50,000).  You've been fleeced...and not by "big bad business" but by the feel-good liberalism that permeates our society.

If you're at one of these rallies, and you really want to change the world, go home.  Get a job.  It's likely that the job will suck.  You'll get some experience, you'll move on to a job that likely sucks less.  You'll work your way up in the world.  You'll have setbacks, sure. You're experiencing one now if you genuinely want work but can't find it.  Aim lower, be realistic.  Unlike what we were told in school, you can't be anything you want, not immediately anyway.  You'll get out of work exactly what you put into it.  There's a chance you'll be dealt a dirty hand, it happens.  Maybe it wasn't your fault, maybe it isn't fair.  There is one constant...Life, as a general rule, isn't fair.  It's not up to the government to make it fair, not up to your parents, nor Wall Street.  It's up to you to make your slice of the world a better place.

The answer isn't more taxation, unless it comes in the form of a flat tax that treats everyone equally.  The answer isn't more government...they've proven time and again that they're wholly incapable of operating within their means, or resolving any real issues.  Government, in its current form, exists only to perpetuate itself.  The answer is accountability.  Be accountable.  When our grandparents, or great grandparents, experienced hardship they tightened their belts.  They worked harder, longer hours.  If they accepted charity, or welfare, it was temporary.  There was pride to be had in working, and earning, a living.

We have grown increasingly disconnected with reality as a culture.  We're told to be good...but not too good lest we offend those who won't perform.  We're told that success should be punished...why should someone have something nicer than me after all?  We're told that everyone is equal, though some are more equal than others.  We're told that the government has all the answers...a statement that has been wholly invalidated in the United States since the "New Deal".

If you want to get ahead...work for it.  Or be born with it, and maintain it.  Or win it in a lottery.  Or sell an idea.  Or invent something.  That's the beauty, or at least it was, of our country.  Success is a low hanging fruit for those willing to seize it.  Unfortunately, as an incredibly vain society "success" has been redefined as being a millionaire, or owning a Ferrari, or being a star.

I don't have a million dollars in the bank, but I'm successful.  I have a faith that provides peace and salvation.  I have a family that I love, and that loves me.  I live in a home that shelters us from the elements.  I have a job that allows me to provide for my family.  I have a 55" LCD TV (hey...I worked for it).  Maybe some day I'll get that million, maybe not.  If I do, it won't be because the government did me any favors, it'll be because we elected some leaders with common sense that work day by day to lessen the impact of government in my life.

So pack up your tent.  Pour out your patchouli oil.  Throw away your freshly printed copy of the Communist Manifesto.  Go home, wherever that may be, and get started on your own path to success.  If you're any sort of man (or woman), the money and life you earn will be far more valuable than any handout you receive.