The Occupiers’ Responsive Chord

I believe Robert Reich points us in the right direct when he suggests in The Occupiers’ Responsive Chord:

A combination of police crackdowns and bad weather are testing the young Occupy movement. But rumors of its demise are premature, to say the least. Although numbers are hard to come by, anecdotal evidence suggests the movement is growing.

As importantly, the movement has already changed the public debate in America.

Consider, for example, last week’s Congressional Budget Office report on widening disparities of income in America. It was hardly news – it’s already well known that the top 1 percent now gets 20 percent of the nation’s income, up from 9 percent in the late 1970s.

But it’s the first time such news made the front page of the nation’s major newspapers.

Why? Because for the first time in more than half a century, a broad cross-section of the American public is talking about the concentration of income, wealth, and political power at the top.

Score a big one for the Occupiers.

I have noticed in the burbs small group meetings (20-30) comprised of some ‘younger’ people but also a range of support from small business people in town, successful traders and financial people, increasing church participation (ie. Vespas at Dexter Park), teachers…people who are setting up ways to be part time supporters for what are to planned to be long term discussion/education but as importantly also are for active and participatory support (showing up to be counted).