You are invited to join your neighbors for a nonpartisan march on Saturday, Nov 19, at 10:00 am in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street Movement. We will gather at Portland Women's Forum State Park west of Crown Point, where we will depart at 10:00 am and walk west for 1.7 miles to the site of the old Corbett grade school at the top of Corbett Hill Road.
This will be a family-friendly, festive event. We will walk in an orderly fashion alongside the highway. We will then gather on the field at our destination. You are encouraged to bring a sign.Below are the 10 reasons Wall Street is being targeted in the widespread social movement of the last several weeks.
You are encouraged to pass this on to friends who may wish to join us.
The 10 points below are derived from this fine article by Heather McGhee in the Huffington Post--
"Why Occupy Wall Street: 10 reasons protestors picked the right target." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/heather-mcghee/why-occupy-wall-street-10_b_1014721.htmlIt is also attached as a pdf file below.
The historical causes of the growing and unsustainable income inequality in the United States are complex but a result of an intentional manipulation of tax laws, campaign finance policies, and deregulation of the financial industry. This has led to a massive transfer of wealth in America leading to an unsustainable disruption in the social fabric. We recommend the attached article by George Packer in Foreign Affairs, "The Broken Contract: Inequality and American Decline."
Just as the causes are complex, potential solutions are multifaceted but attainable. One example of potential strategies can be found in the blog post:
"Who here would back a New Deal 2.0?" http://www.themultitude.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=184 This article by Don Peck from the Atlantic Monthly, "Can the Middle Class be Saved?"
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/09/can-the-middle-class-be-saved/8600/#.TkNhq6UIsf4.emailis a thoughtful analysis of the historic changes underway in our economy and society.
Are we living in a democracy or an oligarchy (rule by the few) when the richest one percent controls eighty percent of the nation’s wealth? 1. Wall Street Caused the Financial Crisis.
2. Wall Street's Priorities Hurt Workers and the Middle Class.
3. Wall Street Employs Lobbyists to Dominate Main Street.
4. Wall Street Greed Perverts Financial Markets.
5. Wall Street Dodges Fair Taxes.
6. Wall Street Drives Pay Excesses.
7. Wall Street Has Developed Into a Casino.
8. Wall Street Loves Predatory Lending.
9. Wall Street Has Not Been Held Accountable.
10. Wall Street Is Working to Kill Reforms.
We hope to see you next Saturday. Pass this on to your friends. 
