From Occupy Wall Street to Washington - Is There a Path?

By Jim Cason on 10/25/2011 @ 10:30 AM

Tags: War Is Not the Answer, budget

The real answer is, I don't know.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has done more to focus attention on the huge transfer of money toward the wealthy than almost any other movement in the last decade. The data isn't new. The Congressional Budget Office confirmed in late October what my colleague Ruth Flower has been saying for years -- that government policy has become less redistributive in the last decade.

What to Do About Inequality?

What is new is that this message is now in the news headlines and in the public discussions. What's also inspiring about some of the occupy protests is the simple, consensus practices that they have been attempting to use -- practices that to me often look very similar to Quaker practices. In my conversations with people involved with the occupy movement, I've heard some amazing ideas and powerful messages that put a spotlight on the 99% and on the 1%.

At the same time, I also hear a healthy skepticism about the effectiveness of electoral politics or efforts to influence Washington. I think their skepticism makes sense in today's gridlocked Washington, where money does have a tremendous influence.

Lobbying for the 99%

Yet we at FCNL believe we cannot afford to abandon Washington to the Lockheed lobbyists. In today's fiscal environment, what Congress decides to spend on the Pentagon will have a huge impact on how much money goes to other priorities, from rebuilding our local communities to preventing future wars, from building an energy infrastructure for tomorrow to caring for the poorest among us.

For Occupy Wall Street and the other occupy movements, these are questions which they are debating in their own forums. I'm amazed by what I've seen so far and some of the creative approaches they are discussing. There is discussion of debt strikes and a lot of other creative ideas.

For others who may not be a part of the Occupy Wall Street encampments, there are real opportunities right now to influence Washington. Here at FCNL, as Diane Randall has written to the supercommittee, we'd like to see a $1 trillion cut in Pentagon spending, action to close tax loopholes and eliminate some of the tax cuts provided to those of us who are the most fortunate financially, and money spent on direct job creation.

Congress will be making some important decisions in the next few weeks. Your letters, visits to congressional offices and letters to the editor could make a tremendous difference. I know many of you are already acting. I hope those who have not yet acted, will take a moment to think about what you would say to your senators. You can find some action suggestions on our website.