Protests - Deja Vu, the 1960s Revisited

In 2010, the Center for Representative Politics reported that federal law makers from 2008 to 2009 saw a 16% collective personal wealth increase. Those were the lean years, the Democrat held Senate and House of Representatives years following the Obama election.

The Center for Representative Politics also cited that 261 elected federal law makers are millionaires, that is almost half of the full congress. The 99% movement should have a beef with law makers as well as the 1% of the U.S. population who claim the same distinction.

Wealthiest federal law makers list their investments portfolios as including General Electric and Bank of America as their top company investments. Holding third, fourth, and fifth place were Cisco Systems, Proctor&Gamble, and Microsoft. Apple, IBM, Coke and Pepsi are popular holdings as well. Worry not, big oil and pharmaceuticals are part of the holding mix, too.

The 99% movement projects its anger at big business; however, their focus needs to expand. In a time when 99% are seeing their net worth dropping, the top 1% see their net worths growing. Executive salaries and compensations have soared, some reports say by as much as 350%. Law makers may argue that their 16% net worth increase is very modest compared to executive salaries and executive net worth increases.

Ask someone who falls into the bottom percentile of the 99% if their net worth increased 16% let alone 350%. The 99% movement is much more right for the U.S. than the Tea Party movement.

Like Baby Boomers of the 1960s who willingly faced jail for protesting against Vietnam, for civil rights, and for political change, the 99% movement has a vision of something better. But the 99% movement must not limit their focus to big business. The government and big business are strange bed partners and are both Democrat and Republican.