Monday, November 14, 2011

Occupy The Boardroom is Naming Names

I am not sure quite how to react to the tactic of OccupyTheBoardroom.org  of naming the names of the board members of the "too big to fail" banks. Frankly, publishing publicly available information and suggesting that these individuals be buried with e-mail seems fairly innocuous. However, given the anarchistic fringe  of the Occupy movement, and the popularity of a video that advocates a French style revolution (over 100,000 views), this website somehow seems a bit sinister. I am probably overreacting in regard to this content that suggests an action that is significantly less intrusive than setting up an unauthorized, unsanitary campground, but it does to have the potential to lead to unintended consequenses

Another aspect of the website that is worthy of attention is its summary of a message that succinctly captures the populist anger held by a broad range of U.S voters.


"Make your voice heard by the Wall Street elites who wrecked the economy and made the rest of us pay. Click on someone below and tell them a story that you think they should listen to. Just got a college degree and nothing to show for it? Just got evicted while your banker gets bonuses? Share your special story with someone who ought to know."

It seems to me that those favoring fiscal sanity should consider if it is appropriate to tap into the above populist message in order to gain support for measures to bring the trillion dollar U.S. annual deficit under control. While it is ridiculously over simplistic to blame the Great Recession on Wall Street elites, the question of whether targeting this group is pandering to the mob or just smart politics is worth asking.

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