By John Hampton | Sports Editor
We are among the “99 percent” that protestors in the Occupy Wall Street movement have made their slogan, but that does not mean they represent the views of this 99 percent. The Occupy Wall Street movement has suggested the wealth of the nation should be distributed evenly among the masses. Protestors are essentially crying out to the government to take the wealth of the richest one percent and redistribute it to the rest of the country’s citizens. This suggests that America turns in a socialist direction, which completely defies the U.S. Constitution.

The roots of this country came from the raw determination and risk taken by capitalists like Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison. These successful men made large contributions to society while acquiring their fortunes. This money allowed some to create the fabric of freedom, while allowing others to invent creature comforts. These men helped create the freedoms that allow those who are involved in the Occupy Wall Street movement to be protesting for change today.

Protestors have cried out to the government to become involved and this is not the answer. Government regulation has depleted the economies of many towns, including Coos Bay. The government regulated the surrounding ocean, zoning off many fishing and crabbing areas. This, in turn, ran many fishermen out of business, therefore increasing our local unemployment rate. Regulation has taken away almost all of the country’s business pertaining to natural resources; this type of government intervention has helped put this country in its current recession.

Although the movement seems to be coming from the “99 percent” many of the protesters are being paid to participate in the uprising by donors on the Occupy Wall Street website. According to www.businessinsider.com, only 30 percent of the general population agrees with the movement. Additionally, the movement is costing the tax payers money to clean up the mess that protesters leave behind. If a protest is unorganized and has as many problems as this one, it should be ignored.

The “Occupy Wall Street” movement is a waste of time and money for the U.S. Protestors have decried the imbalance in wealth and power that has perpetuated itself in corporate America, but the protestors are fighting for rights that would defy the U.S. constitution and would keep our country in the downward spiral it is currently in. These protests need to stop now. Instead of asking the government for money, the protesters should put their effort toward earning money to care for themselves.