A little bit about the 99%.

For some time, I've been defining "class warfare: as "something rich people complain about when they start to realize they're outnumbered."  In fact, I've been saying it so long I can't even recall if I thought it up myself, or if I "borrowed" it from somewhere. But one of the things I like about the Occupy Together protests is that the slogan "We are the 99%" serves as a great reminder of who should rightly have the power in a real, functioning democracy.

Corporations control the media. Corporations and wealthy donors can fork over tons of campaign money to candidates for political office. But so long as We the People (the 99%) have access to the polls, we can get something like a representative government--elected representatives that look out for out interests.  When we have representatives that, for example, think industries need less regulation and oversight when it's pretty clear that unsafe food or dangerous products (whether it be children's toys made with cadmium or adults' retirement plans stuffed with false promises) are all too common--it's pretty clear they aren't looking out for us. Representatives that don't represent us are a problem--and when they ignore the will of the people to have government be better watchdogs for our interests, or try to limit our access to electing the government that best represents us--our democracy is in danger.

I hope that if this movement does anything, it raises consciousness that when people have been going around saying "freedom isn't free"--they should stop to recall that the true price is "eternal vigilance". And that education and voter registration are part and parcel of the rap being laid down upon the newly activist people who join the protest.