Last week I was asked a question while enjoying my position standing on a street corner Occupying Rapid City. Unfortunately for me, I was not prepared to give a thirty second, recoreded answer to the question about why I was there holding up a sign. The lack of preparation is at least partially the result of too many possible truthful answers and not considering the likelyhood of being asked the question. Earlier I posted an observation about observers' confusion about the Occupy movement. The inability to respond to the simple question of why was I there adds to the confusion. The following list provides a better answer to the question:
Why am I occupying the streets of Rapid City?
• To raise awareness of the negative impact on society resulting from the actions of large corporations.
• To call for accountability for the persons and entities responsible for the economic crisis of 2008.
• To raise awareness of the negative impact of extreme wealth disparity in the world.
• To encourage the immediate withdrawal of the US military from Iraq and Afghanistan.
• To urge campaign finance reform through the exclusive use of public funds.
• To urge the restoration of the Glass Steagall Act of 1933.
• To support the protection and continuation of the current Social Security and Medicare benefits and rules.
• To support eligibility for Medicare insurance for all Americans.
• To support the elimination of taxable income cap for Social Security and Medicare taxes.
• To call for a reduction in military spending and national reassessment of the role of the military.
• To urge the reinterpretation of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus as it was prior to the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996.
• To encourage actual political dialogue.
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