Midterm Monday

Main focus today, finish up midterms.

I think the Occupy Portland movement has reached a turning point that will hurt its cause. It says it is going to occupy other parks to spread the message, and the city says it won't permit this. So if this comes to pass, more confrontation, more arrests. Where have I seen this movie before?

Occupy Portland is to the redistribution of wealth as masturbation is to raising a family.

The 99% is going to get smaller very quickly if this all deteriorates into a law and order issue.

Another interesting development, the high end of the 99% -- many living in the affluent Pearl area (where subsidized housing also exists) -- are being called the enemy by some in the movement. There's so much fuzziness here, compounded by the idealistic nonsense and a poor reading of history. The best PRACTICAL result of this, in my view, is a viable third political party. But I don't see it happening. What is clear is that the goals require legislation if you plan to stop short of overthrowing the government entirely. Laws have to be changed, including tax laws. How do you influence this in the direction you want? Not by confronting police in one park after another, if that is the plan.

What I see happening is a deterioration of the message into law and order issues as youthful idealism faces realpolitik and urban demands for law enforcement. This will alienate many of the original 99% (which already disagree on basic things -- all they have in common is sharing an economic statistic.)

Yesterday a dear friend from LA called and we chatted a long time, mostly about how no one learns shit from history. Every generation has to reinvent the wheel, and this seems to be what is happening now.