OWS wants things like :
Living conditions good for all.
Let's face it, we all want to live in a home that is safe. Many people don't have that chance, because of the current economic situation. Now I realize, that there are a huge group that would rather have the government pay for them, that the government owes them, because of what ever, but in general, I don't think this is most people. The problem is, how do we define is a good living condition?
Work opportunities fair for all.
Everyone has opportunity to work, as long as they are willing to do the dirty work. If I were hiring someone, and I had two potential candidates with equal qualifications, and Candidate A worked at McDonald's for a few years, while Candidate B has never held a job, I will more then likely hire A. Simply because he's proven himself. A lot of people seem to have the attitude that menial work is beneath them. If they can't have the $50 an hour/white collar job, then they don't want to work.
Forgiveness of student, personal and, home mortgage debts /loans
Personally, I feel that if you got into the debt, you need to work your way out of it, even if it takes years. I have hospital debt as well as educational debt. I do not expect that these should be forgiven. Instead, I believe that I need to work to get rid of this. Honestly, if you don't think you will be able to pay it off in your life time, then you should not get loans. Medical debt is one thing, Educational, home loans, etc... are another thing.
Minimum wage of $20 an hour .
I'm sorry, but some jobs are not worth $20 an hour, like acting. Okay, I know many actors/actresses will probably say that they are worth a billion dollars, because they do the world good. But personally, I value farmers, school teachers, and sales people more than actors and actresses.
Healthcare for all
I really can understand this, but what we have to understand, even if we have governmental insurance, we are still paying for it, in someway or another. Yes, we do need health reform. My boss's wife mentioned the other day that she remembered when she was a little girl, there was no insurance and people payed $25 just to see the doctor. It's amazing how health insurance, the thing that is suppose to be the savior of all, has come in and change the entire system around. People who can not afford health insurance, or who are denied health insurance usually have to pay twice as much as everyone else. And it's simply because health insurance determines the rate of what everything should cost.
As for the current government's plan on health care, I have serious concerns. No, I'm not opposed to socialist healthcare. However, I do believe that before we do go this route, it needs to be really studied. Lets look at countries that have a socialistic health care system and see how it has affected them. We might be surprised.
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As for being an OWS, I really don't know what I would do in the future. Personally, I understand a lot of what many Americans go through, because of what my family has gone through these last few years. My sister isn't working, not because she doesn't want to, but because the jobs are not there. My brother is in a catch 22, because of his disability. If he tries to take classes that will allow him to train for a job he might could do, his disability insurance is revoked. Yet, he barely survives on what he makes.
I have a friend who's in another state that currently is homeless, she and 3 or 4 of her 7 children. (Yes, she is someone I've known personally for years.) Her husband left, to go back to his home country, and she was not able to pay for the rent. Unfortunately, because she has boys who are over a certain age (9??), she is not able to stay in a women's shelter.
There are other people who get trapped in the welfare system. If they make a certain amount of money, then they can't survive, but if the get welfare, they can, but just barely.
It's easy to say that people who live this life can easily get out of it. That they are really lazy and want everyone to feed them bread and butter. But unless you've been in these situation, you really have no clue.