An American Manifesto

What began in Cairo and Wisconsin is now spreading nationwide. "Occupy Wall Street" is being repeated all over the United States, and just this weekend moved into Dewey Square in Boston; "Occupy Boston" is now underway. One of the advantages the other side has over us is their clarity and their singleminded agenda.

We need just such an agenda.

Here's my shot at it.

1. We demand Full Employment now. Put Americans to work. Put people around the world to work. If we can figure out how to spend zillions and zillions of dollars over a single weekend to save huge financial institutions that were "to big to fail", we can certainly save the people of this county and their families from poverty and homelessness.

The Unemployment Bureau, should be called the Employment Bureau. Unemployment insurance shall be known as Employment insurance. It is time for the Government to ante up and save the people who are "too important to fail".

2. Double the minimum wage. Tax the rich, the super rich, and the multi-national corporations. Let them forgo this year's obscene bonuses, and give people a living wage.

3. Provide Health Care for ALL Americans NOW!

4. Declare an indefinite moratorium on foreclosures until all Americans are at work.

5. Quit beating up on teachers, police, fire, EMT's and public workers. Quit beating up on gay folks and the LGBTQ community. Quit beating up on children and education. The extreme Right Wing of this country has become utterly immoral.

All around the country we are rising up and taking to the streets. The Arab Spring has become the American Fall. Momentum is building. Hope is here!

I remember the 1960's with fondness. We're back again; we fought for civil rights, gender equality, and a kinder, gentler embrace of the LGBTQ community. Now we're demanding economic justice for all.

TO THE STREETS AMERICA!!! OCCUPY AMERICA!!!

Fr. Paul, a simple parish priest.