"If society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich." ~ John F. Kennedy, Friday, January 20, 1961 What is your view on the current grass-roots movement 'Occupy Wall Street'?

My understanding of "Occupy Wall Street" is admittedly vague, even after reading an article recommended by my friend who's participating in "Occupy Traverse City." I do know that it's a grass-roots movement based on frustration with the downfall of our economy and the corruption in government and big business.

Like most people, I personally know individuals who've been affected in very adverse ways by the economy. My stepdaughter and her fiance live in Biloxi/Gulfport, an area hit by a double whammy. This part of the country has never recovered from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, and the current recession just makes a bad situation worse. Brianna and Ryan have been in and out of jobs ever since 2006, when they returned to South Mississippi after the hurricane. My friend Lynn and my niece Whitney both studied diligently to earn their teaching certificates, only to find no teaching jobs when they graduated one and two years ago, respectively. It's frustrating and disheartening for both of them, and who knows when that situation will improve? I have two relatives, a female and a male, who are members of the armed forces and stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They're both committed individuals, but even they are asking why our young men and women are still over there, working on rebuilding those two countries when our own people at home need so much help.

My own personal eye-opener happened last weekend when I attended the Bike Fest in Columbus, GA. Columbus is city that used to be full of bustling, productive factories. Now the factories are huge, vacant, hollow buildings which are skeletons of what once existed. We camped in front of one of these factories and used the inside for our bathroom/indoor camping facility. It really struck me as such a terrible waste that most of the time those buildings sit empty and useless. And of course I've seen all the photos and youtube videos of the devastation that we used to call Detroit. Outsourcing has brought about a slow, painful death to American manufacturing, and with it the American middle class. I honestly shudder to think about what my future granddaughter's life will be like if something isn't done to bring jobs and the middle class back to America.