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Occupy opposes unacceptable face of Capitalism

Andy Parkin responds to a letter to the editor about the Occupy movement

Editor,

Re: Occupy Movement ignores the positives of Capitalism, Letters, Dec. 7

Yes, Ray, there are strong objections to Capitalism from the Occupy Movement. But even Maggie Thatcher talked about the unacceptable face of Capitalism. It is certainly not the best system ever developed and it certainly is not working well for the majority. Just look at the recent figures released by the OCED. Countries like Norway with more mixed economies are more successful than USA or Canada in creating wealth and distributing that wealth more equally. However, the Occupy movement is not just about changing or modifying our economic system.

Occupy is also about sustainability. There are limits to growth, but the drivers of our present system do not recognize this.

Furthermore, Occupy is concerned that democracy has been undermined by big corporations. President Eisenhower warned of the idea of the Military-Industrial Complex. I don’t believe he and Mrs. Thatcher were left-leaning, radical Islamists, Communists or Nazis. Eisenhower was a Republican. Thatcher was a Conservative. They recognized faults in the system. They might have supported Occupy, though I don’t see them hanging out in tents.

Andy Parkin,

Revelstoke