The Great American Scam

For years the rest of the world has been being sold an image of the United States that they should prosper to be. A land of the free, the happy, the proud, the wealthy. A place where anyone's dreams could come true. A place where people truly knew the meaning of freedom. What we're learning today is that the image of the America we've been raised with is the made up face of a fractured nation.

Most Americans I speak too are struggling, are unhappy, and are incredibly frustrated. They've been sold this image too. They were raised to believe they could be what they wanted, that they could have a family, a job and total happiness. The reality they were met with was very different. With unemployment rates still high in the United States, and the costs of necessities like food and power rising, Americans are traveling a tough road, and it doesn't appear to be letting up anytime soon.

And while a majority of Americans are working two jobs just to scrape by, the rich are getting richer. Globalization has made it so that American Corporations don't need American consumers to survive. And with their major sway and influence in Washington, American Consumers don't have a voice, or anyone looking out for their best interests.

Cue in #OccupyWallstreet, or now #Iamthe99. Born out of the frustration of Americans at their lack of representation in politics, OccupyWallstreet is a movement that has major symbolism, and is inspiring similar movements around the world. Finally someone is speaking up for the consumer, the student, the mother, the average person.

As a student of political science, I am excited at the prospect of this movement. For far too long Politicians have been representing the wants of the highest bidder, rather then protecting the needs of their people. They've been trading the wellbeing of the American Citizen for stocks, and post term jobs. It's high time the citizens of the United States, the World, stood up for themselves and stood up against the blatant corruption prevalent in the "land of the free". Finally, people have stopped believing the rhetoric and have started educating themselves on reality. I stand with this movement, I stand with these people, and I have hope that a better America, a better world will be born from this.