May Day protestors miss target

May 1, 2012, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson issued the following statement on the Occupy movement May Day protests:

“While the Occupy movement shares the same frustration with the Tea Party that the political system is broke, corrupt, and destroying the country, they have failed to generate sympathy with their disruptive tactics or public support without a coherent message for their agenda of ‘change’. They appear more occupied with breaking stuff, camping out in parks, and sitting in front of buildings than actually accomplishing something politically.

“Compare that with the well-organized Tea Party that has mounted successful primary challenges in 2010 and appears poised to knock off long-time Indiana Senator Richard Lugar next week. They are engaged in a long-term campaign to reconstitute Congress — one seat at a time — with candidates that are more likely to take on the entrenched establishment. Whereas the Tea Party has worked successfully to a certain extent within the system while taking it on, the Occupy movement has taken the line that it cannot be fixed within, and so does not bother.

“To be fair, given the poor performance of Congress so far at reining in the unsustainable spending and economically destructive regulations in Washington, D.C., it is hard to argue with the assessment that our political system is no longer representative. Clearly winning primaries and elections is not enough to undo the administrative state. But nobody said this would be easy. To win, the American people have to play the long game.

“The frustration of the Occupy movement is understandable. When one in two recent college graduates cannot find work in this economy, when waste of the public treasury is at an all-time high, and when our monetary system is controlled by an unaccountable bank cartel, who isn’t frustrated?

“But their tactics are misplaced, juvenile, and at times criminal. Plus, and this is the key point, they’re missing the primary target, which are the government policies that created the credit bubble, wrecked the economy, and left future generations with a debt so large it cannot be repaid. Frustration misdirected is not a strategy for retaking the Republic, it is a recipe for anarchy.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.

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