10.25.2011

When Irony Attacks!

A mere month into the grand experiment that is Occupy Wall Street, the kids discover the joys of dictatorial bureaucrats who take all their money and tell them what to do.
Even in Zuccotti Park, greed is good.

Occupy Wall Street’s Finance Committee has nearly $500,000 in the bank, and donations continue to pour in -- but its reluctance to share the wealth with other protesters is fraying tempers.

Some drummers -- incensed they got no money to replace or safeguard their drums after a midnight vandal destroyed their instruments Wednesday -- are threatening to splinter off.

“F--k Finance. I hope Mayor Bloomberg gets an injunction and demands to see the movement’s books. We need to know how much money we really have and where it’s going,” said a frustrated Bryan Smith, 45, who joined OWS in Lower Manhattan nearly three weeks ago from Los Angeles, where he works in TV production.

Smith is a member of the Comfort Working Group -- one of about 30 small collectives that have sprung up within OWS. The Comfort group is charged with finding out what basic necessities campers need, like thermal underwear, and then raising money by soliciting donations on the street.

“The other day, I took in $2,000. I kept $650 for my group, and gave the rest to Finance. Then I went to them with a request -- so many people need things, and they should not be going without basic comfort items -- and I was told to fill out paperwork. Paperwork! Are they the government now?” Smith fumed, even as he cajoled the passing crowd for more cash.

The Finance Committee dives on whatever dollars are raised by all the OWS working groups, said Smith, and doesn’t give it back.

These kids just got more education in one month about how the real world works than they got in their five-year, $100,000 debt, Grievance Studies programs.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

This crap is only going to get more pronounced. I was downtown last week and took a few minutes to watch the festivities. The whole thing reminded me of pre-stadium Dead shows (think the Henry J Kaiser not RFK). Lots of left wing art and bullshit psuedo-politico thought and very light on substance. Hey, kind of like the typical veggie burrito that runs rampant in places like Eugene, OR.
When I first read the reports of midnight robberies, I mumbled to myself,"welcome to NYC."

K T Cat said...

$500,000 is a lot of money to support a few weeks of protesting. Even these numbskulls ought to be able to do the math to work out how much that is per protestor per day.

SarahB said...

Gotta say, I can't get enough. The loss of innocence makes for great entertainment. Pass the popcorn, please.

Happy Super Tuesday!