Daniel Weeks writes:
I’m mad about what happened on Wall Street...and what it means for America today. But I also have trouble seeing my friend and the other bankers I know as part of an evil cabal plotting against “the other 99 percent,”...
Weeks then poses some hard questions:
To my friends camped out in Zucotti Park, I’d ask: In what ways do you also profit from Wall Street’s “excess”?
And:
To my friend at the Wall Street firm, I’d ask: In the long run, have excessive leveraging and subprime lending been worth the human toll?
Then:
Finally, to the politicians who (mis)represent us: Are you making good on your stated commitment to serve the needs and interests of all your constituents when you take part in an electoral system where the wealthiest among us fund campaigns and seek access and influence in return?
Weeks concludes:
In Americans’ clamor for rights – and in our need to be right – Wall Street workers and occupiers alike may have lost that crucial companion – responsibility. Bankers, protesters, politicians, and bystanders must act ethically in their personal and public lives. And that begins with you and me.
Daniel Weeks is past president and policy adviser at the bipartisan group Americans for Campaign Reform. He blogs at www.danielweeks.com.
