I wish I wasn't part of the 99%

Have you ever woken up and felt the agony of debt dig so deep into your stomach you could hardly breathe?
Have you ever hesitated to tell a child that they can be whoever they want to be because you were afraid they might not be able to afford school in order to achieve that dream?
Have you ever cried with a parent or loved one because they were denied health insurance to get the care they desperately needed?
Have you ever helped somebody move out because they were tricked by a bank to get a sub-prime mortgage on a home would never be able to pay back?
Have you ever sold a couple things on craigslist to help your sibling pay their student loans so the interest rates wouldn't rise and they wouldn't be further indebted?

If you haven't, praise your lucky stars because you are the exception.

Everyday I wish I was NOT part of the 99%. I hear family members filing for bankruptcy because they were determined to put their kids through college, being put in debt for having a common diseases that could easily be prevented with affordable access to health care. And not being able to pay their student loans which prevent them from moving up on the economic ladder.

Everyday I wish I didn't care so much about my fellow citizens. I wish I wasn't saddened everytime I heard a class size of 55 or more, or another person dying from a preventable disease because the "death panels" of insurance companies were denying another person proper care.


Everyday I wish I could tell the brave U.S soldiers that they fought for democracy and not to secure future oil reserves in Southern Iraq.

I wish I could just trust that my banks were doing their absolute best to make sure, me, THE CUSTOMER, was getting the best financial advice and services they could provide.

I wish I could just desensitize myself from all the pain and suffering I see around me...but I can't.
And that is why I am part of the 99%

I can't ignore that there are millions good, hardworking Americans who are living in third world conditions just to get by. And that is why I am part of the 99%.

I can't ignore that a former Vietnam vet, now homeless man in Oakland, told me that he was put in jail after "acting up" because he was not given the care he needed for his post-traumatic stress syndrome. And I will never forget when he told me that he said the food he got was way better in jail than it ever was in the army. And that is why I am part of the 99%

I can't ignore ignore the pain and suffering that is happening all around me and since I don't have billions of dollars to draw attention to my cause, I stand in solidarity with those know we deserve better than this.

I may not have faith in the government but I have faith in the American people. We are good people and before you judge the protesters look at those who are suffering most and ask yourself, who is fighting for them?

The banks say we need them but we need our families and our communities more. And, most importantly, we need them to be safe.

I wish I was not part of the 99% but until I can tell my baby cousin with confidence that things will get better, I have no choice.

I am one person and I represent the 99% of Americans who were forgotten and demand acknowledgement.