Labor, Occupy and Tea Party Supporters: Its the Empire!!P.A. Farruggio You see, with all the problems concerning budget deficits and cuts in services, layoffs etc; there was not one mention of the real cause and its easiest solution. All the budget cuts and loss of needed services, all the corporate excesses and FAT CATS are part and parcel of this Military Industrial Empire. Wall Street is linked to the war industries and contractors who make out like bandits from our invasions and occupations. When over 50 cents of every tax dollar we serfs send to Uncle Sam goes for military spending, how in the hell can there be enough revenue to support our states and cities budgets? For decades we had a system in place (Federal Block Grants) whereupon Uncle Sam would send back to each state enough tax money to help balance budgets and fund needed programs. No more! The same goes for many of the good souls who make up this new Occupy movement. They always seem to agree with the need to cut this obscene military industrial empire, but refuse, as a movement, to make it the focal point it should be. Then we come to the Tea party supporters, who demand less big government and less waste. Yet, it is mostly these folks who wave the flag and support more and more spending on anything military. Dont these three groups realize that the foreclosures, cuts in jobs and services, our health care mess, could be solved in a heartbeat by even a 25% reduction in military spending? By the way, that 25% cut would translate, by last years budget and discretionary spending, to over 168 billion dollars! To keep a US soldier in Afghanistan for one year costs we taxpayers over one million dollars! The poor GI gets what, maybe $30 or $40 grand? Of course, you wont hear those facts on the Republican spin network, Fox News, the Democratic one at MSNBC or even on the middle of the road CNN. No, the 2 Party monster has all the mainstream media locked into serving this empire. It is time for us serfs to stand together in consolidation of the mother of all issues. Imagine if everyone who agrees with what I just wrote would make a sign and hold it up in public, even for but one hour a week the momentum would begin. One hour a week! Instead of the handful we locally attract to come stand with us, imagine hundreds or even thousands of our neighbors out there for even one lousy hour a week! No violence, just good, patriotic Americans wishing to save our republic from devastation. For that is what all empires have always wound up doing. Philip A Farruggio is son and grandson of Brooklyn, NYC longshoremen. He is a free lance columnist (usually found on the fine Dandelion Salad site), an environmental products sales rep and an activist. Since 2010, Philip is a spokesperson for the 25% Solution Movement to Save Our Cities by cutting military spending 25%. Philip can be reached at paf1222@bellsouth.net linkwithin_text=Related Articles: 