Critics claim that members of the Occupy movement don't know why they're protesting—that they have no understanding of what they want. We don't believe that. We think everyone who has gathered at Occupy Seattle has a very specific set of ideals in common. What do we want?

We Want Fairness

Our nation is broken. We all know this. The gap between rich and poor is the widest since 1917 and growing. Our legal and political systems have been twisted to favor the wealthy and powerful. Washington State has the most regressive tax laws in the country: The lowest wage earners end up paying 17.3 percent of their income in taxes, while the top 1 percent pay barely 2.6 percent— a gross imbalance that is both unconscionable and unsustainable. Every citizen deserves the opportunities that should be universal in the wealthiest nation on earth—a quality education, affordable health care, and a decent job—plus all the political and civil rights our Constitution promises. And all our citizens have an obligation to pay their fair share.

We Want Justice

Wall Street caused the financial collapse that crippled our nation's economy, yet they were the ones who got bailed out while millions face foreclosure and unemployment. The banking industry's suicidal recklessness and sociopathic lack of respect for homeowners, small businesses, and consumers nearly destroyed our state and national economies, yet the laws that control the financial industry remain either insane or nonexistent. Now is the time for the perpetrators of this Great Recession to be held accountable. Wall Street needs to be properly regulated, its victims need to be made whole, and the banksters who committed financial fraud and other crimes need to be prosecuted.

We Want Jobs

Tax cuts, bailouts, cheap money, low interests rates—that's been our government's response to the economic crisis. And where are the jobs corporate America promised to create with the record profits generated by these pro-business policies? In low-wage markets overseas! Meanwhile, tens of millions of formerly middle-class Americans remain unemployed. It is time to put Americans back to work rebuilding America, creating good jobs at good wages building the roads, rail, bridges, schools, and other crucial public infrastructure we desperately need. And it is time for corporate America to help pay the bill. recommended