Sonoma State Star (Sonoma State University)
By Brandi Robinson
November 14, 2011

As the president of the newly founded Democracy Matters chapter at SSU, I am moved and impassioned by the emergence of the Occupy Movement. The wave of civic engagement that has taken the country by storm is an inspiring call to action for each of the 99%, especially young people.

What is uninspiring is the failure of SSU students to respond to that call. Campuses everywhere are hosting walk outs and demonstrations, frustrated not only by the greed and unethical practices of corporations; but by the political buyout of votes and elections that sway the priorities of our lawmakers against us and in favor of the extremely wealthy. We, as students of a public university, have experienced firsthand what this deprioritization of the needs of the people can mean. Increased tuition, lack of funding for loans and grants, and budget cuts that make graduating in four years a herculean task are all symptoms of a system that puts money before people. This alone should be enough to get us off of facebook and onto the picket line.

Not to mention the other injustices of our corporatized government: lack of adequate healthcare, education, and social services for the poor; corporate tax cuts that rightfully belong to the middle class; and the ever diminishing role of the public voice in the political process.

There are those at SSU who do not really understand what Occupy is all about. Even more common are those students who understand why Occupy protestors are mad, but cannot see what can be done to alleviate the issues. This is due in part to the failure of the mainstream media to address the issues fueling the movement. But in an age where information is so readily available, this can no longer be an excuse. Young people must begin actively seeking out sources of news and information that fall outside the corporate mainstream in order to ensure that they are accurately informed. New sources such as Media Freedom International, Daily Censored, and Project Censored all include stories or issues not covered by the corporate media.

In Peter Phillips’ Political Sociology class, we are encouraged to do just that. During last week’s class we utilized the information we have been reading in non-corporate media sources as well as topics discussed in class to collectively compile a list of the top ten actions that we feel would most effectively address the issues that inspired the Occupy Movement. We decided that these ten actions were the most important and/or effective methods to implement change:

1. Tax the rich: Those who make more should be taxed at a higher percentage rate, in order to subsidize the needs of the community such as schools, roads, and other public services.
2. Protect Social Security and Education: We feel that these suffering institutions are too integral to the health and welfare of the American people to be under prioritized for the sake of funding corporate bailouts and wars in the Middle East.
3. Keep U.S. Jobs local: Regulate corporations so that they may not outsource cheap labor in less developed countries. It is unethical because foreign workers are being paid far less than they need to survive while CEO’s pocket the dividends. It is also impractical because we desperately need jobs here in the U.S.
4. Socialize healthcare: Healthcare should be regarded as a basic human right, not a luxury exclusively for the rich. The U.S. is the only developed nation that does not recognize basic health care (emergency as well as preventative) as such.
5. Ensure affordable higher education: In a world where a college education is becoming a necessity to sustain a basic standard of living, we need to ensure that higher education is affordable for everyone.
6. End our dependence on oil: Our dependence on oil makes lawmakers defenseless to the wills of big oil companies, whose lobbyists aggressively shutdown any efforts toward green initiatives or funding for alternative energy sources.
7. No private military money:  Private financiers are striking it rich by investing in the military-industrial complex. Their lobbyists influence lawmakers as well, making it even harder to get out of a pointless war that is costing taxpayers billions.
8. Full transparency of government spending: Americans have a right to know where their tax dollars are being spent.
9. Human rights should be a top priority for the government as well as corporations: The government should regulate corporations to ensure that CEOs aren’t making a fortune at the expense of their workers.
10. End corporate funding of campaigns: The corporate funding of election campaigns creates a system in which corporations hold more sway than the public in influencing lawmakers’ decisions.

As we were making this list a student behind me skeptically remarked, “None of this will ever happen”. And he’s right. None of this can ever happen if we don’t stand up and make it happen. Believe it or not, your voice matters. As a campus we can play an integral part in enacting these changes locally as well as nationally. So let’s stand up and fight. We are the 99%.