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30 Apr, 2010 05:40

“Enough is enough!” NYC rallies against Wall Street

Thousands of workers and trade union leaders have marched in anger over lost jobs and ruined lives in the largest anti-Wall Street rally since the credit crunch began in New York.

Traffic came to a halt in the financial district as rallying crowds swamped the streets. They demanded answers from the source of the trouble – the banks.

Those thousands of people in New York City represent the millions all over the United States. They have a feeling of outrage in common – a sentiment which has reached its peak in America.

In a loud call for accountability, people want an end to the mess on Wall Street.

“They are just doing the reverse of Robin Hood, they are stealing from the poor, who need all their things to live, and giving it all to the rich – it makes no sense,” said nine-year-old Sam Kesler, perhaps the youngest protester in New York. Regardless of his age, even Sam is aware that something is not right with the country’s economy.

As a result of the scams of Wall Street’s fat cats, millions of Americans lost their homes, while millions more lost their jobs.

“When the top 1% of wealth in this country controls the political decisions, when the money that comes straight out of banks goes to bonuses instead of taking control of problems that we need, and that same money goes to the politicians who make those decisions, people should be annoyed,” one of the protestors put it bluntly.

Instead of bailing out the people, the US Government made the taxpayer foot the bill for the “Too Big to Fail” companies. Time went by and no one was punished for creating the economic tsunami.

People on the streets know too well that if one of them did the same scheme, they would be in jail, while those from Wall Street not only got away with it, but got bonuses to boot.

Just months after being kept afloat by common Americans, bankers again began spending hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses.

People have realized the US needs good financial regulations to make sure the catastrophe doesn’t repeat itself. And despite the public outrage, not too many bankers are biting their lips in shame.

Record-high cash is being spent on an army of lobbyists to make sure they work 24/7 in Washington to prevent financial reforms and the financial district from going about business as usual.

In addition, even the bull sculpture on Wall Street is no longer being rubbed for luck as a symbol of financial optimism, but in fact needs bodyguards of its own.

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