One of the differences between the Tea Party and the Occupy Wall Street Movement is that the target of the Tea Party is the puppets, and for The Movement, the target is the puppeteers: those who pull the strings.

Obama has received $7 million from the financial sector, and Romney $3.5 million. Republican v. Democrat is a category of no relevance to the power structure. What is important is to hedge your bet.

How much difference will the president make? Years ago, I read a book called “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe.”

A space ship picks up a hitchhiker who happens to be President of the Galaxy. Surprised, the operators of the ship ask how it can be that the president is hitchhiking. To which the president replies, “The role of the president is not to yield power, but to attract attention away from it.”

It is true that a Democrat could restore the court, if appointments came up, to a traditionally conservative body, as opposed to the extreme right-wing activism that characterizes it now. (How much more activist can a court be than to appoint the president instead of calling for a re-vote in Florida? Would the country have descended into chaos had the results of the election of 2000 waited a week or two?)

Lest anyone accuse me of hyperbole, a retiring justice, I believe, Justice Stevens, said something to the effect that he came on the court as a conservative, and left as a liberal, but that he had not changed.

That notwithstanding, we need radical change: The conventional wisdom had it that the genius of our economic system is that each person, trying to maximize his individual position, would lead to a greater good for all.

This is a spurious notion. Clearly, reality has demonstrated, with the savings and loan scandal of the 1980s, and the derivatives scandal of the 2000s, etc., that many of those in positions of incredible power are like the character of Jack in Lord of the Flies: When the good of the group (keep the rescue fire burning) conflicts with the “id,” (we must hunt), the interest of the group is at peril. Similarly, in their lust for greed, and like a cancer, they would destroy the host (our economy).

We need to change this system radically. If not, the forces of darkness will return again and destroy whatever safeguards we put up.

For example, after the depression, Congress passed the Glass-Steagal Act, which separated commercial banks from investment banks. It was repealed in 1999 under Clinton, at which time, dire, but accurate predictions were made by the 10 senators who voted “nay.”

However, first the 99 percent need to unite. The first thing that is needed is to eliminate two of the most divisive issues among us: welfare and immigration. First, I propose the end of government aid except for the disabled and the aged. But, for every person that wanted a job, one would be found or provided. Welfare makes the middle class hate the poor, and the poor hate themselves.

Secondly, let us understand that no person wants to leave their home and their family and go to a foreign land to be despised and do menial labor, unless they are desperate.

We need to pressure Mexico to create social justice: Imagine thousands of miles of Malibu Beach? If Mexico became a just society they might have to keep the Gringos out.

Just “Git ‘er done.”

Nelson Strasser lives in Kelseyville, Calif.

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Written by: Nelson Strasser

Published: 03 November 2011