No one needs a 2.5 million dollar bra

A few reasons why movements like Occupy Wall Street exist:

1 - Model Miranda Kerr will grace the catwalk in a 2.5 million dollar bra at a Victoria's Secret fashion show.

2 - The demise of Kim Kardashian's marriage is getting more media attention than both the Afghan and Iraq wars.

3 - NBA players are squabbling over their multi-million dollar salaries, refusing to play, while the unemployment rate in the US sits at approximately 10%.

These are the types of things that really irk me. Who the hell needs a 2.5 million dollar bra? I'm guessing it'll be worn once for a fashion show, then shelved or put on display somewhere, and that 2.5 million will have been an absolute waste. 2.5 million dollars that could have been invested in education, or given to a charitable organization or used to create jobs.

Everywhere I turn, there is mention of Kim Kardashian's failed marriage. Now, I'm not immune to reality TV. I watch some pretty trashy stuff on occasion. I get it. It's great mind-numbing fluff. That being said, media coverage of these so-called celebrities should not overtake actual current events. 

When the vast majority of people are debating whether Kim's marriage was staged or real rather than focusing on the fiscal future of a precarious capitalist system gone awry, and the disintegration of the very social fabric that brought the US to greatness, there's a problem. That this family of vacuous bimbos rakes in millions for displaying their moronic lives on TV is simply immoral. 

Then we have the NBA players. Bitching because they want to make 21 million instead of just 20 million. How much is enough? This is greed gone wild. 

Chelsea Handler said it very eloquently when she appeared on Piers Morgan Tonight recently. The wealthy have a responsibility to share their good fortune with others, to help others rise up along with them, and the more you have, the greater your responsibility is to do this.

A number of celebrities have publicly stated that they would pay more taxes, following Warren Buffet's lead. However, it's up to the US government to change its tax policies so this can happen.

The Occupy movement has certainly brought the legitimate concerns of a middle class stretched too thin to the forefront of public discourse. But will it have any long lasting effects? Will regulations be put in place to govern the activities of Wall Street? Will the salaries of corporate CEOs, professional  athletes and celebrities be reduced, or will they at least be required to pay their fair share of taxes? Will the US government start working for its people rather than the corporations who currently own it? 

The status quo cannot continue indefinitely. For any substantive change to occur, America's citizens need to re-frame their priorities, and ask themselves some serious questions about what kind of future they want for their country. 

The US is in a grossly decadent phase, much like Rome was, before it fell. History can be ignored but it doesn't change the facts. Much like the captain of the Titanic, believing his ship to be invincible, it is that very belief that will sink the US unless its citizenry vigilantly dedicates itself to taking back the country that is rightfully theirs.