Enjoy a few close friends; perhaps raise a family, but most of all enjoy life to the best of your ability

Over the past several weeks, what I call the OTHER 1%, have been protesting loudly about the so-called excesses of the rich … business … banks … power companies … and a host of others things and entities.  Rather than actually taking the time to help those in need directly, they are spending time in their tent cities as they ‘occupy’ this that community.

A perfect example of that was the nearly graduated nursing student in Kamloops.  Rather than complete her degree, and then perhaps go on to work for an organization like the New Life Mission, she chose to quit and withdraw from the program so she could protest corporate greed and the excesses of humanity.

How much sense does that make to you?

Yesterday the media had stories of how some in Vancouver planned to “occupy” a Catholic church in the middle of parishioner’s services on Sunday.  I would think that many of those parishioners have good and kind hearts, and who volunteer time and money to a number of charitable organizations that help people.

How much sense does ‘occupying’ their church make to you?

Oh and let’s take a look at some of those so-called greedy rich capitalists.  Lana Payne, the president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour, wrote and had an article in the Telegram, which calls itself ‘the people’s newspaper’.  The story is called, Shining a light on inequality and greed , and included a paragraph sub-titled “Deep pockets of the few”.  Here’s what she had to say:

Canada’s 61 billionaires have a combined wealth of $162 billion — equalling about six per cent of all personal net worth in the country. By contrast or comparison, the bottom 50 per cent of Canadians (or 17 million people) own about three per cent of the country’s personal net worth. Wow.

While some media reports have bemoaned the lack of focus of demands by the Occupiers, these reports miss the point.

The fact is, for the first time since the financial crash of 2008-09, an intense and sustained light is being shone on a system of unfettered capitalism and globalization that produces billionaires, super-sized multinational corporations and startling inequality.

But it is not just the unfairness of this system that is being held up for ridicule and examination, it is how governments around the world have catered to the interests of the one per cent and how government policies have supported the greed, while oftentimes telling citizens to tighten their belts and get used to the austerity.

Now don’t get me wrong … I think that there are some ruthless miserable so-and-so’s amongst the rich … but is that any less so with everyone else in society?  Some of the people she is slamming inherited their money and waste it – but then again that happens with everyday people generically called John and Joan Q. Public living at 123 Main Street, Anytown, Canada. 

Some have also taken their money and built bigger and better companies – or started companies from scratch that now employ thousands of people with good paying jobs --- some have donated millions to charity – some have created their own charities and foundations that do good work.

So who are some of these rich that Lana Payne says are part of the ‘unfair system’ and who have been ‘catered to’ by government and who have ‘supported the greed’?

A recent article entitled Canada's Billionaires in Forbes Magazine described who some of Canada’s wealthiest people are.  These are some of the people that Lana Payne … and those in the “Occupy” camps … are putting down.

Guy LaLiberte … accordion-playing fire-breather founded Cirque du Soleil in 1984 with a gang of street performing friends.  The Montreal-based circus, has no animals, no speaking and no star performers, and became a for-profit group in 1985. 

Edward Rogers … son of the man who invented the world's first alternating-current radio tube, which brought radios mainstream.  He bought a single radio station which went on to become Rogers Communications. 

Bernard Sherman … founded generic-drug maker Apotex.  He is said to have ‘relentlessly battled big pharma over exclusivity patents’ as he went on to create the largest Canadian-owned drugmaker.

Mike Lazardis and James Balsillie … co-founders and co-presidents  of Research in Motion.  Lazardis recently gave $50 million to his alma mater, the University of Waterloo and $100 million to establish the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.   Balsillie gave $50 million to the same university to fund the Balsillie School of International Affairs, and helped establish the Waterloo Regional Children's Museum.

Jeffrey Skoll … Ebay's first president and full-time employee.  He is no longer involved with the company and has turned his attention to movies and philanthropy.

Emanuele (Lino) Saputo … the ‘cheese mogul’ that started Saputo with his parents in Montreal.  In the early days he delivered mozzarella by bicycle in the early days.

Jean Coutu … opened his first drugstore in 1969 and now the Jean Coutu Group is one of North America's largest pharmacy chains.

Interesting … isn’t it people like these create jobs for people like Lana Payne, and the members of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour?

Isn’t it people like these, that grow and create the businesses, that hundreds of thousands of people go to work for, every day? 

Yeah some of those business people are miserable so-and-so’s … many however are not … but that’s the same for everyone else that lives and breathes.

So here’s a message to the so-called 99%. 

Get an education if you don’t have one … get a job if you don’t have one … create a new ‘worker friendly’ business that can employ the unemployed … create wealth for yourself that you can then go on to use to help the needy here in our own town, province, country, or in some devastated area of the world.

OR like most of us who are the 98%, you can simply enjoy a few close friends, perhaps raise a family, but most of all enjoy life to the best of your ability.  You can donate your time when and if you can to help others … and when you are able; make a donation to a favorite charity or two.  That’s what the 98% are doing.

I’m Alan Forseth in Kamloops; with the thoughts of one conservative on this round ball we call planet earth.