Readers Write (Oct. 7): Wall Street protests, euro, child care

This weekend the Occupy Wall Street movement will come to Minneapolis -- and I, for one, welcome the movement, as should everyone who is in the "99 percent" bracket of income.

Predictably, many on the right have derided the protests as the antics of irresponsible people of little consequence.

Presidential wannabes labeled the movements as dangerous "class warfare," and Herman Cain even went so far as to say, "Don't blame Wall Street, don't blame the big banks. If you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself."

To be so flippant toward the angst of this generation in the face of a fundamentally broken system is the real danger, not the protests themselves.

This is not class warfare; it is a call for reform in the way this country is run. We are tired of a status quo that is offering our generation scant reward. Many members of my generation are out of work, or are earning paltry sums compared with what was promised or expected of us.

We carry with us insurmountable debts and dropping earning potential, and all the while just 1 percent of the population controls 40 percent of the income.

I am not out of work, and I am not poor. I do not consider myself fervently liberal. But I support the protests and will try to attend the Minneapolis occupation this weekend. Our generation needs to be heard.

LEE JONES, MINNEAPOLIS

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OK, so people are frustrated. But to shout and wave placards is a waste of time, because nobody is listening. Until those protesting become specific about a set of actions that they think will solve the problems against which they protest, and take steps to set that plan in motion, they are simply spinning their wheels.

MARK PUPEZA, NEW HOPE

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On the screen, men and women in suits held up empty picture frames as they marched toward a green field, happy and in charge.

In New York and other cities, the Occupy Wall Street protesters denounce the greed and income inequality promoted by Wall Street "banksters" and big corporations, while Cargill lays off 130 workers as a result of its ground-turkey recall.

Just as Sinatra said: "I've got the world on a string." Unfortunately, they do, and that hold keeps getting stronger. Onward, protestors.

SARAH GALLAGHER STREITZ, MINNEAPOLIS

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I wish you luck in finding a time machine. You will want to watch what you say when you get there. The French were awfully persnickety back in the day. You might find yourself in the guillotine.

HARRY KELLEY, ST. LOUIS PARK

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In the Oct. 3 editorial "Euro debt crisis matters here, too," the Star Tribune added its voice to the chorus of deficit-and-debt hysteria that is sweeping the world into another recession or worse.

There is little similarity between Greece and the United States. Greece must get euros via taxes or loans to pay its debts. U.S. debt is in dollars.

The gap between what we are able to produce and what we can afford to buy is large and growing.

Attempts to address the supposed debt problem during this time of economic crisis by reducing entitlement or other government spending will only increase that gap as money is taken away from the very people most likely to spend it.

No business will invest or hire unless it can expect to sell what it produces.

For a more astute analysis of the current world economic situation, the problems with decreasing deficits, and some alternative actions, I suggest reading the United Nations' "Trade and Development Report, 2011" (via www.startribune.com/a720).

For an enlightening look at common macroeconomics misconceptions, go to www.startribune.com/a722, where you can download a PDF version of Warren Mosler's "The 7 Deadly Innocent Frauds of Economic Policy."

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The unions and a recent letter writer cite child care subsidies as a reason for the unionization of child care providers. I think they are misinformed as to who benefits from those subsidies.

They are parents' benefit, not providers'. Parents and families apply for these benefits to be able to shop for child care.

As a child care provider, I set my own business rates and work with families to make up the difference between CCAP (subsidy rates) and my business rate. My income is not based on subsidy rates; it is based on my business rates.

To create a union to effect change in a welfare program allows the unions to then profit from this same rate increase in membership dues and fair share dues. Subsidy rates need to be adjusted and looked at carefully for families.