Wall Street may seem like the symbol of “big money” and greed to most Americans, but some of the greatest flow of money happens at our nation’s capital. As a result, it should be no surprise that our federal lawmakers make some of their most profitable investments in Washington.

I’m not referring to illicit campaign bribes or anything of the like. I’m talking about the legal maneuvers our trusted lawmakers pull while writing laws.

The Occupy Wall Street Movement has clearly painted an image of the 1 percent as evil, greedy business moguls that have centralized their wealth through corporate greed and corruption. These “bad guys” are the so-called 1 percent (those worth $370,000 or more) who “deprive” the 99 percent of all opportunity.

So plays the broken record on our streets and on our TV screens. Read more.

Prior to its fall on Nov. 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall stood as a clear symbol of separation between the free and the oppressed. From its construction in 1961, the Berlin Wall endured for nearly three decades with the primary purpose of halting those who tried to flee East Germany. 

The breach in the wall was announced by top official Günter Schabowski at a televised press conference, and not a moment passed before East German citizens jubilantly “scrambled” over the wall in overwhelming numbers. As eyewitness Uwe Kross recalls: “That night, you couldn’t stop people. They lifted the barrier and everyone poured through.”

Soon after, crowds began to hack it away to destruction, joyfully reclaiming their freedoms and announcing the end of Communist oppression. It was obvious to everyone: Communism was dead.

In honor of this historic event, then-President George W. Bush designated Nov. 9 as World Freedom Day in 2001.

While we may not have a barrier as clear as the Berlin Wall to remind us of the oppression that pervades our current day and age, the signs are just as clear. Read more.

The economy has tanked without clear signs of recovery, and we’re all sick and tired of it. Here at Cal Poly, only 65 percent of those who graduated in the 2009-10 year received full time jobs right out of college, according to a Career Services report. In addition, approximately 17 percent endeavored to get their masters degree, more likely than not as a way to delay the job hunt. Desperation seems to call just about every graduate these days.The frustrating combination of a flat job market and frighteningly high student debt is enough to fire up anyone. Unfortunately, this fire shifted in the wrong direction.

Correction: it moved without any direction. Read more.

It was a landmark day for illegal immigrant advocates all over the state of California when Governor Jerry Brown signed the California Dream Act — a bill that grants undocumented college students access to public education aid. As Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa lauded, “Today, California invests in the dreams of talented undocumented students and in the economic future of our state.” Oh, what a glorious day!

Hold up.

Didn’t California just cut hundreds of millions of dollars from education this past year?
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