Youths taking to streets in New York, not a welcome indication

- Anil Narendra

United States, considered to be the most affluent nation of the world, is passing through a seious economic crisis. Americans have taken to streets to protest against the Obama Administration's policies. Agitated over the issues of inequalities and corporate corruption, hundreds of demonstrators occupied the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday-Sunday, which led to massive traffic jam for hours. Police claims to have taken into custody more than 700 demonstrators. A number of movements are continuing in several other cities, under the `Occupy Wall Street', the economic hub of New York. Various Labour Unions have lent their support to this movement. Demonstrators had seized a park in Manhattan two weeks ago. On Saturday, when the rally from Manhattan reached Brooklyn Bridge, traffic came to a halt there. The Bridge was closed for hours by administrative officers. Demonstrators allege that the government is more keen to guard the interests of capitalists. At some places, this has also been termed as an alliance of opponents of capitalism. There was demonstration outside Bank of America in Boston on Saturday, which was organized by the Right to the City organization todemonstrate against the government and Bank policies and corporate greed. Thousands of people participated in the demonstration. According to websites inspired by the revolutions for democracy in Arabian countries, at least 50 demonstrators have been arrested during these demonstrations. 'Occupy Wall Street' has said that its members come from all the races, they claim majority with 99 % people supporting them. They say, "We will not sit idle. We are not satisfied with the current economic and political atmosphere and we are demonstrating against this only". The New York agitation is being compared with the Tahrir Square in Cairo, capital of Egypt, where the Arab Spring movement started and soon it engulfed many West Asian and North African countries that led to revolutionary changes. In fact, the objective of demonstrations like 'Occupy Wall Streeet', which are being held at about 21 places, is not to overthrow the US government, as like India, the US is also a well-established democracy, but these are against the policies of the US administration, which is providing bail-out packages to the owners of major banks and corporate giants to bail them out of debts. The people who have taken to streets are those who will be  completing their education, but who do not foresee even remote possibilities of any employment. This section represents the youth who have completed their education with the help of loans and now they are facing problems in clearing their debts. Their families are not financially too sound to repay their debts. This section believes that the greed of big corporate companies is the reason for this country's doom and the government is helping these people. This movement has posed a formidable challenge to the American economy. It is clear from the way this movement has spread to US cities that not only the current US financial and economic model is undergoing through a grave crisis, but modern capitalist system is also reeling under the crisis, which is leading to widening the difference between 'haves' and 'have-nots'.