Freedom of Assembly. It's right there in the Constitution; in fact, right there in the first amendment. It's part of the Bill of Rights.
And there we have it now, people assembling on the streets of downtown Manhattan - right in the shadow of Wall Street - to say they don't like the way things are going in this country.
"Joe the Plumber" says he doesn't like the government doing anything about the huge differences in income in this country. He doesn't want the government "redistributing" income.
But what about the government distributes income in the tax code? People who work for a dollar pay up to 35 percent. People who make money off their money pay 15 percent. That's mighty powerful distributer of income wouldn't you say?
And that's where we're at in this country thanks to a policy that rewards making money one way - off of having money - in preference to making money by showing up for work and doing a job that needs doing.
We will see if Occupy Wall Street brings about real change or if it withers when the weather turns frigid. We will see if the growing number of people out there matures the movement into one that makes real, discernable statements.
Here's the bar: if the crowds end up mattering to the voter, if they affect whether a Congressman or Senator does something, then we'll know it was all worth it. Here are some demands: equality of taxes; everybody pays the same progressive tax rates no matter how they get their income; two, the federal government lives up the employment act of 1946 which required the federal government to "promote maximum employment, production and purchasing power" in this country.
Let's be honest. If nothing gets done, then the Wall Street occupiers will be no better than some of the people occupying seats in Congress. The difference is we haven't had to pay them.