Really?

Given that prior to today, all I've seen from the various #occupy movements are deadbeats with Apple devices and profane signs, it was encouraging to see an official set of grievances that are the foundation (according to that blog post) of the protests. Let's see…

They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.

Well, kinda… I don't know the number, but a very large number of the bad mortgages were given to people who really should have known better either due to their income level or current debt load. While the CDS debacle has many fingers pointing at many people, the reality is that home ownership is not a human right and that money isn't free. You didn't see me & my wife looking to purchase a million dollar home either in Seattle or Maine. There were true victims, but I'm not sure a 19-23yo college kid can claim to be one of them.

They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses.

A vast majority of said bonuses were contractual obligations. Either decimate the legal system or acknowledge this and move on. Is is "fair"? No. Life is not fair. Move. On.

They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.

A significant percentage of the targets of the #occupation are corporations who go out of their way to be inclusive (even when it's not deserved) and promote diversity. You're going to lump everyone together and be just like the evil overlords you are protesting against?

They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.

While I am saddened at the lack of biodiversity in the farming ecosystem in America, farmers willingly gave up their individuality. There is a burgeoning organic movement that ties directly to family owned farms who are able to charge higher prices for higher quality products. If anything, there is a growing backlash against factory farms. If anything, protest against the Federal & State governments (and, especially – gasp! – the Democrats who perpetuate the subsidization practices) instead of the generic enemy of "Wall Street" .

They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless nonhuman animals, and actively hide these practices.

The same protestors for this are the ones who want cheap "food" for everyone. You can't have it both ways. Industrial breeding grounds and slaughterhouses are disgusting, and the organic movement is making serious inroads both in terms of profits and consumer education. Why not protest against the Federal government who can't seem to run an efficient FDA to help ensure the safety of the public food supply?

They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.

Again, the Federal government is in charge of oversight of safety and there are more regulations than you can shake a stick at to protect workers. There have been large-scale walk-outs and threatened walk-outs even this year! Making a generic argument vs targeting specific sources will not solve anything. In fact, why not – again – turn to protesting the Federal government for it's lack of oversight in mining and oil drilling safety (which it's in charge of)? Could it be that it's easier to demonize a faceless "Wall Street" vs an ineffective Democrat President?

They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.

No one forced students to sign on to $30-50K+ of debt. No guns at heads of hands with pens. And, last time I checked, a college education is not a human right.

They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.

It's call "globalization". The efficacy of such a policy is determined on a per-company basis and it doesn't always work. However, America is not alone (check a world map). There are countries with workforces who can do repeatable tasks cheaper. It's just a fact. If folks spent more time looking at news than sports, I doubt they would have been taken by surprise and may have been able to do something about it preemptively vs reactively. We are not automatons. We think. We learn. We adapt. (Or, at least we should).

They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility.

No argument. That was a stupid decision by the courts. It should be reversed.

They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.

Um…so have State governments in order to get out of hastily-crafted new Federal legislation. And – horror – the Federal government has let them! Who should you be protesting against, again?

They have sold our privacy as a commodity.

Please. Really? The reality here is that folks seem perfectly willing to give up their privacy for the ability to post drunken pictures of themselves on social media sites or play xVille for free. It's an individual responsibility issue again. (Or, are the protestors suggesting that individuals do not have the intelligence to accept personal responsibility for their decisions or that it's only those people making over $1,000,000 USD that should take personal responsibility for everything?)

They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press.

I disagree that Wall Street has done this (but they have used their ownership of the press to subvert primary media, but the primary media sources have been biased since the first newspaper was printed). 9/11 did add a shocking amount of quelling, but that was – again - the Government, not Wall Street.

They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.

There are individual cases of known-defects with no recalls prior to injuries. The vast majority are handled much better than that (dead consumers cannot spend money after all…it's not exactly good for business). Making a generic argument to justify a protest is lame, at best.

They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.

They influence economic policy because…well…would you really want Joe The Plumber guiding Federal economic policies? You elect the folks who set economic policy. Why not hold them accountable for not doing what is in your best interest? Ah, yes…again, it's easier to hold a faceless, generic Wall Street accountable than a political entity you helped elect. Apologies. I forgot.

They have donated large sums of money to politicians supposed to be regulating them.

No argument. Corporate money has degraded the campaign funding system to a degree that is unheard of. Corporations are acting legally, but their recipients are just to cozy with all that cash. (BTW: How much did Obama pull in from large Wall Street corporations for his past and current Presidential campaign?)

They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.

Generic and inaccurate. While the US does not fund alternative fuel research well at all, most folks could not do what is necessary to make real movement in this area happen: buy an alternative fuel car. I also didn't see Wall Street failing to stop the backing of SOLYNDRA (who wanted that again?)

They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantive profit.

Big Pharma companies do re-formulate products to try to extend patents. It's a complex issue (I've worked for a pharma before). There are huge costs to get prduct to market and huge delays created by a certain Federal government entity that significantly reduce the patented marketable time of a product. The whole process needs a major re-work to either ensure there is a way for fair, competitive compensation or to make all pharma research a government endeavour (which will only end up killing more people due to how long it will take to get effective drugs to patients).

They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.

HOLD YOUR REPRESENTATIVES ACCOUNTABLE!!! We have regulatory agencies. They are corrupt. All human endeavours are (including #occupy). Shine the light where it can do the most good vs trapse around city streets with iPhones.

They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.

Can't double-dip. Sorry. (See "Freedom of the Press" earlier). Nice try, tho.

They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.

Um…who let them do that (and continues to)? It seems your beef is really pretty firmly transfixed upon the Federal government. But, you can't get handouts from someone you protest against, can you?

They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad.

Having a military base in a country and having said country as a colony are pretty different things. Just as you (I assume) hate the term "socialism" and "fascism" being tossed around incorrectly, I would think you'd want to be a bit more precise in your own language. And, by definition, "home" is … well, "home". Not a colony. #justsayin

They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.

No argument. Corporations should not have helped engage in murder of any kind, war or otherwise. Certain ones have much to answer for. Protest at their HQs, tho or the Federal agencies that contracted them.

They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts.

It seems the Federal government wants those devices. Who should you really be protesting against again?