Over the Columbus Day weekend, I decided to try and find out what exactly the “Occupy DC” movement was all about. In Freedom Plaza, across from the Ronald Reagan Building, about 150 protesters (and probably 25 reporters) gathered in a tent city. Some demanded healthcare, others protested wars—there was a loose sense that “they” were wrong and “we” were right.
There were some goofy aspects to be sure. Signs with obvious typos, tents constructed out of Jose Cuervo boxes (owned by Diageo, listed on stock exchanges in London and New York), and questionable foreign spelling.
But perhaps the most striking was the “Ride Board,” a list of people requesting free transportation to other places and those offering that service. As you can see below, the market was not in equilibrium.
The “Ride Board” is one of the better examples of what is wrong with the “Occupy” movement. The protestors seemed to want a lot, without explaining how the objects of their desires might be obtained. They demanded money, jobs, “rights,” healthcare, freedom, and peace, but at the end of the day their needs outweighed what they offered.