By Josh Faber ’12, Commentary Editor

Newark Academy is expensive. Despite over a million dollars in financial aid, the high cost of attending the Academy naturally draws a wealthy crowd. Though it would be absurd to claim that everyone at Newark Academy is a part of the top 1% of income earning Americans, NA still represents a uniquely affluent sample of the population. So, it may come as good news that Occupy Wall Street- a movement that opposes the enormous wealth gap between the top 1% of wage earners and everybody else (the 99%)- is likely a symbolic event. Rather than make a colossal difference, it seems as if the movement will just allow the angsty foes of big business to vent their rage and move on with their lives.

First and foremost, the movement has no clear set of demands. Protesters hold signs exclaiming everything from “Eat the Rich” to “Weed not Greed.” The more standard posters demand jobs and a smaller gap between the 1% and the 99%. Without a goal that Wall Street can meet, Will Delaney ’14 concurs that “this cannot end.”

Trevor William ’13 stated, “the sentiment is justified.” Occupy Wall Street is a group of individuals who have grown tired of unemployment or underemployment as more and more money is siphoned off by investment banks. They are correct in exercising their right to protest. Unfortunately they do not propose any remedy nor do they recognize the true merits of the 1%.

According to the University of California, Santa Cruz, as of 2007 the top 1% of Americans held a net worth of 34.6%. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) indicates that this same group paid roughly 40% of the total federal income tax bill. On the other hand, the 99% had a total net worth of 65.5% while paying roughly 59.5% of the total federal income tax bill.

This means that, while the bottom 99% pay a less “fair” percentage of their income to the federal government, the top 1% actually pays more than they statistically should. In other words, the 99% are right in demanding a stronger economy but instigating class warfare against a segment of the population that is over 3 million strong is not a practical approach.

In addition to lacking a goal, Occupy Wall Street lacks leadership. These mobs of people seek an end to the socially inevitable construct of income disparity yet they have no representatives through which to attain their hazy vision. Perhaps this is the reason why Sabrina Merold ’13 observed “it’s odd how little I have heard about Occupy Wall Street at NA”. Without a spokesman, Occupy Wall Street can barely disseminate its message throughout a community that has such a vested interest in the activities of OWS.

If the Occupy Movement is to have any real effect on the future, it will have to reform itself immensely. Leaders must emerge, legislation must be proposed and the drone of class warfare must become a cry for economic cooperation.