CNN’s Erin Burnett recently made a visit to lower Manhatten to assess the Occupy Wall Street protest. Based on accounts of her visit Ms. Burnett seemed a little dismayed that those protesting didn’t understand the financial crisis very well. Rawstory.com reported:
The protester was asked if he knew that taxpayers had “actually made money” on the Wall Street bailout, to which he responded he was “unaware.”
“Yes, the bank bailout made money for the taxpayers, right now to the tune of $10 billion,” Burnett said. “Those are seriously the numbers. This is the big issue? So, we solved it.”
While the protesters could not adequately answer Burnett’s questions, here’s a few things they do know: their friends and family are struggling to find jobs; that one in six Americans are now officially living in poverty; that gas and food prices have gone up; that 1.5 million homes stand empty after being foreclosed upon and that politicians in Washington argue over irrelevant issues.
Like Burnett Reuters’ David Cay Johnston went to lower Manhattan to talk to protestors and came away with a very different view:
