Harry "The Hero"McCandless
Harry “The Hero” McCandless kept a respectful distance from the folks gathered along the Riverwalk for an Occupy rally here on this bright Saturday morning. Harry drives an electric shuttle to take locals, snowbirds and tourists people around downtown Stuart. He looked more than casually interested so I asked, “are you part of this?
“I work for the city so I don’t take sides. But I agree with most of what they’re saying. I’m 74 but I have to keep working to pay for my medical insurance and meds. The city said they couldn’t cover me anymore. It’s expensive, $406 a month.”
Harry by my count would have been the 135th person at the 2 hour gathering of mostly middle aged to seniors who came to represent the now familiar Occupy “99%”. Pretty interesting I thought for one of the more conservative towns in Florida.
Their signs said”
“Save the Middle Class”
“Tax Deadbeat Corporations”
“Tax the 1%, the 99% Deserve a Break”
People took turns getting up to talk. It was orderly and polite and everyone was white. “I’m a retired nurse and I think we have to get a better balance in this country. We have allowed corporations to usurp our rights” saidConnie Gilmore, 68.
Matt Elliott, a Ron Paul supporter, made a pitch for a gold backed dollar and a 10% surtax on incomes over $1 million. Dave Lehoullier, an IT consultant, said he would disallow any synthetic mortgage derivatives . “There are more mortgages out there than there are houses. We need to get back to basics” he told the group.
There are Occupy sleep ins in Tampa and Orlanda and Miami but Stuart may be the smallest town to host a gathering. A year ago a the Tea Party started a chapter that is going strong. Herman Cain, the conservative Republican presidential candidate, polls ahead of all challengers in Florida. The legislature is more than 70% Republican but Florida also has the 4th highest number of foreclosures in the nation. It will be a must win swing state and therefore a campaign battle ground next year. .
Will Occupy even be around by then? Who knows? I plan to keep in touch with Harry.
