The demonstrations that have occupied Wall Street for more than three weeks have made it to Casper. K2 Radio's Daniel Sandoval was there and has this report.

A few dozen demonstrators held signs decrying corporate greed in downtown Casper Saturday, with the peaceful assembly starting at noon.

R.C. Johnson, Natrona County Democratic Party chairwoman.

'That vote is under assault because there are a number of bills that are being projected and presented to keep people from voting. It's the claim that their trying to reduce fraud in the voting place. But the greatest amount of fraud is coming from corporations acting like they're people. There's no bigger fraud than that.'

A drummer joined the demonstration.

Josh Thompson was wearing a sign.

'A minimum wage worker in 2005 is making 40 percent less in real dollars than one in 1968. Income inequality has grown. As the sign says, 34 percent of our nation's wealth is held by the riches 1 percent; 90 percent of the wealth is held by the wealthiest 10 percent. The middle class is disintegrating. I think Americans are squeezed.'

When asked why members of the Tea Party are working class people who would disagree with pretty much everything the Occupy Casper demonstrators want, Thompson had an answer.

'I think the Tea Party movement is really an astro-turf movement funded by the billionaire Koch brothers, the second largest private corporation in America. A lot of working class Americans are angry, and, unfortunately, co-opting the language and rhetoric of the labor movement and the left, they've duped hard working, blue collar Americans into thinking that the Tea Party actually represents their interests, that the source of their problems are government, not corporations and not private industry.'

 

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