This was originally a status update on Facebook, reproduced here for those who can’t access it. My stand, for the record.

To those who say that Occupy protests are wrongheaded & that we should instead put our energy into electing politicians we believe in, I say this:

My elected officials have FAILED ME. They have failed me to the point that I no longer believe that anyone can get elected to high office in this country without selling him/herself out to corporations and banks. I no longer believe in the effectiveness of our political process. The ballot box is no longer useful as a tool for change.

Democrats I wholeheartedly elected have proven to be made of false promises, while Republican officials sneer at everything that holds meaning for me. I no longer feel represented in my society, even by those who once held my trust.

I am expected to pay over 20% of my income for healthcare for my family, in Massachusetts—the state looked to as the model for federal health care “reform.” We have lost more than half our income & our home in the past few years, and I know we’re still luckier than many.

I am the 99%, and I am grateful to those who are willing to devote themselves to protesting tirelessly on my behalf while I scramble to pay medical bills and make my rent.

Thank you, Occupiers. You are true patriots.