They are upset about oppression, a non-responsive and discriminatory government, and taxation without representation. Yes, that is correct. The good people of Ferguson we see out there picketing and marching may not be dressed like, say, George Washington, John Adams or Thomas Jefferson; but their complaints are eerily like the ones identified in the Declaration of Independence.
Here is a good article on the matter. Ferguson is making up for revenue shortfalls by levying burdensome taxes and fees upon the populace; said charges not having the consent of the governed:
Traffic fines are the St. Louis suburb’s second-largest source of revenue and just about the only one that is growing appreciably. Municipal court fines, most of which arise from motor vehicle violations, accounted for 21 percent of general fund revenue and at $2.63 million last year, were the equivalent of more than 81 percent of police salaries before overtime.
And the fees are applied in a discriminatory manner, much like what King George did back in the 1770’s:
“If you’re black, they’re going to stop you,” the study quoted one traffic defendant as saying.
In 2013, 86 percent of all Ferguson police traffic stops involved black drivers, the largest share since the Missouri Attorney General’s Office began tracking the data in 2000. According to 2010 U.S. Census data, the city is 63 percent black and 34 percent white.
Got it? The local government is a minority oppressing the majority, and doing so via corrupt, discriminatory and violent means. Just like what sparked the American Revolution. The differences are minor when compared with the similarities.
And just like the American colonists, the people of Ferguson aren’t asking for anything unreasonable: to be treated fairly, have their rights respected, and to have a voice in how they are taxed by the government. Unfortunately, the local administration is likewise resembling its historical counterpart and therefore refusing to change its corrupt and mendacious ways. No way this is gonna end well.
If you repeat the mistakes of the past, you’ll repeat the consequences of those past mistakes. There may not be many powdered wigs to be seen on the streets of Ferguson: but then, when s*** was getting real back in 1776, not many of the American Revolutionaries were wearing them out in the streets, either.
Mr. Blunt and Cranky (whose ancestors were here before the revolution in 1776)
Hahaha thanks for the laugh. Everything in this article is absurd. You think these illiterate, uneducated, destructive looters are anything like Jefferson an Washington?? Has to be a joke. I don’t think they pay taxes either, so the taxation without representation is not an issue
Since you can’t punctuate, I think you have a lot of nerve calling someone else “illiterate”. In addition, poor people in America pay a lot of taxes overall.
And if you had read the article, you’d know that the average POC in Ferguson MO is paying more to the government than some whites.
Typical wingnut fail.
You negroids have some strange heroes. Oj, Rodney king, the cigar bandit. No wonder the unemployment and vient crime rates are so high among your people. At least I don’t have to pay to watch Rise of the Planet of the Apes… It’s being broadcast live in Ferguson!
People like you make my job so much easier, when revealing your ignorant, racist, and sadistic nature. All you did here, boyo, was prove the Ferguson protesters’ case for them. Your mama would be so proud of you.
Your “job”? Lol I’m glad you actually have one, unlike the Ferguson looters. By the way, looks like the cigar bandit BEAT the cop up before he was rightfully shot. Yet another negroid thug “hero” proven to be a violent piece of garbage. So glad he’s not going to be harming innocent people anymore. “Sadistic” lol yeah speaking out against violent criminals is so sadistic.
Could it be that negroids actually commit more crimes, as all empirical evidence suggests?