Why Occupy? It’s personal…..
                 By Becca Hardin

What makes a protest work? The amount of time put in? The amount of people? The idea? Occupy Wall Street has been going on since September 17th and still hundreds of thousands of people are now supporting the cry to protest in 100 cities in the US or in 1500 cities in the world. Since the economy crashed in 2008, it has become quite evident that the people, who are running the US and have the bulk of the wealth, represent only 1% of the American people.

People started gathering in Liberty Square in the Manhattan Financial District. Occupy Wall Street was inspired by the recent protests and upheavals in Egypt, Libya and parts of Asia. People of the world have gathered in large numbers to protest, chant and demand change in leadership and policies that have stood for over fifty years in parts of the world. With a history that supports the protests of people, America has followed suit.

Using the same tactics seen around the world, the protestors in New York and around the county gathered to chant, use signs and use pressure to make people think and bring change. They are demanding the wealth of America be redistributed and that those with so much pay an increased amount of taxes.

The Occupy Wall Street has moved into our community as well. College students in Burlington are occupying the City Hall Park as a gathering point for a protest. The park is filled almost every weekend, echoing the sounds and demands of those on Wall Street.

Rebirth of the Champlain Bridge
          By Becca Hardin

On October 16, 2009, farmers, employees, tourists, and joy riders alike were stuck on one side or another of the bridge connecting Vermont and New York. The one lane bridge was ordered to be shut down. The support piers had knowingly been breaking down under water for years, but that October day, it came to a head when the states were forced to shut it down. The result was devastation. The Bridge Restaurant and the West Addison General Store were stuck. Both businesses had many employees from both states and depended on the bridge for access to work, to goods and to transportation of goods and services between the two regions. Within areas, the groups needed a solution, and quick. How did they get to work and more importantly what was the future of the bridge?

The plan was devised to build a new bridge and to destroy the existing bridge. A company out of Idaho was brought in to set up the explosives for the demolition. On December 28, 2009, thousands gathered around the icy shores of Lake Champlain on both sides to hear the warning siren, and then finally, like a bottle rocket going off. A frozen image that will stay in everyone’s head was what seemed like forever, you can see the explosives light up, and through the smoke, you see a clearing, hear a few sobs, and a structure of 80 years collapsed into the cold waters of the lake. For those few individuals still with us who watched the opening on August 26, 1929, the event was a bit traumatic. They watched part of their childhood memories fall away.

The current situation is a ferry, a transportation system working day and night to keep up with the flow of workers, farmers, truckers and across the lake on a daily basis. Tourists enjoy the ride, but the locals know that the flow of traffic has been heavily impacted and businesses on both sides of the lake need the bridge to be back. As the new one rises from both sides, it seems it can not be fast enough or soon enough.

Monday, November 7th was the official ribbon cutting of the bridge and the opening of the new multi-million dollar structure. The communities on both sides are happy that the bridge is finally putting the area back on track, but after two years, the question of support and infrastructure remains. Where was the help for two years? What should be given to the businesses who lost so much revenue, but hung on to be of service to the people of the towns? When will the communities of Vermont finally receive the funding and support that the New York side has seemed to enjoy for over a year?

The new bridge is not a closure of this topic….. It really opens up many questions about policy, planning and how the state responds to those in times of need.