In the economic meltdown of 2008, Washington moved to forestall the collapse of the financial system by providing loans to brokerage firms, banks, and corporations, while seemingly giving short shrift to the average person's losses.
Adbusters founder and editor Kalle Lasn says his group originally proposed one simple demand – to set up a presidential commission "to end the influence of money on over our representatives in Washington." When asked by British Columbia's The Tyee news website why it was such a slow burn for people to finally protest the financial crisis, Mr. Lasn said that it took some time for people to realize that President Obama was not going to bring the "financial fraudsters" to justice.
A recent Gallup poll found that 64 percent of Americans blamed the federal government for the poor economy, while only 30 percent faulted big banks and other financial institutions.
