Tue Apr 14, 2015 at 9:05 PM PT: You'll be stunned to know that the unknown man was a 22 year old named Leo P. Thornton, of Lincolnwood, Illinois. He was found with the sign, "Tax the One Percent," taped to his hand.
According to the local police chief (?), Thornton’s parents said he had Asperger's syndrome, which is a form of autism.
Thanks to indie17, who provided links to a Washington Post article and mentioned one in the Chicago Tribune that included this updated information. http://www.dailykos.com/...
Pam Martens at Wall St On Parade wrote an in-depth critique of just how diabolically the tax system favors the rich, and buttressed the gist of this diary.
It's pretty poignant just how prescient Thornton's last words are:
"Was the message of Leo P. Thornton of Lincolnwood, Illinois a critical piece of information for this Congress to hear at this moment in American history? You’re damn right it was.
Outside of Wall Street’s wealth transfer system, provisions in the U.S. tax code are the second biggest wealth transfer system to the one percent.
Together, these two systems have created the greatest income and wealth inequality since the economic collapse in the Great Depression. They threaten a repeat of the 2008 financial collapse because the majority of Americans do not have the wages or savings to support the broader economy...
Today, the infrastructure of the United States is in decay. Students are struggling under $1.2 trillion of student debt. In 2014 the Federal Reserve released a study showing that 52 percent of Americans would not be able to raise $400 in an emergency by tapping their checking, savings or borrowing on a credit card, which they would then be able to pay off when the next statement arrived.
But Wall Street CEOs and hedge fund managers are still partying and raking in obscene compensation like there is broad-based prosperity in America. And on top of that, they’re enjoying obscene tax loopholes...
We urge everyone reading this to write your own obituary for this young man and his message and share it on your social media site."