Ry Cooder "No Banker Left Behind"

As Program Director here at mvyradio, I'm in charge of the DJs.

I don't make too many rules, but I offer a few guidelines about what's cool to talk about on the air, and what's out-of-bounds.

I really try to emphasize to the staff that politics is off the table.

We're a music station. Period. People can go to other places for political talk, with great ease.

So even though every single person here at the radio station has a personal point of view, on a host of subjects, we ask that they withhold those positions, and stick to the topic at hand (music).

This is in large part, because we always tend toward "inclusive," whatever the subject is. And politics, by its nature, usually excludes people, or at least places a significant part of the audience on the opposite side of the fence.

The other major reason is that if "DJ X" makes a political point on the air, to the listener, it's not just "DJ X's point," it becomes "mvyradio's point." And there is no, one DJ, who represents mvyradio's political views.

We, as a station, don't usually make political points. I don't usually allow it.

Which makes me a hypocrite, for posting last week about the R.E.M. song "Welcome To The Occupation," and offering my thoughts on the Occupy Wall Street protests.

If one of my staff had done that, I would probably have had to sit down with them and reiterate my position on taking political positions.

I have been tossing those recriminations over in my head for the last couple of days, when I heard this song again.


See the video on Youtube.

It reminded me of something.

Weren't the Tea Party people angry at the Wall Street bailouts? Furious, in fact?

And so are the Occupy Wall Street people?

So here's the question:

Can I make a point, that puts the large majority of Americans on the same side of the fence? A point that is pretty widely inclusive across the political spectrum?

Political change is often made by the committed few. You don't necessarily need a majority, to effect change.

But Political change can be its most undeniable, when people who may not agree on any issue but one, get together on that one issue.

I haven't really heard anyone from the Tea Party say, "Hey, those Occupy Wall Streeters are right about one thing, and I stand with them!"

And I haven't really heard anyone from Occupy Wall Street say, "We know the Tea Party is angry about the bailouts too, please come stand with us!"

We live in a time when, if someone lives across the political divide from us, we are hesitant to ever acknowledge that they are right about anything.

Who wins there? The people who are happy to do nothing.

As long as one side is dismissing the efforts of the other side, there is no momentum to force change from business or politicians. They can easily sit back and play one side off the other. Or sit inert, chalking it up to gridlock.

The Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street, and you, sitting there reading this, probably don't agree on much.

But if you are all angry with the bailouts received, the lack of prosecution of those who committed financial misdeeds, and the lack of will to do anything substantial about it, then you should join with the people who agree with that one idea.

You won't be able to effect all the change you wish. But tackling things one idea at a time makes things possible.

Hopefully this wish (for the people of this country to come together on issues they agree on for change regardless of party), is one that leaves no one on the other side of the fence, leaves no one behind.