The protesters of Occupy Seattle have real grievances, even if they've had a hard time articulating them so far.

So in the interest of promoting an informed public debate, we suggest the protesters look to the following talking points the next time they're interviewed by a reporter from The Stranger or some other news organization:

We Want Fairness
Our nation is broken. We all know this. The gap between rich and poor is the widest since 1917, and growing. Our legal and political systems have been twisted to favor the wealthy and powerful. Washington State has the most regressive tax laws in the union, with the lowest wage-earners paying taxes at nearly seven times the rate of the top one percent. We want everyone to have the opportunity to enjoy the rights our Constitution promises, and to pay their fair share toward sustaining a working America.

We Want Justice
Wall Street caused the financial collapse. They are the ones who are responsible, yet they are the ones who got bailed out in 2009. Now, Wall Street needs to stop foreclosing on our homes, and start helping to bail us out. Washington Mutual’s suicidal recklessness nearly destroyed our state’s economy in 2008, and now Chase shows the same sociopathic lack of respect for Washington State homeowners, small businesses, and consumers. The laws that control the financial industry are insane. Wall Street needs to be properly regulated, its victims need to be made whole, and the banksters who committed financial fraud and other crimes need to be prosecuted.

We Want Jobs
Tax cuts, bailouts, cheap money, low interests rates—that’s been our government’s response to the economic crisis. And where are the jobs corporate America promised to create with the record profits generated by these pro-business policies? In low-wage markets overseas! Meanwhile, tens of millions of formerly middle-class Americans remain unemployed. It is time to put Americans back to work rebuilding America, creating good jobs at good wages building the roads, rail, bridges, schools and other crucial public infrastructure we desperately need. And it is time for corporate America to help pay the bill.