Jay Ambrose’s Dec. 15 column, “Michael Moore part of the 1 percent,” is disingenuous, at best. The occupiers are not protesting enormously wealthy people because they have had great ideas for new products, invented something, manufactured something that people want, or provided hours of entertainment with their talent. Rather, I submit they are protesting the enormously wealthy who obtained their wealth by stepping on the little guy.
For instance, I have no problem with the net worth of the late Steve Jobs; he dreamed up wonderful products. I have a huge problem with Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, who maximizes the profits of his bank by making life difficult for the average person. Doubling minimum payments on credit cards without provocation, moving up due dates on bills to catch the payer unaware and giving the bank a reason to raise the interest rate, charging a $10 service fee for customers who pay their credit card balance in full each month; these are all techniques that add to the bottom line of JPMorgan Chase and inflate the compensation of Dimon and others like him.
If you make your fortune by tricking, cheating, selling faulty or dangerous products, or otherwise ripping off the unwary, you are a card-carrying member of the 1 percent being protested.
Rosemarie Treece, Camas
