• Rhiannon Fionn
• Trusted servants: Occupy Charlotte group photo

Is anyone surprised to learn that people trust members of the Occupy movement more than politicians? On the one hand, you've got folks exercising their First Amendment rights and demanding that the upper crust pay their fair share and stop manipulating the system. On the other hand, you've got, well, politicians — many of whom are part of said upper crust.

From The New York Times:

Almost half of the public thinks the sentiment at the root of the Occupy movement generally reflects the views of most Americans.

With nearly all Americans remaining fearful that the economy is stagnating or deteriorating further, two-thirds of the public said that wealth should be distributed more evenly in the country. Seven in 10 Americans think the policies of Congressional Republicans favor the rich. Two-thirds object to tax cuts for corporations and a similar number prefer increasing income taxes on millionaires.

...

Not only do 89 percent of Americans say they distrust government to do the right thing, but 74 percent say the country is on the wrong track and 84 percent disapprove of Congress — warnings for Democrats and Republicans alike.

Read the entire article, by Jeff Zeleny and Megan Thee-Brenan here. (Subscription may be required.)

Further reading: REPORT: Congressional Budget Office finds that the rich are richer and the poor are poorer

Another must-read that will be less likely to put you to sleep (no offense to the Congressional Budget Office) comes from Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi: Occupy Wall Street's Beef: Wall Street Isn't Winning — It's Cheating