We watch with interest the continuing protests on Wall Street and their expansion to other places.

Our take, for what it’s worth, is that they came about through the frustration of unemployed, underemployed and employed people with no prospects of improvements. They are frustrated because they cannot find a job, or get more hours, or get a raise. They read of multi-million dollar bonuses, see some companies bailed out while others are allowed to fail, and they think, "Something is wrong here."

One protester a couple of weeks ago got the crowd to chant along these lines: "We are here on behalf of working people, those who have jobs, and those who do not."

In reporting on Occupy Wall Street, many journalists have written that they have no apparent goals or demands. There is puzzlement: what do the protestors want, except to rail against their perception of inequity? What would satisfy them?

A clue

A speech by former President Bill Clinton, given to g...