A funny thing happened when staffers from the famous conservative think-tank, the American Enterprise Institute, visited Occupy Wall Street to see it with their own eyes. The AEI staff approached their tour of Zuccotti Park with certain negative preconceptions, so they were very surprised to find the OWS protestors as articulate and well-informed as they are passionate.

Everywhere the AEI staffers looked, they saw evidence of free-market fundamentalism. They were impressed by the OWS camp's order. They were impressed by its water filtration system. They were impressed by the "can-do spirit" and abundance of entrepreneurship.

The AEI's conclusion? The OWS protestors are actually “conservatives, they just don’t know it.”

I’d like to suggest a different conclusion: Perhaps the AEI should re-examine its own preconceptions of “liberal.”

For the past 50 years, a fierce war of indoctrination has been waged in this country, with corporate media forces in print, TV and radio focused on a single aim: to divide the American people, and to keep them divided.

Because, divided we fall.

Divided, we are helpless to resist the one percent's relentless hijacking of our government and our economy.

People like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity are richly paid because of their talent for dividing the American people, for their skill at pushing the buttons that makes certain segments of the 99 percent hate other segments of the 99 percent.

Fox “News” is a propaganda machine devoted to dividing the people, and keeping them divided.

Occupy Wall Street is striking a chord because it is uniting people across the political spectrum. The prospect of such unity is the worst nightmare for Corporate USA and its subsidiary, the US Congress.

OWS has reinvigorated the “Move Your Money” movement, with people across the USA closing their Big Bank accounts and moving their deposits to local banks and credit unions. There is a nationwide Occupy Bailed Out Banks day this Saturday, Nov. 5.

Since I've enjoyed free checking, free checks, and fee-less, friendly services at small banks for 20 years, I was shocked when I read an article today about the Big Bank push for customer fee-hikes in 2012.

I was stunned to learn about the monthly fees that big-bank customers apparently pay on a regular basis, just for the “privilege” of banking.

So let me get this straight: Costumers deposit their hard-earned cash into Big Banks, which in turn use that money for the purpose of creating profit for Wall Street CEO's, and the Big Bank charges ever-increasing fees to those customers for this “privilege” … ? And people pay these fees? Are people crazy?

If you have savings or checking accounts with one of the Big Six, you are paying way too much. Consider moving your money to a locally owned bank or to a credit union. You will enjoy better service at a lower cost. And keeping your money local means you are investing in your own local economy. It’s a win-win!

To learn more about move-your-money and Occupy events near you, google www.OccupyTogether.org and search on your town’s name.

Deb Baumann lives in Upper Lake, Calif.