WASHINGTON -- A reckless, selfish mob is on the loose in southern Manhattan, its values out of step with ordinary Americans and cleaved from the principles that founded the nation.
Also on Wall Street, there are thousands of protesters camped out, trying to bring attention to corporate greed and economic injustice for the fourth straight week.
At the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. last week, The Huffington Post asked the socially conservative attendees -- many of whom said they consider themselves to be Tea Party members -- about their thoughts on the Occupy Wall Street protests that are spreading around the country.
They were all critical of the aims and tactics of the movement, calling the protesters "Marxist" and "anti-America[n]."
But many of their criticisms inadvertently echoed the grievances of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
"They're just saying, 'Give us free stuff,'" declared Jim Zenkowich of Cinnaminson, N.J., who was talking about the Occupy Wall Street protesters but could have been referencing the $700 billion bailout banks received in the aftermath of the financial crisis.
"I would definitely suggest that they check into the core values of what the country was founded on," advised Hope Houchins of Spartanburg, S.C.