When thousands of Egyptian protesters took over Tahrir Square in events widely celebrated as the Arab Spring, I don't recall anyone being concerned that they were violating local bylaws.

Of course, Egypt was a dictatorship and the only way to protest the lack of democracy was by breaking laws.

Canada isn't a dictatorship, and so protesters -- like the group now ordered evicted from St. James Park -- don't have the same clear moral licence to ignore bylaws that their Egyptian counterparts had.

Critics argue that the Toronto Occupiers have made their point; if they want to take it further, they should join a political party -- attend all-candidates meetings, put up lawn signs, eat hot dogs at summer barbecues, become backroom operatives.

We got word just after 1 a.m. Tuesday that New York City police were raiding the Occupy Wall Street encampment. I raced down with the Democracy Now! news team to Zuccotti Park, renamed Liberty Square. Hundreds of riot police had already surrounded the area. As they ripped down the tents, city sanitation workers were throwing the protesters' belongings into dump trucks. Beyond the barricades, back in the heart of the park, 200 to 300 people locked arms, refusing to cede the space they had occupied for almost two months. They were being handcuffed and arrested, one by one.

You may have noticed that the Globe and Mail invented charity last weekend in response to various irritations: economic chaos, rage-inducing social inequality, declining living standards, loss of hope. Their answer is the New Philanthropy though, in fact, it isn't really new and isn't philanthropy either. I'll get to that.

We should all be giving thanks for the brave souls at Occupy Toronto and all the others around the world. They aren't just freezing their butts off and facing down all the demons of our time; they're turning the tide on the global conversation.

Listen for them at the G20 meeting in Cannes this week. Big players are echoing the Occupy demand for a new financial transaction tax because it's the most hopeful and holistic option on the table.

The simple truth is that we live in taxing times. Literally.

To keep the global economy moving, people have to spend money. That isn't going to happen, because, to understate the problem, our incomes aren't there and debt is tapped out. That leaves government spending.