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These “tea parties” were mostly a “made for Fox News” event, and turned out to be as much an anit-Obama event as anything else. Yes, you can argue about whether the public should be pouring tax dollars into private institutions. OTOH, how many of those folks realized that it might be THEIR bank, or THEIR 401K, or their GM/Chrysler pension that was (and still might be) at risk without government help. I’m not sold on all of what’s been done, but I certainly don’t want to go back to the bad old days of financial panics and bank failures where folks were truly wiped out. Given what I know about the current crisis, if this had been 1929 the crash would probably have been twice as bad, and the entire country put at serious risk.
ebtnut - April 17, 2009

So, let me get this straight. Americans should exercise their First Amendment rights only in supposedly civilized ways like letters to the editor of newspapers, comments on blog sites and other largely-ignored venues and not go out and have interesting protests that call on people to remember history. Americans should settle for the tweedledees that spent like drunken sailors even though they were supposed to be a conservative party, or the tweedledums that have given us a grab-bag that supposedly is economic stimulus but instead is a fulfillment of 15 years of disregarded wishes by what I presume is supposed to be a liberal-leaning party, and not speak out as we settle into long-term debt that still will be on the books when our newly-born grandchildren are graduating from college (should in fact they be able to go and not have some government-imposed requirement to serve, be it in the military or some “community organizing” venue). I might add that it is “no thanks” in no small part to a supposed member of the aforementioned conservative party who again is getting the blessing of his party’s senatorial campaign committee, as has already happened this week, to push ideas and ideals that seem an awful lot like those of our liberal-leaning party.
But what do I know?
Does it matter? - April 18, 2009

Here, this pretty much sums up how I feel about “tea parties.”

If this hurts anyone’s feelings, well, too bad. Take your tea bags and shove ‘em up your nose:

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/21319

> We saw in the last five years how contractors in Iraq nakedly
> robbed money from the you and me, running phantom convoys across
> the desert (some companies called that transporting “sailboat fuel”),
> systematically risking human life and gouging the taxpayer more or
> less right out in the open. There was over $100 billion in sole-source,
> non-competitive contracts in Iraq in 2006; a House Committee identified
> just 50 contracts totalling more than $21 billion that require
> “scrutiny,” but not much has been recovered so far.

> We just bailed out AIG to the tune of more than $160 billion; its
> primary auditor, the Office of Thrift Supervision, had exactly one
> insurance expert on its staff while AIG was falling apart. There were
> staff cuts at the SEC several times in the last ten years; in fact
> there was a crucial cut of the SEC budget in an $821 billion Omnibus
> spending bill at the tail end of 2003 (just in time for the housing
> bubble) that was packed with plenty of pork and, again, inspired no
> protests from Joe Sixpack.

> In other words teabaggers don’t mind paying taxes to fund the salaries
> of Bolivian miners, Lou Gerstner’s stock options, deliveries of
> “sailboat fuel,” the Hermes scarves on Sandy Weill’s jet pillows, or
> even the export of their own goddamn jobs. But they do hate it when
> someone tries to re-asphalt their roads, or help bail their slob
> neighbor out of foreclosure. And God forbid someone propose a health
> care program, or increased financial aid for college.

> The really irritating thing about these morons is that, guaranteed, not
> one of them has ever taken a serious look at the federal budget. Not
> one has ever bothered to read an actual detailed study of what their
> taxes pay for. All they do is listen to one-liners doled out by tawdry
> Murdoch-hired mouthpieces like Michelle Malkin and then repeat them as
> if they’re their own opinions five seconds later. That’s what passes
> for political thought in this country. Teabag on, you fools.
Webmaster - April 18, 2009

You weren’t listening. You also didn’t read the sentence that read, “Americans should settle for the tweedledees that spent like drunken sailors even though they were supposed to be a conservative party, or the tweedledums that have given us a grab-bag that supposedly is economic stimulus but instead is a fulfillment of 15 years of disregarded wishes by what I presume is supposed to be a liberal-leaning party.” Again, however, what do I know?
Does it matter? - April 20, 2009

I, for one, don’t care much for polly-parrot-people, either.
Thee Dude - April 20, 2009

No one on either far side of the political spectrum wants to look at the reality of the federal budget. People on the right want to blame everything on bailouts and government spending on infrastructure. Those on the far left wish to blame government for not keeping a closer watch on business and fanning excess.

In reality both of these arguments succeed in obscuring the facts, which are completely unsexy and too hard to boil down into sound bites that are made for TV consumption. But, the cold hard facts of the budget tell us that over 50% of our federal budget is spent on retirement and health care. Without serious reforms in these areas that reduce costs, or without increased revenue, we will continue to run deficits as long as someone (China) is willing to pay for it. Of course serious reform of Social Security and Medicare (and hence health care as a whole) are probably the hardest to make happen because they require each and every one of us to give something up. Means testing for seniors on social security, gatekeepers for health care, increased taxes to pay for insuring the uninsured (which would lower risk and costs for everyone), all of these take sacrifice on a personal level. It’s much easier to call someone a Muslim or a war criminal.

I’m not hopeful.
Dan - April 20, 2009

I agree, the signs with cude personal statements were out of line, similar transgressions will be found at any of these types of events, getting rid of the idiots is impossible. I’m a conservative, on the right-side of center – interesting how when a peaceful protest is made from the right, it’s a ‘temper tantrum’ , from the left, it’s a ‘grass-roots movement’.

The greatest country in the world can handle these protests, whoever doesn’t like it can just not pay attention, simple as that.

I agree that the best way to show dis-approval is on voting day.
BillyJ - April 20, 2009

“You weren’t listening. You also didn’t read the sentence that read, ‘Americans should settle for the tweedledees that spent like drunken sailors even though they were supposed to be a conservative party, or the tweedledums that have given us a grab-bag that supposedly is economic stimulus but instead is a fulfillment of 15 years of disregarded wishes by what I presume is supposed to be a liberal-leaning party.’”

Since we’re now lecturing each other, you weren’t listening when I pointed out that that problem was not that these people are protesting government spending, but that many of them were slinging some pretty disgusting mud at Mr. Obama.

If it wasn’t OK for the left to call Mr. Bush a “fascist” and compare him to Adolf Hitler, then it isn’t OK for the tea-partiers to do the same.

Nor is it OK for the far-right to speak openly of “revolution” and “government overthrow”!

Free speech is tolerable, but treason isn’t.

And again, I ask — where was this concern over deficits when the “supposed to be a conservative party” was in power?

There was nary a tweet from Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, etc., etc.

(It’s worth noting that the Tribune-Review was one of the few dissenting voices on the right, questioning the spending habits of both George W. Bush and the Republican congress. They were a notable exception compared to the rest of the “Amen corner.”)
Webmaster - April 20, 2009

Sigh…and neither one of you are listening to my post about the real problem. Kind of proves the point, no?
Dan - April 20, 2009

I did see your post, Dan. Our minds are made up — stop confusing us with facts.

Seriously, the problem is that everyone wants a free lunch. Many people want health care and pensions, but think that someone else should pay for them. Raise the other guy’s taxes, not mine.

Borrowing the money is not the solution. The bills are already coming due.

Nobody likes to pay taxes. But if Social Security and Medicare (for example) are essential services, then we need to pony up.

If they’re not essential, then we need to figure out how to take care of the poor and aged. 401(k)s have proved to be a mediocre solution, and company-provided benefits have crippled companies like GM and Chrysler.

We need to have honest discussions about these issues, not tea parties.

But the last politician who promised that he was going to raise taxes was Walter Mondale. Remember how well he did?
Webmaster - April 20, 2009

I didn’t mind paying 11.5% of my income for my federal income tax but please don’t take away my cilantro.. Dennis
Dennis R Boyle - April 21, 2009

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