The Tea Parties
Looks like quite the gala event, that Tea Party protest held down at the courthouse yesterday. Humboldt wasn't alone in the Tea Parties, either, with numerous similar events held around the country. Around 10,000 people supposedly showed up at the one in Pleasanton, CA.
This is a good thing. It used to be just a handful of Libertarian Party members, along with a Republican or two, would show up for Tax Day protests. Now it's thousands of people. I'm surprised that they've received pretty decent press coverage. The Contra Costa Times gave the Pleasanton event good coverage as did the Sacramento Bee for the Sacramento event.
The best thing about the Tea Parties, though, is how they piss off the left wingers so much. It is really fun to read or listen to them seething over this. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that even CLS, over at the Classically Liberal blog, is all annoyed by them, too. He's always had a thing for conservative types.
I'll disagree with CLS that these events aren't the least bit libertarian oriented. The overall message of less government and less taxes in our lives certainly leans strongly libertarian. Whether it's just a passing fancy just because there's a Democrat in the White House remains to be seen.
If I live long enough to see a Republican in the White House again and the Tea Partiers are still there, then they might just be here to stay. That would be a good thing, especially if they adopt the libertarian's personal live and let live philosophy along with their desire for low taxes and smaller government.
If that happens, maybe I'll join them.
posted by Fred Mangels @ 8:40 AM
13 comments
13 Comments:
Only 47% of eligible citizens are paying income tax. Until that starts going down the movement will grow.
FLAT TAX NOW!
Everyone should pay their fair share. Everyone.
I think you have already joined them Fred.
So, you want to see another George Bush in the White House. I guess two wars and a depression after 8 years of Republican rule weren't enough for you.
I do respect your libetarian views on many things. I just happen to think tea baggers aren't doing anything for the country but whinning for the "good old days" (as yet to be defined).
This tax thing they're upset about is very personal to them because they make more money than "average" Americans and are going to get a tax increase. They throw in the patriot thing in a futile attempt to convince most Americans that they really care about the country - it's called jingoism and has been employed many times in our cvountries past.
Please don't take my comments as an attack against you Fred. Like I said, I do respect your right to believe anyway you want.
Fred: To be fair what I (CLS) said was that the rally I attended, with about 5,000 people, seemed obsessed with immigration, not taxes. Another one near us, with 2000 people, was reported in our press as being similar in focus.
i said nothing about them nation wide since I only attended the one. But the one I attended was awful. And I am talking about the focus of the people who attended. The organizer is not a bad guy but the people attending were fairly awful politically.
But my description of the event I attended is accurate with no claims for other events that I did not attend.
I'm pretty sure Dave meant "tax cut," not "tax increase." Unless they're making over $250,000/year, which seems unlikely.
Like he said, though, it sure was nice to see all those same people complaining about Bush's two unfunded wars, Medicare-D, tax cuts to billionaires, etc., etc., etc. Good times.
CLS wrote,To be fair what I (CLS) said was that the rally I attended, with about 5,000 people, seemed obsessed with immigration, not taxes..
That might well be true, but the comments I frequently see in regards immigration and taxes generally complain about illegals being a drain on government funds, thus a cause for taxpayer concern.
Not saying that's true, or not. That's just the type of comments I generally see. They're made in the Sacramento Bee comments all the time. Often, no matter what the original subject is, it seems.
Dave wrote, So, you want to see another George Bush in the White House. I guess two wars and a depression after 8 years of Republican rule weren't enough for you.
You're obviously misreading me. I said if these folks are still around when a Republican is back in the White House, then they're likely serious about overall reform and not simply a partisan movement.
I'm not looking for a return of the Bush years but, seems to me, there's not a whole lot of difference between now and then. Perhaps a difference in personal style, but not substance.
Really? No difference? Obama just engineered real health care reform that extends care to somewhere between 30-40 million Americans who wouldn't have access otherwise, curbed the worst industry abuses, and showed his math while doing it - and all in the face of uniform opposition from Republicans who admitted that their only goal was to deny Obama a legislative victory. He's trying to engineer real reform of the financial industry - again, in the face of uniform opposition from Republicans who seem to have given up on the idea of governing. He's got the Russians to sign-off on nuclear reductions, he's convinced the Chinese to start helping us curb Iran's nuclear programs and float their currency against ours, and he's almost single-handedly convinced the world to start talking to us again. Okay, so he's not the liberal that liberals wanted, or the socialist that conservatives dream about, but if you don't see any difference between him and Bush you're not looking very carefully.
...Obama just engineered real health care reform.
Bullshit.
That's not a very thoughtful response, but I bet you'll find lots of support for your nuanced position at the next tea party protest.
No doubt about it. Fred is a deep thinker, like the rest of the tea party poltroons.
Fred, I'm impressed you let that last comment be posted. You're developing some broad shoulders, and as you know, that is a good thing.
"If I live long enough to see a Republican in the White House again and the Tea Partiers are still there, then they might just be here to stay. That would be a good thing, especially if they adopt the libertarian's personal live and let live philosophy along with their desire for low taxes and smaller government.
If that happens, maybe I'll join them."
Um.....Fred,we had eight years of Republican Bush in office from 2001-2009.....government spending and size and the numbers of lobbyists living in D.C. exploded.....and no tea party movement.....nada....none at all
Fred,you also are in favor of taxpayers footing a 7 million dollar pork barrel project at Richardson's Grove,how does that fit into your desire for low taxation and less government when CalTrans is leading it and taxpayers paying for it instead of private individuals?
There's no other way around paying the big bucks for Richardson Grove. As others have said, if it was private property and the work was being done by private companies, that project could probably be done for less than a million bucks.
It's always going to cost more using CalTrans. With that of thinking, we shouldn't do any highway improvements.
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