It's a Bit Pre-Civil War Up in Here ...
This tea party stuff is spooky.
It's not just the tea parties, it's the symbolism behind them and the parallel track with history. The inability of organizers to explain why they've done this now as opposed to the past several years of ballooning deficit spending under the previous administration. That clearly exposes the partisan nature of it - therefore it's hard to fake the funk of this as "non-partisan" when it's driven by clear irritation over the election of a Democratic president (or that other reason over the shade of his skin). And, oh, has anyone asked another key question: do you see any people of color at these events? Not really - which presents a persistent problem: calling events that only represent one particular segment of the population "movements." Or saying "Americans" feel a certain way when it's really just a slice of demographic. That talk always makes the rest of us nervous.
Not certain if it's set in, yet. The reasons for that bit of nervousness aren't the more obvious. The anxiousness some are feeling is slightly obfuscated by the partisan lining in the conversation. The Republicans organizing, showing up and dumping tea bags all claim it isn't a Republican thing. Democrats may pick at it, but can't claim much and may be afraid that if they get too opposed to the concept, it'll backfire. So, it's a bit disingenuous and historically inaccurate to say these are "non-partisan" events grounded in a non-partisan tradition. All of this is political, making a political point and by virtue of that ... it's partisan. The original Boston Tea Party was, by all accounts, a partisan event organized by organized folks who had a desire to get heard. Do something dramatic; get King George's attention; piss him off and holla: pollute the Boston Harbor at a time when environmentalism wasn't exactly vogue. 235 years later, judging by the murky dark of Beantown's water, some probably wish their scrappy, headstrong Founders hadn't did that. But, good thing is we got a country out of it. And what a powerful, don't-frack-with-us farm this is
We can reconcile two centuries later that the tea party was a necessary thing ... to get to where we had to go as a nation. In some respects, it's probably necessary now - if all you're focused on is taxes. Agreed that the tax code is whack. How it's structured, the unfair burden on many of its citizen: from working poor squeezing dollar out of dime to comfortably rich just hoping not to turn up poor. Maybe the impact of taxes doesn't come from what we see subtracted from our paychecks. Perhaps it is the goofy shock we feel after witnessing how that money is spent, much of it dumped into the shape-shifting black fiscal hole of government. And, like tailgating sports fans dishing amateur analysis, we think we know how to spend it better. And maybe we do. From the ashes of that outrage could rise a prime lesson in good governance, a place where public officials make real effort to partner with citizens on matters of budget. Rushed and half-hearted committee hearings in empty rooms doesn't cut it; press conferences after the fact paves the road to resignation, ouster or unrest. The sincere and creative solicitation of citizen input on tax and budget policy may be painful, but it sure beats social unrest and anarchy.
There's something in the air about organized re-enactments of an event which prefaced a rather violent American Revolution. Not to mention the fact that a modern tea party is a bit of a misnomer since the first one in 1773 protested the tyranny of a monarch-based government. Why bite off that? In a sense, it's corny and unoriginal since, these days, we elect our governments. Yet, even the President feels it, the student of history that he is, explaining why he's playing Empathizer-in-Chief and calling for a tax code revamp. While knowing the tea parties are really post-election grievance sessions brought to you by the cats who lost, President Obama still understands the volatile political nature of the American anti-tax legacy.
Enough about the tea parties though, since parties come and go. What's more unsettling is the alignment of American Revolution themes with pre-Civil War sentiment and climate. It's the odd appearance of history repeating itself, or at least a failure to understand lessons of the past. Why is Texas Governor Rick Perry (R) even entertaining the thought of "what might come out of" Washington "thumbing [its] nose" at the American people while using the words "union" and "dissolving" in the same sentence? True: he didn't say "secession" outright. But, the language is used soon after the Texas House pushes a Resolution promoting "state sovereignty" under the 10th Amendment, reigniting the states' rights debate. And neither is Perry completely rejecting the thought of secession, with follow-up rhetoric suggesting a clever conservative credentials match in a caustic primary against Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX).
We students of history see a few murky parallels emerging while some Republican politicos play to what they think their base wants to hear and conservative talk show hosts see the ching-ching of ad dollars. Some say that, perhaps, we're overreacting a bit. But are we? Raging tea parties and rants about a "socialist" President and Congress; rising gun sales, fear of encroachment on 2nd Amendment rights and mass shootings; hints at secession; talk of US/Mexico border militarization and the intensity of a drug cartel insurgency drawing in aggressive US response; the backdrop of economic destabilization and festering "Main Street" anger at "Wall Street;" the implosion of the Republican Party and new whispers of a breakaway conservative body politic. It's feeling early 19th century "up in here," as they say: from the banking recession of the late 1830s; to the US/Mexican War in the late 1840s; to Southern, Democratic charges of Northern interference in their "way of life" translated into worries over the rapid spread of industrialization triggering the obsolescence of agri-based economies; and the ingredients for political upheaval which led to the founding of the Republican Party - an offshoot of the Whig Party - in 1854. These are some of the events which led to the outbreak of Civil War in the United States.
Open protest and political disagreement are healthy signs of a healthy democracy. If the tea parties weren't all that partisan and really focused on an overhauled tax code, other folks might join in, as well. The troubling vibe, however, arises from the combination of history-deficient Americans along for the ride and dangerously fringe political elements which know history and see an opening for a certain kind of outcome. Mixed in with that is the uncertain economic climate, leading to an explosion of unemployment, poverty and the expansion of folks who are left with nothing to lose. We need to approach the times with caution and awareness or debt won't be the only thing we leave our kids with.
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Mr. Ellison, you made several points that I agree on but I look at it this way. The teabaggers were organized by professional business savvy lobbist fighting to keep the Obama Admin from looking too far under the bed to find the dead bodies and make the system fairer for all to compete. Repub admins grew the government under Reagan and Bush43. Corporations loved this. Taxes were cut, tax codes rewritten, all to benefit the top percent. They rolled back or cut New Deal and Great Society Programs, all except Social Security. In 2005 Bush tried to get his hands on it but failed.
The master plan by corporatio
Corporate sponsors used the Boston Tea Party banner on tax day to put some respectability on protecting their interest of low/no taxes, control of all policy decisions, etc. They used 2008 election losers as their mouthpiece with their display of 'social', 'fascism', 'small govenment', 'racial epitats', etc. They got away w it, they still have the big megaphone - talk tv & radio.
was it a partisian tea party when Rep. Gresham Barrett (R-SC)was booed for his entire speech?
I worry that we have not only our history to repeat but that of the entire world. And I know I am being a bit dramatic but I worry more about the rise of a more extreme government. Just like Germany in the 1920’s and 1930’s.
Easily lead violent people are in abundance and the other two things required, is a charismatic leader, and an ambivalent populous. If these people find a leader and we just stand by we might be repeating some rather horrific history in no time.
I have been told I am being too dramatic when I have suggested a parallel between the violent tendencies of the teabaggers and the rise of facists during the 1930's. Therefore, I am both relieved and concerned that I am not alone in my fears. My hope comes from the fact that the internet has produced the means of countering irrational movements. Nothing is more dangerous than a group of poorly educated, violent people who have no knowlege of history, economics, and who have no tolerance for or understanding of other people's beliefs.
Again the worst thing we can do is allow this kind of movement to grow without opposition. By the time most people see a problem we will have armed thugs walking the streets suppressing opposition of any kind and then what will we do?
From The Desk of A Concerned Libertarian:
Dear Congressman Ron Paul,
I am writing this letter so that we can both profit from an opputunity which can (finally) bring about Liberty. When I was skimming the Associated Press for entertaining stories about celebrities, I unfortunately heard some “bad news.” I couldn’t believe what I was reading. The country of Iceland is bankrupt!?!?!? My great-great grandfather was Icelandic! I immediately got in contact with my parents, who happened to be vacationing in Iceland, so I could make sure everyone was okay.
Anyone can see how partisan these "teabagging" events are by the timing of their enactment. There was no massive street protest when the Bush Administration was turning a 350 billion dollar surplus into a one trillion dollar deficit. Indeed, these fiscally-minded protesters didn't seem to mind when Bush & Co. brought about huge tax CUTS for the rich when our nation was (and still is) fighting not one, but TWO wars. Who in their right mind deprives the government of needed revenue during wartime? People who (think they)can fight these two wars with money borrowed from Arab Kings and Chinese Communists. No worries by these people about the burden placed on "future generations", either. And, of course, don't pay any attention to the huge increase in the National Debt.
You are right, Bush and Company created a trillion dollar deficit. So why can't you understand the resistance and reaction to another three trillion since the first of the year? Do you comprehend the causes of inflation? When the Federal Reserve creates 1.2 Trillion to buy up Treasury Bonds that is inflationary and the money might as well have been printed on toilet paper. The urgency of the Tea Parties was in the speed of out-of-control spending in the first three months of the current presidency.
The heavy handed intrusion of the federal government into private sector businesses, such as threatening banks with audits if they didn't take the money and government meddling that comes with TARP money, firing managers and setting pay levels is not America.
It's okay for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to give out bonuses when AIG was such an issue that our Congress voted to disregard the Constitution in order to show their outrage. We have a bunch of dirty politicians on both sides of the aisle that continue their political careers regardless of ethics and criminal violations.
This is about getting the country back on track before it implodes with BIG government. The "stimulus Bill" is nothing but fulfillment of Democrats' long held dreams. Do you see the programs fundedbeing left hanging next year or the decade after that? Get a clue... we cannot afford to let the escalation of spending and desecration of the constitution continue.
Republican talking points cloaked as informed concern is still just Republican talking points....
TO make this all simply for you look like at it like this....
We are at a point of economic transisition, periodically bubble based capitalist economies must reset and reboot themselves because the natural order of business pushes down wages and increases cost over time, payroll is a liability, especially domestically when competing internationally, so people, primarily investors know that, and benefit from knowing that, ordinary Americans do not know or have the knowledge to benefit from knowing like investors who are capable of manipulating the system.
Continued from below:
So here whats before us, we can do nothing and let natural selection take its course, we can let the scam artists, shifty investors, risk taking funds managers, pay to play politicians and all those cheating "me first, get rich, forget country criminals, continue to fleece the American people in the name of "free-market economics" we can let them continue to take advantage of their access to lobby against whats best for the country, and for what decreases their tax burdens (i.e. disbanning of the Dept of education, homeland security, dept of Commerce, SEC, IRS etc.) or we can take a stand and say that people run this country not the interest of a few wealthy whinners who feel they pay to much tax money, when anyone with their income pays the same its not personal, this is their fight let their 1% of the population fight for no taxes, but don't expect me to, I'm for making healthcare affordable for everyone, and education free, because I feel the best thing in this country is people not ideology.
Government itself is the balance against plutocracy, but the revolution crowd seems to be only concerned with socialism even after what we've just seen occur in the financial sector, that to me is manufactured and directed by those who fear the government acting in the best interest of its people, instead of for businesses. Government must check and balance the strength and power of corporate interest and the aligned business community, or people will be trampled underfoot inthe name of business, so when the President says we're going to invest in educating America's children, or we're going to invest in clean energy, or healthcare, or public infrastructure I am encouraged because if not for him taking a stand on the behalf of people without the access to lobby government,run commericials on Fox, and organize Tea-party's then their would be no movement in this country toward creating a better status of life for the broad base of Americans.
Think about this is our Government and country, no company gets a vote, they can only convince us to vote for their best interest and agaisnt our own.
Why would any individual worker vote agaisnt workers being able to form a union, unless he owned a company and felt that it would be harder for him run a profitable company if the employees had a say? I don't see another reason, now ask yourself why should that employee vote agaisnt his own best interest, or why is unionizing not in his best interest. Is the implication that this one employee should be concerned about the well-being of the entire group of employees if he recieved a raise or more benefits whereas the owner should only be concerned with his own profit margins? They both sound like a managerial responsibilities to me, companies should compete for labor just as producers compete for consumers, it appears the free market system breaks down when your a wage earner, and that's plutocracy, by holding workers down we are limiting the entrprenuerial competition at the top which keeps cost down and labor wages and benefit high, most small businesses are started by middle class wage-earners who live responsibly and save diligently, so the more inclined workers are to make such a decision the more robust the economy would be from, and from the bottom up.
A little lesson on the geopolitics of your economic doctrines: in a laboratory, minting money is inflationary. But in the USA in the late 20th century / early 21st century it is not. It behooves you to study profoundly why the US Dollar has not seen downward inflationary devaluation to match its snowballing debt and continued balance of trade deficits since the early 1970s. The reason will shock you.
The United States needs to declare bankruptcy; just like Iceland.
I find myself in a bind. I believe that any Honest Patriotic American would say: “I care about making money as much as I care about Liberty.” However, if the United States Government went bankrupt, large private businesses and vital small businesses would suffer. Even though I know Libertarianism is the only path to true liberty, true liberty can be achieved in light of recent economc events but it may have negative consequences especially when it comes to my small business’ bottom line. I’m sure you can understand, this would be a devestating blow to my family. I mean, I thought the whole point of Libertarianism was to have a goal of a free-market so that Liberty can be restored. Libertarianism is forward-looking Conservatism with a static political theory which has been backed up by reason. It gives us hope for a richer future. Congressman Paul, I want to know what is the best way to rectify my political philosophy and my business interests using conventional logic.
Thank you for reading this letter, I very much look forward to hearing your response.
that would be very foolish.
All of us in the private sector know that it is sometimes best to declare bankruptcy and re-structure your business. It sounds hard, but we don’t have to worry because it’s just the government. How are they going to appear to be a sound business model when they are paying money to tax collectors but the Armed Forces and public law enforcement have been dissolved?
Why starve the beast when you can kill it? First and foremost, no one would have to pay taxes because our currency is based off Federal Reserve Notes which are backed by government trust. We would have no choice but to return to a standard for our money! This would take time but the United States would no longer be a slave to foreign interests because they wouldn’t even want to bother us. It is a self-evident truth that Freedom and Liberty are the principles this country was founded upon. The only way to reach Nozick’s dream of an absolute free market with fair contracts is to “root out” the bad contracts. Then people can make new contracts and be free of an oppresive State. Bad contracts are created because left wing legislators in Congress think they know how to spend my inheritence.
From The Desk of A Concerned Libertarian:
Dear Congressman Ron Paul,
I am writing this letter so that we can both profit from an opputunity which can (finally) bring about Liberty. When I was skimming the Associated Press for entertaining stories about celebrities, I unfortunately heard some “bad news.” I couldn’t believe what I was reading. The country of Iceland is bankrupt!?!?!? My great-great grandfather was Icelandic! I immediately got in contact with my parents, who happened to be vacationing in Iceland, so I could make sure everyone was okay. Boy was I surprised when they told me, “Don’t worry about us, everything is fine over here.” Instantly Anarchy, State and Utopia by Professor Robert Nozick came to mind. It hit me: what we Libertarians need is for our government to declare bankruptcy.
Let's do it people. Let's make bold decisions about what's best for our future! Here's a letter I wrote to Congressman Paul. Both liberals and conservatives have said they respect this man so I felt it was best to send him my insights. Enjoy!
Tea parties could have a role to play in creating a new political party, because the Republican party is in its death throes.
What's ironic is that the Boston Tea Party was a protest against the WalMart of the 1700s, the British East India Company.
The colonists destroyed the property of a large, multinational corporation.
The Federal Government has been and is going to rack up 20 Trillion in debt over the last decade and the next . Social Security headed for insolvency. Underfunded government pensions. State governments taking on piles of debt. And you people can't understand what the all the fuss at these Tea Party protests is about and blame it all on racism? WTF does stratospheric debt and spending have to do with race? Obama campaigned on a "net spending cut" to pay for his programs. 10 trillion of new debt over the next ten years is a "net spending cut"???? Where were we when Bush was racking up billions each year? Wondering when it would stop. Why are coming out now? Because not only is it not stopping but it's being doubled or tripled. It's about the spending and unprecedented expansion of federal power. Bush did it and Obama is ratcheting it up even more. You call that racism? Are trillion dollar deficits and a massive federal power grab a black thing? If you can't defend the action of our government on it's own merit then pull out the race card and attack.
its called an investment, and for someone who i assume will shout the wonders and glory of business and the market, I would think you would be able to understand the concept of investment.
However, in case you do not, it goes something like this. You put in money and resources up front, and then get a proportionally larger return down the road. For instance, a new business starting out takes out LOANS from a bank. It may even operate at a loss for several years. But, if it is planned right, eventually the company turns a profit, pays back its debts, and ta-da!
So where were you guys back when Bush was in office? I'd be willing to bet you were all busy cheering on the trillion dollar plus Iraq invasion.
The diffrence is that money is being spent on us,k not on a war and not into the pockets of Halliburton.
Would it really be that bad if Republicans decided to break away from the United States? Think of all the legislation you'd be able to pass. Why wouldn't you want that?
My first question is, What city is he writing from? That lack of info flunks the story right off the bat.
Sure it is spooky, why not? The leader is a witch. This non-partisan event is partisan, rising third partisan.
I thought it was darn clever to get FAUX to promote it the way they did. I am going to see if we can do that again, but I am disappointed in the MSNBC coverage. They want to lump us in with the Palin supporters.
I honestly doubt there was very much overlap. But we will never know. Why not? Because reporters don't know how to cover the news. So it remains a mystery.
I did tell you all I had a plan to not only end the Drug War, but to actually end war, right? Or are ideals like that what earn me the label of "far left loon"?
And regarding good governance, I actually do have a plan. Obama, good president that he is, is already working on implementing it. He is started and I have more ideas after that, saving the world is the goal.
From the piece,
"[T]he fact that a modern tea party is a bit of a misnomer since the first one in 1773 protested the tyranny of a monarch-based government. Why bite off that? "
Because it is my project to free my people
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