Where Were the Teabag Protests 8 Years Ago?
Today there are supposed to be many teabag rallies across the country. They are getting together to protest reckless government spending or the large deficits the Obama administration is racking up implementing their policy. My only question is this: where were these people 8 years ago? More importantly, where were these people 30 years ago?
Under Reagan, the budget was never balanced and debt ballooned. In fact, under Reagan the total debt/GDP ratio increased from a little over 30% to a little over 60%. Yet there were no protests. And the fact the budget was never balanced didn't seem to bother anybody. Of course, you could argue that the current teabaggers weren't around then so this doesn't count.
But when Bush took office the exact same thing happened. According to the Cato Institute, the Republican Party became the "Grand Old Spending Party." Bush was the biggest spender since LBJ. Here is what the Cato Institute wrote:
President Bush has presided over the largest overall increase in inflation-adjusted federal spending since Lyndon B. Johnson. Even after excluding spending on defense and homeland security, Bush is still the biggest-spending president in 30 years. His 2006 budget doesn't cut enough spending to change his place in history, either.
Total government spending grew by 33 percent during Bush's first term. The federal budget as a share of the economy grew from 18.5 percent of GDP on Clinton's last day in office to 20.3 percent by the end of Bush's first term.The Republican Congress has enthusiastically assisted the budget bloat. Inflation-adjusted spending on the combined budgets of the 101 largest programs they vowed to eliminate in 1995 has grown by 27 percent.
Yet there were no protests. And here is a report from the Bureau of Public Debt of the annual federal debt outstanding at the end of the last 8 federal fiscal years:
09/30/2008 $10,024,724,896,912.49
09/30/2007 $9,007,653,372,262.48
09/30/2006 $8,506,973,899,215.23
09/30/2005 $7,932,709,661,723.50
09/30/2004 $7,379,052,696,330.32
09/30/2003 $6,783,231,062,743.62
09/30/2002 $6,228,235,965,597.16
09/30/2001 $5,807,463,412,200.06
09/30/2000 $5,674,178,209,886.86
To anyone with an ounce of common sense, it's obvious what's going on. Republican/conservative rank and file are protesting because they are out of power and their leadership is terrible. But they aren't protesting spending; they are protesting the Democratic Party's governance. And that is fine. But please, don't tell me it's about spending or debt. If that were the case, you guys should have taken to the streets years ago.
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You could easily flip that question around and ask where now are all the leftists (including Bondad) who were moaning about deficits when a Republican was sitting in the White House.
Yeah, you could. I don't know. I guess they were all trying to make a living. We all know that ALL republicans are wealthly and never have to work for a living.
The fringe teabaggers average annual salary 25,000, HS diploma maybe, have not enough money for new tires on their house, never see a dentist, so make sure you brush only the teeth you want to keep.
The rank and file teabagger is a gullible sap. The Republican party for decades has made lots of noise about being for the average man while advancing the interests of the corporate elite. They are fed simplistic solutions which only make sense if you compartmentalize your world and fail to realize that the simplistic solution will have adverse consequences elsewhere. They generally do not like to think, and love these slogans. I am not sure if the conservative approach to education is genuinely based on saving money or if it is intended to keep the electorate incapable of critical analysis, but it certainly has had that effect.
Shame on the mainstream media for contributing legitimacy to these phony "teabag" protests. What a joke..the whole thing was massaged and manufactured by Fox and paid for by billionaires like Steve Forbes. Yet CBS and NBC made it sound as if this was a genuine "grassroots" effort.
Edward R. Murrow is oscillating in his grave. And Eric Sevareid would be throwing up if he were around to witness the disgusting lack of investigative journalism behind yesterday's scam "protests".
Eight years ago Bush did not bail out wall streeters and ensure they kept their jobs and their busines.
Everyone seems to forget that Presidents do not do the budget but congress does. Reagan had to rebuild the military that had decimated under Carter. The dem controlled congress took advantage. If Reagan wanted military then they would add earmarks. Notice Reagan asked for a line item veto but he did not get it. Maybe Obama should ask for the line item veto and then Presidents could be held accountable for budgets instead of congress. So easy to cherry pick when making a point
First, Democrats cut some of Reagan's budget requests.
Second, I was in the National Guard during the Reagan administration and worked for a Defense Contractor as well. There was a lot of waste. The company I worked for had a reputation for bringing in programs on time and under budget. Suddenly, we were submitteing cutrate bids, certainly in my area the estimated costs were severely cut before the proposal was submitted, and then the company found all sorts of reasons for extra charges. Sounds bad, but our competitors were doing the same thing and jacking up costs even more. The Reagan Pentagon really did not care.
Third, the line item veto is a superficial fix. Legislation cannot be passed without compromises; the line item veto would allow the President to undo these deals unilaterally, which ultimately would lead to gridlock on future legislation.
Fourth, the Consitution makes the congress responsible for the budget. It is tempting, but ultimately fatal to democracyk, to concentrate too much power in the President. The Bush/Cheney administration,was laying the ground, intentionally or unintentionally, for a future dictatorship. Secrecy, imprisonment without trial, denial of legal representation, wiretapping without warrants: all tools to establish a dictatorship. And as we saw over the last eight years, Republicans would not say one word if the dictator were a Republican.
The Repubicans are very skilled at getting ordinary folks to act and vote against their own economic interests. I find it interesting that none of the leaders of this movement, Gingrich, Armey, etc., will put their money where there mouths are and refuse the government subsidized, socialist pensions and healthcare that they and their families have received. Why not show their faith in the free market they love so much?
The poor schmucks out protesting are simply carrying water for the 2% Club. They are uninformed, vote against their own best interests, have been brain washed by the conservative ideology - never seeing how it has badly affected their own lives. I didn't see a single member of the 2% Club out protesting. They send the slaves.
My Point EXACTLY! it is a gumbo Hate Fest! An opportune time for all the racist to blend in and promote hate on top of more hate! But they all kept SILENT through the Bush years when my community became a grave yard with all the body bags coming back from IRAQ, and billions of dollars that went to Iraq to rebuild the country just flat out disappear. SAVE you fake outrage Mr. and Mrs. Racist Teabags!
To this former fiscally conservative republican, these Tea Party protests look suspicious for very the reasons everyone is commenting on and more.
If you look deeper, you will see how the controversy that lead to protesting in the streets was set up by a Bush Administration’s Treasury Secretary who demanded immediate unbridled authority to spend billions to save the banks without any controls on how the money is spent. I find it very convenient on how Mr. Paulson announced the banking crisis only weeks before the Bush Administration left office.
Here is how I see events shaping up:
1) The conservative inspired Tea Party protests are the very catalyst to bring us back to the 60s when we had rioting in the streets. The countering liberal minded ACORN and HuffPo organizations have already organized efforts to infiltrate Tea Parties and shape media coverage.” Thus, the seeds for riots that Tea Party protests are in place.
3) That will in turn create a new reign of terror that would force the Obama Administration to exercise powers given it under the Bush Administration's secret efforts to subvert the government through its efforts acquire the legal documentation to counter terrorism at home by use of military force against its own citizens.
Now all the elements are in place for violence that would require the Obama Administration to spend huge sums of money to fix the problem, suppress the violence, and take the blame for dealing with it.
Those of us top 2% taxpaying public are sick to death at the prospect of paying even more of our hard earned money to support the non-taxpaying, irresponsible bunch who have baby after welfare baby expecting to be taken care of by the "government." Where's the accountability here? Far too many teen pregnancies in our schools. Kids need to learn to keep it zipped - like we did 30 years ago.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO TEACH THEM TO ZIP-IT, as you describe it?? Because if you are doing nothing, then you become a part of the problem!
Oh, probably promoting "abstinence only" in the schools!
Yes, and Sarah can lead the way for your cause. Did you really keep it zipped? Come on, historically humans have never kept it zipped, unless you are one of the ugly rich people. those that can only buy love, but are too cheap to.
Your right all of our fiscal problems stem from pregnant teenagers!! Your a genius!! It is really quite simple. Giving trillions to rich bankers on Wall Street is nothing like helping pregnant teens. Because wall street bankers have servants, limo drivers, and decorators to pay. And who is going to keep the poor people at the Ferrari dealerships in business?? Not those evil teen moms, I can assure you. Screw those teen moms.... I want my welfare to go to the truly deserving, the men and women on Wall Street!!
You Madam are NOT one of the 2%.
Uh, of course NONE of these people protesting are racisists, right? Right. Just what I thought.
This country is in very sad shape. Ignorance and sheeplike stupidity are qualities that seem to be ascending. Let me ask all you people who glorify this behavior a question:
When you go to your doctor, how ignorant do you wish him or her to be? How about your attorney or your plumber?
Stupid question, I know. Then why do you glorify stupidity in your political candidates? Why is it "cool" to know nothing, follow people who spout inane platitudes, and refuse to inform YOURSELF about isssues?
I don't know either, but hating someone because their skin color is better adapted to reject the poisonous rays of the sun seems like a fairly ignorant position. Oh, I forgot, YOUR "god" told you do this. Sorry!
I definitely agree. It's absurd that these protesters are targeting Obama for out of control spending. He needs to spend money or cut taxes to stimulate the economy. The reason that this will drive up debt so far is because Reagan and the Bushes cut taxes and kept spending at about 20% of GDP. There was an increase in GDP that did not increase tax revenues enough to cover the deficit. It wasn't until Clinton came along that there was a budget surplus again. Bush did away with that and left no room for deficit spending in case of an emergency, which would be nice to have now.
It's amazing how conservatives can waste money, deride Clinton (who was actually fiscally responsible), and then blame Obama for government debt, while worshiping Reagan.
WilliamP,
Reagan is their god,that's why they don't know what "GOD" said it takes to be a
christians.
People...let's not be foolish. The national debt has increased every year, and it won't stop unless some major investments are made in this country...healthcare, education, and energy.
Federal Debt from 2000-2008. Were protesters concerned during this period about passing debt on to our grandchildren?
09/30/2008 $10,024,724,896,912.49
09/30/2007 $9,007,653,372,262.48
09/30/2006 $8,506,973,899,215.23
09/30/2005 $7,932,709,661,723.50
09/30/2004 $7,379,052,696,330.32
09/30/2003 $6,783,231,062,743.62
09/30/2002 $6,228,235,965,597.16
09/30/2001 $5,807,463,412,200.06
09/30/2000 $5,674,178,209,886.86
These are Bush/Cheney/Palin voters, not exactly critical thinkers by definition.
Hello??? Nothing new here. The Libertarian Party has been having tea parties and tax protests every April 15th for the last 35 years. The media barely covered it. But we were there in most major cities and many smaller ones.
So maybe you can explain, then, what you plan to do when no one pays any taxes? How are you keeping the roads in good shape, the food supply safe, the sewer system maintained etc, etc? I've never understood what your actual plan is, it seems like you're always just whining about giving up your money for ANYTHING, especially if it might benefit someone less fortunate than yourself.
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