A revolution might be coming this Wednesday, April 15. Antitax protests, known as tea parties, have been brewing around the country, and they could boil over on tax day. T.E.A. stands for "taxed enough already."
On Wednesday, conservatives around the country will evoke the spirit of the American Revolution. Some of the transgressions of congress and the president to be protested include: voting for a $500 billion tax bill without even reading it; spending trillions of borrowed dollars; wanting government-controlled health care; trying to take wealth and redistribute it to others; and appointing a defender of child pornography to the number-two position in the Justice Department.
Basically there's a lot going on. Some sample slogans offered by TeaPartyDay.com? Party Like it's 1773. Obamanomics: Chains You Can Believe In. Commander and Thief. Your Mortgage Is Not My Problem. Liberty Is All the Stimulus We Need.
Economist Paul Krugman thinks the Tea Parties, which he calls AstroTurf — aka fake grass(roots) — should be mocked. To see why, read more.
He writes that the movement, organized by the usual suspects, makes inaccurate accusations:
President Obama is being called a “socialist” who seeks to destroy capitalism. Why? Because he wants to raise the tax rate on the highest-income Americans back to, um, about 10 percentage points less than it was for most of the Reagan administration. Bizarre.
What do you make of the tea parties?
True Religion
The corporate masters have called forth their minions...
1Astroturf is kind.
Revolt? It's not like the taxes effect a lot of Americans. Either people who aren't effected by this have to get brought in or this is going to be a lame tea party.
2Personally I don't think the taxes are unreasonable.
I took the day off to go to a tea party on wednesday.
3I agree with some of the ideas presented by the tea parties, but I have a hard time believing protests are the best way to convince anybody of anything.
4I don't think it's about convincing anyone of anything: I think it's about rallying the opposition and flexing muscles.
5You're right Steph, I mean everyone knows conservatives are too stupid to be doing this on their own accord. And everyone knows that only Dems can do anything grassroots.
Thanks for setting the record straight.
6Commander in Thief is a good one!
7Anything for the cause.
8because it CANT be about americans having dissention towards thier government, thats not aloud. or at least its not aloud now since Obama was elected.
9It could be about that, once y'all got the emails from Dick Armey & friends.
10Good for you, CG! I forgot to ask off in advance, so I'm stuck 8-5. Luckily, we're next to the courthouse, so I can semi-participate on my noon-hour.
11hey whatever floats people's boats. Let's hope these same conservatives are finally going back to being fiscal conservatives. They sure weren't these past 8 years.
12I'm so glad I know know that once you get money you're not a "regular" person anymore so your efforts aren't counted.
GET GEORGE SOROS ON THE PHONE!!
13Sounds like sour grapes to me.
14Steph, I got the email and calls from my friends who decided to put together a little local tea party and it grew from there.
Do you have something against peaceful demonstrations? if not, then why so snarky?
15Where were these tea parties during Bush's 8 years in office of free spending with no concern of who was going to cover the bill? Where were these fiscal conservative republicans who are all hot in the pants now over Obama's policies? It seems like political pandering to me.
16Perhaps it's the fact that Obama's already spent more in 2 months than Bush did in 8 years that has conservatives up in arms.
17Well Roar, then I could say back to you, why are liberals so hot in the pants now when they've been complaining about all the spending in the last 8 years? Why aren't they concerned about who is going to cover the bill now?
18I have nothing against peaceful demonstrations. I have nothing against well-orchestrated corporate sponsored tea parties, just I'd prefer that they be identified as such.
Did your friends launch the nationwide movement?
19oops, I meant "why AREN'T"
20Where are you getting the info that these are corporate sponsored because no one else says that but you?
21I think it just boils down to some people getting pissy that Conservatives are getting their act together. For years we've had to listen to why the Dems are sooooo much better because of their "grassroots", well... now we have grassroots too. And if this works, we'll have a great model for the next election.
It seems that makes some people nervous.
22Yep Roarman, exactly what I was thinking.
23Stephley, the thing is , is that I dont care who came up with the idea to organize it, Starbucks , some rich guy who doesnt deserve his money, or whom ever. I liked the idea, so did my friends, and off we go.....
24I also like to think of it as an experiment, lets see if this viral protest works! how cool.
25Grassroots campaigning to complain but not offer any solutions. I doubt that will really get a conservative movement back on its feet, what might are some new ideas and solutions for a world that is quite different than the days of Reagan.
26More in two months than Bush spent in eight years? I find that very hard to believe. He spent $700 billion in his last 3 months in office and if you don't count any other spending over eight years, the astronomical cost of the Iraq war would make your statement untrue.
27Hausfrau, I never said I personally wasn't concerned, but I feel like this specific outrage seems like political pandering since Bush spent gobs of money with little outrage from republicans.
28"Where were these tea parties during Bush's 8 years in office of free spending with no concern of who was going to cover the bill? Where were these fiscal conservative republicans who are all hot in the pants now over Obama's policies? It seems like political pandering to me. "
29"Revolt? It's not like the taxes effect a lot of Americans."
Ahh yes, lets marginalize those that make up a smaller number of people in this country. Lets let them shoulder all the problems. That sounds like a great idea. Its not like it affects a lot of American's. Let's incentivize these people to either (a) stop making so much evil money by producing less or (b) find ways to take their money off shore to avoid taxes all together. This will result in a stimulating effect.
Now to decide on earl grey or english breakfast
30Mydia, sometimes just putting a voice out there that we arent happy with a decision is enough, "complaining" can get you alot more than you think, if only to have pride enough to take a stand.
31Silly, as captain picard says "earl grey. hot"
32Roar the Iraq War cost cost around $12 billion a month, calculate that by 5 years, I'm not sure how on earth Obama has spent in 2 month than Bush did in 8 years. In addition to the fact that some of stimulus and budget is still be review, I don't think you can make such a blanket statement skb.
An addition to that I never had any real issues with Bush. I philosophically disagreed with most of his policies, but the real culprits issues with the Republican majority Congress and the so called Democrats at the time that allowed so many of the things to happen now. If anyone is to blame for what's happening to our country, it's these people. Again the president is only as strong as his congress so if people want a bone to pick with, they need to go back to the elected officials from 2000 until now.
33Then mydia maybe you can explain to me why liberals don't care about spending now but did care about it when Bush was doing it?
All I'm saying is that it boils down to partisan beliefs on BOTH sides. Conservatives think this spending is a waste, liberals don't. Liberals think the war spending was a waste, conservatives didn't. It doesn't make either side a hypocrite.
34I'm not against it CG, maybe something real and substantive will come from this movement. But right now it seems hollow.
35I can't speak for liberals, but I cared about spending under the Bush adminstration (especially on the stupid medicare expansion which was the largest entitlement expansion in decades, Republicans were happy to sign off on that one) as well new as under the Obama adminstration. Each person will think something is worth the spending or not (war, education, infrastructure), if Obama wants to spend money domestically on broken systems then right now I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that this spending will work to produce a better America. Only time will tell.
36it seems hollow to those who dont believe in it. Listen if its reported that 50 people showed up nationwide to have tea parties and its deemed a failure of a GOP grassroots movement, i dont really care its not about the numbers, its about the passion behind it.
37And I recommend that people check out this article about how people pay their taxes, and how much the rich understate their income and therefore cheat on their taxes
articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Taxes/AvoidAnAudit/the-biggest-tax-cheats-rich-folks.aspx
38Oh please.
39I agree that only time will tell. I just don't like this idea that this makes conservative hypocrites because it clearly doesn't anymore than this spending makes liberals hypocrites.
40I don't mind the idea of a organized protest of people as long as it's peaceful, and the people participating in it have a better alternative. If your going to go out just to get your face on TV for the sake of getting your face on TV and not have any real plans then it's pointless.
41mydiadem - rich people cheat on their taxes, yeah, i'm sure some do, just like the majority of obama's administration. Obama doesn't have a problem with it, why do you?
the horrible rich have a right to their money. i for one can say my boyfriend worked hard his entire life and brought himself up out of the slums of Los Angeles, he pays more in taxes than what I'll make in about 15 years. He's not a bad guy, he WORKED for it. People should not be punished for being successful. But granted, those doing the punishing usually have no success to show so of course they want that nice little feeling of revenge.
42it's really sad that we have to defend those that work hard and earn their money...what have people come to?
43'Obama doesn't have a problem with it, why do you? '
I don't see the logic in this statement. And if people are breaking the law and not paying their fair share of taxes then I have a problem with it, no matter than political leanings.
44"just like the majority of obama's administration. Obama doesn't have a problem with it, why do you?" None of those who cheated on their taxes ever made it into the administration, they withdrew.
45good mydiadem, I'm glad you don't like the appointees either and think they're crooks, we have something in common! yay!
46And people who are only averagely successful and still can't afford things that are considered tax write offs (homes etc) shouldn't be punished either.
Both sides should cut the crap protest/speeches etc and find a better way so that the taxation systems is improved and more fair to all Americans. I'm tired of it from both sides.
47Haus-I don't believe it makes them hypocrites, but why the profuse outrage now after eight years of massive spending and nothing to show for it? It just seems like a way to rile people up and that's about it.
48i guess you're right, there were just so many i couldn't keep track of them, my apologies. except Geitner of course, they let him stay.
49In my opinion I don't see how liberals are hypocrites in this situation (they seem to be following their given ideology in their current plants), I do see how conservatives are hypocrites however, it seems quite obvious to me.
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