About the Tea Party

[Wiseacre]

About those Bush tax cuts, the economy did pretty well until the recession hit, so I'd say they worked. To suggest as some do that those cuts had something to do with the recession itself is hard to believe, I see no logic to that. There were a whole lot of factors involved with the recession, but the tax cuts were not one of them, unless somebody has a convincing argument to the contrary.

 

[Foxfyre]

Too bad that the dolt just below the OP can't see beyond party designation.

Plus that 'dolt' is infamous for having NEVER found anything to commend about anybody on the right, about anything conservative, or anything of traditional values. You can scour any crowd and find a few folks who will make statements that, most especially pulled out of context, will make them look foolish. Almost all comical 'man on the street' interviews do just that and can make any group look like it is made up of total idiots.

I think honest people recognize that for what it actually is.

This video for instance was set up and staged with actors:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4mgH0cyOFc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4mgH0cyOFc[/ame]

 

[Foxfyre]

The 'Tea Party' will look as silly as a rainbow afro wig in a few years. They're basically political malcontents - Not a whole lot more. I don't even understand what exactly it is they're trying to accomplish anymore. The overwhelming mantra (besides 'Obama sucks') seems to be "Cut taxes and balance the budget." I can't think of a suitable analogy for such an overwhelming intellectual disconnect.

I agree.

I mean.........if they cut your pay (i.e. taxes to the government), yeah.....you've got to cut your household budget somewhere.

However..........if you lose your job and have no income (i.e. taxes), no matter how much you cut, you'll never be able to do anything like eat, pay rent and utilities.

Cutting taxes is a lot like cutting the governments paycheck. Only trouble is, many of the GOP are looking to EXPAND government in stuff like drug testing welfare recepients and the like.

Do you know how much drug testing costs? It ain't cheap, just ask the Armed Forces.

You're joking right? The government has seen it's greatest expansion in budget, deficits, AND growth of government in history in the last two years and you focus on the GOP wanting to expand government?

It is true, however, that since Teddy Roosevelt, both Democrats and Republicans have been chiseling away at the controls on government the Constitution was intended to furnish and both have steadily and relentlessly increased the size, scope, and power of the federal government and adding to the national debt while steadily and relentlessly taking away rights, choices, options, and opportunities from the people.

The only serious difference between the two parties is that the GOP generally does it a bit more slowly than do the Democrats.

The Tea Party has taken them both on and gives neither any more credit than it deserves and demands that both clean up their act to balance the budget without taking more from the people, start paying down the debt, and returning the system to the Founders intent that it would be the people, not an increasingly totalitarian government, that would have the power.

 

[ABikerSailor]

Exactly what rights have been taken away Foxfyre?

Because, if you're referring to the Patriot Act, that was done under Jr. Also, the creation of Homeland Security.

 

[Foxfyre]

Exactly what rights have been taken away Foxfyre?

Because, if you're referring to the Patriot Act, that was done under Jr. Also, the creation of Homeland Security.

Just off the top of my head (and I wasn't even thinking about the Patriot Act and even if I was, I don't give a damn which President or what party is in charge) just some of the rights we have lost:

The right to use certain terms in public without fear of retaliation from government figures.
The right to use the lightbulbs we prefer.
The right to drive the kind of car we want to drive.
The right to regulate our local schools the way we want.
The right to not be subject to authoritarian government in matters of healthcare and various other assorted issues.
The right to refuse services to people who should not be entitled to them.
The right to smoke on my private property.
The right to put up a traditional religious display commemorating a holiday or a piece of historical religious art without being subject to threats of lawsuit.
The right to contribute only to those I think deserving of my contributions.
The right to opt out of government programs in favor of doing my own thing.
The right to equal protection under the law no matter what race or socioeconomic status to which I belong
The right to put traditional Christmas music in the school Christmas program.
The right to set and enforce the rules for my own kids.

I could go on and on. But as government becomes more and more our Mom, Dad, Nanny, and Savior from all of life's problems, the less freedom we will have or can be sure of. A government big enough to do everything we want it to do is big enough to take anything it wants from us.

 

[Foxfyre]

Here's a Cspan clip of Rand Paul expressing many similar points that resonate with the Tea Partiers:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePZGWvwvH_0&feature=share"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePZGWvwvH_0&feature=share[/ame]

 

[American Horse]

The big question to me about the TP is whether they get too involved in social issues to the point where their primary focus on debt and deficits and the role of gov't is diminished. Are they going to get wrapped around the axle on stuff like Planned Parenthood and NPR, cuz then their political force begins to wane.

I am so glad these people stood up and started speaking their mind. Otherwise we'd have one group of progressives following another and spending money like crazy until the stuff hits the fan. Yeah, they ain't polished or politically savvy, but they have changed the focus of debate in this country on what the gov't can or should do and how to pay for it. And that's a good thing no matter who you are or what you believe.

I think the next political force will be something that represents Main Street America ala the Middle Class. As of late there has been alot of stirring within that demographic as they are finally getting a clue that they have been left behind economically.
Based on the agenda of the Tea Party, I'd say they are tools for Corporate America, who has been abusing the working middle class for over three decades.

Here the top objectives of the Tea Party as voted on by the members - ranked according to votes by the Contract From America panel.

Implement the Fair Tax 9340 rating
Legislation shall contain no unrelated ammendments 4813 rating
Congressional Term Limits 4194 rating
Abolish the Department of Education 3740 rating
Pass Nationwide Medical Malpractice Tort Reform 3376 rating

No lifetime salary or benefits for Congress 3251 rating
Congress shall not exempt themselves 3144 rating
An Official Language of the United States 3113 rating
Drill Here, Drill Now 3099 rating
Interstate Health Insurance Competition 2968 rating

cite Constitutional authority for creating laws 2334 rating
Nuclear Energy, reduce our dependance on foreign oil 1883 rating
More Drilling for Natural Gas and Oil, Increase Nuclear Energy, and eliminate federal regulation and give power back to the states 1188 rating
2nd Amendment Rights 1075 rating

Federal Spending Limitations - Budget Cap 1061 rating
Presidential advisers (czars) shall have no regulatory authority 964 rating
Bills from the House or Senate are to be Made Public 7 Days Before any Vote 921 rating
Post all government expenditures on the Internet 636 rating
Hands OFF the Internet 543 rating

Abolish the Department of Energy. 534 rating
Congress Must Name Relevant Special Interests When They Vote 334 rating
Amend the Endangered Species Act 286 rating
Create independent Ethics Committees for House and Senate 256 rating
Zero Based Budgeting 234 rating

Repeal CAFE Standards 228 rating
No Raises 199 rating
Make legislators accountable for their legislation. 158 rating
Offer Tax Free Prizes for Energy Innovations 126 rating
Alternative to Term Limits - Reduce/Eliminate Benefits 113 rating

Market Based Approach to Reduce Global Warming 108 rating
Pledge to Cut Deficit by 70% in Two Years With No New Taxes 95 rating
High Hurdle for Spending Amendment 92 rating
Repeal the Clean Air Act! 85 rating
A True National Energy Policy 75 rating

Create a Federal Program Review Board 66 rating
Set Some Boundaries 29 rating

 

[Foxfyre]

You have the source for that AH? Because except for a few points, it just doesn't look like anything I've seen put before a Tea Party group.

The Contract from America that is endorsed by a lot of Tea Party groups looks like this:

The Contract from America

We, the undersigned, call upon those seeking to represent us in public office to sign the Contract from America and by doing so commit to support each of its agenda items, work to bring each agenda item to a vote during the first year, and pledge to advocate on behalf of individual liberty, limited government, and economic freedom.

Individual Liberty
Our moral, political, and economic liberties are inherent, not granted by our government. It is essential to the practice of these liberties that we be free from restriction over our peaceful political expression and free from excessive control over our economic choices.

Limited Government
The purpose of our government is to exercise only those limited powers that have been relinquished to it by the people, chief among these being the protection of our liberties by administering justice and ensuring our safety from threats arising inside or outside our country’s sovereign borders. When our government ventures beyond these functions and attempts to increase its power over the marketplace and the economic decisions of individuals, our liberties are diminished and the probability of corruption, internal strife, economic depression, and poverty increases.

Economic Freedom
The most powerful, proven instrument of material and social progress is the free market. The market economy, driven by the accumulated expressions of individual economic choices, is the only economic system that preserves and enhances individual liberty. Any other economic system, regardless of its intended pragmatic benefits, undermines our fundamental rights as free people.

1. Protect the Constitution
Require each bill to identify the specific provision of the Constitution that gives Congress the power to do what the bill does. (82.03%)

2. Reject Cap & Trade
Stop costly new regulations that would increase unemployment, raise consumer prices, and weaken the nation’s global competitiveness with virtually no impact on global temperatures. (72.20%)

3. Demand a Balanced Budget
Begin the Constitutional amendment process to require a balanced budget with a two-thirds majority needed for any tax hike. (69.69%)

4. Enact Fundamental Tax Reform
Adopt a simple and fair single-rate tax system by scrapping the internal revenue code and replacing it with one that is no longer than 4,543 words—the length of the original Constitution. (64.90%)

5. Restore Fiscal Responsibility & Constitutionally Limited Government in WashingtonCreate a Blue Ribbon taskforce that engages in a complete audit of federal agencies and programs, assessing their Constitutionality, and identifying duplication, waste, ineffectiveness, and agencies and programs better left for the states or local authorities, or ripe for wholesale reform or elimination due to our efforts to restore limited government consistent with the US Constitution’s meaning. (63.37%)

6. End Runaway Government Spending
Impose a statutory cap limiting the annual growth in total federal spending to the sum of the inflation rate plus the percentage of population growth. (56.57%)

7. Defund, Repeal, & Replace Government-run Health Care
Defund, repeal and replace the recently passed government-run health care with a system that actually makes health care and insurance more affordable by enabling a competitive, open, and transparent free-market health care and health insurance system that isn’t restricted by state boundaries. (56.39%)

8. Pass an ‘All-of-the-Above” Energy Policy
Authorize the exploration of proven energy reserves to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources from unstable countries and reduce regulatory barriers to all other forms of energy creation, lowering prices and creating competition and jobs. (55.51%)

9. Stop the Pork
Place a moratorium on all earmarks until the budget is balanced, and then require a 2/3 majority to pass any earmark. (55.47%)

10. Stop the Tax Hikes
Permanently repeal all tax hikes, including those to the income, capital gains, and death taxes, currently scheduled to begin in 2011. (53.38%)

 

[code1211]

I think they are afraid of the ever changing world and it makes them uncomfortable. I agree with a lot of their gripes but you can't be getting welfare from the government and blasting Obama health care.

When did we establish anyone was getting welfare from the Gov't?? I was talking about the tea party.

My vid was about the tea party, did you watch it?

I consider myself to be a member of the TEA Party. Tell ME what I am and I'll see if I can straighten out your perception.

 

[code1211]

The big question to me about the TP is whether they get too involved in social issues to the point where their primary focus on debt and deficits and the role of gov't is diminished. Are they going to get wrapped around the axle on stuff like Planned Parenthood and NPR, cuz then their political force begins to wane.

I am so glad these people stood up and started speaking their mind. Otherwise we'd have one group of progressives following another and spending money like crazy until the stuff hits the fan. Yeah, they ain't polished or politically savvy, but they have changed the focus of debate in this country on what the gov't can or should do and how to pay for it. And that's a good thing no matter who you are or what you believe.

Those are two excellent things to cut, but not because of any morality issues. They are personal responsibility issues. I don't care if a person gets an abortion. I find it to be a bad decision, but it's none of my business. Available, safe and rare, as Clinton said. NPR? They already run commercials. Do it like everyone else and make a profit for crissakes!

Other things are AmTrak, Federal funding for education, Federal Highway dollars, susidies for the post office, the EPA, any increase for any program beyond 2008 levels, Obamacare and payroll deductions administered by federal employees to support union activities.

All programs should be zeroed out annually and approved one by one on individual votes for funds justified to the last dollar. The larger the increase in saving from previous year, the larger the bonus for the department head. Budget overruns result in dismissal of department heads for gross incompetence.

Not enough time to approve all individual the programs that need to be approved? What should this tell us?

 

[ABikerSailor]

The big question to me about the TP is whether they get too involved in social issues to the point where their primary focus on debt and deficits and the role of gov't is diminished. Are they going to get wrapped around the axle on stuff like Planned Parenthood and NPR, cuz then their political force begins to wane.

I am so glad these people stood up and started speaking their mind. Otherwise we'd have one group of progressives following another and spending money like crazy until the stuff hits the fan. Yeah, they ain't polished or politically savvy, but they have changed the focus of debate in this country on what the gov't can or should do and how to pay for it. And that's a good thing no matter who you are or what you believe.

Those are two excellent things to cut, but not because of any morality issues. They are personal responsibility issues. I don't care if a person gets an abortion. I find it to be a bad decision, but it's none of my business. Available, safe and rare, as Clinton said. NPR? They already run commercials. Do it like everyone else and make a profit for crissakes!

Other things are AmTrak, Federal funding for education, Federal Highway dollars, susidies for the post office, the EPA, any increase for any program beyond 2008 levels, Obamacare and payroll deductions administered by federal employees to support union activities.

All programs should be zeroed out annually and approved one by one on individual votes for funds justified to the last dollar. The larger the increase in saving from previous year, the larger the bonus for the department head. Budget overruns result in dismissal of department heads for gross incompetence.

Not enough time to approve all individual the programs that need to be approved? What should this tell us?

Interesting.......2 of the things that made this country great is what you'd like to cut.

Railroads made the whole country accessible.

Eisenhower created the highway system that connects all of us together, which means that everyone can have non local food anytime they want it.

Are you sure you really want to cut them? I mean.........Amtrak is a great way to travel if you have the time, took me only 2 days to get from Memphis to Montana, cheaper than air travel and quicker than traveling via car.

I remember going on leave for a month once and going from Memphis to Chicago to Montana to Oregon, down through California (San Francisco) and then back up to Salt Lake City before going to Chicago and then back to Memphis.

Probably one of the better months of my life. Saw a lot of stuff and had kinky sex in the bathroom with a hot redhead.

 

[Foxfyre]

But, ABS, would you have enjoyed that Amtrak trip as much if you had had to pay the real cost of your fare to take it? Why should Americans who never ride the train pay for you to take a nice trip? Would it have been worth it to you to pony up the full cost? How many people do you think would ride Amtrak if the fare was as much as an airplane ticket?

Or a whole lot more than it would cost to drive the same distance?

It would be wonderful if there was some fairy godmother who could provide us with all our needs and all the delights of our heart, but the fact is we get things from the government cheap or free only at the expense of our neighbors. And sooner or later our neighbors run out of money. The government already has and is mortgaging the future of our children and grandchildren so nobody has to tick you off by not providing you with a cheap train ride.

And yes, we either deal with that now or give up on the great experiment that our Founders envisioned and allow the government to control and furnish every aspect of our lives.

 

[ABikerSailor]

But, ABS, would you have enjoyed that Amtrak trip as much if you had had to pay the real cost of your fare to take it? Why should Americans who never ride the train pay for you to take a nice trip? Would it have been worth it to you to pony up the full cost? How many people do you think would ride Amtrak if the fare was as much as an airplane ticket?

Or a whole lot more than it would cost to drive the same distance?

It would be wonderful if there was some fairy godmother who could provide us with all our needs and all the delights of our heart, but the fact is we get things from the government cheap or free only at the expense of our neighbors. And sooner or later our neighbors run out of money. The government already has and is mortgaging the future of our children and grandchildren so nobody has to tick you off by not providing you with a cheap train ride.

And yes, we either deal with that now or give up on the great experiment that our Founders envisioned and allow the government to control and furnish every aspect of our lives.

Interestingly enough, it was an All Aboard America pass (which meant that I could ride the rails for 30 days), which cost me 300 bucks.

No, I didn't get the military discount, because if I'd used that, I would have ended up paying around 100 bucks more.

What's even better is that others were riding the rails and paying the same rate as me, even if they weren't active duty.

Try again retard.

 

[code1211]

The 'Tea Party' will look as silly as a rainbow afro wig in a few years. They're basically political malcontents - Not a whole lot more. I don't even understand what exactly it is they're trying to accomplish anymore. The overwhelming mantra (besides 'Obama sucks') seems to be "Cut taxes and balance the budget." I can't think of a suitable analogy for such an overwhelming intellectual disconnect.

I agree.

I mean.........if they cut your pay (i.e. taxes to the government), yeah.....you've got to cut your household budget somewhere.

However..........if you lose your job and have no income (i.e. taxes), no matter how much you cut, you'll never be able to do anything like eat, pay rent and utilities.

Cutting taxes is a lot like cutting the governments paycheck. Only trouble is, many of the GOP are looking to EXPAND government in stuff like drug testing welfare recepients and the like.

Do you know how much drug testing costs? It ain't cheap, just ask the Armed Forces.

A better gateway would be to have the folks getting unemployment or welfare to do what they can do to help society. Pick up trash on the sidewalks or do the dishes at a homeless shelter. Anything. Monitor the boys rooms in schools or watch over playgrounds during recess. Anything.

If they're high as a kite, the teacher or the cook or the hallway janitor could report the behavior and have them blow the 1.5 and then blow the public money.

In this way, you're not testing everybody, just the ones who don't care about themselves.

 

[code1211]

I see the Tea party as the common man who has just now found his voice after many years of fat, lazy silence. Right now they are clownish and disorganized in their new reincarnation and need polish and direction but that IS the voice of the common man you are hearing, make no mistake about it. Later it will morph into what it will eventually be, for good or ill but don't be too quick to laugh, my friends. Far smaller factions of far less experienced members have changed the world.

also see the 'fat, lazy' as just about all of us that have been cruising along for several generations letting the Government run itself while we reaped the benefits. But something has gone terribly wrong there in the last few decades, hasn't it? And it's not just Democrats, and it's not just Republicans and it's not just corporations and it's not just a shaky infrastructure, is it? It's all of us that have stood by while others that did not have our country's best interest at heart have been given full head to do as they wish, politicians from both parties that have passed laws without looking down the road at the possible complications and ramifications or doing so. And why? BECAUSE WE WEREN'T WATCHING.

Well, now, a small faction of people that remember when this country was great have gotten a platform and a voice. That is always scary to the leaches because they don't want to let go of their fat host. But the host has been drained almost dry and they'll fall off while the rest of us try to revive it.


That bunch of guys that dumped all the Tetley in the Boston Harbor were a disorganized bunch of rabble too. Never judge anything by it's first reincarnation. And never underestimate the common man when you stir him up. After all, the Boston Tea Partiers were just pissed off over a breakfast beverage.

And, consistent with that thought, I was surprised to find that Jack Cafferty, a voice on the Left from CNN, said the following:

"FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

For those who thought the Tea Party was a passing fad, it might be time to reconsider:

For starters, it seems like the Tea Partiers may be among the only people in Washington who are serious about reining in government spending.

While Democrats and Republicans talk... and talk... and talk about cutting spending and reducing our skyrocketing deficits and $14 trillion national debt, some in the Tea Party have real solutions."
Cafferty File: Tell Jack how you really feel Blog Archive - Tea Party the answer to cutting govt. spending? « - CNN.com Blogs


Too bad that the dolt just below the OP can't see beyond party designation.

Real solutions or simple solutions to complex issues? I see the latter; real solutions require complex and critical thinking to anticipate what are the intended and what may be the unintended consequences of an action.

As Reagan said, kind of, the choices are not complex, they're just hard. In business, if you want to achieve a goal, you make a budget and then execute a plan to achieve the budget and thereby, your goal.

In anything concerning money, the goal is to finish ahead of where you currently are. Right now, we're in the shitter. Our goal should be to get out of before it gets flushed.

The apparent plan of the current administration is to get deeper into it. Bad plan.

The government is nothing more or less than a money management group. They do a piss poor job. The job they do seems to be getting worse with every passing day.

We have a pretty predictable amount of money coming in. We need to pace the spending to the earning. This is not a complex solution, but it is a hard one.

Liberals do not have the guts to make the choices that need to be made. Republicans and Democrats are all Liberals.

Until we get a Conservative government in place, we are screwed.

 

[code1211]

No, the problem with the economy right now is that they didn't let Jr.'s tax cuts expire. Wanna know why they were set up for 10 years? To see if they worked. Thus far, they haven't.

The tax cuts worked pretty well. The unemployment rate was around 5% when the Democrats were calling it the worst economy since the Great Depression. That was about 15 million jobs ago.

'member?

Then the credit fiasco broke loose thanks largely to the lax lending laws put in place by the idiot thieves in Congress in both parties and their willing accomplices in the White House and the Fed.

The 9/11 Recession was fairly short lived. This one is not. About 2 Trillion of Failed Stimulus plus QE later and we're still screwed.

Still another complex solution. So complex it could never work.

 

[code1211]

The big question to me about the TP is whether they get too involved in social issues to the point where their primary focus on debt and deficits and the role of gov't is diminished. Are they going to get wrapped around the axle on stuff like Planned Parenthood and NPR, cuz then their political force begins to wane.

I am so glad these people stood up and started speaking their mind. Otherwise we'd have one group of progressives following another and spending money like crazy until the stuff hits the fan. Yeah, they ain't polished or politically savvy, but they have changed the focus of debate in this country on what the gov't can or should do and how to pay for it. And that's a good thing no matter who you are or what you believe.

Those are two excellent things to cut, but not because of any morality issues. They are personal responsibility issues. I don't care if a person gets an abortion. I find it to be a bad decision, but it's none of my business. Available, safe and rare, as Clinton said. NPR? They already run commercials. Do it like everyone else and make a profit for crissakes!

Other things are AmTrak, Federal funding for education, Federal Highway dollars, susidies for the post office, the EPA, any increase for any program beyond 2008 levels, Obamacare and payroll deductions administered by federal employees to support union activities.

All programs should be zeroed out annually and approved one by one on individual votes for funds justified to the last dollar. The larger the increase in saving from previous year, the larger the bonus for the department head. Budget overruns result in dismissal of department heads for gross incompetence.

Not enough time to approve all individual the programs that need to be approved? What should this tell us?

Interesting.......2 of the things that made this country great is what you'd like to cut.

Railroads made the whole country accessible.

Eisenhower created the highway system that connects all of us together, which means that everyone can have non local food anytime they want it.

Are you sure you really want to cut them? I mean.........Amtrak is a great way to travel if you have the time, took me only 2 days to get from Memphis to Montana, cheaper than air travel and quicker than traveling via car.

I remember going on leave for a month once and going from Memphis to Chicago to Montana to Oregon, down through California (San Francisco) and then back up to Salt Lake City before going to Chicago and then back to Memphis.

Probably one of the better months of my life. Saw a lot of stuff and had kinky sex in the bathroom with a hot redhead.

Man alive! Why not subsidize wagon trains? They opened the West. AmTrak is a dandy device if the population has the relative desnsity of an anthill in the expanded area. In Minesoota or Montana, not so much.

Run AmTrak where it makes sense in the Boston-Washington corridor and shut it down elsewhere. You'll just have to have your love tryst in the back of a Greyhound and then re-live it on the internet.

The money for the "Highway Bill" is an annual free for all of graft and bribery of money sent to Washington and then doled back out to the states. Why not leave it in the states and let them fix their own highways? The States are who does it now anyway except they just launder the cash through Washington before using it to bribe those who can get them re-elected.

Your train ticket, by the by, paid about 1/10 of the cost of your little moboilized roll n the hay. Me and those reading this paid the oher 9/10 of it. Your welcome, but you could have paid money to for-profit private enterprise and made the same trip.

If the service is needed, people will pay to use it. If not, it's not. This is not a complex solution.

 

[Zona]

I see the Tea party as the common man who has just now found his voice after many years of fat, lazy silence. Right now they are clownish and disorganized in their new reincarnation and need polish and direction but that IS the voice of the common man you are hearing, make no mistake about it. Later it will morph into what it will eventually be, for good or ill but don't be too quick to laugh, my friends. Far smaller factions of far less experienced members have changed the world.

I also see the 'fat, lazy' as just about all of us that have been cruising along for several generations letting the Government run itself while we reaped the benefits. But something has gone terribly wrong there in the last few decades, hasn't it? And it's not just Democrats, and it's not just Republicans and it's not just corporations and it's not just a shaky infrastructure, is it? It's all of us that have stood by while others that did not have our country's best interest at heart have been given full head to do as they wish, politicians from both parties that have passed laws without looking down the road at the possible complications and ramifications or doing so. And why? BECAUSE WE WEREN'T WATCHING.

Well, now a small faction of people that remember when this country was great have gotten a platform and a voice. That is always scary to the leaches because they don't want to let go of their fat host. But the host has been drained almost dry and they'll fall off while the rest of us try to revive it.


That bunch of guys that dumped all the Tetley in the Boston Harbor were a disorganized bunch of rabble too. Never judge anything by it's first reincarnation. And never underestimate the common man when you stir him up. After all, the Boston Tea Partiers were just pissed off over a breakfast beverage.

Those original people did not have the Koch brothers running them. They had brains of their own.

The modern tea baggers started off with the right intensions but were taken over by people more interested in money. Those guys actually had baggers fighting for the insurance companies. They are that good.

wow.

 

[Zona]

Those are two excellent things to cut, but not because of any morality issues. They are personal responsibility issues. I don't care if a person gets an abortion. I find it to be a bad decision, but it's none of my business. Available, safe and rare, as Clinton said. NPR? They already run commercials. Do it like everyone else and make a profit for crissakes!

Other things are AmTrak, Federal funding for education, Federal Highway dollars, susidies for the post office, the EPA, any increase for any program beyond 2008 levels, Obamacare and payroll deductions administered by federal employees to support union activities.

All programs should be zeroed out annually and approved one by one on individual votes for funds justified to the last dollar. The larger the increase in saving from previous year, the larger the bonus for the department head. Budget overruns result in dismissal of department heads for gross incompetence.

Not enough time to approve all individual the programs that need to be approved? What should this tell us?

Interesting.......2 of the things that made this country great is what you'd like to cut.

Railroads made the whole country accessible.

Eisenhower created the highway system that connects all of us together, which means that everyone can have non local food anytime they want it.

Are you sure you really want to cut them? I mean.........Amtrak is a great way to travel if you have the time, took me only 2 days to get from Memphis to Montana, cheaper than air travel and quicker than traveling via car.

I remember going on leave for a month once and going from Memphis to Chicago to Montana to Oregon, down through California (San Francisco) and then back up to Salt Lake City before going to Chicago and then back to Memphis.

Probably one of the better months of my life. Saw a lot of stuff and had kinky sex in the bathroom with a hot redhead.

Man alive! Why not subsidize wagon trains? They opened the West. AmTrak is a dandy device if the population has the relative desnsity of an anthill in the expanded area. In Minesoota or Montana, not so much.

Run AmTrak where it makes sense in the Boston-Washington corridor and shut it down elsewhere. You'll just have to have your love tryst in the back of a Greyhound and then re-live it on the internet.

The money for the "Highway Bill" is an annual free for all of graft and bribery of money sent to Washington and then doled back out to the states. Why not leave it in the states and let them fix their own highways? The States are who does it now anyway except they just launder the cash through Washington before using it to bribe those who can get them re-elected.

Your train ticket, by the by, paid about 1/10 of the cost of your little moboilized roll n the hay. Me and those reading this paid the oher 9/10 of it. Your welcome, but you could have paid money to for-profit private enterprise and made the same trip.

If the service is needed, people will pay to use it. If not, it's not. This is not a complex solution.

The rest of the world laughs at us with our non technology with those bullet trains. Are you a hick who never left your moma's home town? Its just a question and how you answer will clear up a lot of things.

 

[code1211]

I see the Tea party as the common man who has just now found his voice after many years of fat, lazy silence. Right now they are clownish and disorganized in their new reincarnation and need polish and direction but that IS the voice of the common man you are hearing, make no mistake about it. Later it will morph into what it will eventually be, for good or ill but don't be too quick to laugh, my friends. Far smaller factions of far less experienced members have changed the world.

I also see the 'fat, lazy' as just about all of us that have been cruising along for several generations letting the Government run itself while we reaped the benefits. But something has gone terribly wrong there in the last few decades, hasn't it? And it's not just Democrats, and it's not just Republicans and it's not just corporations and it's not just a shaky infrastructure, is it? It's all of us that have stood by while others that did not have our country's best interest at heart have been given full head to do as they wish, politicians from both parties that have passed laws without looking down the road at the possible complications and ramifications or doing so. And why? BECAUSE WE WEREN'T WATCHING.

Well, now a small faction of people that remember when this country was great have gotten a platform and a voice. That is always scary to the leaches because they don't want to let go of their fat host. But the host has been drained almost dry and they'll fall off while the rest of us try to revive it.


That bunch of guys that dumped all the Tetley in the Boston Harbor were a disorganized bunch of rabble too. Never judge anything by it's first reincarnation. And never underestimate the common man when you stir him up. After all, the Boston Tea Partiers were just pissed off over a breakfast beverage.

Those original people did not have the Koch brothers running them. They had brains of their own.

The modern tea baggers started off with the right intensions but were taken over by people more interested in money. Those guys actually had baggers fighting for the insurance companies. They are that good.

wow.

Fighting FOR the insurance companies? The people you say were fighting for the insurance companies lost the fight.

The insurance companies raised their rates. Higher rates equals higher profits.

So far, the Big 0 said he'd close Gitmo. Still open.
Get out of Iraq. Still there.
Capture bin Laden. Still loose.
Lower unemployment. Still high.
Create jobs. Still low.
Correct the energy problems. Gas is headed toward $5.00.
Be bi-partisan. Yeah, right!
Be post racial. Beer Summit.
Correct the deficit. 1.5 Trillion per year in the hole.
Restore American respct throughout the world. We're the butt of every joke and every goal is gone.
Mend fences with the Moslems. Oil production is reduced in the Middle East.

Add your own points here.

If you haven't figured out his communication style yet, here it is: Whatever he says, you can count on him doing exactly the opposite. Every time. In every situation.

He said he'd bend the cost curve down. It went up.
Reduce insurance premiums by $2500 per person. PER PERSON! They are up.
Reduce taxes on the middle class and poor. They are up.

Whatever the Big 0 promises, the opposite will occur.

Is he the smartest Prez ever with an evil secret plan or a bumbling idiot without a secret clue?

You make the call.