Tea Party? I’ll Drink to That

I agree with you LJ.

My sign reads.

2010 Budget is DOUBLE all of last years
colletected taxes.

Not including Bailouts, Stimulus and their WARS

Responsibility?

To be fair though on the Republicans not protesting last year. Last year no one was doing anything but concentrating on an election.

And, this mess was not known to a majority of Americans.

And, Even as bad as Bush was, Obama is knocking spending, War funding and his special programs with additionally Faith Based Initiatives out of the park in comparison.

Thank goodnes folks are speaking up at least NOW!

Larry: we are in exactly your situation. Also, not always. It stinks that we work so hard and the government takes about 1/2 our earnings–no deductions–no stimulus gifts. The higher taxes should be for people who, as you pointed out, make around 4 mil a year. 250,000 is not a fortune these days.

The most aggravating thing is what the government does–or doesn’t do–with the money. It just seems wrong to penalize people because they’ve worked hard. It’s a disincentive and I’m sure there are other ways of elevating the working classes than to take away from some people’s success to give to other people’s lack of success. Lots of the poorer people don’t have incentive and they aren’t willing to put in the work to be successful.

I didn’t march in a tea party, but I registered my protest with my reps.

Oh, except we make a fraction of your earnings, but my cost of living and housing is about the same.

I subscribe to the FairTax.org idea of doing away with income tax (which the founding fathers refused to put in the Constitution) and implement sales taxes and taxes on every stock transaction.

Larry I’m with you here! My partner and I are in the same boat… except we can’t file a joint tax return. We live in the DC area too. While we’re fortunate for our position we also both came from struggling middle class families. Mine a farming one. We both give back as much as we can though… especially to animal/childrens issues. I’m not complaining about paying my fair share (I know how much the Europeans pay) but I still think the tax codes are biased and the NoBama Administration is working to put the screws to a certain group of people and even go further by trying to take away our deductions to charity etc. My partner and I are paying the max toward Social Security and we’ll never see a dime of it. NoBama wants to make that contribution unlimited so I’m forever paying into to something I will never benefit from… Socialism Anyone? LOL This whole push by this Crappo Administration is his first big step into forcing us to accept his Socialist ways… I think if he’s so concerned then he should donate his salary to the cause!

I see nothing but good from a movement of citizens who will take their protests to the voting booth next election. Hoping that Arlen Specter has seen his last term as well.

Nice crowd in Sacramento. I like one of the signs I just saw: “Don’t Tax Me Bro”. hahahahaha

I think Arlen Specter is definitely on his way out. And you are right…this will carry over to the elections in 2010 and 2012. If nothing else, I know there are some people out there who won’t do the “lazy” voting anymore.

Great post from Larry. It’s almost painful reading about the spending and what’s to become of us. Very sad. Let’s hope the good citizens of this country can stop it.

Mine doesn’t start until 3 today out at the Santa Monica Pier. I have a feeling that’s going to be a madhouse out there.

Right on, and I live in CA. $250,000 is nothing out here. Nothing. Plus all of our state taxes have gone up. This has gotten way out of control.

I know how much the Europeans pay

But in all fairness at least Europeans get something in return for those taxes. i.e. free health care… From the school of hard knocks I know people in this country who work for a living get nothing. The only free health care in this country is for illegal aliens. We just can’t seem to get enough of them lately.

“manipulative effort”

Come on Larry did you witness Fox or any other MSM outlet cover the preparation and protest against the invasion of Iraq 24/7. Hell hundreds of thousands marched in Oct of 2002 in D.C. and across the nation. By Feb of 2003 the numbers nation wide that marched against the invasion were in the millions. Little to no coverage by the MSM and of course not Fox.

The difference here is that if Fox or any other MSM outlet had covered the millions of middle Americans who marched in those anti invasion marches hundreds of thousands of people might still be alive

Now I have nothing against coverage of what these folks are doing but the oh so obvious disproportion of coverage for this issue is nauseating. Along with you and your moderators unwillingness to allow differing views on your site.

Larry on the topic I am in agreement with you that this enormous debt and out of control spending started under the Bush administration. These folks would have a great deal more credibility if they had started their marches during the former administration?

Most the folks out marching will not have their taxes raised. But what is really pissing me off is how much coverage that this is getting “manipulative” for sure

Arlen Specter MUST GO!!!~!!! I’ve voted for Specter in the past but no more.

I’m a registered Democrat but some how got on the GOP fundraiser list. They called me today – I thought they were calling about the tea parties.

I told the man that if the GOP wants people to listen and to gain more support from Democrats like me who have no party now, they need to get off their soapbox of anti-gay and pro-life and move more to the center.

I also told him that Senators like Specter and Graham have to go! Specter for not supporting the party and Graham for saying he’s against Obama but has his hands out for any pork that comes his way.

The man was very nice and seemed interested in what I had to say. Oh, and he was aware of the tea parties. Guess Barry didn’t get that email.

Free Health care also for prisoners.

Larry,

I agree with your post completely. My husband and I are retired and do not make nearly the $250,000 you do, but we do fine as we don’t live in Maryland and are not in debt. Our house is paid off; we have fairly good health insurance policies and aren’t ill. As you pointed out, income means less than cost of living where a person is living.

I, too, don’t mind paying taxes for many things, though I wish our government’s priorities for spending were more like my priorities of course.

I was terribly upset by the spending of the Bush administration–especially as I thought the money spent in Iraq was spent in such a wasteful fashion, being handed over to all the private companies, like Blackwater, with little accountability. I remember being so upset after seeing the documentaries entitled Iraq for Sale and then No End in Sight and then not being able to discuss them with people because almost no one I knew had seen them.

During the Bush years I felt people just kept their heads in the sand, so to speak, about the spending.

I think the protests now come because people had allowed the Bush administration to be whipped by giving the victory to the Dems thinking some different, more populist policies would take effect. Again this happened because they hadn’t really ever listened to the intentions of the now POTUS nor had they ever looked into his background really.

I have been afraid to talk with a friend who is a Code Pink person. She joined the movement saying she HAD to protest because of the expense of the war and how it would affect her children and grandchildren. She railed against me when I said I, who had been Democrat since ’72, could not support O and would vote McCain. She thought I was crazy because she was SURE McCain’s idea of spending would be worse than O’s. She was opposed to the war itself, but she always talked more about the wasteful spending of the war than the principles of how and why the war was conducted. I just said I felt there needed to be balance. I wanted a Democratic Congress balanced by a Centrist Republican White House (since I couldn’t have Hillary in the White House).

I am sure she is now not happy with O at all, but this woman would not ever be the kind to admit that her judgment had been faulty.

This recession has blindsided many people. I was always aware that it could be coming. The housing situation here was just too crazy. I KNEW all those people buying all those homes with those crazy loans could not maintain their payments since I also saw them going int credit card debt to furnish the houses they should not have purchased in the first place. It was happening everywhere I looked here in Colorado, though I think Colorado is not as bad off as other states.

But one thing I am sure of is that if I pay attention to my gut, I am usually better off. My gut says O and his friend Timmy are not doing a good job with the economy, no matter what he tells us.

I wonder if this could expand to a movement that does nothing but vote the incombents out versus a new party.

It could shake up the establishment.

Just saw two great Tea Party signs from Illinois…

A little kid wearing sign that says:

Stop Selling My Future To China

and

I’m NOT Your ATM!

Larry, Barack Obama does NOT call you, or anyone earning more than $250,000 RICH and your posting that seems an unfair parsing of what he has said. Besides, as I understand the $250,000 number, that he uses, it refers to *taxable* income, not gross income. (I do not know that for certain and will be grateful for a *knowledgeable* correction).
You are right. The tax structure, as you accurately, in my view, DOES favor the very wealthy. That is why, I suspect, that there has been a slow increase in the ultra rich and a diminution of the middle class, a discussion of that term being open for discussion, though a couple of million yearly income is probably the top end of it.
Regarding your liberal or left side friends, perhaps you might elaborate on what individuals say. I am a liberal and am not in any tizzy over the tea baggers. I read many blogs daily,most left. None of them is manifesting any tizzy. The response seems to be to make fun of the tea bagging. If it weren’t impossible to prove a negative, I would challenge you to prove that the tea bag events are not being funded by money from Republican groups. I don’t think that Kos or the other left blogs would lie, though, without question, they all would have a left side perspective. Additionally, while I have NOT seen any of the left blogs assert that Fox is funding the tea bagging (though one of their talking heads is having a $500/ plate lunch and donating to the cost), Fox has been promoting the tea bagging events incessantly for a couple of weeks. That, I argue is not reporting news but lobbying to promote events, not a pretty picture for a national news outlet.
Gug

Woohoo! I love it, “I’m not your ATM”

…ours is later, starts at 5:00PM, but we are in small Santa Fe, so we need to let whom ever is working get out to attened…and see.

The local paper just reported about 1200 at the tea party here which started at 8am.

speaking of taxes, that reminds me of Gates latest comments and now this.

LJ…what are your thoughts?

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates denied permission for the U.S. Northern Command to use the Pentagon’s most powerful sea-based radar to monitor North Korea’s recent missile launch

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/15/us-failed-to-use-best-radar-for-n-korea-missile/

I am also in CA – and $250,000 is middle class income, especially in the Bay Area. The other issue on this amount that really ticks me off is that it’s $250,000 per couple – $200,000 single. That’s a $150,000 income penalty for being married!

This is one great pic, taken from the SF Chronicle reporting on a tea party protest on Staten Island. Truly, this pic does say a thousand words.

OMG…I just saw in Sacramento a sign that says…

IMPEACH THE TELEPROMPTER!

Hahahahahhahahhahahah

not a pretty picture for a national news outlet.

I think Fox knows how to run things. They have the monopoly on network “news” right now. The other networks have left news for entertainment. Myself, when I don’t watch Fox, I watch BBC world.

NATIONAL DEBT

President – Enters Office – Leaves Office – Increase

Carter $620 billion $998 billion 61%
Reagan $998 billion $2.86 trillion 186%
Bush I $2.86 trillion $4.41 trillion 54%
Clinton $4.41 trillion $5.7 trillion 29%
Bush II $5.7 trillion $10.6 trillion 86%
Obama $10.6 trillion ? ?

Source: http://www.treasurydirect.gov

Jimi Hendrix must be rolling over in his grave…

Why do you think the tea parties have to be “funded”? As far as I know it doesn’t take much money to get the word out over the net. It also doesn’t take much spending to make a sign for oneself and then drive to the party. The opposition news to Fox are giving the parties as much publicity as Fox does. I know people who watch MSNBC and CNN, for example, who are absolutely not happy with O, but they like to see what the opposition is saying–and, yes, MSNBC and CNN are indeed nothing but moutpieces for the Messiah. They may watch these shows and then say to themselves, “I think I’ll go to one of those parties if it’s in my part of the county.”

Larry, take a look at this:

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/02/22/militias/

With Hillary, we were looking at an additional 3 trillion added to the debt bringing it from 10 to 13 trillion in the next few years. That money was meant to stimulate the economy and invest in alternative energy as well as buy out some bad mortgages.

I was not happy about it, but I supported the plan. We needed to stimulate the economy using the keynesian theory as the blueprint.

At no time, did I agree to double the debt.
Obama is going to take the deficit from 10 to 20+ trillion in the next decade. I do not see how we can afford to have that debt on our books.

I agree with you on taxes. People making millions are the ones who should pay more taxes. $250,000 is not that much money these days.

Last, I am dismissive of these “teabag parties”.
These people are the same right wing extremists who went along with everything Bush did for 8 long horrible years.
-They had no problem when Bush doubled the deficit.
-They had no problem with Mr. Bush violating the law repeatedly.
-They had no problem with Bush’s wiretapping program

As Glenn Greenwald states, these people only have a problem when it is a Democrat committing the questionable act.
They also are against any spending on social programs and rebuilding infrastructure, but were for spending billions in Iraq and on tax cuts for the wealthiest.

Summary: The Tea Parties are a CROCK OF S**t!

One other complaint–the current movement would have more credibility if it had started when George Bush was busy spending us into the poor house.

Larry, this comment crystallized for me why so many critics of the tea party crescendo postulate various Republic inspired theories at the root. That is, you didn’t protest Republican overspending because you are a Republican; and you are only protesting under BO because…But some of us who considered ourselves Democrats would have protested under President Bush if we had realized the extent to which the Democrats in Congress failed to watch our backs. Tragically, some of us only found out how corruptly our elected representatives had behaved in Congress, after witnessing their base conduct during the Democratic primary. Now, I keep tabs on them; and work to replace them.

I am a liberal and am not in any tizzy over the tea baggers.

By making this statement you show your bias. If you had researched the tea parties you would realize that the spontaneous movement, which has been gaining momentum for months now, is based on the Boston Tea Party of 1773 where the Sons of Liberty threw shiploads of tea into the Harbor.

I’m sure that the Tories had the same sort of vile vocabulary to describe the Sons of Liberty as the Obama Tories are using but it changes not one thing. The Boston Tea Party is still patriotic and Tories are still obsessed with defending the illegitimate Obama government.

the establishment needs a good shaking up.

Because one likes what one hears does not mean the source has credibility. Because those ordinary citizens attending the tea parties have good intentions and plans does not signify that the bogus candidates put up by these fake grassroots organizations are on the same team.
FreedomWorks is astroturf: more, it’s sugarcane. If one wants to bury one’s head in the sand and go la-la-la-Armey-is-not-bff-with-Cheney, and Palin’s-is-not-too-supported-by-a mile long list of prominent neocons and crackpot religious leaders, go ahead.
You’ll learn the hard way, same as the bots did BHO. And I say now what I said to to them in advance as well: I told you so.

Vote for real 3rd party candidates not neocon stooges.

It proceeds from the fallacy that married persons are the only ones that have children and are in turn subsidized disproportionately through services, eg education. The progressive tax should be shifted to those with children regardless of marital status.

Glenn Beck interviews Ted Nugent.

A surprisingly subued GB at the site of America’s Masada finds the nearest guitar hero/libertarian and queries him as to whether he’s in favor big government or not. Surprise: Not. Always a good idea to give air time to people who have invited the president to suck on his gun.

How much money would be generated in one year if the government put a charge of just one cent on every share of stock that is sold? Know something like that would never happen as Wall Street brokers would be upset with that and probably would not back any politician who favored any such idea; thus, no politician (notice I do not say citizen or American) in his/her right mind would support such an idea. Without the support of the monied interests they would not get elected.

Wow, 20,000 at the Atlanta Tea Party. Hahahahahha….some of the signs killed me…I can say this…it’s a beginning and I am so proud to be American watching this stuff. I thought all hope was lost, and we were going to watch that scum and filth Pelosi, Dodd, Reid, Obama, etc. literally destroy this country. No way in hell. The movement against these jackazzes is going to just get bigger, and bigger, and bigger until we finally have our country back. These pigs work for US. How dare they treat us like “subjects” of their Kingdom? LMAO. Those days are going to rapidly end.

Since tax payers pay elected officials are they not also receiving free health care? (And we can’t even vote on how much we pay them!)

I know, did you see the one “P.O.R.K.”?

Peosi, Obama, Reid, Killing us with taxes!

LMAO…I’m trying to remember all of them. But that’s awesome…Did you hear them BOO all of those fools? I am so energized watching this. I said to my mom…I thought we were done, now maybe we have a chance.

LMAO…He just said “It’s NOT the United States of Obama.” Hahahahahahhahah….

The real reason of all these bailouts are to bankrupt the government so we can have a one world governmnet. The bankers wants this and so does Soros. This is the sole reason for all these financial problems right now!!

Yes, you know why there is so much push against this protest? Because it is not party controlled; I posted on another thread, I really think this is scaring the politicians quite a bit, as this is an organic reaction to many many things over short and long term. The people protesting come from all walks both sides of the aisle, and are focused on their children future and the constitution, and claim no party affiliation; that is so incredible, they are behaving as Americans, not a group of a certain kind of Americans, and I have to say regardless of why they came out to protest today, using “taxes” as the reason is brilliant, it is after all a common thread! Bravo Tea Party Protesters Brave, and well done! I will be there for the next one; hands and feet not able to behave themselves good enough for the one today.

Of course this is scaring the hell out of people. The last how many years have been so polarized by party and now look at what’s happening. I think this might actually open doors for more of it. Honestly, I am just so proud to be American right now I can’t think about party. Those people that are out there fighting for us are what this country is about. NOT that elitist scum like Pelosi and Obama. WTF is wrong with those people? It’s deranged.

Well Kathleen I attended a tea party today. First time in my almost 68 years that I have felt the need to participate in what some want to call a protest. I did not vote for Bush and yes these tea parties would probably have more credibility if they had started during his administration. Frankly as an avid reader of American history I really think the real problem started much earlier; like maybe when the Federal Reserve was created (banks loaned the government money but what the banks demanded in return is a big part of the problem we are facing today). From what I have read about the current administration I think in four years a good many people will be saying they wished we had a really fiscally conservative president like Bush back in office (hard to imagine, but Bush’s spending will be seem like a drop in the bucket compared to what this administration has and is proposing). Oh, the reason I decided to attend the tea party was because I read where ever child being born in the our country is currently facing a $100,000+ debt. I feel it is not fair to burden my four month old granddaughter with debts she did not even have a say about incurring. Oh, although it has nothing to do with the tea party, I was a registered democrat from 1962 until shortly after May 31, 2008 when the party threw all principles out the window. Will never be a member of a political party ever again.

Probably the best comment made by one of the speakers at the tea party I was at was that “we need to throw all the politicians in DC out.” Another speaker noted that if John Adams were alive today he would not be the slightest interested in throwing tea into a harbor, he would be leading the patriots in throwing our politicians into the Potomac!

Greed, and addiction to lying as a way of life; you know what they say, once you believe your own lies, the rest is easy. We have had years from both sides being asses, and people have quite had enough.

Those people that are out there fighting for us are what this country is about.

Exactly; and no threats of intimidation are going to work. I’ll make a wanted poster with my own mug on it that is captioned
“investigate me, I’m pro-Constitution”

Some in the MSM want to make it appear party sponsored. I attended a tea party today (maybe 400 in attendence which is fairly good for its location) and I was somewhat surprised to see a few people their who I have seen at democratic rallies over the past several years.

Think the greatest comment made by one of the speakers at this tea party was, “If John Adams were alive today, he would not be interested in throwing tea into a harbor, he would be leading the patriots in throwing all our politicians in DC into the Potomac”!

“Another speaker noted that if John Adams were alive today he would not be the slightest interested in throwing tea into a harbor, he would be leading the patriots in throwing our politicians into the Potomac!”

I love that comment.

Another speaker noted that if John Adams were alive today he would not be the slightest interested in throwing tea into a harbor, he would be leading the patriots in throwing our politicians into the Potomac!

Bravo! Tabula Rasa!

80% of these people need to go.

With you on this in many ways. As you said this is the first time you have been moved to get out on the streets on a particular issue.

I met thousands of people in their 70′s, and 80′s at the anti invasion marches who had not been out on the streets since the civil rights era. Thousands of Vets, blue collar workers, teachers etc etc. What pisses me off about this is not that these folks are out there marching but the lack of understanding that many of them seem to lack about just why they are out there

also what really pisses me off is the disproportionate amount of coverage that Fox hell not only Fox all of the groupthink MSM outlets who did not give the millions of middle class working Americans who marched their ever loving asses off before that illegal stinkin invasion of Iraq.

Get out on the streets hell participate. But do it in an informed way. Not because someone told you to be there, not because you are pissed off over the last eight years of madhouse and irresponsible spending. Do it when it matters not when a new president has a hell of a mess dropped in his lap. Do it when your own party is in there screwing up.

Otherwise the actions are so hypocritical they reek.

Apparently it is now chic to savage the state of texas; I go over to read some of the main lines at Huffy, and wheww, rough stuff about today’s activities. It looks like Texas is now under the bus.
ow I will wash by brain after going to that site.

The STATE of TEXAS is now Driving Thier OWN Bus and I don’t think the Government will ever be able to Intimidate TEAS or get it to Back Down..

They are the LONE STAR STATE…and I appropiate that they threaten leaving the UNION if the Fedearal has Government has gone TOO FAR Imposging on STATES RIGHTS..

In This Case…Control of Money..Spending.abusing Free Interprise and Capitolism ..and the WHOLE Banking System..

NBow the Credit Unions better watch Out…

I was pround of the turn out by The General Public Toady..exercizing thier Constitutional Rights and Freedom of Speech…We have seen this before by other “FREEDOM MARCH” Groups..in the 60s and 70′s..

We know from Obamas background that He suports a Welfare and Socialist and associate with gfoups for many Years that Hatefully and bitterly Holds The white mans government and the White mans Systems and the Wealty to BLAME for OPPRESSION..of “Minoritys..

The same argument used by Marxixts in other Countrys to take over the governments..

Obamas COUP may have been Less Violent But it was a COUP..anyhow..

remarkable how 9/11 Gave bush His far Right wing Coup to play off of..

And the Financial Crash which Could also have been manipulated by Sourches in London..that gave Obama and even more far Reaching Far Left Wing Coup for the Obama administration to Play off of..

They are not being SHY about it…and pretty much what you would expect from someone Like obama with his background and Clearly stated POSITION of Domestice issues …followed by He Foreign Policy Demonstartions and posturing at the G=20 meeting..

it willo be interesting to see how the Obama Administration and various Agencys like DHS respond to todays Peaceful Prototests..

That response may Rachet up the tesion Significantly..and I’m gald there was a Clear Message sent today at thw TEA Partys..

I’m just so grateful for today. It’s been a long time since I have felt like an American. The America that I grew up with and was always so proud of. I knew there was a little life left in the old gal’. They’re going to have to pry my rights and freedoms out of my cold, dead hands.

I was having a Tea Party in my own living room over the money Bush spent. I wanted Bush to get Osama Bin Laden….never believing he would nor would anyone else! The people that are out protesting now talk about screaming at TVs for the last 8 years of Bush especially last year when those stimulus checks came out! None of them were happy…one more straw broke the camel’s back….Obozo didn’t inherit this mess, he was part of this mess…you people forget he was in the Senate…he agreed with all the spending because he is a tax and spend liberal! I also need to remind you that the last three years have seen this country being led by a Democratic Congress…

Best One in Wichita, KS…Obama, Reid, Pelosi Axis of Taxes! Then there was Sam the dog…his sign said “I didn’t read it either”…we had Paul (Paula)Revere come in on horseback, saying More Taxes Are Coming!…as for me being originally from Boston, MA I was dressed in period costume…and I have the accent to go along with it! I brought the Tea Party to Wichita…that is right a Boston Tea Party in Kansas!

Great! Poster!!

Watch “Braveheart” again for some really great inspiration. Here’s what William Wallace said to a bunch of Scottish nobles:

William Wallace: You think the people of this country exist to provide you with position. I think your position exists to provide those people with freedom. And, I go to make sure that they have it.

Larry,

You may not feel wealthy but statistically you are in the top 4% of the income scale. You chose your high cost of living environment. After all you could have set up shop in Harper’s Ferry or some other more remote DC bedroom community. You made a trade off, a closer higher-cost neighborhood for a shorter commute or for other amenities. You are doing a hell of lot better than those poor slobs trying to get by on a GS-4 or GS-5 salary and you’re a prince compared to person working a Walmart Job. (By the way those crap Walmart and Target jobs are another reason your tax bill is so high–if they paid fair wages you would not have to support those workers with WIC, Welfare, Foodbanks, Medicaid, rent support, etc,etc,etc)

You’re correct in one respect; George W. Bush did you no favors. The tax cut you got was chicken feed compared to land-office deal the top 1/2 of 1% got. His fat cat buddies made a killing and you are getting stuck with the bill. But I never heard a peep out of you nor any one else about how reckless Bush was being with his tax policies. The only time I heard you say much as boo about tax policy during the election was when you supported the Libertarian candidate for president.

At best Larry you performed a drive-by shooting of the Bush economic legacy. You had eight freeking years to bring it to your readers attention. Every time Bush put the Iraq war off budget you had a chance to point out the chicanery. Did you? I don’t remember you doing so. Lots of love for HRC was posted but very little about tax policy other to slag Obama and how clueless he was in your opinion.

But now that Obama is president you suddenly get religion Larry. Hallelujah! you have seen the light of fiscal responsibility as revealed by the Libertarian party! Of course serious Libertarians like Ron Paul are for the complete disassembly of the US forward position and for a huge cut in the Defense budget. Call it isolation 2.0 or the abandonment of US Hegemony. It at least is intellectually honest as it slashes one of the largest line items in the budget. If you truly want smaller government you got to take an ax to the military-industrial complex first.

Please clue me in Larry were you have ever argued for a more restrained military. Other than your opposition to the Iraq war where have you gone against the interventionist mind set of Washington? What weapon systems have you opposed? What cuts in force structure have you championed? Have you ever pondered the wisdom of having ten Aircraft carriers when we have not faced a credible blue-water threat since the Soviet Union shuffled off its mortal coil? Did I see any hand wringing by you or your posters when the Navy completely flat-dicked the LCS program? Did you or any of you regulars ever give a critical glance to sorry and sordid Osprey program – a billion dollar lead duck strapped around the taxpayers neck? Did you ever question the need for the absurd billion dollars a copy boomerang that was the B-2 bomber? Or what about the joint strike fighter. Its designed to fight who again? The Chinese? who are killing us by subjecting our economy to the death of a thousand cuts by selling crap to us at Walmart? They don’t need to send up war planes Larry all they have to do is dump our T-bills and we are totally screwed. We spend more on the military than the rest of the world combined Larry and we still get punked by a bunch of nihilist jerks hiding out in caves.

Larry I will believe that you and your are serious about government excess when you come to the table with some serious spending cuts in defense. Otherwise if we can pour billions of dollars into pointless military misadventures like Iraq and Afghanistan we can sure afford decent health care for our citizens. Actually we can no longer afford not to reform health care. Health care costs were a large part of what bankrupted GM and Chrysler. The foreign car makers had a $1,000 a car advantage thanks to their nationalized health care programs. (In the US they had the advantage of a very young work force and thus no legacy cost from pension programs. But that is another argument for another day.)

I will point out Obama is right about healthcare and for the most obvious reason that he mostly cribbed Hillary’s notes during the campaign. As Hillary’s program was a watered down version of what John Edwards offered you could say Obama is offering nothing more than a denatured version of Edwardscare. As healthcare costs keep sucking up more and more of our GDP we will sooner or later have to come to grips with it. It is definitely part of your huge tax bill in MD. Your coughing up major coin for all those uncovered ER bills. Pay now and pay less for a sane policy on healthcare or pay much more later for all the costs associated with our broken system. It is not really a question of what you or I or our posterity can afford Larry it is a question of the size of the bill and what we get for that money.

Um, you do realize that the ONLY reason for that first “tea party” was because we in the Colonies had NO say in the implementation of those taxes? (Hence the cry: “No taxation without representation!”)
We Americans HAVE representation. No matter your opinion of that representation, it IS there.
This equating of the Boston Tea Party with yesterday’s conservative partisan-supported crapfest is nothing but bullshit.

I liked what you said Boxer Mom to the republican I would have also put focus the focus on sexism (republicans were also guilty of this even against their own Palin, they were just a sbad with Hillary) and they also need to get off their soapbox of anti-women as well. Women are always forgotten and ignored.

Wow. The only free healthcare is for illegal immigrants and prisoners? Fascinating. Tell that to the California residents whose taxes will be used to reimburse Kaiser Hospital for the costs of bringing Nadya Suleman’s eight preemies into the world. And are you suggesting that people who are incarcerated – some of whom may be innocent, by the way – shouldn’t be able to see a doctor? Great idea. Just throw ‘em all on Devil’s Island and let God sort ‘em out. Jesus.

I read some “tea party” comments in today’s paper and Barack Obama was quoted as saying yesterday: “We’ve made a clear promise that families that earn less than $250,000 a year will not see their taxes increase by a single dime.” I was surprised to read this as it seems as if Obama is missing the point of the tea parties. He is not taking into account the sales taxes, the state and local taxes, the special taxes on specific items etc., coupled with the massive spending he is asking of the Congress. This is an extraordinary burden on the everyday citizen who is unlucky enough to live in many of the states and cities that are bleeding the working people to death. As for Congress and its culpability, I cannot forget that my party, the Democrats, gained control of the Congress in the 2006 elections. And, while they cannot bear the blame for the spending under George Bush (although Congress always holds the purse strings and can say “no”), these Democrats continued to spend recklessly even after they gained control. What was their excuse? (For that matter, what was their excuse for the mortgage crisis?)
Anyway, my spirits were greatly lifted by what I saw of the tea parties yesterday. I am a full time caregiver to an elderly parent … otherwise, I would have been out there, too. The efforts of the White House and the MSM to downplay/ridicule these events are disturbing. Still, this tax and spend revolt appears to have great potential. I hope it shows its true power in the 2010 mid-term election. The people still have the power to throw them all out. Thanks to NQ for covering the Tea Parties with good insights and clarity. This site remains a gem!

“Impeach the Teleprompter”…..LOL

wonder if we can buy this bumper sticker? great! best so far…

[...] Tea Party? I’ll Drink to That at No Quarter.   A nifty post on paying taxes anyone can relate to. [...]