In honor of today’s scheduled Tea Parties (we’ll have video of the Cache event up later), I’ve been saving a post by UDP’s Todd Taylor that summed up my thoughts on it all. Enjoy.
At first they wanted to protest potential tax increases on those making more than $250,000 annually. In Utah that is about 20,000 of the more than 1.2 million tax filers. But their support for the 20,000 failed when the Democrats enacted a tax cut that will give $500 million back to 990,000 Utah families.
So, they decided to go after future deficits – what former Democratic congressional nominee Steve Olsen called the grandkid tax.
Suddenly, Utah Republicans who ridiculed Steve Olsen during his bid for congress became concerned about the grandkid tax. They tell you that they regret their recent past actions that ballooned the deficit, but to trust them when they say: “We shall go forth and sin no more.”
Should you believe them?
To be fair, the Utah GOP kept their 2008 campaign promises that they would not increase taxes during a recession.
You will note during this past legislative session, they did not increase anything called a tax: gas taxes, cigarette taxes, centrally assessed property taxes that hit big business, income taxes, or severance taxes.
Instead, they decided to increase the cost of nearly everything else: vehicle registration fees, business fees, court fees, college tuition, public employee health insurance co-pays and premiums, public school student fees, and even marriage license fees.
‘nough said?
It’s hardly surprising that those who made out so well for the past eight years are resistant to the change President Obama is making now. The right wing organizers of these events are out of step with the majority of the American people, who last November, called for change and don’t want the same failed economic policies that plunged us into this economic mess in the first place.
Want to do something more productive than drink high tea in a spirit of rebellion? Call your congressman and tell him that you support President Obama and his plans to get our economy back on the road to long term economic prosperity by making bold and wise investments in energy, education and healthcare.
Don’t get me wrong. I encourage peaceable protest whenever the urge strikes. And I encourage all to attend (especially independent voters). I’ve enjoyed poking fun. I find it hilarious Bishop and Chaffetz, Rep. Craig “Non-Binding” Frank and Sen. Margaret Dayton are going to tie their names to the events. I find it heart warming that Fox News is further undermining their credibility as a news outlet by promoting them so aggressively. I find it endearing, though dishonest, that they are being touted as “grassroots organizing.” I even find it intriguing so many would chose this point in time to spark a faux-rebellion.
What I do not find it is remotely noble. The original Tea Party was a cornerstone of our country’s development. It was about very real issues. That so many could find it justified to malign that piece of history by even pretending it compares to this temper tantrum more about lost elections, and fizzled “permanent majorities” than any cogent, founded, or even consistent matter of disagreement.
On the bright side, two, four, six, and maybe even eight years from now, the unhinged petulance of this corporate lobbyist “movement” will still be well documented on YouTube, for voters to review.
As I drop my taxes off, I’ll be thinking of Todd’s words: bold and wise investments.
Sounds very adult.
The hysteria is kind of ironic and disturbing in some ways.
I think the Tea Party is a bad idea. Taxation is really not that big of an issue for me. Yes, the tax code is extremely unfair, and has been for quite some time. Really when 20% of people are paying 86% of the taxes and 50% of people pay NO federal income tax at all, it is blatantly “unfair.” Obama has a vested interested in expanding the portion of non-tax payers, because dependency is the key to a permanent majority. So I don’t jive with the blanket statement that federal taxes are too high. Yes for the top 20% but for the 50% not paying they are WAY too low!
Stupid or not, the thousands of people that turned out to these events means something to me. It means that not everyone thinks that Obama and Congress are on the road to “fixing” the economy. It means that a massive group of people are extreamly uncomfortable with the direction things are going. I respect your relentless liberal leaning views, but these are mine.