Much of the discussion recently over the Tea party activity has been the challenge of identifying WHY we are doing them, WHAT we hope to come of it, the CHALLENGES we face, and WHO is making these events possible. A Michigan writer from SW Michigan offers a fairly clear analysis of these current grass roots events. Enjoy!
What’s the tea party all about?
By Jim Chiodo
There are many reasons why millions of Americans will take to the streets on April 15th. Some people think it is about party politics and displeasure with the current administration. While a great many are fearful where our country is headed, it is not party politics. It is a fundamental disagreement over government’s role.
In particular, we believe the government is far too big already. Yes, this includes the previous administrations excess spending and the idea of bailouts to banks. The plans of the current administration are to make it even bigger. We resent the intrusion and control of government into our lives and liberties. This is a key factor prompting protests.
Take note elected officials regardless if you wear a Democrat or Republican label. The message is clear! Stop the spending. Stop the additional taxation, especially the hidden taxes in the form of increased prices passed on by industries overwhelmed by government meddling and targeted taxing.
Every member of every level of government should open their eyes as to who is on the streets. We are not college students who can skip classes at will to party on the street. Although some of us are unemployed, we are not the life-long unemployed with nothing better to do than attend a rally. For the most part, we are taxpayers who are mad as hell and don’t want to take it anymore.
If you want to know more about us, look to the national figures, personalities and famous people who leaders and organizers of this protest. Unfortunately, you won’t find any famous, rich or recognizable people. They don’t exist. Instead you will find the “Joe, the plumbers” and the millions of no-name people who are indeed, mad as hell.
Organizers are the guy who lives around the corner and you didn’t even know his name before. They are the secretaries, computer technicians, clerks, businessmen, salesmen and any other occupation you can think of. There are also retired people who remember what this country once stood for.
Notice the speakers are not politicians. In fact, party representatives and elected officials offering to take the podium at most tea parties are being rejected. Instead, the everyday Joe’s of this world will speak. There will be no teleprompter with carefully worded speeches that don’t say anything or words chosen to be interpreted differently by different groups.
For some in Washington, the protests and the scope of attendance will come as a surprise. There have been no full page ads in the newspapers and no TV ads. There are no deep-pocketed promoters or backers of this movement. The cost of a TV advertisement is far beyond the means of any organizer. The Major TV stations and affiliates have not even made a single mention on their new coverage of this protest. Fox news and a couple on air personalities or radio talk show hosts are the only medium even mentioning the tea parties.
The biggest way information is being disseminated is on the internet through countless blogs and sites. It is not coordinated at all. Duplicity of information is causing confusion among many internet neophytes as to which is the “official” site. Unlike a promoter like ACORN or MOVE-ON, there is no single source of information.
Despite the odds against a coordinated protest getting off the ground, it is indeed gathering strength and April 15th is only the beginning. This is an unprecedented grass roots activity like the one which happened in Boston many years ago. It is aimed at any future official seeking election. This is our lobby. We won’t make campaign contributions for future pay backs. The salary you receive as an elected official from our taxes is all you will get from us. If you want to hold office and want our vote, take note of what we want and expect of you.
Key to the protests is a desire to take back our country. Just because an elected official or party received 51% of the voted doesn’t give them a mandate to fundamentally change our country. Even the rhetoric used to gain that 51% has proved false. A tax break for 95% of Americans and change from politics as usual has proved to be false.
Speaking of 51%, there are indications our boarders will be opened, giving citizenship freely to illegal immigrants. This goes beyond weakening our security. It perpetuates government taxing productive sector or America and giving it to those who want socialism.
Every country on the face of this earth that has tried socialism has failed. Why would we want to emulate those failures? Why would we seek counsel from leaders of those countries, especially those that despise us and seek our failure? This message is not about our international relations which is yet a different subject.
This message is about our desire to keep American strong on the premise of individual freedom and free market principals. If you define that as greed so be it. That greed is what applies to any American who gets out of bed and goes to work, trying to make a better world for his children. It applies to the millions of people striving to learn a skill or get an education to improve their lot in live. It applies even to the street vendors at the inauguration, who sold souvenirs to those who attended. And yes, it applies to the big “greedy companies and their wall street investors who seek growth and success which allows companies to hire more people.
You can define socialism in many ways but the bottom line message to those who claim the “right” to free housing, free healthcare, free mortgages, free food, and yes to private business, banks, etc, is summed up by the following:
“Your fair share is not in my wallet”
