Poll: The Tea Party Movement

[Skarvey]

Why, all of a sudden, are people holding these "tea party" protests? I see it going on all around America and I don't think it will be long before the fervor over it spreads around. Personally, it makes no sense to me. I understand that the economy is in a bad way, but is this any way to fix it?

A few weeks ago there were riots in Britain. There didn't need to be riots in Britain. Those people came out, dressed up like clowns, wrote clever little slogans on picket signs, and paraded around in front of the "establishment" like they were accomplishing something. And what did they accomplish? They broke a few windows and got beaten down by police. How did this help the economy?

I mean, I get it, you're exercising your rights, and thats all fine and good, but don't play at it like you're changing the world. These protests, these tea parties that're going on in America today, they're just catharsis. People are venting their anger over the economy, but they're invoking the old American image of revolution with the tea party. Do they expect the heavens to part and the power elites to descend down off their throwns to concede. "Curses, you've defeated us, I guess we'll slink back to our respective lairs now, here is all your money. You may have won this round Gadget, but I'll get you next time."

Bad jokes aside, what do you feel about the Tea Party Movement?

 

[Armored Prayer]

Their protesting wasteful spending, by wastefully spending.

 

[Micah Weil]

They're protesting that the government is trying to fix the country it's supposed to be running, but in a manner that they do not approve of.
And I miss it when they called themselves "teabaggers".

Edit: forgive me, I left out one rather important detail.
The manner that they approve was the one that got us into this mess in the first place.

 

[Strafe Mcgee]

Okay, I'm not familiar with American history, but how exactly is a tea party form of protest? No crumpets? Refusal to give any participants sugar? Milk supplied when you meet our demands?

 

[Inverse Skies]

Ahhh, I love Google and how it explains things. The tea party movement is against massive stimulus spending and buying of toxic debts because they believe that in order to pay back the money borrowed in order to fund the stimulus packages the government will have to increase taxes. Now I understand.

The government has to be seen to be doing something, and bailing out the banks, in America's case at least, was seen as the most appropriate course of action in order to stop them collapsing and creating a massive void in the economy. It's interesting how people are now challenging the idea of massive stimulus spending because of the fear it will create higher taxes. It's similar to the idea that people here in Aus want banks to pass on the full interest rate cuts in line with the RBA, without realising in the long term those rates will rebound and drag them into debt because they're unable to keep up with the mortgage repayments, and the cycle continues.

To be honest I'm not sure what to do in this particular situation, I guess I'll just sit back and observe what goes on with this movement. I haven't heard much about it yet, so hopefully it starts to gain some news time in Aus.

 

[dwightsteel]

I've wrote about this twice before on this forum, but the original Boston tea-party is a sham. If they're representing anything, it's their ignorance.

Not only do I agree whole heartedly with Armored Prayer, but lets look at what the Boston Tea Party was.

It wasn't a patriotic act of rebellion against a tyrannous monarchy. It was a message to the British to back off by pirates.

The Tea Act, among many things, lowered the price of tea, to allow England and the East India Trading Co. to stay competitive with smugglers, who were importing the brunt of the colony's tea.

When they lowered prices, the smugglers dressed up as natives and dumped the tea over board as a giant "fuck you!" to the king.

Not only are they making a pointless statement, but they are doing it under the guise of patriotic concept that doesn't exist. Double fail.

 

[GloatingSwine]

Okay, I'm not familiar with American history, but how exactly is a tea party form of protest? No crumpets? Refusal to give any participants sugar? Milk supplied when you meet our demands?

The original Boston Tea Party was in opposition to taxes levied on US exports. Their slogan was "no taxation without representation".

Now they have representation, and it wants to tax them*, and they don't like it.

*By "Them" I actually mean the top rate of tax, which will not affect any of the people actually involved in the protest as it only kicks in at around $200,000p.a. income, but if they couldn't get people to act against their own interests, there would be no Republican party. (Who else could get poor people to so fervently support the rights of rich people to get richer at their expense).

 

[Deathsong17]

Okay, I'm not familiar with American history, but how exactly is a tea party form of protest? No crumpets? Refusal to give any participants sugar? Milk supplied when you meet our demands?

Because the Boston Teaparty was the nickname for the moment the Americans sparked their revolution, because the British were taxing them for tea. That's the message the Republicans are sending with their teabagging.

 

[Micah Weil]

Okay, I'm not familiar with American history, but how exactly is a tea party form of protest? No crumpets? Refusal to give any participants sugar? Milk supplied when you meet our demands?

Because the Boston Teaparty was the nickname for the moment the Americans sparked their revolution, because the British were taxing them for tea. That's the message the Republicans are sending with their teabagging.

Whoa whoa...hold on there.
It's not the Republicans that are doing this. There were democrats at the tea parties too, topped off with the fact that there are some die-hard republicans that think the teabaggers are idiots.

Which they are, but let's keep focused here.

This was something done by the right, far right, and uber-right wing conservatives.

 

[Strafe Mcgee]

Because the Boston Teaparty was the nickname for the moment the Americans sparked their revolution, because the British were taxing them for tea. That's the message the Republicans are sending with their teabagging.

Ah... Y'know, that's a shame. I'd honestly constructed this idea that a bunch of folk in Boston had sparked a revolution during an actual tea party amongst American intellectuals. That'd be a much more romantic way to start a revolution.

 

[Cutlesnap]

I agree with the previous arguments against the 'movement' (except AP's) and like to add:
It's presented as a grassroots movement, but is really a 'astroturf' movement, created by such elitist entities as Fox News an the Republican party. These elitists, of course, are upset that their tax cuts have been taken away from them and given to the working and middle classes instead.

Also, although I could nitpick, I do believe stimulus spending is every governments duty in times of recession.

On Armored Player's comment about the protests being wasteful spending:
I disagree. Protests, including the ones I don't agree with, are such an integral part of the democratic system that they are not subject to spending limits. Ever.
Plus, I don't think they are spending that much on the protests, right? How much does some tea cost?

 

[SyphonX]

I think the Tea Party movement is something the country needs and what the world needs for that matter.

Though I believe it's been exploited and misrepresented so as not to be taken seriously with it's original intentions. I just read a few minutes ago that Obama is requesting I believe 500 Billion from Congress to support a heavy IMF loan/contractual agreement. I'm not 100% sure on the amount because the headline was taken down and replaced by a story about an athlete or rain forecasts, you know, really worldly important shit. Though the context of hundreds of billions and IMF together caught my eye more than the actual amount. Truly shocking how much money is being thrown around right now.

I'm not Left or Right, I'm only observant to both so-called 'sides'. It just seems that this administration is getting away with a lot more just because of Obama. Accepting the IMF to handle heavy loans is essentially beginning the contract to sign over American sovereignty. It is the same principle on why Britain refuses the Euro as much as it does and why Iceland put up a fuss over the EU. It signs over a portion of sovereignty forever, no exceptions.

This is an example of the kind of thing the "Tea Party" movement started out to protest and resist. However, it's been exploited and abused by the media to show you the worst things they can find, such as people not involved in the Tea Party whatsoever but instead picketing anti-racial slogans about Obama being black. These people aren't part of the movement, they just go along for the ride and ruin it. A thousand people can hold a peaceful protest and get a real point across, but one douche-bagger comes along and throws a brick through the window and voila, you have a juvenile protest. It's kind of hard to hold a stage for protest and reason on the public streets. Considering there are no other alternatives besides suggestion and protest, I would think more people would be supportive of it.

 

[SyphonX]

where were the tea-baggers during the bush administration? where were they during the 15 or so billion being spent per month, don't get me wrong, I was a bush supporter, but even i can say it would of made more sense to do this back then than it is now.

This sort of thing was prevalent during the Bush administration also. But like I said before, it's been exploited by the media right-wing to make it an anti-Obama message. It would have Never been covered by the major media outlets because it represented no interesting gains for them. Now it does, because they want to exploit the Obama stigma on the populace that were never ready for him, etc.

No matter what happens now, the Tea Party has been completely discredited regardless of how true and meaningful their intentions might have been. Now they're just a bunch of 'crazy protestors' in the annals of modern American history.

 

[iledgend]

this all started thanks to this guy,(links at bottom) and he has many good points, and their not pinned on any single president, its revolving around the congress, because in all honesty the president doesn't have near as much authority as people think he does. and i am pretty sure all of these ideas have been around before the bush administration, and whether it was bush or another president (in this case both) the bailout is just a little too much, if a small company did this its their fault, but since its a big one, oh no we have to save it. anyhow the guy has alot of good points.

(we the people stimulus)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeYscnFpEyA&feature=related

(second American revolution)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKFKGrmsBDk

 

[Jeronus]

I've wrote about this twice before on this forum, but the original Boston tea-party is a sham. If they're representing anything, it's their ignorance.

Not only do I agree whole heartedly with Armored Prayer, but lets look at what the Boston Tea Party was.

It wasn't a patriotic act of rebellion against a tyrannous monarchy. It was a message to the British to back off by pirates.

The Tea Act, among many things, lowered the price of tea, to allow England and the East India Trading Co. to stay competitive with smugglers, who were importing the brunt of the colony's tea.

When they lowered prices, the smugglers dressed up as natives and dumped the tea over board as a giant "fuck you!" to the king.

Not only are they making a pointless statement, but they are doing it under the guise of patriotic concept that doesn't exist. Double fail.

It doesn't really matter what happened at the Tea Party because it was just a precursor to the American Revolution. I am not sure if what you're saying is true but if it is, it doesn't matter anyway because we got our Independence anyway.

 

[LordMarcusX]

I went to a rally. I brought a pot of black coffee to remind everyone of their bitter idiocy.

No one wanted to attend my "coffee party." :/

 

[LordMarcusX]

but my point still stands, you should not be allowed to complain about a president that the country elected.

Yes, I must agree entirely. The rightfully elected leader of a republic should be free from criticism. They are all fine men, even Richard Nixon. Or Adolf Hitler of Germany.

 

[Susano]

I voted for I don't like what they are doing and I don't support it, but I do think that they have the right to do it.