I probably shouldn’t say it, but it appears that the bulk of the Tea Party representatives are quite young. The polls actually debate that, stating that the average tea partier is over 45, male, better educated than most, and is likely to be white and wealthy. That would figure…”I’ve got mine and screw you; I don’t want to give it up. In fact, I want more, more, more, even if it’s at your expense.” They behave like a bunch of spoiled children despite what the polls tell us. I tend to liken this to a decrease in family values. It’s rather like, “Okay Mom and Dad, thanks for the leg up; now go die somewhere because I’ll be damned if I’m going to care for you.”
I have a real thing about these tea partiers. They are today’s America. “I want it and I want it now. If someone else gets hurt by what I want, that’s their problem, not mine.” They remind me of a bunch of selfish little brats who aren’t willing to work to make government more effective. Their only answer is, “No, you can’t do that; you can’t spend money on social programs because I don’t care about ‘those’ people.” The Tea Party mission statement reads as follows: “The impetus for the Tea Party movement is excessive government spending and taxation. Our mission is to attract, educate, organize, and mobilize our fellow citizens to secure public policy consistent with our three core values of Fiscal Responsibility, Constitutionally Limited Government and Free Markets.” It sounds to me suspiciously like what everyone in America wants. The problem is not with the mission statement. It lies in the “educate, organize, and mobilize” part of the statement. It appears that the tea partiers want everyone to think as they think, do exactly what they want as they want it done, and gather together and stamp their feet until they get their way. I’m sorry, but that’s not life. Life lies in the individual differences that we espouse and in which we believe.
Let me get very specific here. Cut the defense spending by one-third to one-half. Defense spending, in this case, refers to the redundancy of effort on the home front. If you’ve ever worked in Washington, you can see this redundancy all over the place…different agencies doing the same job. We have more people doing the same damned things than you can shake a stick at. There doesn’t seem to be a minute during the day when the Pentagon coffee shops and cafeteria aren’t packed. Why? What are those folks supposed to be doing while they’re drinking coffee or munching on steamship roast beef? That’s only partly facetious because there certainly seems to be a lot of ‘people waste’ and that’s only in the Pentagon. My god, it’s as bad as the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA). The only difference seems to be that in Washington, you have to show up to get your paycheck. Let’s put some of those people to work investigating Medicare and Medicaid fraud. Oh, wait a minute, that might not be such a good idea; if they’re accepting money for doing nothing now…well, you get the point.
I have the greatest respect in the world for the United States Military. The soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, and coastguardsmen who protect us are truly worthy of our admiration. One of my fellow gym rats recently left for his fifth – that’s right, fifth – tour in the Middle East. His wife and kids weren’t crazy about the idea, but from his viewpoint, he said that he was doing it for them. This man is my hero; he’s a career noncommissioned officer, a gentleman of the first order who wouldn’t hesitate to pay the ultimate price to protect his buddies and his country. All of that having been said, I want him home. I want him and his buddies back in the states, training if necessary; in civilian garb if not. I do not understand why we interfere with the troubles of so many other countries. “The Middle East will destabilize if we’re not there.” Will it really? Has it destabilized over the last 2500 years? Have the peoples of the Middle East gone to hell in a hand basket in that time? You bet your ass they have not. We’re just trying to protect our oil interests in those countries. How will we ever become independent of fossil fuels if we’re interfering in what’s happening “over there?” Maybe what we need is to have the spigot shut off. Maybe, just maybe, that will get our butts in gear over reducing our dependency. Get the troops out; save money. While we’re at it, why are we still in Germany? If the United Nations has become such an ineffective organization that we feel the need to have our military all over the world, why is it still in existence? If it is a viable organization, let’s use its power and get the hell out of some of these countries where (a) we’re just wasting our manpower and (b) pissing off the natives who view us with disdain and sometimes outright anger.
“From each according to his ability; to each according to his need.” Who said it? Why, Karl Marx, of course, and he was as anti-capitalist as you can get. I can’t advocate Marx’s total package, but it seems to me that this past decade has promoted the exact opposite…”From each, no matter how needy they may be; to the few as much as they can get.” The rich have gotten richer; the middle class has all but disappeared, and; the poor and poverty stricken have increased exponentially to the detriment of the country. Yes, I believe that the wealthy should pay their share of taxes and not be allowed to shelter as much as they do. Yes, I believe they should pay a higher rate than the poor shmoe who is barely making ends meet but who dutifully pays his “fair share” every April 15th.
Tea partiers, grow up. You can’t have it all. You can’t have it all right now. It was your kind who helped to get us into this mess. Rather than crying like a bunch of babies, organizing and spouting big words; crying that the nation is not fiscally responsible, which it is not…quite yet, get behind the small steps that are being taken. As people work together, the steps will become larger, and only by working together will we all be able to reduce this deficit. It’s going to take time; we will all have to make some sacrifice. You may have to make a greater sacrifice than others. Suck it up. Build a bridge and get over it. America is not just for you and your “friends.” America is for everyone. You say you won’t need Medicare because you have your own insurance? That’s great and thank you for contributing so that someone who can’t afford private medical care can get it. You say Social Security won’t benefit you because you have plenty of money for your retirement? That’s wonderful and thanks for paying in so that some other poor slob will be able to survive. This must become your attitude. You must begin thinking of those less fortunate and how you can help them. America is not a ‘me’ country; it’s an ‘us’ country and don’t ever forget it.
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