Anti-tax “Tea Party” rallies were held across the country yesterday, tax day, April 15th, to demonstrate the public’s objection to the excessive and wasteful spending by Washington DC.
Armed with signs and chanting slogans, democracy was in action yesterday with messages of “Stop Spending My Money,” and the like. Others included a poster of President Barack Obama, in what I assume is a soviet military uniform, that read “Just Say Nyet,” “Cling to My God, My Money, My Guns,” “Stop Obama’s Spending Spree,” and “Abortion is Murder.”
Anti-taxers from all walks of life, and viewpoints took to the streets in protest, and I am all for asserting our constitutional right to assembly and to speak up for our individual values. Without such freedoms, I wouldn’t be allowed to be so vocal about the actions, situations and issues that please and anger me, but come on, make sure you are aiming your vitriol in the right direction.
Barack Obama has only been President of the United States for 85 days, not eight months or eight years. He isn’t the person who had oversight of this economy when it failed. He wasn’t in office on September 24th, 2008 when the first auto industry bailout took place, and he was not in charge when the bailout of the initial financial and credit markets took place, and yet from the photos and video I saw from yesterday’s demonstrations anyone who didn’t know better would have thought President Obama had been in office since the turn of the century.
Come on you gun-totin’, snake wrangling, end-times waitin’ freaks, blame it on the person that created the situation. – George W. Bush. Remember him?
He is the one that high-tailed it out of the White House a few weeks ago, hoping not to be hung (or shot) for the high crimes and misdemeanors he perpetrated against both the American public – who voted for him – and the world in general.
I honestly believed on January 20th that when Barack Obama was sworn in as President of the United States my days of bashing George Bush and his foolish-followers, were over. I was looking forward to the future that appeared bright in many ways and I assumed I would never have to type the name George Bush even again - but boy was I wrong. The ugliness, stupidity and greed of the previous eight years linger over us all like pot smoke at a Grateful Dead concert.
Although I have tried, it appears the last Bush administration is a shadow I won’t soon forget, and yet the anti-taxers have a short memory. Which president cut taxes for the wealthiest Americas as he was picking a fight with the world and marching our soldiers to their deaths in Iraq?
We have George Bush, and his greedy friends, to thank for the current State of the Union, not Barack Obama. George Bush did what Republicans always do – cut taxes for their wealthy friends (who then try to find other ways of raping the capitalist system), and then push on the costs to future generations on working Americans.
By the time George W Bush left office he added more to the national then any of the preceding president in history, followed closely by the other last two-term Republican president - Ronald Reagan.
The eighties, under Reagan, were similar to the last eight years - excess, extravagant consumerism, greed and a people and nation living beyond their means. Reagan too, believing in trickle down economic, cut taxes on the wealthiest Americans, and heaped more of the burden on the little guy thereby ensuring us years of record deficits.
The Republicans love to labels Democrats as the "Taxers and Spender" but it is a flat out lie. The national debt increased more during the combined 16 years of Ronald Reagan and George W Bush then all the other presidents combined.
President Obama would not be dealing with any of the problems if the Bush administration hasn't had its head in the sand and had focused on the important issues, instead of creating situations to make their friends richer on the backs of the American taxpayer. The mismanagement and misguided priorities of the past administration and the cost of an unnecessary war brought us to the point we are at today. Surprisingly, our “anti-tax” friends were conspicuously quiet when George Bush pushed the country into the Iraq War at an estimated cost of 2 trillion dollars.
Why is it acceptable for the United States to charge up 2 trillion dollars in debt to invade a nation that was no serious threat to us? That would have been a perfect time for the “anti-taxers” to take to the streets yelling and screaming along side the anti-war protesters.
My only conclusion is that money for war is somehow acceptable to these people. It is totally permissible to spend obscene amounts of money destroying cities, towns, families and lives, but it is not okay to ensure children have healthcare and a good education or seniors have their prescription drugs and the streets are safe.
This takes me back to the piece I wrote over 1 1/2 years ago entitled “What Do Americans Value?” (Here on my blog from October 2007. It generated more activity and interest then anything I have ever written.)
American priorities have been and continue to be mis-aligned. Far too many Americas are fine with our government spending trillions destroying armies and bombing buildings but they shriek when the same amount of money is spent for their own good – and believe me - shoring up the financial and credit mess left by the George Bush administration is in our best interest.
If given a preference, President Obama would rather be cutting taxes for American families, instead of spending money on bailouts for Detroit and Wall Street and killing and destroying innocent lives in a country half a world away.
If the anti-taxers want to make a point, call for the head of the person (George W. Bush) or people (including Dick Cheney) that got us into this mess. Take to the streets and demand congress take a serious look at the unbridled actions of the greedy and unprincipled group that just left office.
I applaud your enthusiasm and goal, but make sure you are pointing the finger in the right direction. We have to all stand behind President Obama, no matter what drug-addled right-winger radio talkers say. We have a vested interest to get it done right for our children and our grandchildren.
Oh, and one more thing - Don't mix your messages. Stay on point. If the message is taxation, it is completely acceptable to carry on about fiscal irresponsibility, but what is up with the anti-abortion signs I saw? Did these people, and there were many, take a wrong turn on the way to a Pro-Life rally. Carrying an anti-abortion sign at a taxation demonstration does not make sense to me. It is like carrying a “Jews for Jesus” sign at a gay pride parade. It isn't on point and Nobody Cares!
1 comment:
I think you're right Chris...the finger needs to be pointed in the right direction.....at EVERYONE in Washington...the Congress, the Senate, the current administration and last but certainly not least...GEORGE. It's only my opinion but not a one of them gives a crap about any of us. GWB spent trillions of our dollars on a war and Obama is planning to spend trillions of $$$$ of our grandchidlrens money. For me...it isn't about a political party...it's about being fiscally responsible with the taxpayers money. My husband was force into taking a pay cut to keep his job.....when is the Congress taking thier paycut?
We might disagree about the finer points but the beautiful things is that we can and still not hate each other for it....hmmmm is there someway to bottle that recipe and pass it out to the rest of the country?
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