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Easy money pot stirred with fast and furious strokes

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By RON RAE

The Rae Way

Published: July 4, 2009

I suppose the majority of the July 4th tea parties are over. The participants are headed back to their homes in SUVS and luxury cars wearing designer T-shirts stained with flavored latte and cappuccino coffees instead of the blends of tea intended as symbols of patriotic protests against the economic policies of President Barack Obama.

Taxed Enough Already, FreedomWorks, Americans for Tax Reform, Americans for Prosperity and American Solutions are some of the organizations that coordinated the coast-to-coast teatime events.

Impervious to me, he who reads multiple news sources to be as knowledgeable as possible on worldly events, it wasn't until I hit upon the Web site of Tea Party Patriots that I realized the class of American citizens, the "upper" ones, who provide the funds and support for the anti-tax movement are Republicans. An embarrassment on my part, for sure, but when Tax Day Protests were held in April, it seemed a pointless, pompous effort with little impact on limiting government spending and providing little accountability. Probably still is, but it's fun! Right? People smile for the cameras with no apparent conviction — a slanderous insult to the historic grievances and anger that lead to the Boston Tea Party.

Tea Party Patriots' home page successfully demonizes the "Cap and Tr8tors" — referring to the eight Republican congressmen who voted in favor of the American Clean Energy and Security Act. It's truly regretful that, at this most harrowing of times for the future of the Party, Republicans against Republicans further proves the disarray within its rank-and-file members.

Unfortunately, bipartisanship isn't feasible when both chambers of the legislative branch of government are controlled by Democrats, liberal by nature and extremely determined to remain so after the past decade of Republican "spend and drool" and corporate profiteering. But I think most of us can reasonably agree that whichever party is in rule, each sets upon its own pathway to patriotic over-spending. So we remain a divided nation, determined to trip up opposing propositions, regardless the cause.

People can talk all day along about wasteful government spending, but don't saddle the bull strictly on the federal government, definitely not on Obama and not solely on Democrats. Over the last decade there's been one hell of a big deficit spending pot a-brewin' and all sorts of bad economic times a-stewin.' Every political and corporate interest stirred the easy money pot with fast and furious stokes.

Flickin' a pinky finger in the air while sipping from a red, white and blue porcelain teacup filled with tea leaves won't foretell a fortune unless it's steeped in a Republican concoction of Chinese green tea sold cheaply under the guise of its medical benefits to avoid providing universal healthcare to the 46 million uninsured Americans. Of that number, 9 million Americans have annual earnings more than $750,000.

The group of American citizens who should rightfully be frontline protesters are those without jobs, no benefits and little hope of successfully providing for themselves and their families, truly dependent upon government assistance. These are the Americans, through no direct fault of their own, who pay no taxes for they have no reportable income. Some are homeless, not the sort to be invited to a Republican Party event.

The success of the tea parties at influencing the control of future spending is questionable at any level of government. Whether it be federal, state or local spending, cuts in education, law enforcement, crime prevention, parks, libraries and the loss of support services for children and low-income citizens are the immediate and easily identified targets. The sooner the better, right?

Tax day protests on holiday weekends are a little too convenient for the impact that could otherwise be made if groups of citizens were to hold mass protests during congressional hearings, at the time it matters most — weekends would be reserved for updates and extensive news analysis.

Prior to this weekend's tea parties, estimates put the number of teapot locations at around 1,300 but, come Monday morning, Fox News — the network of speculative patriotism — is sure to put the total at a somewhat higher number, say 1776!

Tax day tea parties held in April were just the beginning and, now that Independence Day celebrations have ended, the next gathering to disputes government spending are pre-set for Labor Day weekend festivities, although an extended display of grievances are planned through the following week, marking the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers.

The freedom of speech, the right of the people to peaceably assemble were justly exercised this July 4th weekend. But consider the fact that our individual lives, our government and our futures are interdependent upon each another.

It takes a lot more fortitude to claim independence than simply exercising the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.

Ron Rae, a regular columnist for Hernando Today, lives in Spring Hill. He can be contacted at hernandoron@yahoo.com.

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