The is a blatantly false representation of Tea Party beliefs. While there was some racist activity at a few early rallies, this was primarily due to infiltrators attempting to discredit the tea party, and nothing of the sort has occurred in a long time. This, interestingly, is in sharp contrast to the Occupy Wall Street groups, for whom anti-semitic rhetoric was a core position for the organization.

I don't happen to be in the Tea Party, but I have met a few members. I note that many people speak about the Tea Party have no clue what they actually believe, nor what types of people they actually are. A recent study by Yale Professor Dan Kahan showed that they are more scientifically literate than the general public. Kahan admitted that the result surprised and embarrased him, and that he had pre-judged Tea Party members based on media portrayals of them, and that he in fact did not actually know any members.

Thread moved into politics a while back.  JSF, seems you had no problem til L.C. did some splaining about the Tea Party.

This thread really hasn't much gone into politics...yet. Mostly what we had was just a seriously-off-the mark criticism of a political group that demonstrates a lack on knowledge of the whole reason the group exists, and also why the group will continue to exist in some form or other for the foreseeable future. Having gone this far, I'll toss in some politics.

The simple truth that the Tea Party represents is the undeniable principle that it is morally wrong to keep plundering the future of the country for present expenditures. My bet is that, while it won't go away, the Tea Party will continue to remain a minority. Therefore we will not stop spending until we have entirely plundered the future of the country, and the end of the United States, as we know it, will come in my lifetime (and I'm not young).

Didn't even read his post, but thanks for your assumption. Don't care what he said. Don't want politics on the board. Was upset about the nonsense TS and Situation were posting.

 

OK, I retract my earlier +1.  I accept that explanation, and agree that we should try to keep politics off the board.  At least if we are going to start it, it should begin in Siberia rather than be sent to Siberia. 

Tea Party Platform

1.  Eliminate Excessive Taxes - Problem is they do not list what they deem an essential tax.

2.  Eliminate the National Debt - kind of hard to do when you also eliminate income.

3.  Eliminate deficit spending immediately - Kind of hard to do if you excessively cut taxes without gutting all social services, including SSI.

4.  Protect Free Markets - We have not had free markets in over a century.  And a true free market would gut the middle class and wage earners in a true global economy.

5.  Abide by the Constitution of the U.S. - IMO they only cherry-pick the Document for own needs.

6.  Promote Civic Responsibility - Again no definition of what Civic responsibility is.

7.  Reduce overall size of government - Would go well with #1, 2, 3.

8.  Believe in the people - People are inherantly good in nature and we need to trust big business and people.  Yeah right!

9.  Avoid the pitfalls of politics - Laughing as I typed that one.

10.  Maintain local independance and not beholden to a National Party....Kind of defeats the purpose of having a National Platform doesn't it?

That platform is straight from their website, if that is whacked, it's because they are whacked.

For instance, please tell me what excessive taxation? as defined by the group?

Ghost of C. Money, you are exactly correct. It isn't really a Republican versus Democrat issue at all. It is an issue that will ultimately divide in a very different way than it currently does. Eventually, rather than a division along liberal/conservative lines, the primary division will be young versus old, once the young realize just what the old people have done to them.

JSF/Jeff, I'm sorry if my comments were taken to be too political,but  I understand why they were taken that way. I wasn't trying to politicize the thread, and I actually tried not to get overtly political, and tried to just stick to the objective fact that the Tea Party is not a bunch of neanderthal racists, but more accurately consists of better-educated than average people with the foresight to see that the problem of a growing national debt poses serious threats for the future, and that we would be better of to address them sooner rather than later.

Billy, I'm guessing that you don't actually know any Tea Party people, and take your impressions from the media? Most tea party people that I know would be happy if there was a serious plan to achieve a balanced budget. Even if debt was declining as a percentage of GDP, I think the movement would largely vanish. Any and all other issues are ancillary to that, and not core. As you point out, the others all proceed from it. For example, if you reduce spending, obviously you get a smaller government.

Here's a chart that shows the problem. The country faced a large national debt once before, after world war II, and managed to get it under control, only to repeat it.  Why aren't politicians of both parties discussing the sacrifices that must be made to avoid the inevitable consequences?

Is the scope of this board so narrow that the discussion of an alternative approach to budget management is considered taking a bus ride to Siberia? (On a topic that one could safely assume is a budgeting debate)

Siberia?

Really? (And yes I do fully understand the light-hearted nature of the comment. Even if it's an attempt at humor is still quells debate.)

Most of the members on this board are capable of developing thoughts beyond "I feel bad for them" or "I don't feel bad for them". Who are we protecting by suppressing those thoughts?

P.S.

For the people who think a Tea Party member is as rare as a true-blood Aztec, I identify with their sentiment (I choose the word sentiment specifically because political affliations can never exist outside the realm of emotion).

I'm not a distgruntled World War II veteran clinging to "the way things were". I'm a 23 year old Civil Engineer.

P.S.S.

Billy The Cat,

Your sidebar comments aren't included in the Tea Party purview.

Break me off a piece of that Kit-Kat bar JSF. (give me a break)

That is correct.