Revisiting the Shiggity that is the Tea Bag Movement

Originally posted in July of 2009, I find this needs few revisions to stay relevant today.

After eight years of G-Dub spending like he was printing money up in the basement of 1600 Penn (and maybe he was); we all of a sudden have all this moral outrage from so-called "Tea-baggers" who are against deficit spending, paying more taxes, an anything they deem to be "UnAmerican". Last Summer on a hot and sunny Saturday, a group of the tea folks gathered up the road at Southfork Ranch to get their complain on stage their protest. I really attempted to watch the goings-on with an open mind. We are a ka-zillion dollars in debt so maybe these folks had some valid concerns and useful solutions to share.

I was only 2.6 minutes into watching the footage when the word "socialism" dropped out of someone's mouth. Gritting my teeth, I powered on. When someone spoke of Obama not "adhering to the Constitution written for REAL Americans," I threw up in my mouth a little bit. Determined not to stereotype, I plunked down in front of the computer and started researching what the tea bag movement was all about.

Besides having the poor taste to pick a name for their movement that brings to mind a sexual act of the XXX variety, the Tea Bag Movement is supposedly a non-partisan movement protesting all things Obama, the federal budget and, more specifically, the stimulus package and the universal health care bill, which the protesters perceive as examples of wasteful government spending and unnecessary government growth. Somehow they equate these programs with government intrusion into their private lives. They oppose the increase in the national debt as well. The protesters also objected to possible future tax increases, with taxes on capital gains, estate taxes, federal income taxes, and cigarette taxes.

So reading between the lines, the TBs don't want to pay taxes, think the mortgage crisis was due to low-lifes not managing their money, healthcare is a socialist principal and are positive Obama is a Non-American Fascist (or the Devil Incarnate - they can't decide which)… seriously? Okey-dokey then, let me ask the TBs a few questions from Matt Taibbi's blog:

1. If you're so horrified by debt and spending, where were your tea parties when George Bush was adding $4 trillion to the federal deficit?
   
2. If you're so outraged by the bailouts, where were your tea parties when the bailouts were first instituted by Henry Paulson and George Bush last fall?
   
3. If you're so troubled by pork, where were your tea parties when the number and cost of congressional earmarks rose spectacularly in each year of Republican congressional rule between 1996 and the end of the Republican majority in 2006?
   
4. Would you be protesting any of this bull**** if this had been George W. Bush's budget?

I call bullshiggity. I call overt racism. I call hateration on all ya Tea Bag hat-wearing, American Flag waving (whole other topic, see commentary here), Fox News-watching, Palin-lovin', evil sign holding, no solution proposing, Rush/Glenn listening finger pointers. Guess what? America is not just for you. You do not get to lead unencumbered lives of entitlement and greed without paying the piper. You sat silently by while the Frat Boy you stuck us with for eight years ran this country straight into the ground, pissed off world leaders by the dozen, sent our boys off to fight a fake war and made mothers have to choose between a gallon of gas and a gallon of milk. Your protests are too late and are based on bitterness that your candidate did not win and hatred of things (people) you can not bend to your will. Get over it and get over yourselves. Do what we did, find a candidate that YOU think can change things, get behind him (or her)and vote. Good luck with that in 2012.

Note to Rick Perry and John Cornyn - Good looking out on turning down the stimulus funds. "Boo, hiss and double boo." Oh, I'm too late, they booed you at your own tea party? 'Nuff said. Good lookin' out trying to appeal health care reform for Texas, that appeal is worth the paper you printed it on... and I have a few idea with what you can do with that paper.

Last week on Twitter, I wondered if we needed a fringe group of crazies repping for the Progressive set? By popular vote, the Twitterati decided that if we do get such a group, it should be called the Coffee Party.

What do you think of these Tea Parties? Is it just out of control? Would you join the Coffee Party if it existed?