"Government Is The Enemy" and Teabagging

[RBInMaine]

Ron Paul apparently told the C-IDIOT gathering "Government is the enemy!" ?? How can anyone take these nuts seriously? Here is how we answer them: So, then I assume REPUBLICANS' Medicare payments and Social Security checks are the "enemy"? The public roads and bridges REPUBLCANS use every day are the "enemy"? The public schools and colleges REPUBLICANS' kids attend every day are the "enemy"? The public sidewalks, rec. centers, arenas, sports teams, day camps, swimming pools, parks of all sizes from local to national that REPUBLICANS use or participate in day in and day out are the "enemy"? Public police and firefighters are the "enemy"? The public U.S. military is the "enemy"? Our elected representatives who embody us, we the people, are the "enemy"? Paul is his own "enemy"?

These people really need to return to their middle school civics class lessons, and get a clue.

And P.S.: The Boston Tea Party was not an "anti-government" act. It was about wanting the right kind of government, and it was an anti-monopoly demonstration even moreso than an anti-tax demonstration. Politically, it was about dissatisfaction with what was largely considered a foreign entity where they did not have representation. These so-called Tea Partiers require MANY history lessons.

[hollowdweller]

1. Radical Islam and Teabagging

I feel like that if the teabaggers actually got to experience what their heroes have in mind that they would be like the people who intitially supported the Taliban and other radical Islamic guys.

It sound a whole lot better in theory than what it is.

Look at the teabagging folks. I bet a lot are on disability. Social Security. Even retired public servants. They think they'd have so much more but they'd really have a lot less.

[Beartracks]

2. Very true.

>"it was about dissatisfaction with what was largely considered a foreign entity where they did not have representation"

Right -- contrary to the oversimplification of the Boston Tea Party presented in grade school history, the event was about TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION, not TAXATION.

[AllentownJake]

4. It was actually about the repeal of a tax on a corporation

and placing another tax onto the citizens.

[RBInMaine]

7. Basically, yes. It sent East India tea directy to the colonies, reducing its price and allowing

East India a monopoly. It was very much an anti-corporate-monopoly demonstration.

[Beartracks]

8. Oh, yeah. Thanks for the clarification. n/t

[HysteryDiagnosis]

3. The govt was fine when the baggers were taking it up the backside

by the last sadmin.

[Joe the Liberal]

5. Ugh my brother is one of those nutcases......

yet he calls himself an "independent" :eyes: you know the type, basically just a hardline republican who calls him or herself "independent".

[ChicagoSuz219]

6. He hates the government so much...

...that he want to be head of it?? What am I missing??

[Snow Bird]

9. Government is not the solution to our problem;

government is the problem.

Ronald Reagan.

It would be wise to remember....He WAS elected TWICE.

[teamster633]

11. Reagan was elected twice...

...the same number of times a broken clock is correct. Coincidence?

[Snow Bird]

12. No coincidence at all

The sound bite resonated. We can make fun of the T-Bags all we want, at our own peril. Someone might want to start getting out a better message though.

[RBInMaine]

14. I agree we need to message better, but Paul only resonated with his extremists. They follow HIM at

THEIR electoral peril. Mittens or Pawlenty are probably their best shots. Maybe Christy or Guiliani if they run. I doubt anyone takes Jindal seriously. Otherwise, they have ZIP.

[Bluerthanblue]

10. just who the f- k IS "the government" if not US?

the thinking that "the government" is good/bad/etc- is so stupid. The government is nothing more than individuals- flesh and blood individuals. The 'government' is made up of MANY individuals who are "Republicans" too.

I think its time we called out all this "anti-government" bullshit for what it is. A mind-game, a boogie-man, scape-goat, designed to incite anger and hatred.

The 'Tea-partiers' forget a lot about the Founding Fathers-
The Constitutional Convention was held in secret- behind LOCKED doors.
The concept of inherited wealth was something many of the the FF's believed would doom society.

This quote from Jefferson seems appropriate: "...a government is like everything else: to preserve it we must love it... Everything, therefore, depends on establishing this love in a republic; and to inspire it ought to be the principal business of education; but the surest way of instilling it into children is for parents to set them an example.'" --Thomas Jefferson: copied into his Commonplace Book.

[Telly Savalas]

17. +1

It blows my mind to hear a handsomely paid government employee try to tell us government is evil.

If he was simply arguing for a more limited role of government, I may disagree with him but I could at least see where he was coming from. But this attitude that government is a malevolent "Them" is just stupid.

[me b zola]

13. I very much like what Bill Maher said about the teabaggers...

Maher pointed out that their one and only policy position seems to be about taxes, and they did name themselves after a tax revolt, yet only a small percentage of them know what is going on with taxation. 95% of US received a tax cut under President Obama, but you wouldn't know that if you went to one of their asinine gatherings.

My take-away is that teabaggers are just an angry mob, devoid of any critical thought.

[RBInMaine]

15. Again, it was much more a monopoly revolt than a tax revolt. The price of the tea was actually DOWN.

[me b zola]

16. Which of course is yet another irony of the teabagger movement

When you talk to them, they are just fine with corporate monopolies. To them that is "free enterprise", providing (slave wage) jobs.