I would expect multiple groups advocating revolutionary ideas.
Any "incident" could spark violence. Violence could escalate quickly.
The rich benefit from the status quo. The rich will not be happy.
I would expect a radical group on the left advocating communism,
only they won't call it communism. They will give it a new name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Communist_ManifestoI think this group will advocate ownership of property and corporations by the state.
I would hope a less radical group, on the left would advocate FDR's Second Bill of Rights:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Bill_of_RightsThe rich would have to pay more, but at least they could still be rich.
I would expect a radical group on the right advocating Nazism.
The rich would hate Nazism. No unearned income, no trusts....
I found the Nazi Manifesto here, at least I think it's the Nazi Manifesto:
http://www.scrapbookpages.com/dachauscrapbook/25Points.htmlGlancing at this URL, I picked out the following:
"7 We demand that the State shall above all undertake to ensure that every citizen shall have the possibility of living decently and earning a livelihood. If it should not be possible to feed the whole population, then aliens (non-citizens) must be expelled from the Reich."
"8 Any further immigration of non-Germans must be prevented. We demand that all non-Germans who have entered Germany since August 2, 1914, shall be compelled to leave the Reich immediately."
"9 All citizens must possess equal rights and duties.
10 The first duty of every citizen must be to work mentally or physically. No individual shall do any work that offends against the interest of the community to the benefit of all.
Therefore we demand:
11 That all unearned income, and all income that does not arise from work, be abolished."
"13 We demand the nationalization of all trusts."
"14 We demand profit-sharing in large industries."
"15 We demand a generous increase in old-age pensions."
"16 We demand the creation and maintenance of a sound middle-class, the immediate communalisation of large stores which will be rented cheaply to small trades people, and the strongest consideration must be given to ensure that small traders shall deliver the supplies needed by the State, the provinces and municipalities."
"17 We demand an agrarian reform in accordance with our national requirements, and the enactment of a law to expropriate the owners without compensation of any land needed for the common purpose. The abolition of ground rents, and the prohibition of all speculation in land."
"20 In order to make it possible for every capable and industrious German to obtain higher education, and thus the opportunity to reach into positions of leadership, the State must assume the responsibility of organizing thoroughly the entire cultural system of the people. The curricula of all educational establishments shall be adapted to practical life. The conception of the State Idea (science of citizenship) must be taught in the schools from the very beginning. We demand that specially talented children of poor parents, whatever their station or occupation, be educated at the expense of the State."
"21 The State has the duty to help raise the standard of national health by providing maternity welfare centres, by prohibiting juvenile labour, by increasing physical fitness through the introduction of compulsory games and gymnastics, and by the greatest possible encouragement of associations concerned with the physical education of the young."
The Nazi manifesto is extremely authoritarian. One can feel the violence waiting to happen.
I haven't figured out where the Tea Party fits...I looked for the Tea Party Manifesto.
Forgive me for saying it, but it reads like a rich person's dream with one exception,
I don't know if the rich would like point 4, "4. Enact Fundamental Tax Reform".
http://drudgeretort.wordpress.com/2010/04/27/tea-party-manifesto/"1. Protect the Constitution"
"2. Reject Cap & Trade"
"3. Demand a Balanced Budget"
"4. Enact Fundamental Tax Reform"
"5. Restore Fiscal Responsibility & Constitutionally Limited Government in Washington"
"6. End Runaway Government Spending"
"7. Defund, Repeal, & Replace Government-run Health Care"
"8. Pass an All-of-the-Above Energy Policy"
"9. Stop the Pork"
"10. Stop the Tax Hikes"
It's not clear to me if the rich would want fundamental tax reform.
The rich benefit from the current system. The rich take advantage of tax loopholes.
The rich benefit from the lower, long term capital gains tax rate.
It depends what the Tea Party intends to do with these tax loopholes and tax benefits.
It depends what the Tea Party intends to do regarding the long term capital gains tax rate.
Given my belief the Tea Party is a puppet of the Koch brothers,
I believe the Tea Party will be very careful not to advocate anything untoward for the rich.
The elderly will be hurt if we go into default.
They (I guess I should say we since I'm getting up there in years) will be pragmatic.
We will ask what's in our best interest. We will do what we can to protect our programs.
We won't consider "our programs" to be government handouts, or even government programs.
I know they are government programs; I won't quibble if someone says they are government handouts.
We will get more from social security than we paid in. I define that as a handout.
The Tea Party speak of guns and violence. They are weekend warriors.
It's one thing to talk about violence against strangers and foreigners.
It's another thing to actually do it.
They don't know about Kristallnacht.
They weren't alive during the time of the Ku Klux Klan.
They don't know the meaning of the phrase, "the Red Terror".
Kidnapping and assassinations occur in other countries, not here.
Radical left wing groups and radical right wing groups will commit horrible atrocities.
We like to think we are immune to this. We like to think this can't happen here.
Push people, until they think they have nothing to lose, and watch the results.
Drip, drip, drip, changes work with a minimum risk of violence. People remain quiescent.
Quick, sudden, changes will elicit violence. People wake up and become violent.
I'm reminded of a parable...is there truth to this parable, I don't know...
how does one cook a live frog?
If one gets the water boiling, then throws in the frog, the frog will jump out.
If one puts the frog in cool water, brings the water to a boil, the frog will cook nicely.
Most people are politically naive. Most people are political frogs.
Most people don't act until it's too late. They don't see the water boiling until it's too late.