Any cons here going teabagging?

[craigimass]

Wondering if any of our con friends here are attending the FNC teabagging events. If so, please be careful and protect yourselves.


I'm planning on attending a protest called 69......

It's a celebration of the anniversary of Woodstock, which was of course 1969.

I think our festival will be a little big more fun and enjoyable for both genders.

[jackdale]

Whack jobs in session.

[craigimass]

Revolution in the air........
take your kids out of college
Burn the books!
And, whatever you do, don't get one of dem brainwashing Analog to Digital TV thingys......

Did you ever meet a person or a group who finally "came out of their shell"? - but who does not realize they should have staying IN THERE?

[wind_magic]

I would like to go to the local tea party, but I won't be able to. I am more interested in the Santelli event, I think that is going to happen in July but that is so far off I haven't looked to see what the details are. I am very interested in how all of this evolves, and I think that it will, there really are a lot of people out there who are not happy with the direction things have been moving in terms of tax burden for the past few decades. People were relatively willing to put up with the waste and non-sense when things were going really well, but now that people's budgets are getting tight I think people are obviously expecting the government to tighten its belt too, and that really is not happening, in fact it is quite the opposite.

I don't know why you (craigimass) attribute all of this to Republicans/conservatives, it doesn't have much to do with the Republican party, though I am sure they would like to think it does. Republicans have been just as bad as Democrats in terms of fiscal discipline, spending money on a war without raising taxes to pay for it, never cutting spending even if you elect them to do it, etc. The deficit has done nothing but go up for two decades, the national debt is as record levels, etc, and Republicans were in power much of the time. They try to blame it on a Democratic Congress, and Democrats try to blame it all on Republicans, but the truth is none of them want to cut spending or do the hard things, both parties want to increase spending for whatever they believe is important - to the detriment of the American tax payer. There is currently NO PARTY looking out for the American tax payer, the closest thing would probably be the Libertarians, but they don't exactly speak for the majority of U.S. tax payers.

I'm willing to listen to Democrats and Republicans on this issue, but I'm not naive enough to think that either one of those parties has my interests at heart. All they want to do is spend money, and lots of it.

Edit - Ronald Reagan famously said "I didn't leave the Democrat party, it left me", and that's how I feel about both of the major parties. I think supporters of both the Democratic party and the Republican party are really out of touch with what goes on in most households and in most people's lives. I think Democrats and Republicans are all running this country into the ground.

[jrd22]

Well said Wind. I agree.

[craigimass]

Just as bad as democrats?
They called the tax cuts made after the war debts started the "Bush Tax Cuts" for a reason.

If you honestly look around now and see the way Obama is handling the world and the government....and you honestly don't see an improvement in tone, and in the type of actions taken (strings attached to the Tarp, more money for GOOD things, actually doing things) than Bush, I would suggest you look a little harder. Bush had absolutely no idea what to do as the country fell apart - he was like a deer in the headlights during the crash and crisis.

Now are at least talking about health care, about diplomacy, about education, about vast numbers of domestic issues, about clean energy, about the environment and about some attempts to remake the economy over time......

That is a difference. A vast difference. I am not an official member of any party - I prefer when I don't have to pay attention to politics at all. But Bush changed all that. We were teetering on the edge of the abyss in many ways, from torture/human rights, to war to loss of privacy and to a complete reworking of the power of the executive branch.

The perfect is the enemy of the good - and so while I am sure there are a lot of Dems we can laugh at, the difference it still 100% night and day. They are at least attempting to make something work. The last bunch simply stole our money, killed people and removed as many rights as possible.

[wind_magic]

Originally Posted by craigimass

Just as bad as democrats?
They called the tax cuts made after the war debts started the "Bush Tax Cuts" for a reason.

I have no problem with the tax cuts, I want much more of that. But you can't do that without cutting spending at the same time or you just run the deficit up - the simple truth is that Democrats and Republicans both increase spending, they just differ on what to spend that money on. Even now that this moment you can read Republican talking points and they are pushing to increase military spending.

If you honestly look around now and see the way Obama is handling the world and the government....and you honestly don't see an improvement in tone, and in the type of actions taken (strings attached to the Tarp, more money for GOOD things, actually doing things) than Bush, I would suggest you look a little harder. Bush had absolutely no idea what to do as the country fell apart - he was like a deer in the headlights during the crash and crisis.

I'm tired of you suggesting what I should do.

Fight with Republicans all you want, I don't give a damn.

Now are at least talking about health care, about diplomacy, about education, about vast numbers of domestic issues, about clean energy, about the environment and about some attempts to remake the economy over time......

At the expense of tax payers. You steal money from people with your ideas, which I'm sure is fine with you, but it isn't okay with me. If you want to increase funding for your ideas, hold a bake sale.

That is a difference. A vast difference. I am not an official member of any party - I prefer when I don't have to pay attention to politics at all. But Bush changed all that. We were teetering on the edge of the abyss in many ways, from torture/human rights, to war to loss of privacy and to a complete reworking of the power of the executive branch.

You are being disingenuous, you are obviously a Democrat.

The perfect is the enemy of the good - and so while I am sure there are a lot of Dems we can laugh at, the difference it still 100% night and day. They are at least attempting to make something work. The last bunch simply stole our money, killed people and removed as many rights as possible.

Don't make the good the enemy of the American tax payer.

[craigimass]

I'm certain you are not a republican - you just probably voted for Bush twice and McCain once...

I can actually claim to have voted for other than Dems twice in the last 15 years in Prez elections. I was also registered GOP for some of the time and undeclared for others.

Ideally, I would rather not even have to deal with parties...or with many more! But the divisiveness we have seen since the Newt takeover, and vastly worse since Bush, has made it impossible to be our normal and reasonable selves. Bush said it very clearly - we are for him or against him....
I am against him and those ideals....100%...and those actions...about 80%.

So if the second party was named the teabaggers, even though that is a semi-disgusting act (IMHO), I would join that...as long as those ideals were not involved.

[wind_magic]

Originally Posted by craigimass

I'm certain you are not a republican - you just probably voted for Bush twice and McCain once...

I can actually claim to have voted for other than Dems twice in the last 15 years in Prez elections. I was also registered GOP for some of the time and undeclared for others.

Nope, you just have a case of partisan-itis, you are so used to seeing everyone who doesn't agree with you being one of "them" that you see a whole world of Republicans who are against you. I can link to MANY posts of mine on a number of threads on this forum that are totally contrary to Republican views, can you do the same with Democratic views ? Didn't think so.

Ideally, I would rather not even have to deal with parties...or with many more! But the divisiveness we have seen since the Newt takeover, and vastly worse since Bush, has made it impossible to be our normal and reasonable selves. Bush said it very clearly - we are for him or against him....
I am against him and those ideals....100%...and those actions...about 80%.

So if the second party was named the teabaggers, even though that is a semi-disgusting act (IMHO), I would join that...as long as those ideals were not involved.

I'm not the least bit interested in what Democrats or Republicans want anymore, both parties have turned their backs on tax payers. I'm not sure which is worse, Democrats who come right out and spend money, or Republicans who lie to you about it.

I am supremely confident that a populist movement involving tax payers seeking to voice their dismay will upset a lot of people. Republicans will no doubt try to claim those people belong to the Republican party, and Democrats will probably demonize them as a result. But everyone in this country pays taxes, and there are a huge number of people out there who are sick of hearing what Democrats and Republicans think, and who want there to be an actual result that decreases their burden. Get on the train while its still in the station. Believe it.

[camaraderie]

Windy...exactly right. I'll be at the TeaParty here on Wednesday. The only solution I think such a WIDE variety of beliefs can get behind is THROW EM ALL OUT in 2010.
Change we CAN believe in!