Over the course of the past year, I have been following (begrudgingly), the ever-changing mess that is American Politics. In the election of 2010, the Tea Party movement made its debut, entering the political scene in a big way. This group had lofty goals: No new taxes, No new taxes, and no new taxes. In addition, Tea Party politicians appealed to the unemployed, promising new job creation, derived from their three part plan (no new taxes). Once elected, what we got was an entirely different story. In Wisconsin, among the first pieces of new legislation was a sweeping voter fraud bill. The stated purpose of this law was to reduce voter fraud. Noble cause, but one need only to look at the fine print to see that it is not about voter fraud at all. Buried in the pages of this law were measures designed to eliminate voter registration on all college campuses, as well as to make student IDs a non-accepted form of identification. The result? Those without a drivers license must apply and wait for an approved ID. Along with these new requirements, DMV locations in poor areas have been slated for closure and/or staff reductions, while their counterparts in wealthier areas have seen additional funds for expansion and increased hours. In florida and several other states, smilar legislation is "in the pipeline". Other notable legislative "triumphs" of the Tea Party include draconian immigration bills in states that do not share any borders with Mexico, and deep cuts to public education, favoring charter schools (I'm looking a You, Rick Scott).
But lets move beyond state politics for a moment, and take a look at the Tea Party on a national level. With a national platform of "No new taxes", and "Job creation", one could safely assume that the Tea Party would be preocupied with legislation that would achieve those goals. Meet my good friend, Reality. Currently, we have "important" legislation in the works to de-fund parts of NASA (such as the replacement for the Hubble Telescope), the stalling of legislation that would keep the Federal Aviation Association staffed and running, legislation to eliminate states rights to deal with the issue of Gun Control (so much for small government), and of course cuts for that "evil" institution known as Planned Parenthood. Lets also not forget the fact that these same individuals held up DADT repeal, and have refused to eliminate DOMA (Because recognizing gay marriage would have SUCH a negative impact on taxes and job creation).
So, where does this leave us (the voting public)? I think we can safely assume that by "No new taxes" and "Job Creation", the Tea Party really means "radical right-wing social agenda, and net job losses, through massive Federal, State, and local government job cuts."
And now, with the Debt ceiling looming, the Lemmings in the Tea Party appear ready and willing to kill the economy..I mean lower our taxes and create jobs.
Enjoy your Tea...
