Fear not for the future,
weep not for the past.
Percy Bysshe Shelley
New York Times/CBS Poll on Tea Party
On the eve of Tax Day, which has become a de facto annual event by activist fiscal conservatives, the NY Times released a new poll showing, among other things that Tea Party participants are wealthier and more educated. (This is a somewhat ironic observation, given the fact that well-to-do yuppies were largely supportive of Obama's election.)
The "anger" of Tea Party supporters versus "dissatisfaction" by Republicans really deals with the fact that the progressives (1) are ineffectively throwing money at the wrong priorities when tax revenues have fallen off a cliff and (2) aren't listening to the voice of the people whom unambiguously rejected the Senate health care reform bill and are worried about irresponsible spending risking the economic future of this country. I personally believe that even pragmatic Republicans almost universally despise lack of fiscal discipline. If I was going to make a distinction, I would say that Republicans are naturally wary about the difficulty of the political reality of curtailing government services. Even Senator Tim Coburn, one of the most consistent conservatives in Congress, doesn't want to take on the moral hazard of unemployment payments with unemployment near 10%--it's hard enough just trying to get Democrats to pay it out of already allocated funds (versus new funds requiring more public debt).
The faithful reader knows I've already cited several reforms, such as streamlining government operations, including collapsing the number of departments and levels of management, zero-based budgeting, federal employee pay/benefit and hiring freezes (if not rollbacks and staffing cuts), etc. I've favorably inclined to capping the level of federal spending and debt as percentages of the GDP, a balanced budget amendment (including line item vetoes), all-or-nothing debt commission budget cuts, and across-the-board freezes and cuts (including entitlements and national defense). I have also passionately spoken out in favor of tax simplification (including flat taxes), globally competitive business tax rates, and broad-based tax cuts.
Perhaps the statement I object to most is that statement that among the Tea Party supporters is "the conviction that the policies of the Obama administration are disproportionately directed at helping the poor rather than the middle class or the rich." No, I don't think the Obama Administration is helping the poor with "cash for clunkers", mortgage assistance, high speed rail or tax cuts for new hybrid cars. (The poor are more likely to use public transportation and rent.) I think there is more a sense of conviction of moral hazard, over punishing success and enabling dependence on government assistance. When Rick Santelli went on his rant, it had nothing to do with whether the rich, middle class or poor were getting taxpayer support with their mortgages: it was the fact that most people enter into a mortgage knowing it's their responsibility (and no one else's) to make monthly payments. I myself am particularly concerned over the scope creep of income eligibility we have repeatedly seen from the progressives: open up SCHIP to the upper middle class, raise the income level for Medicaid, lower the eligibility age for senior citizen entitlement programs, etc.
There were some other interesting findings to the poll; for example, a plurality don't think Sarah Palin is qualified to be President, and they feel they are fairly taxed and are not necessarily opposed to the existence of social security and Medicare.
Abuse of Power: Cops and a University of Maryland Student
On March 3, the University of Maryland men's basketball team beat Duke (which last week won the national championship). Two celebrating students, including 21-year-old James McKenna, were arrested for allegedly attacking officers and/or their horses. A recently released video of the incident from a witness shows that Benjamin Donat, the other charged student wasn't near McKenna, and McKenna was unarmed and did not initiate contact with any of the policemen. Multiple policemen converged on a defenseless young man with batons, the suspect not putting up any notable resistance. The unnecessary physical assault needs no further comment; the fact that these policeman knowingly wrote up a false report is an inexcusable breach of the public trust, and in my judgment, any and all of these police officers involved in this incident should be terminated with cause and brought up on criminal charges.
Political Cartoon
Eric Allie points out the way Tea Party participants are being knowingly mischaracterized by the mainstream media.
Musical Interlude: "Broken" Songs
Rod Stewart, "Broken Arrow"
Mr. Mister, "Broken Wings"
Green Day, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
Whitney Houston, "Where Do Broken Hearts Go"
