Tea Parties must be the latest craze or something. I mean, every time you look some other organization is holding a tea party to protest something or other about either Obama or the US government. Whether it's illegal immigration, gay rights, economic policy, or Homeland Security, you've got someone holding a tea party over it! As an amateur social observer, I'm just about ready to say, "Enough is enough. Come up with something new and quit draining an empty swimming pool."
Now why do I decide to bring this up now? Well, I guess it's because I'd rather not bring it up later, and I didn't think about bringing it up sooner. In any case, I get an e-mail regarding a "FairTax Tea Party" which is going to be held on tax day. First, I'll admit, I support the FairTax - I think it puts money into the pockets of people and businesses (both small and large), which would boost the economy, not to mention reduce millions of headaches associated with April 15. Will I be going to this FairTax Tea Party? Nope - I'll probably find myself surrounded by armed insurgents who can brilliantly say, "Racism, sexism, Obama, socialism, fascism, Obamanism, liberalism, radicalism, Obama, atheism, terrorism, anti-Semitism, alcholism, Obama, insurrectionism, fanaticism, Obama, redistributionism, Obama, anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, anti-Constitutionalism, Obama, anti-Catholicism, Obama, anti-Republicanism, anti-Reaganism, pro-abortionism, Stalinism, Leninism, Jimmy Carterism, Maoism, totalitarianism, divisionism, Obama,"
... OK, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but generally the people who support the FairTax tend to be people who oppose Obama, and love FOX News. Besides, they're apparently expecting 10,000 people at the FairTax Tea Party here in Indianapolis, so my absence would simply mean a 0.001% decrease in the audience size.
Quite possibly over 20,000 Hoosiers will participate in a Tea Party somewhere in our state.
How many participated in Glenn Beck Friday? Where they surrounded everyone?
I cannot express with words how important this day is to our movement! We simply cannot let this opportunity slip past us. It is important that we set the stage for the advancement of the FairTax movement before election time rolls around again.
OK - here I agree, but what impact is a tea party going to make? What legislator is going to make serious note of this? The most it'll do is get featured on Hannity.
But back to the main subject of Tea Parties - what's the point of this? I know it was a memorable moment during the American Revolution, but what impact does the tea industry have on our economy? I mean, sure, we could help out the tea industry and get together and drink tea while having a conversation, or we could waste perfectly good tea by dumping it into a body of water, but what does one have to do with the other? This isn't yanking advertisers from Glenn Beck.
And one other thing: How many of these protesters have actually written to their legislators? How many people here in Indy (I'll apologize for the hometown bias - I figured I may as well proceed with the example) have contacted Andre Carson (D-IN-07), Dick Lugar (R-IN), and Evan Bayh (D-IN) in regards to getting the FairTax (or other piece of leglislation) passed? Sure, they'll all head out to a tea party where one can stand in front of a camera and talk about how America is heading in the wrong direction and how the adoption of their policy is the answer America needs, but how many of them actually communicate with their legislator about the issue, and if there's a disagreement, arrive at a mutual and common conclusion? If there's no response, then there's no response, but that's another story.
This isn't to say that protests don't work, but at the same time, you have to wonder if they're protesting because they genuinely believe in the cause, or if they're protesting because they know a camera is going to be there.
And then there is the issue of labelism. Placing a label of some sort of term ending in "ism" seems to be the the hot new trend. But what does that accomplish? I mean, OK, it may make people feel good - and I guess we could bring up the phrase, "If it feels good, do it." - but looking past that, what impact is that going to have on determining public policy? Maybe instead of attaching "communism" to someone (and the stereotypes associated with it), these things called "ideas" or "solutions" could be brought up instead. ... but if it feels good, do it, I guess. Never mind the fact that it might be wrong, might be right, might not work, or might work, the only thing matters is if it feels good.
So the "counterchange we need" just oh-so-happens to now be the era of tea party protests and labelism.
And the pool still remains empty.
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