"No taxation without representation." A legitimate concern during the revolution. Why should the government tax and proceed with no evidence of representation? The routine of contemporary Tea Party gatherers involves packing up their coolers full of snacks, putting the finishing touches on their shirts and signs, and telling their kids to put on sun screen (if its not snowing)because "we are going to the mall!" No, not the place with an arcade and a wide array of consumerist candy,but the Washington Mall. And although I have the suspicion that kids under the age of 12 have absolutely no idea of the idealism that makes them parade around with American flag shirts or climb on the statue of Ulysses S. Grant, they have fun watching their parents get red in the face, shouting at each other the phrases that reconfirm their tribal allegiance: "No to big government!" "Yes to a conservative constitution!" And although this makes everyone in the Tea Party feel tribally united, I believe they are protesting at the wrong mall.
So which mall should they be parading around? My argument would be not the Washington Mall, but the beautiful inside structure we American's have come to know as the shopping center, a place that represents American free markets. There may be a tremendous amount of waste in Congressional Spending, but I am almost certain that the majority of tax payer money is not being sent abroad, but is being spent right here in America. But instead of being taxed to assure that, it may be better (according to the code of Tea Partier's)to put pork money in the pockets of tax payers. That way they can load up the mini van and drive to the nearest shopping mall to "stimulate our economy." I would be willing to bet however that a large portion of their money is not being hauled off to the local bank, but shipped overseas to line the pocket's of foreign manufacturers or Business savvy CEO's. So since the money is now in the hands of either the Chinese or a wealthy CEO to spend on his European vacation, we can feel content that our money is being invested by us, who knows the value of a product but never feel inclined to check where it is made. So Tea Partier's, while you are inline with your tribal rhetoric, please think of where your hard earned money goes when you leave it in the hands of the American smart shopper. Are the beneficiaries of tax cuts really that much concerned with American interests?