Prior to the 'Tax Day' protests, the TeaParty has released a "Contract For America", link with pictures. Here are the stipulations, with my responses. Feel free to add your own responses and problems with their newest manifesto (isn't this like the 81st one they've released? Is this the "real" one?)
Contract for America
Dear Assholes, I'm a free American citizen and you can't write contracts "for" me. As a liberal who leans heavily libertarian, I'm especially offended. You lost me at "hello" (really at "for").
"Require each bill to identify the specific provision of the Constitution that gives Congress the power to do what the bill does."
This should be re-written as "Demolish all Supreme Court precedent and immediately end all restrictions to abortion, because abortion is not mentioned in the Constitution in any place." There, you got Roe overturned!
"Stop costly new regulations that would increase unemployment, raise consumer prices, and weaken the nation’s global competitiveness with virtually no impact on global temperatures."
So, you're admitting there's man-made global warming? Anyway, let's just take it one step at a time. Let's end all regulation, and with the massive die-off that we'll have from lead poisoning, tainted medicines and food, and workplace accidents, there will be no need to worry about jobs being available. Plus, all those dead Americans will stop driving and exhaling carbon dioxide, so it should have a very positive impact on global warming. Hey, I'm starting to like this contract that you assholes signed for me!
Begin the Constitutional amendment process to require a balanced budget with a two-thirds majority needed for any tax hike."
Erm, ok, but, a balanced budget + no tax hikes (since the last time we had 2/3 agree on a bill was before I was born) equals...massive budget cuts or we default on our debt. Budget cuts to include military spending, which will be troublesome when we have lots of nations coming after us for their money and domestic infighting over the scant resources since we don't have credit to import.
Adopt a simple and fair single-rate tax system by scrapping the internal revenue code and replacing it with one that is no longer than 4,543 words -- the length of the original Constitution."
I'm fine with the fair tax in theory (it includes pre-paid rebates for the purchase of essentials like groceries, rent and utilities), but again, just switching us to the fair tax ignores our debt, which I thought you cared sooooo much about? Let's not worry about "consequences" though.
"Create a Blue Ribbon taskforce that engages in a complete audit of federal agencies and programs, assessing their Constitutionality, and identifying duplication, waste, ineffectiveness, and agencies and programs better left for the states or local authorities, or ripe for wholesale reform or elimination due to our efforts to restore limited government consistent with the US Constitution’s meaning."
I think we have something like that already; it's called....FEDERALISM.
Constitution/Political Science fail.
"Impose a statutory cap limiting the annual growth in total federal spending to the sum of the inflation rate plus the percentage of population growth."
If we followed this rule, the annual growth would be $7 because you assholes don't turn in your census forms.
"Defund, repeal, and replace the recently passed government-run health care with a system that actually makes health care and insurance more affordable by enabling a competitive, open, and transparent free-market health care and health insurance system that isn’t restricted by state boundaries."
But, ya know, don't touch my SS or Medicare.
"Authorized the exploration of proven energy reserves to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources from unstable countries and reduce regulatory barriers to all other forms of energy creation, lowering prices and creation competition and jobs."
Added later: "Nominate Blankenship as the joint Energy/Labor Secretary."
"Place a moratorium on all earmarks until the budget is balanced, and then require a 2/3 majority to pass any earmark."
I'm ok with this, but good luck getting the Congresscritters to vote away this little gem they've got; heck, they'll probably stick some earmarks into the "ban earmarks" bill. How about you just vote the earmarkers out? You didn't need that bridge, anyway.
"Permanently repeal all tax hikes, including those to the income, capital gains, and death taxes, currently scheduled to being in 2011."
They aren't "hikes" or "raises", they're "returning to the previous level that was already super-low relative to the great post-WWII eras of prosperity that we wish we were still in". Stick that on your contract, jerks.
Phew. Have at it!