A very bright leader there.
In a recent poll 49% of Tea Party people get their news from FOX and 59% say that have a favorable opinion of Glenn Beck (who is certifiably insane). Only 18% of the country as a whole view Beck favorably. In fact the biggest reason for being a Tea Party extremest is not ideology, not any particular political belief, but whom they watch on television (according to the website FiveThirtyEight and a NYT poll).
I don't understand this whole anti-tax thing and the need for ALWAYS lowering taxes. Taxes pay for things like caring for the elderly, establishing justice, providing public education, fighting terrorism, and protecting the environment. Without taxes we have none of this.
Paying taxes is just like giving money in church isn't it? Do you go to church and resent giving money to help out? No! Yet some churches and relegions require you always give. That's a tax, they just call it by a different name.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt once remarked that “Taxes, after all, are dues that we pay for the privileges of membership in an organized society.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. said “I like to pay taxes. With them I buy civilization."
The first known tax system started about 3000BC in Ancient Egypt for a grainery and I think an airport (they were ahead of their time as planes were not invented yet. Talk about some big protests!!) Taxes are even mentioned in the Bible, Genesis chapter 47, verse 24 says "But when the crop comes in, give a fifth (20%) of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children."
I believe if you do not want to pay taxes then you don't get ANY of the goods that taxes give you. Go ahead and work until you are 90 - no Social Security for you. No health care, no nothing for you.
Again Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. says "Most conservative criticisms about the ill-effects of taxes are exaggerated or untrue. Taxes are in fact good – they are dues we pay to enjoy the numerous vital benefits that government provides for our society."
Sure - our government is always taking money from us in the form of taxes but it is also constantly giving back to use in the form of services that improve our lives. Without taxes we would be dumping our daily crap in the streets right? Let the Tea Partyers crap in their own lawns if they don't want to pay taxes.
I play SIM City and in order to buy new things like Fire Stations, air ports, stadiums and schools I have to raise taxes from time to time and the SIMS hate me for that, but geez, they sure like having roads and sports and schools to increase the education levels. BUT THEY HATE TAXES.
People love free stuff.
OK OK OK - I got on a rant.
Oddly - when I sell a print I always feel guilty for adding tax. I got crushed on paying taxes with Turbo Tax this year because it never asked me about the taxes I collected. I tried calling an accountant in Columbus but it seems accountants are too busy to worry about helping out a small businessman. LOL
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On this date in 1943 Hallucinogenic effects of LSD discovered. Albert Hoffman accidentally LSD-25 and got all weird. he went home feeling weird and in his notes he wrote "I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors. After some two hours this condition faded away."
Yup - been there, done that (a long time ago and I still live to talk about it).
This photo reminds me of one of those times.
Rod
I don't mind paying my fair share of taxes, but one thing in this country that needs to be overhauled is the welfare system. My sister works in a state welfare office and she has said that it is a generational thing in collecting welfare. The grandparents and the parents and kids and grandkids, all on welfare, for years!!!! All looking able enough to work, but either lazy or drunks or abuser of drugs. My husband used to have a guy work for him that became and alcoholic and quit and went on welfare and stayed on it for 20 years until he was found dead in the road. Why can't these people pay some taxes also? I am sick of my tax dollars going for layabouts who are able to work. I will get off my soapbox now.
ReplyDeleteWay to go Rod! Love all your comments about the racist Tea Baggers- as I call them...what a bunch of nutcakes- pretty soon we'll be seeing white robes with hoods.
ReplyDeleteLove that picture!
Great Blog!
ReplyDeleteThe Tea Baggers need to zip up.
Goodness!
Where is this country going.
Sorry you didn't get your hot dog.
heehee!
Love the flower picture.
Again,
Where do you get Connies Froozen pizza ? Any one?
I should probably stay away from this but have a little trouble doing so. I think your comments about the Tea Party being racist are completely off base. I know calling Tea Partiers racist is the "thing to do" these days but it is an unfair sweeping generalization and like most generalizations is inaccurate.
ReplyDeleteI am by no means a Tea Partier. I voted for our current President but I can still relate to some of the positions of the Tea Party movement. There is a huge distrust of the Government that is rapidly growing in America. When you look at the amount of fraud and corruption happening within our Government it is pretty easy to question the judgment of our elected officials. I have close friends that are both Republican and Democrat and I have friends that are also active Tea Party supporters. All of my friends are good people with differing opinions of Government and it's role in peoples lives. I also think all of these people are pretty typical representatives of their political beliefs. Not a one of them are racist. Are there racist Tea Partiers? Sure. Are there racist Democrats. Yes.
Gotta love Joe Bidden... "In Delaware, the largest growth of population is Indian-Americans, moving from India. You cannot go to a 7/11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I’m not joking." - Nice.
How about Harry Reid's comment about our light skinned President with no Negro dialect? Classy.
Racism is not owed by any particular party or movement. A history lesson on the origins of the KKK and which party fought to destroy it might be helpful. Wikipedia is a good place to start. More tolerance of other people's points of view and less name calling from both sides would make America a better place.
I am glad there is a Tea Party. We need people who are willing to get out there and protest. I didn't see anyone complaining when there was protest against the Iraq War and George Bush was hung in effigy and called horrible names. This a land of freedom and anyone can protest when they want. I wish we could have a third party, the Democrats and Republicans have screwed up the country enough. I agree with what Todd said, both parties have racist in them, how about Robert Byrd? Joe Biden is not a good example for our youth, he has a mouth like a sewer. Off my soapbox again.
ReplyDeleteTodd said it exactly the way it is. We live in America and have the right to disagree. Just because you disagree doesn't make you a racist. It has nothing to do with the color of one's skin. People play that card when they want to shut down opposing opinions. It becomes dangerous when people are afraid to disagree. Please keep ideas coming not personal attacks. There are always going to be a few people who do ignorant things....don't paint everyone with the same brush.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is that there are SO MANY racist signs at Tea Party partys. I agree, the Tea Party is not a raciest party but it does seem to draw out so many crazies it's amazing.
ReplyDeleteThe weird thing is that 59% of the Tea Party people agree with Glenn Beck! and 52% watch Fox news.
Need I say more LOL
WITH THAT SAID - I would not have brought up the tea party but they stole my hot dog stand and ruined my lunch. I had to listen to one woman screaming into a microphone that people SWAM across the ocean to get to America. sigh.
And Todd - keep slapping me when I get carried away - it's what friends are for.
callie - why do you thing the Dems and Reps have screwed up the country ???
It probably is not so much the Democrats and Republicans as it is the amount of years that a person can stay in office. I think a Senator and Congressman should do one term and then have to get out. Some of these politicians are in for what seems a lifetime, they should not be able to make a career out of it. I think that is how some of them end up in trouble, like Dodd from Connecticut. They start thinking they need to also take care of themselves. I am jumping off the soapbox now! As far as the signs go, my daughter participated in a anti Iraq war march in NYC when she was in college and even she admitted the hateful signs toward Bush were obscene and at the rally afterwards the speech toward Bush was beyond hateful. Where was the reporting about that, why wasn't their an outcry then to end hate speech?
ReplyDeleteJust so you know, it has been said that there are now people who don't agree with the tea party groups and go to the rallys with hateful signs to make them look bad. I'm not saying this is true but it is possible.
ReplyDeleteCallie is right on with the anti Bush rhetoric that went on. The main stream media never said a word about it.
ReplyDeleteanti Bush rhetoric that went on. The main stream media never said a word about it.
ReplyDeleteLOL - that is because 90% of the world agreed.
callie is right though on the term limits.
On the soapbox again! If it is alright to say hateful things against Bush, then it is alright to say hateful things against Obama. Not everyone likes him either, including a lot of people who voted for him. He certainly has disappointed a lot of voters.
ReplyDelete