Thursday, April 16, 2009

Tea Party Silliness

As thousands of people across the country hit the streets (apparently with no jobs to distract them) to protest taxes, columnist Debra Saunders offered insight into the odd appropriation of the "Boston Tea Party" allusion. As she clearly noted:

There is a world of difference between 1773 and 2009. Two hundred-plus years ago, Americans risked life and limb protesting a distant and oligarchic system of government that did not represent the good people of Massachusetts.

No doubt many who show up at the Tea Day rallies will argue that they didn't vote for Obama and should not have to pay for his programs. I have news for you folks: Conservatives lost. American voters elected a big spender and, one way or another, Americans will have to pay for his agenda. The Obama tax hikes on Americans earning more than $250,000 have yet to materialize — but when they do, they'll be taxation with representation, a campaign pledge made good.

Even though both Saunders and I disagree with much of Obama's policies, there is something unseemly, even absurd, about current objectors aligning themselves with patriots who risked their lives to achieve representation and the right to protest.

We currently have representative government - thus there is no connection to the Boston Tea Party.

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