As a writer, I am sometimes in a position to see questions other writers pose while seeking information for their pieces. Recently this query came across my computer:
“Looking for people who have attended or are planning to attend Tea Party rallies that are being held across the country. I am writing an article about what their motivations are, who is participating and what they hope to achieve. Also want to talk to people who know about the rallies but don’t know why they’re occurring.”
I found this query interesting because the writer seems genuinely puzzled. Since I wondered how anyone could question the purpose or motivation for tea parties, I looked up the publication this person wrote for.
Needless to say, it’s a very liberal magazine. I found this query to be indicative of the clueless nature of liberals concerning the mindset of anyone not residing in Seattle or New York City. Gosh, why on EARTH does anyone want to protest the current administration? (blink blink) You mean there are those among the great unwashed who aren’t delighted with Obama’s rule? Who are these people and why are they so upset?
As a member of the great unwashed, I’d like to take this opportunity to explain the perspective of those of us in Flyover Country. It’s quite simple, really. Angry citizens are fed up with the government’s lavish disregard for constitutional restrictions when it comes to spending money and enacting legislation. We are frustrated, unemployed, scared and angry. This frustration is being expressed as tea parties being held all over the country – over a thousand at last count.
The ironic thing is the media (the media that claim not to be biased) won’t report on tea parties. This is the media that will cover every glimmer of scandal on the right but simply cannot stomach protest directed toward the left. Maybe the media hope that if it doesn’t cover tea parties then … I dunno, maybe they’ll go away or something. (This is known as the ostrich strategy.)
They’re wrong.
To the author of this query, I would like to point out that conservative Americans do not want rampant, out-of-control government spending and intrusion into the private sector. I know you honestly, sincerely cannot fathom how anyone can object to socialism and heavy taxation without representation, but it’s true. I realize you look upon the angry citizens attending tea parties with bewilderment or hostility for challenging the liberal agenda, but the fact remains we don’t want socialism.
The seething frustration in Flyover Country started with the Bush administration’s attempt to pander to liberal special interests and is quickly gaining momentum in the opening months of Obama’s reign. Here in Middle America, the overwhelming sentiment is a rapidly-building fury over the direction this country is going. The peasants are doing more than murmuring. We’re revolting. (Yes, I know this can be read two ways. Enjoy it while you can.) We’re furious and fed up, and we’re acting. Right now it’s tea parties. If the message doesn’t get across, I can only make dire predictions over what may happen next.
Logic and facts completely escape liberals. They just don’t understand why conservatives slavishly insist on adhering to those out-of-date documents called the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Their incomprehension and attempts to legislate us toward European-style (or worse) socialism is resulting in tea parties as an expression of anger. We the peasants are protesting in the touching hope that the government will, at least, HEAR US.
So I’m making this attempt to answer the writer’s question. What’s our motivation? Here’s a partial – I emphasize partial – list:
- The constant whittling away of our Second Amendment right to bear arms, all in the name of “safety,” of course. Eric Holder as attorney general? Grrrr.
- The Freedom of Choice Act, which will supersede state laws and may cause many Catholic hospitals to close. More dead babies, hurray!
- The Fairness Doctrine, the left’s attempt to squash the First Amendment and muzzle conservative free speech.
- H.R. 4040, the Consumer Product Safety “Improvement” Act of 2008. This is legislation custom-tailored to bankrupt hundreds of thousands of small businesses for no discernable benefits.
- H.R. 875, the “food police,” which will burden farmers and growers with massive paperwork and inspections (all in the name of “food safety,” naturally) while refusing to regulate tainted imports. The net result – surprise! – will be small farmers going out of business.
- H.R. 1444, the “Congressional Commission on Civic Service” Act. This is a mandatory “volunteer” (Hellooo? Oxymoron?) program that will force people to perform government-approved community service. Mandatory unpaid service has another, much uglier name. Hint: it begins with “s” and ends with “lavery.”
- Even banning the incandescent light bulb is enough to set us off. What a stupid idea.
Enough already! This list doesn’t even touch the massive $787 billion stimulus bills, the $499 billion omnibus bill, bailouts, government takeover of banks and private companies, staggering tax increases, and other financial disasters being wreaked upon our country despite our protests. This is massive taxation without representation. I could go on and on, but I’m limited to 1,000 words in this column.
Meanwhile, Obama parties while our country burns. And you wonder why we’re ticked off?
So to the reporter who posed the question at the beginning of this column: Is this a long enough answer for you? If I had room for 10,000 more words, it still wouldn’t be enough to list the lunacy our government is planning. Do you have even the slightest grip on reality that you can comprehend our anger and frustration? Can you open your eyes and momentarily step outside your elite sphere of influence to listen to the rest of us?
No, of course you can’t. You’re clueless, absolutely clueless.
But don’t worry. If you don’t know what a tea party is, you will soon. Doubtless there’s one coming to a town near you.
