I want government to protect individual rights and protect "free enterprise" and "capitalism" from the capitalists. Whatever size of government it takes to do that is the size I want.
Almost all of television, PBS would be an exception, is there to make money, and most of the programming is intended as entertainment with the intention of attracting a large viewing audience in order to sell advertising. I'm guessing that would be true of MSNBC. PBS however is paid for by contributions from foundations, wealthy individuals, and as they say, "viewers like you." I would think that's a major difference, and should greatly affect the kind of programming you are likely to see on PBS versus MSNBC.
So we have a "lawsuit" filed by extreme liberal democrats against the most radically extreme EPA in history to "force" them to regulate wood burning. If this doesn't set off your BS alarm, nothing will. Her is what is really happening. EPA and the radical zealots who run it would love to ban all forms of wood burning. They would ban all forms of carbon emissions if they could get away with it. After all, they are convinced we are killing the planet and even if our efforts will have no effect on the climate, it is important that we set a good example and punish ourselves. Since they know that banning wood fires would set off a messy publi coutcry, they do the next best thing. Find some leftwing federal judge who wil order it. EPA will mkae at most a nominal oppositiomn in court. Then they will either forgo an appeal, like California has done repeatedly on issues from gay marriage to immirant benefits, or they will "negotiate" a "settlement" with the states. It is all a facade, it makes a mockery of our system of government, but then what is new about that with this administration?
Yes, of course we want some of same things. That goes without saying. But there is just as many, if not more, things that the Tea Party wants that I don't want! And of course, their obstruction tactics are one of the things I find reprehensible, because these tactics waste money and cause the government to be less efficient. They have caused billions of dollars of tax money to be wasted while claiming to be concerned about deficit spending! I don't recall ever having heard a single constructive proposal from them.
Jem, just let me say that even if I agreed with you, and I do to some extent, the kind of government that would be your personal ideal is not going to happen, and even if it did, you would not like the unintended consequences. Your best bet is to work constructively for reform within the system. The alternatives are endless obstruction or violent conflict. Choose the least onerous of the choices, I say.
So you want us and everyone else to just step aside and let Obongo Reid and co do whatever the fuck they want, because you happen to agree with much of it? One minute you appear lucid and even open minded. The next you come across as another Ed Schlitz or Chris Tingles.
The TEA Party stands for Taxed Enough Already. We don't need to do one constructive thing. All we need to do is put our foot down whenever there is a new problem and the solution somehow always involves taxing us more. We could cut this government down from now till the cows come home and we'd never even get close to the illness. For crying out loud, when the government shut down I had to turn on tv to find out if it was affecting me. The illness resides in that corporate tax code. Make the people pay for the government they want and they will become involved and concerned. Health Care Crisis? Medicare from Cradle to Grave. Problem solved. No need for a rollout. It already has existed for years. But make the people pay for it in medicare taxes. When they now see over 50% of their paycheck gone, they will get involved. Social Security? Just raise the damn tax already. People like it, people want it. They will pay for what they want. Even the Tea Party. Problem solved. Beats the heck out of decades of debate about what to do, and trying to say it in a way that will still get you elected. You can always tell who is liberal and fixated on the role of government. They always want the government to "do something." I'm conservative, and it would be just fine with me if we left government to woman, mothers and democrats, Just don't send me a new tax every time you come up with a new idea. Taxing and spending are one in the same. The only difference is, the tax shows up every April 15. America is exceptional. How is that? Even to this day India has more natural resources than we do. We started out bitching about taxes, not what the King of England could do for us. No matter how busy you are trying to make money, it is your Patriotic Duty to pay as few taxes as possible. And that is what the democrats don't understand about the Tea Party. Now, as far as creating a good government, we created Exxon, IBM and Goldman Sachs, so there is no reason we can't also create a good government.