The Hypocricy of the Tea Parties

It's funny that the Tax Day Tea Party Protests only happen now, under Obama. Apparently Obama is a socialist because he wants to return tax rates for the highest-income bracket of Americans to 10 points below the rate under the Reagan Administration? In addition, the majority of Americans want MORE, not less, government intervention in this recession. Economists on both sides of the aisle have long been admitting that increased government spending is not only necessary, but the best way to get us out of the Recession. I'm sure none of these Tea Party protesters ever said a word when Bush created the biggest national debt in decades with his unnecessary spending and wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan. It's too bad these protesters are going so far to the fringe that they don't even reflect the beliefs of Main Street. According to Gallup.com:

A new Gallup Poll finds 48% of Americans saying the amount of federal income taxes they pay is "about right," with 46% saying "too high" -- one of the most positive assessments Gallup has measured since 1956. Typically, a majority of Americans say their taxes are too high, and relatively few say their taxes are too low...

The poll also finds 61% of Americans saying they regard the income taxes they have to pay this year as fair. There has been very little change on this measure in the last six years...

Implications

As the remaining U.S. tax filers prepare to send their income-tax returns before the April 15 deadline, Gallup finds Americans' views of their federal income taxes about as positive as at any point in the last 60 years. This may reflect the income-tax cut that was part of the $787 billion economic stimulus plan, as well as a continuing sense of patriotism with the country fighting two wars.

If we want to get back on our economic feet, we're going to need to spend now, shake up the economic system, and get it built on some solid bedrock. No need to go repeating the mistakes of the past.

And really? Tea-bag the White House? Do none of you really know what that means?


Matt Cashman is an agitated political ecologist who likes to blog from a lake-side log cabin.