What does the Tea Party Stand For? I found this website on the Tea Party Platform, which is summarized below.
The Tea Party Movement is an all-inclusive American grassroots movement with the belief that everyone is created equal and deserves an equal opportunity to thrive in these United States where they may “pursue life, liberty and happiness” as stated in the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States. No one is excluded from participation in the Tea Party Movement. Everyone is welcomed to join in seeking to achieve the Tea Party Movement goals, which are as follows:
1. Eliminate Excessive Taxes
2. Eliminate the National Debt
3. Eliminate Deficit Spending
4. Protect Free Markets
5. Abide by the Constitution of the United States
6. Promote Civic Responsibility
7. Reduce the Overall Size of Government
8. Believe in the People
9. Avoid the Pitfalls of Politics
10. Maintain Local Independence
I am an independent, moderate conservative, but support the above goals of the Tea Party and do not believe that they are a close-minded, racist group of bigots (as they are most often portrayed in the media.
No Federal Government Shutdown: If the spendthrifts in Washington DC only spent what they took in taxes, there would be no extension of the debt ceiling, and thus no government shutdown! Hey Congress and Obama - spend within your means and the government continues to run - ever think about that?
Federal Employees Get Paid to Not Work: During the shutdown, Congress and the President get paid, while 800,000 federal workers do not! This is an outrageous practice and should end immediately. Also, while the workers are furloughed, they do not work and do not get paid. However, after the government is back up and running, Congress will enact legislation to pay those 800,000 for the time they did not work, thus turning this shut-down (once again) into paid vacation. This too should stop.
Reference: This article shows the federal government deficits and surpluses between 1940 and 2013. It includes the deficit in current dollars of that year, as well as inflation-adjusted dollars of today. You should read that article before continuing with this one.
Teach your children well: We taught our children to live within their means, as well as to save 10 to 15% of everything they make in their entire lives, no matter how little they make. If you save it, you'll never know what you are missing. We believe this to be wise advice. Its even good advice for all government entities (federal, state and local). In fact, it applies even more so for to our government, because they are spending someone else's money (i.e., the taxpayer's hard-earned money).
Upcoming Federal Borrowing Cap Limit: In mid-November 2013, we are forecast to hit our $16,700,000,000,000 federal budget cap. Congress must give its approval in order to increase this borrowing limit, thus creating (yet another) budget showdown between the D's and the R's. The CBO (Congressional Budget Office) is forecasting a federal budget deficit of somewhere around $700,000,000,000 for the current federal fiscal year ending September 30, 2013.
CBO reports that federal health care (mainly Medicare) and retirement programs (mainly Social Security) are overwhelming the budget. This will harm the economy in coming decades unless measures are taken now to get it under control. It will overwhelm our children and grandchildren, as they will be the ones that have to pay it back. Yet, "living within their means" will never happen because politicians like to have fun spending the taxpayer's money, instead of being miserly and saving it.
Ultimately, it is the people's fault because we elect these politicians. Since we have now passed a threshold where more than half of all people in America receive government aid, voters will, IMHO, be increasingly likely to vote for politicians that will ensure that the government help checks continue. Eventually, logically, the system will collapse. Hopefully, I will be dead by then, but it is likely that my children will still alive to bear the brunt of my generation's burdens. Sorry boys. Time will tell.
Yes, another boring topic - budget deficits - I realize that. Sometimes boring can also be important, as in this case. Think about our future. Do the right thing. Somebody. Anybody.
The New York times has a bunch of articles on the upcoming debt ceiling battle. None of them talk about how the federal government should live within their means (i.e., spend only what you take in, and don't borrow). Here's an article that contemplates what it would be like if we managed your family's budget like our government manages their budget. Truly pathetic.
