Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty, (rafflaw), Guest Blogger
It seems like everywhere you turn there is a story about the how bad the deficit is and how the government must make drastic cuts to save the economy and reduce the deficit. The Tea Party is clinging to their demands for $100 Billion in budget cuts or they say they will shut down the government. “Rep. Mike Pence (R) of Indiana, a tea party favorite in Congress, urged taking a hard-line on budget cuts – and if that meant a shutdown, then so be it. “If liberals in the Senate would rather play political games and shut down the government instead of making a small down payment on fiscal discipline and reform, I say, shut it down,” Congressman Pence said, eliciting a chant of “Cut or shut! Cut or shut!” from the crowd. Republicans worried about blame for a shutdown might not be so happy with Pence for that.” Christian Science Monitor
It is interesting to note that cuts in the bloated defense budget were not included in the demands made by the Republicans and Tea party faithful. They want to cut the programs that seem to do the most good for the poor and the middle class, all the while allowing the wealthy and corporations to get tax breaks and tax credits. We have seen the stories detailing so many of the big corporations that paid little or no federal tax. “Last week, the New York Times reported that General Electric (GE), the world’s largest corporation paid nothing in federal corporate income taxes in 2010. In fact, the company made over $14 billion in profits and actually received a $3.2 billion tax benefit.” Think Progress
That is an amazing statistic. GE not only paid no federal taxes, they actually got billions in tax credits! That means that all of those nurses, and firemen and state workers who were in danger of losing their jobs, paying more in insurance premiums and losing their collective bargaining rights in states across the union because of the dire economic situation in their states, actually paid more taxes to the Federal Government than the Third largest corporation in the world! Why aren’t the Tea Party faithful going after the GE’s of the world to share in the sacrifice?
The Tea Party is not satisfied with the large cuts that have been already made and those offered by the Democrats, they simply want to tear away at the heart of the programs that help you and I. They want to end all funding to Planned Parenthood that would actually put poor women in the street looking for serious health care programs because they are also demanding to defund The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare as they refer to it as. “With a hard deadline looming, talks to prevent a government shutdown have been stymied for a week because Tea Party members of the House have demanded everything: not just some of their cuts but almost all of them, and not just a reduction in spending but a reduction only in the programs they don’t like. Many are insisting Democrats also agree to nonbudgetary riders, like ending the financing of Planned Parenthood or health care reform. “ New York Times
Why does the Tea Party want to attack the programs that help the most people? Why doesn’t the Tea Party include the Defense budget in its budget cut plans? Why does the Tea Party not want to force our largest corporations to pay their fair share of Federal taxes? I submit that the Tea Party is only concerned about helping themselves. Just who makes up the Tea Party? According to one poll, the majority of the Tea Party is comprised of white, male, wealthy Republicans. “The 18 percent of Americans who identify themselves as Tea Party supporters tend to be Republican, white, male, married and older than 45. They hold more conservative views on a range of issues than Republicans generally. They are also more likely to describe themselves as “very conservative” and President Obama as “very liberal.” And while most Republicans say they are “dissatisfied” with Washington, Tea Party supporters are more likely to classify themselves as “angry.” ‘ New York Times
If I read this poll correctly, the Tea Party hates Obama and they think black people and poor people are getting all of the breaks from the government. They also want to end wasteful government spending, but most of them want to keep “government’s big hands” off of their Medicare and Social Security! In other words, I want mine, but the hell with everyone else! These guys might be well-educated, but they must not be well read if they think the poor and minorities are getting all of the “big breaks” from the Federal government. Maybe they need to stop listening to intelligent politicians like Michele Bachmann and Rand Paul and start reading Prof. Turley’s blog! What is your take?
Respectfully submitted by Lawrence Rafferty, (rafflaw), Guest Blogger
Smom,
If you took the plantation tours, then you did get to see some of the more . . . quaint parts of the state indeed. Like St. Francisville. Ahhh! I’m getting redneck poisoning just thinking about it.
Blouise, I have only spent a few days in Savannah. I was downtown and did not pick it up. It has an active arts community. I got the feeling you are talking about while touring plantations in Louisiana. The tour was not my idea.
raff,
“Every day normal politics” and “Chicago” are very rarely seen in the same sentence together.
But by comparison to New Orleans, you do have a point.
I am sure glad I live near Chicago and get to deal with everyday normal politics! At least when the snow is melted! 🙂
Smom,
Yeah, very few French, mostly English, Scottish, Irish, German and African ancestry. There are a fair amount of Catholics in the cities of the north (Monroe and Shreveport), but outside of town, yeah, it’s almost all Protestant, mostly of the Baptist and Pentecostal variety. A very small smattering of Lutherans. New Orleans, on the other hand, is very Catholic. And of course very French.
Swarthmore mom
1, April 7, 2011 at 11:06 am
Blouise, Northern Louisiana is totally different than New Orleans. It is protestant and definitely not French. I did not pick that up in Savannah.
I haven’t spent too much time in Northern Louisiana. Don’t get me wrong, I love the free spirit that is New Orleans and I am enthralled with their history as a port of entry and other things but I would have to stay completely away from politics there … I wouldn’t even be able to read about it.
Didn’t you feel it in Savannah? Lord, I did. We spent a month there three years running and although I can certainly appreciate the beauty of the place, I definitely felt “haunted”.
Blouise, Northern Louisiana is totally different than New Orleans. It is protestant and definitely not French. I did not pick that up in Savannah.
Buddha,
Georgia is another place that boggles my mind. I’m good in Atlanta but completely lost anywhere else, including Savannah. I’m constantly dealing with the quiet fear that I’m going to inadvertently cross an invisible line and end up hanging from a tree.
Blouise,
The only reason it doesn’t drive me insane is I am inoculated by virtue of being born here. But try my patience? Oh yes. It most certainly does try my patience.
Buddha,
Although I dearly love visiting Louisiana, living there would drive me insane … the culture shock would undo me.
Swarthmore mom
1, April 7, 2011 at 10:42 am
The fundamentalist churches deliver the citizens to the polls now to vote republican. I think the deal now is between the pastors and the republican politicians.
That’s also true up here where small towns are concerned. If Buckeye were still posting I think he’d concur.
Though up here the republicans have lost some influence over the pastors as many feel “used” and thus not as willing to deliver their congregations. I’m certain they’d resume doing so if a few “contributions” were made to their mission funds … faith based initiatives, so to speak.
AY,
Of course … oil … good lord I can be incredibly blind sometimes!
Swarthmore mom
1, April 7, 2011 at 10:34 am
Some did, but the big switch came in the mid nineties. The democrats lost control of the legislature and all statewide offices.
Ok … it’s good to know these things as it helps in understanding the swings back and forth.
The fundamentalist churches deliver the citizens to the polls now to vote republican. I think the deal now is between the pastors and the republican politicians.
AY,
That’s true to some extent, but today most of that comes from their direct ties to the Feds because of Barksdale AFB. Without the base, they’d just be a larger Alexandria with better casinos.
Buddha,
Don’t forget Shreveport and Boiser City…They are technically in Louisiana…but hey….like a whole nuther…force to be recognized …Not that Huey’s power did not stretch that far….but whats legal there is not legal here….
Some did, but the big switch came in the mid nineties. The democrats lost control of the legislature and all statewide offices.
Blouise,
The politics of Louisiana operate in a similar fashion to Texas vis a vis small towns. There is one exception though. City of New Orleans, Orleans and Jefferson Parishes are a political microcosm all their own in how they deal with Baton Rouge. But there is most certainly a series of small town machines in operation here as well. It’s an unbelievably corrupt place.
Now Blouise,
Where would you get an ideal like that…a political machine is still a political machine…and did I hear that there was oil there…oh yes…small time power compared to Politics….
AY & Swm,
Didn’t many of them switch after Johnson “betrayed” them with Civil Rights? Using Reagan as an excuse …
The thing I find terribly interesting about the things AY has been teaching me concerning Texas politics and the history of same is that the entire state seems involved. Up North it’s usually your big cities or counties that become part of the “machine” with small towns remaining fairly clean.