Tea parties doing more damage than help to U.S.
A group of especially conservative Americans chose to begin a movement, based on the historic Boston Tea Party of 1773, to protest the increase in taxes.
President Obama campaigned on an aggressive tax reform platform that would help the lower and middle classes while increasing taxes for the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans.
The conservative protestors decided that taxing the people who can afford more was un-American and unconstitutional. Many disagree, but some have decided to make their opinions vocal and even violent. That is where the Tea Party movement found its place and its voice.
This movement has managed to violate any sense of reason, logic or simple common sense. It is hard to determine if this movement began when former President George W. Bush signed the famous “bank bailout” into law back in 2008 or simply when Obama signed into law the Recovery and Reinvestment Act in early 2009.
What is certain is that this movement has managed not only to question the nationality of the president but also to divide America.
It has become incredibly common for some to label people who disagree with this movement as “socialists” and even “communists.” People don’t realize the extent of the consequences that their misinformation has on the people they are supposed to be representing.
Voicing your opinion and seeking political and social justice are all rights protected by the First Amendment. But when this opinion is expressed through violence and aggression, a truly sickening demonstration of their hostility, a line is crossed.
And it’s getting worse. Even now, in the second quarter of 2010, the Tea Party movement continues to gain fuel and supporters.
When people are scared, they act in extremely irrational ways, including joining this movement. That’s not to say there isn’t merit to some of the things the group is trying to accomplish, but like so many situations, the ends do not justify the means.
This movement is not just about disagreeing in political issues; it is a threat to the core of what America represents. It has become a black sheep in the landscape of the American dream.
Whether you think the Recovery Act and the newly passed Health Care Reform Law are good for the nation or not, you can hopefully agree that violence and fear-driven hatred are not solutions to changing whatever may be wrong with this country.
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