Tea Party People

Yeah, they confuse me. I mean, seriously, where have these people been?!? I read an article in the NYTimes about said tea party-ers here and it got me seriously thinking about these people...who are they and where did they come from, primarily. So, I started doing some math.

1960--the beginning of the wild times when just about everything changed in the US. Welcome in the generation that ends with love, sex, and drugs, JFK and LBJ and eventually protesters of the Vietnam war. So, pretty much our baby boomers People who in 1970 were about 20 years old. 40 years later, these people are about 60. For some of us, these are our parents, for others, our grandparents (by us I mean the 20 year olds of today).

But for some reason, I don't see a bunch of Vietnam draft burners being the primary "out of the woodwork" movers and shakers of the Tea Party Movement. And I'm going to put all my money down that at least 50% of the Tea Party Movement (with me being conservative, because my gut says closer to 70%) are right around 45 years old.

And I think I'm right. Glenn Beck comes in right at 46 years old. The "Alex P. Keaton" generation, I'm going to start calling it. Think about it. In 1984 these kids were turning 20 years old, entering college and everything was about "The Reagan". Republicanism was the "it thing" to combat the hippies that are their parents. What are the most beloved movies of the 1980s? The "Brat Pack"--a bunch of upper middle class suburban yuppies whose biggest fear is to belong to the wrong clique in high school. If I was a 45 year old member of the Tea Party Movement I would HAVE to agree with this analysis because otherwise, they are just a bunch of uninformed ignorant soccer moms and accountants who have NO idea what they are actually doing.

THIS is the problem with the Tea Party People--where the hell were you 10 years ago?!? Where were you 6 years ago?! IF they are for a more fiscal conservative government, why was it okay for Bush to be reelected in 2004?--they claim today that they disagree with his increasing the national debt for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, but I guess that didn't matter 6 years ago. I guess the fact that the government was allowing businesses to pull the crap that they did to set the stage for the financial meltdown 10 years ago wasn't so important. I think I'm more worried about the fact that these people are suddenly getting into the whole politics scene than about what they actually stand for. It's like, where were you when your 16 year old kids asked you why you could vote for a person like that back in 2004?

I do support the Tea Party Movement (as you will hear true from most 20 year old democratic-libertarians) HOWEVER! Those who think like me, and I tend to think of myself as a very moderate central leaning person of the majority, will tell you that we do NOT agree with destroying the US government as it was established 230 years ago. The system is as perfect as it can be, given the fact that people are greedy and sometimes stupid beings. There MUST be checks and balances and all the rest that our system incorporates. The problem? It's the same problem as 1910--PLEASE watch "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington". It's a bunch of Fat, Greedy Cats who are doing what they can to make a quick buck while pretending to represent their constituents. If you want to reform Washington, you have to send honorable people there. It's not impeaching one man who HASN'T DONE ANYTHING! I don't understand this whole call to reform the presidency when REALLY Congress has ALL the power. Will I say that Obama has failed to pass anything of any importance? Yes. Why couldn't he pass anything? Congress. Why is the Health Care Bill full of tons of (literal) shit? Obama didn't write it (and he sure as hell better not sign it as is)--Congress did.

You show me a congress willing to accept term limits and who will take a pay cut and I'll show you a better Federal Government. Quit focusing on who will be president in 2012 (*cough, I'm not voting for Palin even if I have to vote Satan instead)--focus on the fact that guys have been serving 35 terms and DYING in office--really--have they made your life ANY better?