My appetite for tea has now been spoiled. What a tragic loss.
Well, while that's not entirely true, I've been slightly amused lately (in an annoying sort of way) listening about the Tax Day Tea Party and the "revolution" it is stirring. Yeah, okay.
Apparently its history of rejecting big government and out-of-control spending runs deep -- way back to Feb. 27, 2009, a whopping 40 days ago.
It was then that 30,000 Americans rallied in Chicago to rebel against the government's growing, expanding socialistic ways.
Now the movement's caught on, and is expected to turn out an even bigger and better crowd on the most annoying day of all: Tax Day, April 15.
"But Kristin," you may ask, "what's your problem? No one likes to pay taxes. No one likes giving money to the government."
"True," I would reply. "No one really enjoys being taxed, yet year after year, everyone complies."
I have a problem with the timing and context of this "revolution," not the actual objection to taxation. People, wake up.
Without getting into complicated details, compare the spending patterns from 2000 until today, included President Obama's recently submitted budget.
OUTRAGEOUS spending and the creation of more governmental agencies than there are people willing to work for them both seem to be common threads throughout all nine years.
But where were these Tax Day Tea parties back in the summer of 2007 when good ole' George handed $700 billion in taxpayer dollars in order to bail out the financial system then?
What has all of the sudden appeared in our American society that would upset its public so?
Socialism.
Oh boy, watch out. When the governments buying up companies that at one time held our nation's economy together, you know something's not going right.
I don't disagree at all that the powers of the American government are running dangerously wild. But I don't see a difference between Obama's bailout and Bush's bailout, other than it's easier for people to connect the term "socialist" to a Democrat.
If you can explain the difference, please e-mail me at oberhkr@auburn.edu.
So back to the people's reaction. Why now?
Because they've seen it on TV (thanks goes particularly to Rick Santelli and Sean Hannity) so now they're fightin' mad. Another thanks to our enablers, the "mainstream media."
And I see the anger has spread all the way to our otherwise quiet political scene here in Auburn. A rally is schedule at the corner of Miller and College streets beginning at noon.
But I know good and well there have always been residents in Auburn who simply reject the way the government treats its people with taxes. They're not fickle about their principles despite the administration in office.
College Libertarians, I'm calling you out. I know you'll be out at the Post Office as the true rejectors of taxation.
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