TEA Anyone?

History would agree with the one(or maybe two) hit wonder part. I'm not sure it will be the TEA party's fault. In its grassroots beginning, it was something different. The thing is Republicans are going to milk this thing for its worth, while Democrats will try to split the two in order to divide and conquer conservatives. Both parties have a long history of using third parties for their benefit.

The party needs a face. It needs someone or a small group of someones to separate it from the rest. If true blue Republicans infiltrate the party...it will eventually lose credibility.

The party needs a broad focus and a plan. Although ripping on Obama is a popular pastime for some. History would say it is a short lived thing. People will want to know what you can do. Finding the problem...and blaming someone is the easy part...they have to have plan of attack Americans can buy into.

Most likely the best a TEA party person can hope for is that the Republicans make enough changes to absorb the party. Republicans made changes to absorb the religious right and southern states...I'm sure the same thing is in the works.

http://reagan2020.us/speeches/The_New_Re...

"Seems odd to me that the Taxed Enough Already party has seemed to hit its stride during a year that Americans paid the lowest level of income taxes since the Truman administration."

- This can't last however, with the current record levels of deficits. For comparison, look at what the Conservative/Liberal Democrat party coalition in the UK is struggling with. They are confronted with raising taxes on several different levels in order to reduce their deficits.

And, their deficits are miniscule compared to the grandiose whopper that Mr. Obama has created for us. Add to that the ones that Mr. Bush gave us, and we are in a deep hole right now.

Hey, just like credit cards, sooner or later you gots to pay 'em off ... unless you want to end up like the government in Greece right now.

It seems to me that Americans are just going to have to agree to disagree. Some people are diehard democrats who will say that everything that goes wrong during their reign just seems to be caused by the republicans before them, and diehard republicans who will say that everything that goes wrong during their reign was the fault of the republicans before them. Politics ~ a no win argument!

For you to even suggest racism is typical of a progressive liberal who is afraid of losing power.

I believe it was the black population who voted 91% for Obama, mostly due to race. Don't insuate that tea partiers are racist when you have a party full of them, proven by well-defined exit-polling numbers.

It was the rest of the population (non-black) who voted a little over 50% to elect him. These people are not racist but voted for change and against the weak Republican candidate.

Stop whining about the Tea party and join us if you enjoy personal freedom, Constitutional conservatism and limited federal government.

This is a grassroots organization (as you have admitted by asserting that it needs a leader). I never attended a rally until 9-12-09 and was glad I did. It was hard to even find a T-shirt at Washington. That is not well organized. I am glad to say the organization is growing by tens of thousands daily and does now have a website where we can order banners, yard signs , t-shirts and hats. No leader needed.

If you were there, you would have seen many people like those here in Greene County, standing behind a stroller, holding a grandchild on their shoulders and young people holding hands while praying.

I met teachers, electricians, autoworkers, doctors, preachers, nurses, masons, coal miners, students, housewives and husbands and numerous other occupations of people there.

In the meantime, keep believing that we are not for real, watch the primaries tomorrow, keep denying our existence, wonder why the incumbants are falling, keep telling your readers that you are with the omnipotent party of hard workers (by the way, workers are getting sick and tired of paying dues to unions and not getting representation. We are also getting tired of being treated like sheep and being told who to vote for. We have minds and families who deserve more respect than this enormous debt and clueless government).

The Tea Party is a group of Americans who not only have hope but put feet to their signs and messages. It is refreshing to be with voters who want to intelligently vote and not to be told what to do.

Stand back and observe the power of the informed, American voting public at work.

Isn't it time for some excellent Greene County grown Ribeye steak!

GO MEAT!!

Join us today and improve your child's America!

http://teapartypatriots.org/Default.aspx

I nominate cow rancher as the new voice of the TEA party. All in favor? :) I admire your passion, but I think you are missing some points and getting defensive about others.

Racism is an everyday part of life. To make assumptions and generalizations about any party is unfair. I would guess each have their fair share of bigots and racists.

Unions are only a part of the problem. Lets look back into history and see why we have unions in the first place. It was to protect American workers when nobody else would. Are some too powerful. Maybe. So what would the TEA party do to fix it?

The TEA party has a grassroots beginning, but how long until the big parties use it to divide and conquer the other. The beauty of this movement is its lack of political savvy leaders and clear intentions. Sure there are broad goals, but no exact answers to problems. It is something that ignites the imagination of the disenfranchised voter....Here comes the problem...without clear responses to issues, the party starts to alienate people(just like the Republicans and Democrats). Throw in the fact that many elections will not have TEA party candidate. The candidates that are elected will be under a microscope. Every move they make will be monitered by both big parties and used for their benefit.

History would say the party will be lucky to last a couple elections before one party absorbs it. Grab a history book and read about the numerous 3rd parties and their influence on this country. Most made a significant impact, but couldn't get beyond their initial fight.

You are correct. Maybe I should have said "most" of our forefathers. We can choose to have God, or no God. Personal freedom is what it is. America is a melting pot of many types of people. Our Constitution guarantees the right for Religious freedom, and I embrace that. However, there is sufficient documentation that our forefathers (all but a couple of the signers of the Declaration and the Constitution have paper trails detailing their faith in God) were Christian. How do I know?...because I can read their quotes. Don't you believe in Christian values?

Which of the 10 commandments do you think we should not follow?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

Nope, I'll have a heaping green salad,

keep religious and political views to myself

and not post on the taxpayers' dime.

cow rancher:

I'll give you this, you picked the right sign-on name, because you are full of it; and, you sure know how to spread it. Read The Constitution of the United States of America! This country was founded on religious freedom. The word "christian" does not appear anywhere in the Constitution, never has, never will. Right-wing, rabid-racist, retarded religious extremists are free to form their ignorant opinions, but they are not free to force them on anyone else. Right-wing, neo-CONS are free to practice any religion they choose, but it ends there, at the individual level! Not one neo-con signature apprears on the Constitution. They were all freedom and liberty (liberal) proponents. If this country had depended on neo-cons we would still be living in caves and running around in animal skins.

cow rancher- You make a wonderful point with your list of 4 things people(not just liberals or conservatives) do when they argue. I try my best not to do those things, but I would be lying if I didn't fall into atleast one of the four on occasion. Note you have done the same on other blogs. We are all human, and Our passions often take over.

This country was started by Christians that were fleeing persecution from the Catholic Church and The Church of England(oddly, catholics were perseucted by the Church of England too). I'm sure some looked at this country as a haven for christians and didn't consider other religions. There were others that simply wanted the freedom to choose. It doesn't matter. Their opinions are just that opinions. I think the fault is in mixing the two(note just my opinion). I don't want the government telling me when, where, and who I pray to. If that means we don't have the 10 commandments on the courthouse lawn...that is fine. The knife cuts both ways( I may want a little more christianity in government, but I sure don't want more government in my christianity). I have no problem with separation of church and state.

I would just like to say that I'm a Christian, but you can't create your own history. Most of the Founders were either deists or theists. Deists expressly denied Christianity because it was too supernatural. The few that were actually Christian could barely be considered observant Christians. They often left service before communion because they didn't believe in the supernatural aspects of it or just didn't attend service. They often only became members of certain churches because the universities they attended required religious affiliation. But the most important thing is that the most influential Founders such as Thomas Paine, who encouraged war with Britian, was a theist. Ben Franklin was a deist and editor of the Declaration. Jefferson was a deist. Gouveneur Morris, the man who wrote most of the Constitution, was a theist. This was mostly because the Founders lived in a time at the end of the enlightenment when scientific thought was more significant than religious affiliation. Contrary to what most conservative Christians say this country has actually become more religiously affiliated as it grows older. This doesn't really apply to this blog, but it drives me crazy when people create their own history.

Thank you DonCon. I don't know that you can say that each of your examples was 100% theist or 100% diest. Perhaps they are a combination of the labels you assigned.

Did you notice that all I said origionally was that America should have Christian VALUES? Nowhere did I say that our Constitution was a Christian document. The Bible speaks for itself. If only people would read, and comprehend, it's meaning. I think the same could be said for Arizona's immigration law. Not even the attorney general read it before his inquiry on the House floor (nor the proposed Supreme court nominee-Kagen).

I think the left is so bent on slamming Christianity that they will do it whether it is part of the discussion or not. Perhaps someone can explain which of the 10 commandments we should not follow?

Maybe liberals find Christians as an easy target because we won't kill you if you believe differently (unlike sharia law in the Muslim faith).

How about practicing tolerance in both directions folks. It makes you hypocrites and un-American to do otherwise.

I don't think anyone is saying they disagree with the ten commandments. The question is whether they belong on the lawn of a courthouse. I would tend to agree that it isn't a big deal...but I'm a christian. I can't speak for other religions. I am certain I would be against anything from the Koran being on my courthouse lawn. That is why the separation of church and state is such a good thing. History woul tend to prove that government corrupts religion not vice versa.

I read a little on the immigration law...it does seem like a good tool for authorities. At the same time, I see the argument against it. It could be used to single out certain minorities. The key would be the application of the law and monitoring they way it is used.

cow rancher:

What year of school were you trying to complete when you dropped out? Seventh grade, eighth? Who are you to say that liberals can not be christians? Why can't an agnostic be a CONservative? And veterans? What would you know about the contribution veterans of any era made to America's cause for freedom? Are you a veteran? Have you ever served one day in the military services of the USA? I know you have never been a Marine; and, I doubt the Army, Navy, or Air Force would have had anything to do with you either. Right-wing, paganistic religious fanatics like you would have been thrown under the bus and not back on it at MCRD. Read your tea leaves and carry your right-wing baggage with you to your next KKK meeting, but don't ever include veterans, which you know nothing about, in your imbecilic rhetoric.

Globe&Anchor,

you went a little too far on that one. Insulting somebody's intelligence is never the way to go. and referring to cow rancher as a paganistic, religious fanatic is slightly oxymoronic because pagans and Christians are quite different historically speaking, even though there are a lot of pagan aspects in the Christian religion. And the KKK thing was over the line by far. I agree with your ideas but not the way you displayed them in your comments.

on the Blood trail,

You need to calm down. You contradicted yourself by saying not to hate people for their opinions but you seem to carry quite the hatred for liberals. And as far as being fed up with illegal, as much as I agree they are breaking the law and need to be dealt with accordingly, If I were in the same situation where crossing the boarder to worker underpaid jobs would save my family, you could count me in, and I think you would do the same thing.

Remember people anger only shortens your life so try not to get so angry over little things.

Blood Trail:

Nice speech. I respect your opinion, but only as far as you respect mine. I am a decorated combat veteran; and, I AM DAMN PROUD OF IT! cow rancher was blowing off about veterans and he knows absolutely nothing about military service. And as far as insulting intelligence - one can not insult what does not exist. Political opinion, religious opinion, or whatever is acceptable only up and to the point where an attempt is made to force it on any other American. At that point it is unacceptable and intolerable. And, don't bother praying for me tonight. I will do that in my own way, in my own church, anytime I please.

Globe & Anchor...I will still pray for you.

G and A,

I don't talk, or brag about my service to my country (Mr. Decorated). If I want to remain anonymous, then that is my choice.

It is true freedom that I talk about. It is not the freedom that you and your party refer to, while paying way too many taxes, entitling another generation of Americans to yet another government program (there are an extra 161 new programs in the new healthcare bill), not giving babies in the womb a breathing chance, smothering debt and ridiculus stimulus give-aways. Freedom is: limited government and giving the individual the right to succeed or fail, the right to free speech (which we have certainly tolerated of yours...foulmouthed exagerator and perpetrator of lies...and not to mention thesaurus over-user), the freedom to practice religion, etc...

Here is a delicious quote from you, " Political opinion, religious opinion, or whatever is acceptable only up and to the point where an attempt is made to force it on any other American. At that point it is unacceptable and intolerable."

Now, am I wrong or are you blurting out a double-standard? It seems you are slobbering political and religious opinions of your own. So in practicing what YOU preach, you must now shut up or become the most obvious hypocrite on the blog.

By the way, it is a compliment to have someone tell you that they are praying for you. It shows that they have confidence that God will help you in whatever situation you need. I trust that God will continue to help America return to her Christian roots and that she will withstand the tyrrany that it is enduring in these days.

I also hope "the Blood Trail" will pray for me. I appreciate it and recognize that it takes time and effort. I'll take all the prayers that I can get.

It's time for a Beef Manhattan, mashed potatoes, bread and salad!

GO MEAT!!

You are a great example of your radical left position. Well said.

Pretty obvious...

I am praying for all of you.

Not right now, obviously.

But, as soon as I'm done typing.

I'm sure some left wingers would love to blame all their problems on the right...oddly the right does the exact same thing to the left. It is the beauty(sarcasm) of politics.

I am all for responsible government. The problem is 270 million Americans have about 200 million different definitions of what that is.

As for the praying comments... Of course it is a good thing, but when it is written in response to a comment that isn't liked. It is easily taken as a slap at someone.

The local taxpayers might get even more angry/riled if they only knew who was blogging personal religious and political beliefs and passing judgment on others on company time (check the post times) on a company computer all paid for by taxpayers when the outspoken blogger should have been doing his job for what the taxpayers have entrusted him to do while on the clock.

On some level I can see how someone coming from a different viewpoint would see conservatives' stance on protecting their Social Security as a contradiction. Conservatives would probably not support another entitlement being created today, but SS has already been created and promised, and people and their employers have been paying into it since they have been working. SS is not your typical "entitlement" in which you don't put in what you take out.

I'm not sure what you're referring to when you speak of tea party folks "talking" to health insurers (I work for one, so HA!), most tea partiers don't feel like health insurers are the root of the problem, so it's not contradictory. If any party is the largest contributor to our health cost concerns, it would be the government!! The regulations (laws that only allow certain insurers to insure certain states, making insurers cover preventative services, routine checkups) they've placed on insurers are a lot of the problems. Insurance was originally meant to cover emergencies, the rest the individual was supposed to plan for. Thus, the cost of treating people grew dramatically from the things above and people suing doctors for anything they could pull off, thus doctors charging MUCH more to cover their 5 and 6 digit a year malpractice insurance, etc. This is NOT all the insurance industries fault. Until individuals and groups in our society start taking some responsibility, this will just be one OTHER thing on the list of problems in the U.S.

These are extremely interesting blogs with a lot of passion. First, I do not profess to be a political expert nor do I claim to have the answers or solutions to solve the problems that we Americans are inundated with. At the risk of subjecting myself to ridicule, critique, or insults, I have some simple comments and questions to pose to you all:

1. I am an American

2. I am tired of being taxed and taxed and taxed

3. I am tired of the continuous change in policies, reform, etc., each time a different Party takes control. It does not get better when we switch back and forth between Democrats and Republicans, in terms of who is in control.

4. Finally, I feel that my vote, whether it be for Republican or Democrat candidates has very little impact on what happens once that candidate is placed into office.

So what does this make me?

Or someone just espousing personal politics and religious beliefs in a blog while on the clock at work when he should be on task with what he is being paid for!

"You are the perfect progressive liberal.

When you can not debate with intelligence, you:

1. Call opponents names

2. Try to elevate your own intelligence by insulting others

3. Lie

4. Ignore facts and make up your own."

Posted by cow rancher on Wed, May 19, 2010, at 10:10 PM

Cow Rancher you accomplished the first two criteria in this one statment. I just made the biggest discovery in Greene County Daily World history. Cow Rancher is at least half a progressive liberal.

Eastern Greene Mom;

Now, head to Angell's, Worthington Country Market, Bloomfield IGA or Lyons grocery and get some delicious rib eyes for the grill this Memorial Day. After all, this holiday is for honoring our lost veterans. Thank you to all families for your sacrifice of your loved ones to protect the freedom that we still, barely, enjoy.

That is a commercial for his product. as he knows not who processes his beef, it could be Con Agra, Swift, or a number of other meat processing Co.s

You should know our government does not allow farmers the choice of processing their own meat.

another lost freedom.

that ought to be food for thought,

In regards to GCC's "Union" comment...just wondering how many local coal mines have shut down due to the union's refusal to accept concessions? I am not very knowledgable on the subject, but have heard many stories about this. Any thoughts?

Unions don't discourage hard work...they demand an employee gets paid for it. The notion that employers across the board reward their hardest workers is comical. Maybe if you are doing something innovative and on the cutting edge. What about the guy that just works hard every day. I'm lucky to be represented by a union that allows me to work hard and get paid for it.

I've seen plenty of guys that worked circles around their fellow employees get treated like garbage. An older guy at Pioneer comes to mind during my many summer jobs to pay for college. He wasn't a Rhodes scholar, but he worked hard all day long only to be let go in the late fall every year. Many of the full-timers spent long portions of the day scooting about in their lifts trying to find a good place to take a nap. No unions at Pioneer, yet the hard working guy took it in the tail every fall, while some lazy guys napped through the winter. Here is the problem with unions and employers. A union comes in and gives the hard worker a raise, benefits, and job security...only to have the lazy workers fall under the same protection. Oddly, the same employer that screwed the worker for years...now complains about overpaying his employees. Note that employer never had an issue when he could abuse the workforce...he could pick and choose his faves and still make a buck off of someone else. Could he get rid of the lazy workers...probably, but now it is going to require a lot more paperwork and documentation. Most employers simply don't want to go through the hassle.

I guess the point is Unions are only a small part of a bigger picture. There have always been lazy people. There have always been ruthless employers as well. They all play a part.

The problem with the NEA is that they support the democrat party with 98% of their lobbying dues, while 45% of their members are republicans. Also, they use members dues to support Planned parenthood and abortion(millions of dollars) and the National Gay and Lesbian Alliance (millions of dollars). The NEA has over 400 administrators that make over $100,000 per year, while the average first year teacher makes a little over $29,000 per year.

The $1,000,000 liability coverage (offered by the union) is irrelevant as State Farm Insurance has teachers liability coverage of $3,000,000 for under $100 per year. The last time I heard, teachers dues are around $3-400 per year.

If I was a teacher, I would rather be paid for my merit and fired for my merit. I would also want to be paid more than the teachers who don't care or don't teach with passion.

The union does nothing to pay newer teachers (even those with life experience in industry) comparable to those who just live longer. It's a broken system that needs to be compensated for all teachers, for the student's sake.

Time off? I work two jobs. As soon as school is out, I will be working my second job full time until school starts back in the Fall. Maybe, just maybe, I will be able to afford to trade off my vehicle for one with heat and a/c. I can survive without the a/c, but three years without heat makes the drive to and from work not so pleasant in the winter months.

Merit pay would bring as many problems as the current system has. I don't even know what that would look like. Would it be a popularity contest? Who would decide whether the teacher is working at 50k pay or 30K pay(loved to see that in the current tight budget times...I bet there would be a lot of 30K teachers). Does it fluctuate on a yearly basis? Sounds like a whole new kind of screwed up.

I've struggled with the NEA. The thing people have to remember is the NEA, NRA, or any other three lettered organization(???). looks at things through a broad spectrum with eyes toward the future. The NEA openly admits they will fight for student and teacher rights. That means they will support all legislation that protects the rights of gay and lesbians. Why because they are students and teachers. They will fight for women's rights. This is a tough one because some of the very decisions that directly open the possibilty of abortions...also directly or indirectly protect various other rights for women. The NRA does the same things. About twenty years ago they gave their legal might to a case involving a man who used a gun to shoot people in his office. Is it because the NRA thought he should go free...no...they didn't want to see the decision carry over against the owning of the type of gun the gunman used.

Throw in the fact that the Democrats talk about actually funding all the hoops they will make schools jump through(both sides love the hoops)....that in combination with the Democrats views on the rights of citizens...it is easy to see why 98% goes toward one party. Now a member can choose to not pay into the funds that pay for electing national candidates. Oh and dues were reaching into thr $600 range. Robbery to the smaller schools that are not paid the same salaries as some of the larger schools, but that is a whole other discussion.

Here is a good story that describes the TEA party.

August 28, 2010 at the Lincoln Memorial!!!!

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/20...