Open Letter to The Tea Party
"Millions of dollars have flowed in from corporations and rich donors, all of whom have their own ideas about what the tea party should be. This struggle for the soul of the movement has left many of its original activists facing agonizing decisions: Do they, should they, still belong?" Washington Post 12/31/10
The Tea Party claims to be pro business and anti big bureaucracy, including big government. It believes that government stifles entrepreneurship and destroys creativity of its citizens. There is too much power centralized in government and thus diminishes the power and freedom of our citizens.
I agree with much of what the Tea Party stands for. Indeed there is too much power and decision making going on in Washington. Our resources are being squandered and the ability of individuals to be free to choose is being slowly eroded. One of the basic rights of being a citizen is the right to choose your associates and where and with whom you will conduct business with, including the right to access free markets.Why is the Tea Party not up in "arms" defending our free markets?
Why are they not quoting Justice Louis Brandeis when he said in 1928:
“Experience should teach us to be most on guard to protect liberty when the government’s purposes are beneficial. Men born to freedom are naturally alert to repel invasion of liberty by evil-minded rulers. The greater dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding.”
As a citizen you have a right to expect that the free market system will provide a multitude of alternatives relative to price, quality, and features that are available to you .
Private markets and free enterprise is what The Tea Party stands for. So why are they not up in arms demanding that our government defend us against the tyranny of the oligopolies that are controlling our free markets? It happened in the auto industry, the health care industry, the banking industry, wall street and others.
A major reason why our politicians in Washington are doing nothing about it is the egregious campaign contributions made by members of these oligopolies including Goldman Sachs and Bank of America. Could it be that the Tea Party has also been bought off by big business?
Is there a circle of corruption going on between the oligopolies and our government officials? Oligopolies have taken control of many of our markets and government looks the other way because of the campaign contributions, some call it bribes, made by the oligopolies to our elected officials. Is the Tea Party becoming a part of this circle.
I hope not; however, show me some action on the front to protect our free markets from tyranny within.
Yes, the Tea Party is indeed becoming part of the big business and government cycle of corruption. Many say the Tea Party was established by the wealth of some of these oligarchs like the Koch brothers. Perhaps the Republicans were afraid the common (non-rich) Republican voter was catching on to their pro-rich agenda. Now that Tea Party representatives are in office in Washington, isn't it to be expected that they will learn to participate in the gravy train the others follow? It will indeed be telling whether any TP folks speak out against the tyranny of the megacorporations.
ReplyDeleteThere seems to be a very strange but persistent notion that the Republican Party and its new, extremist fringe, the Tea Party are all about free enterprise and small business. Since its inception in 1856, the GOP has always been about supporting the big business establishment and all during the late 19th and 20the century it supported large trusts and monopolies and laws that favored large businesses. This has continued and greatly expanded in this new century. Yes, there has been a lot of rhetoric about freedom and copious tears about small business but actions speak far louder than words.
ReplyDeleteGreat comment Jimbo; however, there was a time, before 1980 where the Republicans were honorable.
ReplyDelete