The Tea Party Movie: Scenes From Inside The Movement

LOL! I loved that BradBlog video. Very engaging. Of course it's extremely biased and cut to expose the protestors in the worst possible light, but still highly entertaining. In reality though, in any crowd you will find those who can articulate their views and those who cannot. Showing those who have trouble is hardly fair. Many tea partiers (not tea baggers, which is an obviously derisional term) have a visceral understanding of how government is slowly chipping away at their inalienable rights without being able to cite specific examples of it. There's nothing wrong with them coming out to support those who are able to articulate their views.

What are those views? Specifically, the current ground-swell in opposition to government growth comes from the massive power grabs by the new administration and Congress. Many tea partiers were not happy with the Bush power grabs, such as the Patriot Act, however they assumed that the new powers would be relinquished when the immediate apparent threats diminished. But as usual, the government never relinquishes any powers, but builds and builds upon power grabs. Now Obama happily uses the Bush powers he once derided to push through his own agenda. And on top of that, Obama and the Congress have pushed through (via underhanded and devious means) huge new power grabs including health care "reform", which is really a first step to nationalization.

What's wrong with government power? Government power always diminishes the freedom of individuals. What freedoms? The freedom to manage and dispose of your personal property as you see fit, and everything that entails -- less freedom of speech (e.g. donating to campaigns and PACs), providing for your family, and remaining independent of government social programs. Obviously the more government takes from the populous, the more people will have to fall back on government social programs, which creates a feedback loop -- the programs get bigger, requiring more taxation, which pushes more people into their grasp.

But taxes are lower for most people, you say. Well, not exactly. Taxation of the people is not merely in the form of income taxes. Taxation also includes unfunded liabilities, regulatory burdens, unintended consequences of laws, diminished lending capacity, and most of all inflation -- the insidious tax created by the printing of money by the Federal Reserve in order to bail out the banks and fund the Treasury. All of these things adversely impact employment, investment, and savings. The more the government controls of the economy, the less is available for private individuals. The methods by which wealth is transferred is not usually obvious (or a hell of a lot more people would be protesting!), but the results felt definitely are.

What other freedoms have been infringed? The ability to freely negotiate contracts is a huge one. From employment to mortgages to marriage, the government is a third party to nearly every private transaction, dictating terms that may be either harmful to you or which may ruin an otherwise amiable deal between the two private parties. This causes unemployment and otherwise lowers people's standard of living. In many cases, the government mandates (or incentivizes) that you deal only with a monopoly, which is never in your best interests. Whether a regulated/subsidized utility company, government run service, or other special interest, it is always inefficient and harmful to not have competitive choices.

What else is wrong with government power grabs? Already the major entitlement programs are bankrupt. We have an unfunded liability of some $60 trillion which cannot possibly be met, meaning that the elderly and infirmed will have to forego benefits in the future. Their choice to opt for a private alternative had long ago been taken away and now the public promise will not be honored. Our annual budget deficit is getting untenable, with the national debt now over $13 trillion. At current super-low interest rates, this debt is serviceable. But interest rates will go higher. Much higher. And beyond a point not to far from current levels, even moderately higher interest rates will cause our debt to be unserviceable even if we raise taxes significantly. Then we will be forced to monetize the debt by printing money, which can cause a hyperinflationary spiral, impoverishing everyone.

The list goes on, but I've take quite a bit of space here already. But it should be clear that these are some of the reasons people are joining the Tea Party movement and demanding smaller government, fiscal responsibility, and individual liberty. Not everyone is able to put their finger on these issues, but that doesn't mean they don't understand that our current direction is the wrong one. They know that it will not last and that freedom is ultimately preferable to promises of government safety nets.