Thread: Tea Parties
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Old 04-13-2009, 10:22 AM   #156 (permalink)
SecretMethod70
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I'm honestly not sure what would make you happy pan, short of a direct democracy, which would be an absolute disaster.

The people - that group you're so fond of claiming to be the champion of - voted in this administration, and while it hasn't been perfect - the wiretaps and situation at Bagram are good examples - many of your economic complaints have to do with the administration doing pretty much exactly what it said it would do. And the data back that up, showing that most people - you know, THE PEOPLE - generally support what the administration is doing. Be upset, disagree, but don't claim to be a champion of the people or to be upset that the government isn't listening to the people when THE PEOPLE are not telling it to do much different than what it is doing now.

That's not even getting into some of your other complaints which are just plain false.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pan6467 View Post
If you are middle class, fuck you taxes will increase, fuck your rights we'll tax beyond your means anything we believe is wrong for you, fuck any help because if you WORK hard and make more than $30,000 in your family (unless you have kids) you don't deserve or get anything. Financial aid for school? Go fuck yourself. Heating aid because natural gas is getting a tad expensive? Go fuck yourself. A voice on where your tax money goes? Go fuck yourself. The right to speak out against the wrongs in government? You poor deluded child... go fuck yourself, you can have the right but we'll get the press to tell everyone how you are a brainwashed neo con who's pissed your party isn't in power... so truly go fuck yourself because you have no voice. And if you speak out too much we'll just squeeze until you are silenced.
I don't know how many times it can be said: unless you make $250k+/year, your taxes are going down. In some cases quite significantly. I'm sorry that your life is proving challenging, but you can't expect the government to make everything perfect for you. You're letting your own personal frustrations about life cloud your ability to see clearly here. There's plenty to be upset about, but to act like the government is screwing you over while giving you one of the largest middle-class tax cuts in history, just because you can't get your federal student aid... that's not clear thinking.

I can understand - but disagree - with dksuddeth here, because his complaints amount to disagreeing with this administration's policies in a broad sense. What you keep on demanding is a voice, saying that the government isn't listening to you, but it is listening to you in exactly the manner it was designed to and has always listened to you. You, and many others like you, went to the polls and voted, and put representatives in government to make decisions on your behalf. Now, as they're making decisions, public polling shows that people still generally agree with what they're doing. Disagree with those decisions, but don't act like the government isn't listening to you because you don't get a personal phone call from each of your representatives and your president before they decide where to spend your relatively minuscule portion of the total tax income. And realize that while you may disagree about that spending, and have every right to disagree and voice that disagreement, don't act like the government isn't listening to the general will of the people by doing something you disagree with. Don't claim that because most people you know agree with you the government must be ignoring the will of the people. You're smarter than to fall into that self-selective trap. The fact is, most Americans generally support the actions of this administration so far when it comes to the economy, and you do not represent THE PEOPLE, because THE PEOPLE are being listened to by their government. THE PEOPLE, and their government, just happen to disagree with you. Welcome to representative democracy.

So complain all you want. It's always good to have dissenting voices. And if you want to try and turn the tea parties into gatherings about illegal wiretapping and unlawful detention at Bagram Air Force base, please do. If you succeed, I'd be happy to join you at one. But right now, that's not what these things are. Just because there are some people who would like them to be does not make it so. And just because you're not getting what you want from your government when it comes to the economy does not mean that most Americans - THE PEOPLE - are not. And just because your fellow Ohioans are not getting what they want from their government when it comes to the economy does not mean that most Americans - THE PEOPLE in those other 49 states - are not. So don't confuse what you and your friends want with THE PEOPLE, because it's downright insulting to boldly claim that the government isn't listening to THE PEOPLE because it's not listening to YOU. Get beyond that, and there are much more productive discussions to be had.
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Last edited by SecretMethod70; 04-13-2009 at 10:29 AM..
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