The Not So Silent Majority

Did the President, Congress, and the Media miss the point on Tax Day? The outrage felt by average citizens toward their elected officials has spawned protests throughout America. First time protesters who don’t know how to protest, the silent majority, the hard working folks who usually do not take time off to let their voices be heard, are standing up for their rights and their freedoms. Yet the media and the administration ignore or belittle what is going on.

Media outlets are downplaying, ridiculing, and trying to render inconsequential a genuine outpouring of patriotism. The outpouring of sentiment at most protest sites typically culminated in the singing of patriot songs and chants of “USA, USA”, pretty wholesome stuff. Yet the media–ever the willing accomplice of intellectual elites supporting a not-so-gradual slide of this country into socialistic oligarchy–resorted to 7th grade humor and snickered at the Tea Baggers (it was funny for about 30 seconds). Congress and the administration seem confused and unprepared to deal with the issues raised by mainstream America.

The administration asked: So why do the people protest? We cut taxes.

The United States Constitution is 7000 words long. By comparison, the Stimulus Bill is 1073 pages. And apparently Congress and the President have read neither. Congress and the President seemed to look out on the masses and say, “We cut taxes on 95% of working Americans- they should be happy. Is that not what they are asking for; is that not what our polls say we should do?” Not since Marie Antoinette looked out at the starving throngs, and proclaimed, “If they have no bread, then let them eat cake,” have the political elite gotten it so wrong.

Assuming that the tax cut for 95% of working Americans is accurate; it would still not be the issue. The tax payers are not anarchists, nor are they unrealistic; they know that taxes are necessary to run the government. The politicians are not stupid; they understand that if they tax everyone into oblivion, the system will collapse before they can pass the problems on to the next generation. Rest assured, we will always have just enough disposable income for our trinkets and niceties, but not enough to retire without the patronage of our government.

Let’s put it in terms that Congress and Wall Street can understand. Imagine the Stimulus Bill is a very large opulent house that the taxpayers can not afford. Sound familiar? So the banks (in this case, the leaders of Congress) say, “Pay no attention to the cost of the house. Look at how low these payments (taxes) will be. We will extend the terms to 150 years.” Meanwhile, the selfish generation can go on buying the things that make them feel good: flat screen TVs, I-Pods (one in every color), and cell phones for their five year olds..

It is not the tax cuts or inevitable tax increases, it is the disregard for the fiscal future of the country and the arrogance with which the administration has offered up their stimulus and three trillion dollar budget.

The media asked: Why do the people protest? They are represented in Congress.

In 1773, patriots protested taxation without representation and revolted against the freest society in the world in order to create a freer society. Today, the media and power elite wonder why people who are represented, and who are freer than most, would protest. It is simple: their freedom is under attack. The people are no longer represented by their elected officials. When a representative can vote for $789 billion in spending, without reading the bill just because their leadership told them to, then they no longer represent their constituency. They represent a small group of elite power brokers led astray by an unconstitutional alliance between business and government.

So again, why do the people protest?

Throughout the day the media and their pundits questioned the motives of the people. “Where were the protesters when Bush was spending too much money?” They have a point; we were complacent. Americans put all our faith in two parties, neither able to navigate the rising tide in a sea of bureaucracy. Though separated by minor principals, each ebbed and flowed in the same political waters. And the spending ship, no matter the party, does not turn on a dime.

We consistently voted, not for principals, but for the ‘lesser of two evils.’ I don’t like her fiscal policy, we told ourselves, but she is strong on the environment. He is a Republican, we would think, so at least he won’t spend as much as the other guy. Not so. Both parties squandered our futures and our freedoms. Both parties took liberties with our liberties. They are both big government. That big Government did what Governments do; it grew by its own nature and by our complacency..

The line between public and private enterprise blurred. Unelected judges’ and staffers’ influence increased as the growing bureaucracy fed upon itself. We commented, “You can’t fight the government,” in reply to the State’s incremental encroachments upon our freedom. Too many times we said, “The government should do something about that,” and look where we are today.

We elected a President and a Congress who have burdened our children, and our children’s children with an immeasurable debt. To “stimulate” our economy back into the Starbucks-drinking, new car-buying frenzy of unaffordable home ownership that it had become, without regard for the problems that got us their in the first place, our elected officials chose the easy way out. They chose to steal from our future rather than suffer the failure, the hardship, and the plummeting poll numbers of our present. Debt stacked on top of an already staggering debt.

Debt is not the way of free men and free women.. The follies of the stimulus are not the will of the people. We are not a kept society dependent upon the masters in public office for our livelihood. The consequences of our government’s actions–every child born in America will be born owing this government tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars. It has been said that “the borrower is slave to the lender”.

Our Children have been sold into Slavery, for a cup of Starbucks and few approval points.

That, Mr. President, is why the people protest.

…I wanted to share this. Do the same…

One thought on “The Not So Silent Majority

  1. Adam,
    I’ll be honest with ya, buddy, I’m a Democrat and a pretty liberal one at that, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading your posts here, and I respect your thoughts, candor, and eloquence. This is the best defense of the tea parties I’ve heard from any conservative, so bravo to you, my friend. I figured if a conservative ever appreciated something I wrote, I’d want to hear about it, so I thought I’d do the same. Take care, buddy,


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