When Did The Tea Party Call For Symbolism?

      Yesterday all across America newly elected officials were sworn in to lead us through to a slightly different course going forward from that of the last two years.  That’s what we hope anyways, and what we’ve been told.  We hope that there will not be a repeat of the last two years of obstinance and do-nothingness.  We hope to see communication between the current two parties.  We hope to see effective multi-partisan efforts which produce powerful and meaningful legislation.

    We don’t expect miracles, we expect… well, work for one thing.  Sitting around and producing no results, is not a giving taxpayer’s their money’s worth.  In fact it is wasting money which could have been spent on other people in those chairs that would have produced results. 

   The Democrats were given a mandate in 2008.  These were vows which in many ways were forsaken, or at least not adhered to fully.  They were put aside for one great push for healthcare reform which, incredible an accomplishment as it was, was not what voters were screaming for when they voted them in.

    People cried out for sustenance and instead were given something else.  There were two wars raging, an economy in the tank and out of control unprecedented infringements on constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties.  These were the main rallying cries which swept them into power in 2006 and 2008.  They broke their vows in many ways.    

    They were given a mandate to do certain things they promised which they failed to make happen.  In fact spying on US citizens increased and became more widespread since the current administration took office. (http://www.democracynow.org/2010/12/23/fbi_expands_probe_into_antiwar_ac...)  That was something they promised to roll back and Americans expected them to adhere to their word.  They did accomplish some other things at the end – though not much.

    Republicans had the idea to come up with the Tea Party which was funded by the Koch Brothers and whose members were trained in how to best attack the left by organizations also funded through Koch Brothers’ political concerns.  The intent was to bring people to this movement which was supposedly independent then slowly bring them back to the Republican Party.  Already people once brought on as third party commentators on cable news channels for the Tea Party have begun showing up speaking for the Republicans.

      But, it mobilized people that had not been active for some time and they spoke loudly.  They said they wanted genuine movement on certain issues and wanted those issues fought for.  Smarter Republicans said they would work with Democrats to achieve those aims.  Not all had such vision unfortunately.

      One of the biggest concerns was the waste of government dollars.  The Tea Party unequivocally asked for reductions in needless government spending.  The useless fires fed by American dollars had to be put out.  Even those who were not Tea Party members or voters supported them on that issue.

      Yet now we hear there are to be measures introduced to attempt repeals of the healthcare bill every week.  There is to be countless pieces of legislation written up (which all costs money) only to die in the Senate or in the Oval Office.  This is to be the tenor to be initiated by the new members of the House to be carried through over the next two years.

      This, instead of sitting down and demonstrating what the world’s most powerful nation is capable of through negotiation.  This, instead of them demonstrating what a change we truly have in the form of hope and a multi-partisan direction to be proud of.  Instead of steering us towards the light we are being driven towards dark and mud filled roads leading to nowhere.
      In addition, they want to spend American taxpayer treasure investigating the president.  They claim in two years he has been the most corrupt president ever.  Sounds like something else.  By the time they get done the president may need Barry Scheck to exonerate him on DNA evidence.  In all seriousness, it really doesn’t sound like a prudent use of taxpayer dollars as such investigations tend to run into the millions. 

      Is that the approach to cutting back on government spending they wish to take?  Spending millions on investigations which every American watching knows will lead to nothing seems spendthrift.  Back to the roots conservativism this is not.

      They even admit it.  In a recent interview with NPR Republican Strategist Ed Rogers said, “Rather than compromise instantly, let's go ahead and define the priorities and the initiatives of the Republican majority in the House and the Republican Party generally. And, yes, some of that will be symbolic, given the realities of divided government. But it's not useless.” (http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=132653975) 

      Lest the GOP forget the mandate they were given, which they are already promising to forsake, was to cut spending and reduce wastefulness.  That is not happening obviously as the incessant introduction of bills doomed to go nowhere will not save money or time.  The chronic investigations will also spend more than they are worth. 

      The GOP was not voted into a majority in both chambers of Congress, only one.  There was a reason for that.  One of which was people lost trust in them.  This is the same party which turned its back on fiscal conservativism during the Bush years.  Now when they were given marching orders by the voters to do certain things, they are creating a wasteful and expensive circus. 

      What’s next?  Are they going to produce solid gold diamond encrusted replicas of the TARP and stimulus bills to make a point about wasteful spending?  Yeah that ought to really bring it home.  Not that I’m a qualified spokesman, but I don’t remember the Tea Party calling for expensive symbols from their candidates.

To read about my inspiration for this article go to www.lawsuitagainstuconn.com.