Why I've stepped away...

There's that monster hiding under our bed, and it calls itself The TEA Party".

I must confess, I was once involved in this movement...back when it had meaning. It was a short time ago, just a few years back, when I intentionally took a day off work without pay...so I wouldn't be taxed on April 15. On this day, in 2008, I went to Jones Plaza in Houston, TX to the "Taxed Enough Already" event.

Surprisingly, I felt at home. A metric shitload of tax protesting, pro-gun, anti-police state, generally pissed-off-at-government, freedom-friendly people were there. It was there, on that day, that I bought my first Gadsen flag.

Shortly after, it turned into nothing more than the cheerleading squad for the Republican party, whom I hold as much disdain for as I do the Democratic party...because honestly, they ain't much different.

Today, your typical "Tea Party" type will rage on and on about how we need religious freedom...all the while, claiming that we need to reinstate official prayer in our public school system. Did I mention that most I've run into claim that we're "fighting a war against Islam", instead of a "war on terrorism", or at least try to equate Islam with terrorism?

You'll hear of "ending welfare for those who don't deserve it"...while supporting programs that give billions upon billions of dollars every year to massive corporations, whose largest customer is often the US government, for random useless (and often over-priced) shit the government doesn't need.

You'll hear of "freedom of choice in health care"...but continued support for a "war on drugs", including marijuana that is often smoked by cancer patients (like my grandma did, while she was dying).

You'll hear of "patriotism", what it means to be a citizen, et cetera...unless, of course, your parents immigrated from another country.

Essentially, you'll hear a whole lot about "following the law"...when the laws we currently have are largely pointless, and are the biggest reason you're being taxed so much. It isn't about "patriotism", it's about a loving loyalty to a particular brand of statism. It's not about "taxation", it's about YOU being taxed less, which shifts the tax liability to one of two places...either it's on the shoulders of someone who isn't able to take advantage of a tax law loophole, or it's going to the national debt. It's not about universal freedom, it's about YOUR freedom...and your ability to impose your will upon others. The "TEA Party" doesn't give a rat's ass about freedom, any more than groping a seven year old kid at an airport protects us from terrorists.

It's all smoke and mirrors. Isn't it time to wake up already?

Here's a good starting point: LEARN THE DEFINITION OF "CONSERVATIVE".

It's not "conservative" to continue to fund failed policies based upon peoples' emotions. If someone burns an American flag, in America or elsewhere, it's not going to destroy our society or make us "less safe". "Drugs" don't cause crime, a "War on Drugs" does...by creating a black market, in which all dealers of illegal drugs are criminals by default, leading only the criminally-minded to deal or use drugs in the first place. People who now sell Vicodin to pill addicts in pharmacies would be selling cocaine if it were still legal...just like they did a hundred years ago! Illegal immigrants aren't destroying your economy, nor are the employers who hire them. That's part of the "free market" you're always hearing about, in its prime form! What kills the job market is the fact that immigration has been criminalized, leading the hiring of illegal immigrants to be more economically viable because there is no taxation or government regulation involved. If lawful immigration were simplified and faster, these immigrants would be on the tax rolls and subject to the same regulations you and I are subject to...making it more viable to hire a hard worker who speaks fluent English, as opposed to someone willing to work for three dollars an hour. Gay people getting married DOES NOT AFFECT YOU. You aren't going to catch "the gay". It isn't going to cost you anything. It isn't going to destroy the sanctity of YOUR marriage. You're not going to die in a "terror attack". The guy who sells you coffee and gasoline on the way to work every morning isn't secretly plotting to kill you, because he hates your freedoms. He's here in America, because he actually kinda likes your freedoms. Duh! Sarah Palin doesn't like you. In fact, there's a good chance she wouldn't give you the time of day, unless you were standing in line to buy an overpriced and poorly ghost-written book with her picture on the cover. She sure as hell doesn't have a clue. Voting for John McCain in 2008 wouldn't have changed a damned thing in this country.

Most importantly, NONE OF THESE ISSUES AFFECT YOU, AND THEY SURE AS HELL DON'T AFFECT HOW MUCH YOU'RE PAYING IN TAXES. If you care about your tax bills that much, do yourself a favor and find out why you're really paying so much. Stop blaming "liberals", "welfare queens", "democrats", or anyone else but yourself. Your continued support of those who blame these groups, and the laws they help to pass, are why your taxes are so high.