Tea Party Crashers

[Conan71]

It's all good.

Kind of the whole point to this country if you ask me.  Free expression.  Dissent.  Letting people be their own kind of fool.  Magnificent!!!

What America needs most is MORE FREE SPEECH!!!

As for big government, the only thing the Party-of-no says is no.  Smaller government.  I am curious as to exactly what size would be the correct size?  (And "smaller" is not an answer - it just points to the lack of imagination of the "sound biters")

1/2 what it is now?
1/4??
0.8375 times what it is now??

Let's hear some numbers.

Accompanying thoughts;
Should it be big enough to continue to fend off Marxists around the globe?
Should we keep it big enough to counter the new world threat of China?
Should we reduce it to half, but keep all the infrastructure in moth balls so we can spool up again in case of emergency, crisis, or the next time a President's daddy is embarassed?
Should it be no bigger than the government of Switzerland?
How about Russia?  (Keeping in mind they have over 1.2 million govt. employees just working for the central railroad.)

I know what I'd like to see, but you can't apply an arbitrary formula like "cut by 1/2".  Every agency needs to go through and identify their waste and redunancy.  Problem is, if you polled 2000 agencies, I'm willing to bet 1950 of them won't find any.  Agency heads and their management minions protect their own little fiefdoms.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Bureaucracies are living, breathing creatures.  And like all such, their main survival imperative is to survive and grow.

Apply the arbitrary formula.  It is the only one that can even approach anything like fair.  10% across the board for all.
Or 20%.  Or 5%.  Anything at all to start.

One of the biggest problems I can see has no means to fix.  The perks of Congress.  There should be a law that NO member of Congress or CEO (or top management) of any corporation shall not have any better benefits than the lowest paid amongst us.

Freedom and JUSTICE for all....

[Gaspar]

Bureaucracies are living, breathing creatures.  And like all such, their main survival imperative is to survive and grow.

Apply the arbitrary formula.  It is the only one that can even approach anything like fair.  10% across the board for all.
Or 20%.  Or 5%.  Anything at all to start.

One of the biggest problems I can see has no means to fix.  The perks of Congress.  There should be a law that NO member of Congress or CEO (or top management) of any corporation shall not have any better benefits than the lowest paid amongst us.

Freedom and JUSTICE for all....

They have that.  It's called socialism.

[nathanm]

They have that.  It's called socialism.

Can you identify a "socialist" country in which the legislature makes only what the poorest of their countrymen make?

[Gaspar]

Can you identify a "socialist" country in which the legislature makes only what the poorest of their countrymen make?

Not the part I was talking about.  I could care less what the looters make.

The part you are choosing to ignore about that post IS

or CEO (or top management) of any corporation

[nathanm]

Not the part I was talking about.  I could care less what the looters make.

The part you are choosing to ignore about that post IS

OK, name one industrialized country that limits executive pay to a specific amount tied to what the least well-off in that country make.

(BTW, I wasn't ignoring, I was going from memory. I prefer not to read half-loony rants more than once)

[Gaspar]

OK, name one industrialized country that limits executive pay to a specific amount tied to what the least well-off in that country make.

(BTW, I wasn't ignoring, I was going from memory. I prefer not to read half-loony rants more than once)

Exactly none.  Why would one work hard to become a CEO or Executive if it meant that he was limited to the lowest income level?  LOL

The post is beyond idiotic, but the concept of distributed wealth is a purely socialist/communist concept. . .not that any surviving socialist or communist countries have ever pushed it that far. 

Heroin likes to frequently show his/her anger towards achievement with such posts.  Had he/she just left it at the public service level I wouldn't have given a flip, but when you say that successful people should be rewarded with poverty you are not half-loony, you have made it all the way.

And you Nathan, while I enjoy debate with you, sometimes it seems that you disagree with people for the sake of disagreement.  No offence intended.

[nathanm]

And you Nathan, while I enjoy debate with you, sometimes it seems that you disagree with people for the sake of disagreement.  No offence intended.

It's not about disagreeing for disagreement's sake, it's pointing out that even in countries that have socialist policies, that's not how things work. If you're going to be against something, be against it for what it is, not what you think it might be.

[Gaspar]

It's not about disagreeing for disagreement's sake, it's pointing out that even in countries that have socialist policies, that's not how things work. If you're going to be against something, be against it for what it is, not what you think it might be.

Point taken.

[Gaspar]

I just heard on the radio that they're inviting people to bring their tax return to the Tea Party to shred and burn.

Shredding a tax return to a liberal is like burning the flag to a conservative.

Oh! The humanity.

[Conan71]

I just heard on the radio that they're inviting people to bring their tax return to the Tea Party to shred and burn.

Shredding a tax return to a liberal is like burning the flag to a conservative.

Oh! The humanity.

Oh smile!  Reminds me I need to go round up some goats for the Tea Party tonight!

[guido911]

Oh smile!  Reminds me I need to go round up some goats for the Tea Party tonight!

Maybe you will run into one of these geniuses:

I guess those 47% that pay no federal income taxes are not patriots.

[Conan71]

Maybe you will run into one of these geniuses:

I guess those 47% that pay no federal income taxes are not patriots.

Where was his rainbow pin?

[guido911]

This may cross the line to some (doubt it will with Conan and BB):

[fotd]

It's 6 o'clock ....do you know where your local TNF Teahadists are? Just saying.....proud of you Guido. But my list sez POMPUS CONANUS and GASSIOUS are not on the board....hmmmm..... TOWNSENDSIS is missing as well.

They're probably slugging down brews but I was just wondering if they could be found out down at the fairgrounds. Maybe both....

Oh, see any similarities? http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/04/14/us/teaparty.html?hp