Time to pay your dues as an American
It’s April 15, Tax Day, and Glenn Harlan Reynolds has a thoroughly dishonest and deceptive piece in today’s Wall Street Journal regarding the anti-tax rallies scheduled here in Atlanta and elsewhere around the country.
It begins:
“Today American taxpayers in more than 300 locations in all 50 states will hold rallies — dubbed “tea parties” — to protest higher taxes and out-of-control government spending. There is no political party behind these rallies, no grand right-wing conspiracy, not even a 501(c) group like MoveOn.org.
So who’s behind the Tax Day tea parties? Ordinary folks who are using the power of the Internet to organize. For a number of years, techno-geeks have been organizing “flash crowds” — groups of people, coordinated by text or cellphone, who converge on a particular location and then do something silly, like the pillow fights that popped up in 50 cities earlier this month. This is part of a general phenomenon dubbed “Smart Mobs” by Howard Rheingold, author of a book by the same title, in which modern communications and social-networking technologies allow quick coordination among large numbers of people who don’t know each other.”
And on and on it goes, paragraph after paragraph, never once mentioning Fox News and its fundamental role in promoting the events. Nor does it mention corporate-funded lobbyist groups such as Freedom Works (founded by Dick Armey and Steve Forbes, its slogan is “Lower Taxes, Less Government, More Freedom”) and Americans for Prosperity that have helped direct and organize the “spontaneous” events.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with the involvement of such groups (well, it is disconcerting to see a “news outlet” like Fox promoting political events, but that’s a bridge they crossed and burned behind them a long time ago). In fact, I’m always glad to see Americans out there peacably expressing their point of view. But let’s not pretend this is something it isn’t.
I also have a hard time seeing these rallies as an expression of political power. It is actually the opposite.
Most of those who will attend are people who feel isolated from the political mainstream and who recognize at some level that the country is rapidly moving away from them, politically and culturally. These rallies will give them a renewed if temporary sense of empowerment, allowing them to join others like themselves and to feel reassured they really do represent the real America.
But this movement is not going to draw the mainstream closer to them or convince the undecided. It is more likely to dramatize their alienation from the mainstream and feed their sense of victimhood. And while there will be a lot of talk about taxes, government spending, etc., the underlying, animating theme will be the sense that someone has stolen their country from them.
The truth is a little different. America, that ever-changing, every shifting landscape of the mind, is changing once again in response to necessity, and a certain number of people just don’t like it. They’re angry and they want to express that anger, and in America they are more than welcome to do so.
But despite what they will be told tonight, the changes they protest are not being government-driven, they are being driven by their fellow citizens.
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396 comments Add your comment
Dave R
April 15th, 2009
8:17 am
Uh, Jay? I think you’ll find that the people attending these rallies ARE the mainstream.
jt
April 15th, 2009
8:25 am
And the majority of these people will keep voting republicans into office as long as the republicans SAY they are for smaller goverment.
ConservativeAnchor
April 15th, 2009
8:26 am
Jay you’re displaying your delusional side. Stay at home moms, truck drivers, small business owners ARE the mainstream.
Taxpayer
April 15th, 2009
8:27 am
How about some “Fair and Balanced” reporting on taxes from those FOXy Folks. How about a little information about the Cayman Islands, for example. How about a little information about the estimated $100 billion in lost tax revenues thanks to US tax CHEATS. That equates to a loss of $2.5 billion in 2008 for Georgia that we actual taxpayers have to make up for. And, what is the GOP’s solution for this real problem — give the tax CHEATS MORE tax breaks. Tax Day should be about making tax CHEATS stop living off of us tax payers. Tax CHEATS are the true scum of the earth. They’re right up there with rapists because that’s what they do — they rape innocent people.
Then again, the GOP is doing everything perfectly. They should not change a thing. Great job, GOP. Now, get out there and exchange teabag horror stories with your constituency. Hehehehehe
PeachtreeMatt
April 15th, 2009
8:30 am
Dave R… You are Joking Right…I think the “majority” would agree that Sean Hannity, one of the TeaBaggers with the largest mouth(heh), is way out of the mainstream. I think he resides in the sewer.
danjonglee
April 15th, 2009
8:33 am
“Birth Tax” – Imposed on unborn and recently born children created out of thin air by our Imperial Federal Govt with the printing of trillions of dollars.
Copyleft
April 15th, 2009
8:36 am
These rallies are entirely Republican (and far-right at that), organized by Republican political-agitator organizations.
They are obviously NOT mainstream, but rather a fringe group of bitter whiners who still can’t figure out why they lost the last two elections and are hoping to disguise their Obama-hatred with a populist theme of “Taxes R Bad, Mmmkay?”
Yeah. Nobody loves paying taxes. But the “mainstream” of Americans recognize their tax burden as fair and necessary, and I doubt the tea-slurpers will be able to keep their irrational hatred concealed for long.
DB, Gwinnettian
April 15th, 2009
8:39 am
Jay concludes: the changes they protest are not being government-driven, they are being driven by their fellow citizens.
Pretty sure that’s the whole point of the tantrum. A lot of these protesters think of Obama voters as “leeches”, generally subhuman, and unworthy of the right to vote.
Joey
April 15th, 2009
8:40 am
These rallies will be great opportunities for Homeland Security (HS) to identify “Potential Rightwing Extreme Terrorist”. Hurry set up the video cameras. Get the facial recognition software going.
I qualify as a Rightwing Extremist under the Immigration issue, but I am excused under the abortion issue. (This rightwinger supports abortion). For single issue people which is the stronger definer?
I do not qualify under the hate-oriented oriented religious groups, I am not a religious person. I do not hate any religion or non-religion. However, many Atheist, Agnostics and Muslims easily meet the minimum standards. It is difficult for many Atheist, Agnostics and Muslims to keep that: I hate Christians and Jews and any religion that is not mine thing underwraps.
But membership comes back at me in the “rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority” issue. I will not deny that I strongly support any movement that takes power from the Feds.
Unfortunately I prefer coffee to tea.
Vinny
April 15th, 2009
8:44 am
Jay,
Your headline is completely misleading. As we all know, all Americans (and illegal criminal immigrants) pay zero federal income taxes, yet they get the full benefit of the infrastructure paid for by people who do pay federal taxes.
Just think how much lower our taxes would be if everyone had to pay taxes and how much better the infrastructure would be if the government would just grow a pair and start deporting all illegal aliens.
Jay
April 15th, 2009
8:44 am
Dave R, Anchor, if those attending the rallies were mainstream, they wouldn’t have to be attending rallies. They would have a president and Congress that reflected their opinions. Quite the opposite is true.
Those attending the rallies aren’t even mainstream within the Republican Party. John McCain won the Republican nomination, defeating a host of more conservative candidates, but most of those at the rallies would probably boo McCain if he showed up.
Brad Steel
April 15th, 2009
8:45 am
It is comical to see these rubes believe they are part of a grass roots and oh-so-hip “flash crowd.”
These dunces are puppets of Freedom Now and the silly rhetoric of the AM dial and Fox. And OMG, they are sooooo righteous about their money!
Mrs. Godzilla
April 15th, 2009
8:47 am
Teabaggers……and flatearthers, and birthers and prompters…..
See where Cavuto was bragging about Fox news coverage of the Million Man March in response to questions about Fox’s fair and balanced coverage and support of teabaggery?
Million Man March – October 16, 1995
Fox News begins operations – October 7,1996
jt
April 15th, 2009
8:47 am
Hey Napolitano- I feel as if our federal congress is full of corruptocrats, crooks, and tax cheats. I resent paying taxes to bail out Banksters. I recognize my state’s sovereignty, not the fed, I resent ILLEGAL immigrants, and I’m a vet.
Bring your jackbooted goverment workers on! I’m waiting.
Vinny
April 15th, 2009
8:48 am
Jay,
The only reason obama got elected is because he promised no more earmarks and lower taxes. He broke both promises already.
Do you think he would have been elected if he campaigned on what he is delivering, which is out of control government spending and hiring tax cheats in his cabinet?
jt
April 15th, 2009
8:50 am
Jay- only about 100 million people voted. So 60million is the mainstream out of 300 million?
Davo
April 15th, 2009
8:52 am
Bookman still can’t be bothered to spit out an original paragraph…better watch your back now that your coat-tail ride has moved to DC, unless your angling for a bailout of your pathetic fish-wrap. Pathetic that you have no problem stealing the Simpsons screen from FOX media and then go on to accuse them of not being above board.
ConservativeAnchor
April 15th, 2009
8:54 am
Jay,
They must attend rallies, because the news media and money losing newspapers, AJC, don’t report on their concerns and give them voice. And, I disagree with your assertion about mainstream. McCain was not mainstream. New Hampshire does not make a primary.
The facts are that Obozo and the Liberal filth in Congress are doing things even Liberals dislike. They are not only spending my children into tax oblivion, they are spending your children into tax oblivion. The children of the Liberal is being spent into absolute poverty. But, since the majority of Obozo’s supporters are drunks and dope addicts, like his cabinet they don’t pay taxes. What do they care about the rest of us?
Obozo will destroy the Democratic Party.
lovelyliz
April 15th, 2009
8:54 am
Why be honest about who’s backing them when they can get more mileage out of being authenic?
And just where were all these people during the last 8 years? You can’t drink the fiscal KoolAid that George Bush was producing for 8 years, some of the biggest increases in deficit spending in our nation’s history, and justart complaining about the taste 3 months after Obama takes office. It makes you a bit hypocritical.
Corporal
April 15th, 2009
8:56 am
Jay:
This country was founded when its citizens (only about 10% who were willing to put their lives and honor on the line) finally got fed up with the way taxes were mandated and collected. It was known as “taxation without representation”. You may have heard of it.
We are now at the point (or even past it) in this country where 50% of the “citizenry” (legal and illegal voters) pay zero income taxes and can therefore votes themselves “monies from the government teat”. As we allow uncontrolled illegal immigration, that figure will only grow.
That is “in effect” taxation without representation.
You can complain about who is upset, smuggly state what type of people they are, who is sponsoring these events, who is organizing them …. it doesn’t matter. It’s just the tip of the iceberg and it does not bode well for the future of this Republic.
Just one man’s opinion.
By the way, for those who will condemn me as being an “IRS” hating tax protestor, please note that I worked for the IRS Criminal Investigation Division for three years working tax fraud cases. I moved on to another agency when I became completely disgusted with the unfairness of the system. If you only knew.
gttim
April 15th, 2009
8:56 am
These folks are so far out of the mainstream that they thought “Teabaggers” was a good name. These are the extremists losers who don’t have a clue. They just know how to hate. They could not exist without their hate. A little like the losers who have to keep posting on the AJC blogs even though they hate Jay, hate the AJC, hate the government, and hate most everything.
Vinny
April 15th, 2009
8:57 am
I meant to say that only about 50% of people earning a wage actually pay federal income taxes.
rightofcenter
April 15th, 2009
8:57 am
Jay, It is really beneath you to belittle those who you disagree with. Your contempt with those “not like you” is palpable in this morning’s blog. If you were conservative, you could even be labeled intolerant. Fortunately, you are a liberal, so you can’t be intolerant. If you really want to see a network support a political agenda and events, watch NBC (the Today show, for instance). I can’t wait to turn it on in the morning to see their breathless drooling over all things Obama (could they have spent anymore time on the President’s damn dog?) As for the tea parties, I can’t speak for all of them, but the one held here locally in my little small town is totally grassroots (and no, I won’t be going because I unfortunately see the fruitlessness of it all).
Taxpayer
April 15th, 2009
8:58 am
So, the ones attending these rallies are the “mainstream”! Riiiight. The “mainstream” of what. The mainstream of the far right of the minority party. I think they are better described as bystanders or better yet, tools, that are standing in the main stream emanating from the trickle-down crowd such as the Koch family and those of a similar bent — tax CHEATS comes to mind. People such as the Koch family can certainly afford to fund things like this and they are certainly able to fool a batch of tools and even buy a few prostitutes (think Gingrich) willing to do their bidding for the right price but they have finally lost their ability to persuade the majority with their lies, deceit, and obfuscation. The truth really IS out there and it is getting more and more difficult to hide it from we the people.
But, all that aside, the main thing that I wanted to say is that the GOP is doing a most excellent job. Their message is right on target. Don’t change a thing. I love it. It’s perfect. Really.
Vinny
April 15th, 2009
8:59 am
Gttim,
No, we only hate high taxes imposed by an incompetent president and tax-cheat cabinet that taxes our children into oblivion with unnecessary pork barrel spending that he promised would not take place. Barak Obumbles is nothing but a liar.
lovelyliz
April 15th, 2009
8:59 am
I’ll listen to the conservatives and “concerned” taxpayers who were protesting against the spending policies of the last president, but otherwise, I just don’t give you much credence.
Andy the Welcher
April 15th, 2009
8:59 am
The teabaggers are BIG TIME hypocrits. Some of the wingbutternuts here have been orgasmic over Obama’s victory just so they can hope for him and the country to fail.
Not a word over the last 8 years, now they show up to the party high on meth and “indignation” over the continuation of thier AWOL in chief’s policies…
Why do conservatives hate America???
ew
Brian
April 15th, 2009
9:00 am
Gee Jay, you almost sound paranoid. If these tea parties are of no significance then why are you so concerned that you have to write about it? Why try to play it down and belittle it? Despite what you and others like you think or say, opposition to your boy’s and your parties policies isn’t going to go away. To have a voice against the tax and spend party doesn’t mean you’re Republican either and despite your two or three a week articles saying so, that party isn’t going to fold up and die and blow away in the wind.
PJ
April 15th, 2009
9:00 am
To: Taxpayer @8:27 am & Copyleft @8:36 am – You guys hit the nail on the head.
What I want to know is where were all these people during the eight years that Bush and Co. ruined our economy? I didn’t hear about any concerns for the deficit then. Where were they when W. tried to allow Dubai to run our ports? Where were they when spending got out of control in the Republican lead Congress and signed off by Bush? They were saying no to regulations, no to pay as you go, no to health care for everyone. Now we have an Administration that is trying hard in a very short time to correct the past eight years of wrong and they are upset. Mark my words, taxes are a side issue. We are going to see more signs disparaging Obama’s character than anything else. I wish them luck in this fools folly. The entertainment alone will be well worth it.
Mrs. Godzilla
April 15th, 2009
9:00 am
I think the DHS has it’s work cut out for it.
jt
April 15th, 2009
9:01 am
Hey Corp- there is a good article on the Drudge about ex irs agents.
JackLeg
April 15th, 2009
9:05 am
Compared the Oblama, the republicans ARE for smaller government.
ConservativeAnchor
April 15th, 2009
9:06 am
PJ writes; “We are going to see more signs disparaging Obama’s character than anything else.”
It really isn’t that difficult to disparage the character of a infanticide abortionist with experience carrying a clip board around South Chicago. Obozo will be proven as an incompetent Socialist.
He absolutely is a economic illiterate. He proves it every time he opens that moron mouth of his with those dumbo elephant like ears flapping by the hot air he expels.
fearless fosdick
April 15th, 2009
9:08 am
This is just so much hype it is beyond pathetic. But you can always count on FOX the noise machine to trot out some non-issue, and get their base all rabid over something about nothing.
Hannity is going under the LIMBO BAR with Joe the Plumber here in Atlanta…I wonder what pearls of wisdom ol’ Joe will have to cast upon the multitudes…Do I hear a HUSH!
Ohhhhhh I can hardly wait Joe the fake plumber is comin’ to town.
http://crooksandliars.com/media/play/wmv/7858/
gttim
April 15th, 2009
9:08 am
No, we only hate high taxes imposed by an incompetent president and tax-cheat cabinet that taxes our children into oblivion with unnecessary pork barrel spending that he promised would not take place.
Yeah Vinny, I hated Reagan, Bush and Bush as well!
DB, Gwinnettian
April 15th, 2009
9:10 am
Glenn Harlan Reynolds has a thoroughly dishonest and deceptive piece in today’s Wall Street Journal
BTW, Jay, I assume you know of this fine news analysis website, but if not…
Bosch
April 15th, 2009
9:11 am
The thing that concerns me is that many of these folks are mad about non-existent things.
Have taxes gone up? Have any of these folks actually paid more taxes? Have their lives actually been so disrupted by a tax burden that their lives have changed that drastically? I think the answer to that is NO.
I feel that these people are examples of the extreme right – and are doing nothing but riling up the disenfranchised in this country to protest something that doesn’t even exist and doing nothing but fueling more hatred to a dangerous level.
“Obama’s gonna take my guns away” “Obama’s gonna create a secret police” – all misconceptions fueled by paranoia based on things that don’t even exist.
Protests are great, when you are protesting something real – but in this case, I just don’t see it.
Vinny
April 15th, 2009
9:11 am
PJ – Typical Liberal response – “but, but, but Bush!”
Remember what Obama said – “we won”. barry and his tax-cheating cabinet now owns this economy lock, stock, and barrel.
Now that people are protesting his out of control spending and approval of earmarks (that he promised would not be in any bill he signed) you have the audacity to say where were the conservatives?
If barry can’t stand the heat, he needs to get out of the kitchen.
Dave R
April 15th, 2009
9:11 am
They are the mainstream because they are the people who are paying taxes. They are the people who are funding you leeches who vote Democrat.
And I’ve never gotten an answer to this little issue before, but if paying taxes is so patriotic, as VP Hope and Change claims it is, and if paying taxes is paying your dues as Americans, as Jay maintains it is, why don’t you libs give a bit more for your country and state?
Massachusetts, which is about as liberal a state as there is (and a state that is about to collapse under it’s own governmental weight), has two income tax rates – a mandatory 5.35 percent rate and a VOLUNTARY 5.85 percent rate. As of this past weekend, only 800 out of 2 MILLION tax filers have elected to pay the VOLUNTARY half-percent to help their state out of it’s fiscal crisis. After all, it’s for the children, isn’t it? And of those 800 souls, their average income is about $20,000 per year. Where are all the beautiful people manning it up to help out their state in their time of crisis?
And now that you libs have the government you want in Washington, D.C. why aren’t you ponying up a few more bucks to help out President Hope and Change and Nancy and Harry get out of their budgetary mess? Taxpayer, did YOU send in a few extra bucks VOLUNTARILY to D.C. this year? If not, why not? There’s nothing stopping you – except a glaring double standard.
You libs want everyone ELSE to pay taxes, not yourselves.
Oh, and Taxpayer? If you want to fix the tax cheat problem, get behind the FairTax.
Joey
April 15th, 2009
9:13 am
If you did not hear about the excess spending and the deficite during the Bush Administration, then you were not listening.
It was Conservatives and Republicans that stopped the Dubai deal.
Yes the Republican Congress was spending wildly and foolishly. That is why we no longer have a Republican Congress.
ConservativeAnchor
April 15th, 2009
9:15 am
Bosch: You see the newspapers aren’t addressing the mainstream concerns. You haven’t heard that;
1. American Revitalization and Recovery Act 2009 (it was not stimulus it was a slush fund) $787B
2. The Budget – $3.6 trillion. More money than any other administration since the country was founded.
If the Liberal was upset about spending under Bush, they all must be poised to jump off the roof with this spending.
Dave R
April 15th, 2009
9:16 am
Bosch, taxes haven’t gone up -yet. But how do you pay for all the TRILLIONS in extra debt generated in the past 90 days by President Hope & Change?
Taxes WILL go up.
These are rallies about excessive SPENDING. They just use April 15th because that is the day the bill comes due for it.
I Report/ You Whine
April 15th, 2009
9:16 am
Honest to God, out of the blue, I just ran across an obvious Obozo voter, who, after exchange brief cordials, told me straight up that he just got bad news from the IRS and he is distraught about. He was practically muttering to himself about it.
I am stunned to say the least, knowing how many people there are that are coming around to the less government ideals.
Thank you socialists!
Pokey
April 15th, 2009
9:18 am
How much have “news outlets” like MSNBC, NBC,CNN, NYT, etc given to the tea parties past and today?? How much??? Why??? Give me a break!
Bosch
April 15th, 2009
9:18 am
Conservative Anchor,
But has it disrupted the lives of the American People to the extent that they are suffering or it has changed their lives so dramatically towards the negative? Those things you mentioned? You can not see the future and tell me that those things are going to ruin our lives to the extent that people feel the need to protest in the streets.
The Boston Tea Party? That was based on something real – taxation without representation.
You have representation – we all do – you don’t like it? You know what to do.
jt
April 15th, 2009
9:19 am
Bosch- Furthermore, not all taxes go up immediantly. Some already have.
Some people have the ability to LOOK AHEAD.
“Grind the people between the millstones of taxation and inflation” Lenin.
Dan
April 15th, 2009
9:22 am
Hmm an article about paying ones dues, something a material percentage of the current cabinet had neglected to do until someone shined a light on them. Somewhat ironic no?
Bill
April 15th, 2009
9:22 am
So by your reasoning the more taxes an American pays, the more “American” he is? We are not a fringe group. The only reason the rallies won’t be larger is that many of us will still be working to pay our taxes.
Taxpayer
April 15th, 2009
9:23 am
These non-Democrats with their rants of high taxes and socialism and injustices, etc., are the “voice” of a movement alright. I’m thinking bowel. They cannot back up their drivel with anything factual. They run away from discussion or else turn to name calling in order to hide their ignorance or hatred or whatever it is that motivates them to such irrational bouts of support for those that intend to do them the most harm — the ones that truly want nothing more than to trickle down on them. For example, some call Obama an abortionist or illiterate or Socialist, etc., without so much as a single shred of proof to back up their statements. In other words, their words are of less value than a fart. For once, I would like to see some JackLeg, for example, or even a ConservativeAnchor provide proof that the GOP has actually reduced our debt or deficit or actually given us smaller government.
Corporal
April 15th, 2009
9:24 am
jt:
I didn’t see that information. Was it part of a larger article?