Taxed enough already! I hear the Tea Partiers cry. Those fascist, socialist, big gub'mint, tax-and-spend, liberal elite, pork-barrel politicians are going to take away my freedom! It's not the government's money. It's our money! In America, we don't redistribute wealth, we earn it! Don't spread my wealth, spread my work ethic! You didn't work hard for what I have! We're not going to take it!
Sound familiar? Let's think about this in light of the facts, courtesy of the Tax Foundation, not exactly a bunch of commie-pinkos.
Some states receive more in federal aid than they pay in federal tax; others pay more in tax than they receive in aid. Hmmm, I wonder....
Yikes! It looks like 8 out of the top 10 "recipient states" are Red States - you know, anti-tax, small gub'mint folks. And it would be 9 out of 10 if Virginia didn't momentarily forget itself and go Blue for a minute in November, 2008. If New Mexico swings back Red? All of them.
In fact, out of the 32 total recipient states, 23 are anti-tax, small gub'mint, Republican votin', Tea Party lovin', gun totin', Bible-thumpin' Red States. And it would be 25 if Virginia and North Carolina didn't momentarily forget themselves and briefly go Blue.
Yep. These folks sure hate the Federal Gub'mint. They're all about States Rights. Heck, some of 'em even started a little dust-up over States Rights back in the 1860s. Hm. I know we liberal elites don't know American history too well. Let's think... what did they want the right to do again?
Well, never mind that. Let's take a look at the "donor states." Wow! 13 out of the 17 donor states are Blue States: fascist, socialist, big gub'mint, tax-and-spend, liberal elite, pork-barrel states. It almost looks like one-third of us are paying the bills for the other two-thirds.
So whyizzit you Tea Party folks hate taxes so much again?
It's not the government's money. It's our money! Well, not really. It's not your money. It's our money. It goes from us, to you.
In America, we don't redistribute wealth! Actually, we do redistribute wealth. We take our wealth and give it to you. But if you don't like it feel free to send it back.
Tax-and-spend? Well sort of. We're the "tax" part; you're the "spend" part.
Too much pork? You want to see gub'mint pork? Look in the mirror. Now smile and say "oink." Still want to end the pork in Washington?
But you're taxed enough already? You're not going to take it anymore? It looks as if anyone ought to be complaining about taxes it's us: the unpatriotic liberal elite who pay your bills. I wonder why we don't complain more. I guess we're just too busy hating America or something.
But really, I'm sorry you're so oppressed by the Federal Gub'mint. It takes one dollar from you and gives you back a dollar-fifty, or even two. I see why you're mad as hell. Such tyranny is intolerable. Good luck in 2010 with those tax cuts you want. I hope that works out for you.
Never let the facts get in the way of a good slogan.
Very Truly Yours,
Porcupine
10 comments:
great statistics! will definitely be sharing this blog. there's a great satirical Tea Party song & video out by emma's revolution, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGpRN7ZWlp8
Hi Sue - Welcome to Cricket and Porcupine.
Thanks for the link. Funny vid.
Careful what you wish for, T.P.ers. Just for educational purposes, maybe we should repeal the Income Tax, after all. We'd be mostly better off, and the Red States could learn to manage without welfare... I mean, Federal Aid.
"Moral hazards" and all that.
Great stuff. Where did you get the idea that the tea partiers want to know any facts?
veddy interstink...
thanks. this was illuminating. never been a tea party type but this is really an telling bit of statistics.
I'm a libertarian, as you know. That doesn't necessarily equate to Tea Party, though some folks seem to think it does. However, I'll argue the libertarian "don't tax me" side of things.
For libertarians, it's not where the money goes. It's not who gets the money, nor is it what the money is spent on. It's the mere fact that the money is taken. We consider it theft. No matter how noble the purpose behind taking someone else's money, the taking of someone else's money, without consent, is stealing. Period.
(This argument can go off on many interesting tangents, and go on for eons, if we also start arguing about what representative government is, and how far the rights of the majority, or suspension of minority rights, should extend in a democracy or a democratic republic. I'll certainly grant that your view can be supported by looking at the real history of taxation in this country. I'm just arguing from theory.)
Now, your average run-of-the-mill right-wing Republican is as much of a hypocrite about these things as anyone. They, like their Democratic brethren, are happy as hell to tax other people. The only difference is in how the tax money will be spent. If you want to argue Republican hypocrisy (and I think that's probably your main point) you won't get any argument from me.
Ah well, I find it a bit difficult to take the mewling of the Tea Party all that serious. As they coordinated their insulting little march on Washington (taking back the Civil Rights movement? Oh for the love of all things ironic) emails were sent out advising how to get there. Areas to avoid, places to see, all as they congregated at a monument, maintained by tax dollars, after driving on roads maintained by tax dollars, and being advised which types of public transportation were best utilized.
All to scream about how there should be fewer tax dollars? Oh for god's sake. The worst part is that if you drew one of those people aside and explained to them all of the tax-funded things they had just availed themselves of in order to scream about how taxes are bad, they'd likely stare blankly.
If you point out to them that they can likely read those emails, in part, because of their public school system education, they'd bluster more.
It's hard for me to not want to give those folks a blanky and binky, complete with a bedtime story. They're throwing tantrums and have very little understanding of what it is they are even talking about.
Jim, that's also the problem with the Libertarian belief that there should be no taxes. Work out a way for all of the things you use daily to no longer be funded by taxes, or tell me honestly that you don't wish for the roads to be maintained, the mail delivered, the snow plowed, and the urchins of the country educated and maybe I'll take the "I suffer theft!" proclamations a touch more seriously.
If we all want to live together, we need a maintained societal structure. That structure also helps provide things like your job. The groceries you have access to, the laws that keep you safe are enforced by people receiving a tax dollar salary.
Freedom is such a lovely concept, but freedom doesn't just mean "I get to do what I want" it means dealing with the fallout of others doing that to.
Extremism in any form isn't workable, it seems, particularly when it maintains the structure upon which we all depend.
It's very difficult to take seriously the outraged cries of people engaging in wholesale hypocrisy. Show me one tea partier, or one Libertarian who hasn't benefited, and does not benefit from something maintained by the government.
Back to the groceries for a second -- how do you think they get to that market? Over...roads?
Nothing in your life, right at this moment is free from the benefit of a maintained structure.
Anyway, anyway, I'm a liberal. A progressive, if that wasn't clear. I'm also in the highest tax bracket and support more social programs, not fewer. The very people who have made the most money (and I am not among them), have benefited the most from a maintained structure. You really think people would have time, energy and inclination to feed capitalism if they spent their time digging out their small holdings constantly? Fighting off the hordes that would steal their stuff?
The poor Tea Party people are having their strings pulled by incredibly rich people who don't wish to be taxed, all while knowing that it is the social programs and structures that allowed a societal structure strong enough to make them rich.
It's just "dance monkey, dance" and no one seems to understand that they are just an organ grinders tool as they scream about their freedoms.
Lordy, it makes me tired :-)
Hi Cricket, I'm sure you've missed me, right? Right? HEY, where are you going?
CRICKET?
Well crud... we all hate taxes. But I am not a tea party goer. I do however support their right to protest. But having said that, even the KKK has a right to do their thing under the constitution. :-)
Hi Ananda -
Well, sure they have a right to protest if they like. It's just that, if you're not from one of those bottom 17 states, it's really a bit like stomping out of the bossman's office saying "Bastard gave me a raise!
psst.....tagged you at my place...you're it!
My parents and my brother are Tea Partiers. My parents use Medicare and social security. My brother has a mental illness and has been on disability almost his whole adult life. (The other half he was a wandering coo coo bird who couldn't keep a job because of his illness.)
I just wonder what the hell my parents would use for insurance if they didn't have Medicare and what would my brother do if we didn't have a social safety net for the disabled.
But, in fairness to the anti tax folks, I think the anger is rooted in what is perceived as wastefulness and even fraud by the government. That is an anger I can understand. I don't mind paying taxes if the money is used for the good of our society. I just doubt the government ability to use the money efficiently.
I doubt most of the Tea Party candidates could do any better than mainstream candidates. I mean look the news story on the Deleware candidate. She apparently used campaign funds to pay her rent.
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