Last night my wife asked me exactly why I was going to the Tea Party today. It was a good question because it forced me to verbalize my intent.
I believe our Government is too large. Hardly a single thing in our lives isn't taxed, regulated, licensed, or inspected by the ever expanding Federal government.
I am not anti-government. Anarchists can prattle on all they want about how we'll self organize, yadda yadda yadda, but if there's one core belief of mine, it's that overwhelming force wins all battles. If there were no government, enough people would band together to impose their will on others via force. I prefer that we all band together to ensure we're left alone. This causes many, many problems because at some point you have to give the government authority. We have given them way too much.
It is not the Federal Government's role to provide education, health care, roads, toy car specifications, marriage definitions, or any of the millions of other pies they have their fingers in.
I'm taxed on my paycheck. I'm taxed when I buy gas, ammo, milk and bread. I pay taxes on my car and on my license to drive. I pay taxes if I win money in the lottery. If I paint someone's house for $20, the government assumes some of that money belongs to them. My employer pays me less money because they have to pay for the taxes of just keeping me employed. There are too many taxes and too little oversight how they are spent.
Then, when a trillion dollar spending bill is voted for in minutes rather than the 8 month long debate that should have occurred, it is clear to me that the people in Washington are no longer responding to the demands of the citizenry. I am using the soap box to make my voice heard. I'd prefer the other boxes to go unused for now.
I do not do this out of spite of Democrats or Obama. I don't care who is in control, the spending we have now is unjustifiable. Now, Uncle has a good point – Why is it that most Republicans seem to only care about this stuff when they're not in power? To his point, it's the fault of every last person, regardless of political stripe, who voted to give the government more power to enact the things they thought were worthwhile, forgetting that eventually, their team won't be in charge.
I've made those mistakes. I've voted for stuff because I didn't think it would affect me and now I am reaping what I've sowed. But I protest in hopes that enough of my fellow countrymen and women join me in making our voices heard. It would have been nicer if those same voices would have used the ballot box to do so, but better late than never.
Here's hoping the next batch of politicians get the message and that 2010 sees a shift away from the entrenched class in Washington.
This is why I protest.