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Now really, I'm surprised the favorable number was only 51%. Who can have a beef with a pleasant little tea party in the park? I'll bet half of the opposition came from brutish folks who think tea is for sissies. Expect rebranding to "Coffee Parties"—for all you hard-charging, caffeinated patriots!—for the next wave of protests. Or why not "Beer Parties"? They could cut into the Obama youth vote!
But I digress.
Here are some other numbers that really puzzle: a Gallup poll finds 61% (an even bigger most!) of Americans say the income taxes they pay are fair. Gallup attributes this to patriotism: when the country's at war (will we ever again not be?), Americans historically see paying taxes more as their red-white-and-blue duty than as an unfair burden.
Gallup also finds the number of Americans who say the federal income taxes they pay are "about right" surpassing the number who say their taxes are "too high," a statistical crossing that has happened only once before in the 53 years Gallup has asked this question. Bad news for the teabaggers here: their outrage isn't playing with the majority, either by income range or party affiliation. The number of low- and middle-income people who their federal income tax is "about right" grew to slim majorities from last year. The only folks who say their taxes are too high are wealthy folks (well, those making over $75K) and Republicans.
Read that again: the biggest complainers about taxes are those who can most afford taxes. The teabaggers claim a "Silent Majority," but these numbers suggest the real silent majority might be better characterized as working-class folks who think their taxes are fine (and notice the 6% of low-income folks who say their taxes are too low). At the very least, the teabaggers have a long re-education campaign ahead.p.s.: Rasmussen also finds 86% of respondents paying at least some attention to the Tea Parties in the news; that's pretty good for a story Tea Party organizers, fueling their persecution narrative, say was ignored by the mainstream media.
The income tax increases haven't hit yet! Run that same poll next year or the next and see what the results are. And also, don't forget the other tax hikes coming to your house and mine. Higher state income taxes (double if you are lucky enough to live in IL), higher taxes on gas, pop, certain food, cigarettes, and energy if cap and trade passes which Obama et al will get thru most likely.
ReplyDeleteThe people at the tea parties were protesting higher taxes, but mostly were protesting out of control gov't spending and increased concentration of power in the federal gov't. And most judging by what we could see across the country are not the "rich" folks, they are the common folks who WILL be footing the bill for this and who ARE losing more personal freedom every day to the fed gov't.
Deride it if you must, belittle it, ignore it, but we aren't going away. We are just finding our voice and organizing.
It seems to me that the tea parties were less about people feeling they are paying unfair amounts of taxes and more about paying them to an administration they feel will waste it.
ReplyDeleteYes, What happened to President Obama's promise to pay as we go? Being President is much easier when you just start the money press to make people happy. How about making some tough decisions for not spending versus trying to please the masses. I do not how anyone can think that to resonate means to do whatever it takes to be popular.
ReplyDeleteLet's see what happens to the popularity of the current administration when the blooming dollar tree bears the fruit that it inevitably must: hyperinflation worse than anybody alive today has ever seen.
ReplyDeleteIf one does not agree with policies, isn't it their privilege to express their beliefs, just as the person who wrote the "tea party was a thumbs down", that is merely an opinion. It was a good beginning, perhaps some good will come if people can make good things happen and get through to make a responsible government; we have not had that for too many years. Right now the foxes in Washington DC are guarding the henhouse, no one is trying to help the country, just themselves. It is a scary time in our wonderful country.
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