Better than two years ago, in February of 2009 a new protest group turned up on the scene. They carried signs protesting the so-called stimulus plan that we now know has failed miserably. This group attended holiday functions and started their own protests. In addition to their signs they carried the American flag as well as signs from Revolutionary War period that said "Don't tread on me".
They attended town hall meetings put on by various politicians across the country, challenging the politicians to explain their backing of the stimulus plan and the bailouts of banks and insurance companies. It expanded into protests of the proposed health care takeover. When politicians tried to ignore the questions by giving rambling answers that obfuscated the question or just ignored the question altogether, they were challenged by their constituents and forced to either give an honest answer or they were booed by their own constituents at their meetings, and sometimes, their honest answer revealed their true disdain for their citizens and they were booed for that. This led to the largest turnaround in elections since the 1920's, in the 2010 elections.
There were very few incidents of violence, although some accusations of events. Eggs thrown at a Tea Party bus in Nevada. The occasional poster of Obama as a witch doctor, or the joker (which was also done to President Bush). Most of the incidents and violence that took place came when the politicians brought in the unions and started restricting the town hall meetings and led to the use of telephone town hall meetings where the policians wouldn't have to face their own constituents.
These Tea Party protests were the people of this country complaining that the government was giving money to certain segments. The takeover of health care. The confiscation of General Motors and turning it into Government Motors and selecting who would get stimulus money. Protesting the failed cash for clunkers.
Now we know that the stimulus money has gone for "green" companies, and those that supported Obama, and of course, who can forget the money given to teach men in Africa how to bathe after sex.
In October of 2011 a new group has emerged. First they were called Occupy Wall Street. Now they are called "Occupy ..." whatever city they protest in. What do they want? They want FREE college education. They want FREE health care. They call themselves the 99% and those that have money as the 1% and call for the 1% to pay higher taxes.
To think about this logically, you have to ask why they would want anyone to pay higher taxes. After all, they want free health care. So why would they be calling for higher taxes? If the health care is free, nobody should have to pay any taxes. After all, the health care is "free". They want free college education. Why do they need anyone to pay more taxes if the education is "free"?
It reminds me of Governor Granholm in Michigan a few years ago. She had the State of Michigan provide "free" laptop computers to all 6th grade students in the state. The plan was stopped a year later saying that the state couldn't afford the "free" laptops. It must be really bad when they can't afford something that's "free".
These Occupy.... groups have been camping out in parks such as Zuccotti park in New York. It's not a public park where they'd at least have an argument about their right to assembly and their right to protest. It's a private park that they've taken over, violating the law by not leaving when the park closes and not leaving.
The protests have been marked by violence. Women and children being raped and even men being raped. Protestors defacating on police cars. Their personal hygiene may be suffering because they don't bathe. Head and body lice has become a real problem there.
They have threatened to burn down Macy's, and now are saying that they are going to disrupt the largest shopping day of the year on black Friday by protesting outside businesses. The protests haver turned violent with clashes with the police across the country.
The Occupy crowd has recently been complaining. They aren't just complaining that they are having clashes with police, but they are complaining about the homeless. Not because there are homeless, but because there are groups that support them that are providing them with food and the homeless are showing up and eating that food.
They aren't complaining about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which is heavily involved in the meltdown of the housing markets. They are complaining about the millions in bonuses paid to Wall Street executives. They aren't complaining outside the White House over the stimulus money paid to Solyndra to delay their bankruptcy filing until it's convenient for the Obama administration, they are complaining the upper 1% of income earners aren't paying as much in taxes, even though the upper 1% pays the bulk of the taxes in this country yet say nothing about the 47% of the people aren't paying any taxes, but actually receive money on their tax returns from the government.
It's quite a comparison between the two protest groups. The Tea Party was complaining about too much government and allowing the people to remain free and unencumbered by restrictions of government while the Occupy crowd wants the government to provide them with everything so they don't have to work for what they get. The Tea Party wants to work for what they get, while the Occupy crowd wants the government to take away from those that earn their pay and give it to them.
The Tea Party protestors worked during the day and protested on their own time at meetings and weekends while the Occupy crowd has camped out for nearly two months on private property (owned by the rich) and had sex with anything that moves of any age or sex and craps on government vehicles.
The really odd thing is that the Tea Party has been accused of being anti government while they were protesting too much government while the Occupy protestors are wanting the government to provide everything while abusing private property, government property and each other. I wonder if they've noticed that the government has no integrity and is broke.
You're welcome to comment.
Brett
