re:a bit of a ranty rant on the tea party... Rooby Roo!

[DLandonCole]

I'd like to see that graph.

[allbabiesareatheists]

@DLandonCole - I shall produce it. I am not permitted it seems to directly quote the links. Damn. I got it from wiki - File:Income taxes by country. The chart came from the organization for economic cooperation and development. I'll give further in a PM if necessary.

[CobraJones]

I used to look a bit like Shaggy in my younger years, so much so that some Mexican kids at a church I was helping to build started calling me Shaggy...made me wish I had a dog like Scooby-Doo....what kind of dog is he, anyway?

At any rate...more ranty rant, this time in text form...

[CobraJones]

For conspiracy theorists, including the birthers...yeah, you have a bit of a point there. But that goes back to my point that these are just average people who got ticked off for whatever reason, and are now the blind being led by the idiots. Any movement that does not start out with a philosophy will end up with one...and I certainly think the current Tea Party philosophy isn't good.

[CobraJones]

Most of the people that I knew that were involved in participating (as opposed to leading, speaking, etc.), were typically white, middle to upper middle class people. I do not think most of them are racist, although some certainly are, as there has been rather little evidence to point to the majority of them being racist.

[CobraJones]

I would agree that Americans are taxed too much...but that would probably be something more worthy of a video instead of a text. I will here that one of the reasons the U.S. has been as successful as an economic power as it has is due to the comparitively lower taxes we have in this country.

[CobraJones]

Another bit about the taxes...our income tax money is usually spent rather haphazardly and wastefully. And the 30% statistic doesn't include all of our taxes. Highways, for example, are not made using income tax, but the gas consumption tax.

[CobraJones]

The Boston Tea Party itself (the actual throwing of the tea) was done by a small group of people, but the meetings beforehand to protest the tax was attended by thousands, so I think the comparison is somewhat accurate in that regards. Were the ringleaders the wealthy people who had much to lose? Perhaps. But certainly not everyone there was.

[CobraJones]

I will agree that there are quite a few idiot libertarians, typically the ones that want what government gives them but don't want to pay for it. I will also point out that there are people all across the political spectrum that make logical fallacies similar to that, so instead of generalizing "libertarians," perhaps it should just be cut to "people are stupid"?

[CobraJones]

And, finally...Glenn Beck books are...interesting...as is the man himself. He uses sound logic, up to a point...and then takes where that logic leads him, and twists it around to fit his agenda. Which...since that is his job, and he's very good at doing it, is how he has come to be as successful as he is.

Pretty sure if you don't feel comfortable buying his books...you can probably download them for free (audio versions, too, even ;-) ) His words can help lull you to sleep...

[allbabiesareatheists]

@CobraJones - I believe Scooby was supposed to be a Great Dane.

[CobraJones]

@allbabiesareatheists I could totally rock a Great Dane.

[allbabiesareatheists]

@CobraJones - I'm going to just pretend you mean that in the most G-rated way.

[CobraJones]

@allbabiesareatheists I do mean that in a G-rated way...geez, your mind DOES go straight to the gutter, doesn't it?

[allbabiesareatheists]

@CobraJones - you and the rest of my rag-tag group have me so paranoid of double and even TRIPLE entendres that I automatically go that way. So excuse me if you have me a bit on edge sometimes! :P

[CobraJones]

@allbabiesareatheists Triple entendres? Is that like you saying..."Wow, his 'cigar' sure is BIG!" and then someone else going "Yeah, I bet it is, hyuk, hyuk!" and then you saying "No, really, I mean that literally...his cigar is a big cigar."?

Or...is that more like saying one thing, meaning another thing to be picken up by your less clever friends, with another deeper, hidden meaning layered beneath that for the most clever of them?

[allbabiesareatheists]

@CobraJones - YES!

[CobraJones]

@happyHominid So women are bad drivers, black people listen to rap, Christians are stupid, atheists are assholes, liberals are commies, conservatives are racists, etc. etc. and etc.? The problem with "generalization" is that everyone is an individual, even within groups. Are some women bad drivers? Yes. Perhaps even MOST black people listen to rap. But not all. Argument by generalizing is (generally... :o) ) bad.

[AmericanResponses]

They love to defend the constitution the right says ... In reality they love to shit all over it and human rights...like in Arizona and Oklahoma

[MortalTodd]

Lolbertarians want everything that a government provides, but they don't want the government taking the money (tax) to provide it and would rather do it themselves. Makes me laugh every time.

[abbynormal0ne]

On the surface, the tea party movement has some good ideas in that they are exercising their rights and questioning the status quo. Once you actually listen to what they say, however, you can see the level of crazy that they are supporting. Yes, there are some moderates, as there are in every group, but the mob mentality in the movement is definitely scary...and it has been taken over by Fox News....bleh.

[allbabiesareatheists]

@abbynormal0ne - if you have caught the back-and-forth with them lately, even Fox news is distancing themselves from the Tea Party. They pulled one of their people from a paid dinner because they didn't want to be associated. Now when Fox says you are too radical - you've gone too far!

[StanMarsh1]

They are a bunch of narrow minded hypocrites, and believe me, I could say a lot worse. :P

[jmm1233]

:) good reply about the teabaggers