{"id":381410,"date":"2010-03-01T20:17:14","date_gmt":"2010-03-02T01:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seattletimes.nwsource.com\/html\/northwestvoices\/2011227284_revelingintheteaparty.html?syndication=rss"},"modified":"2010-03-01T20:17:14","modified_gmt":"2010-03-02T01:17:14","slug":"reveling-in-the-tea-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/381410","title":{"rendered":"Reveling in the tea party"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tea party too often marginalized<\/strong><\/p>\n

Editor, The Times:<\/p>\n

Joni Balter\u2019s column gives us the liberal evaluation of the tea party, which is \u201can amorphous group known mostly for its collective anger\u201d [\u201cVoters with short attention spans could lure Rossi to the ballot,\u201d Opinion, Feb. 25].<\/p>\n

Then, Balter cherry picks a perceived negative comment from distant Asotin County. There, a tea-party participant called for Sen. Patty Murray to be hung \u2014 hung out to dry, a term used by common folks meaning defeated. But a self-serving elitist would have a vision of violence. Too bad The Times didn\u2019t get acquainted with the common, local tea-party folks last year. They are mostly nice people just disgusted with the establishment.<\/p>\n

Further, the column suggests the anger would turn away the independents from a Republican candidate. Strangely, the tea party is made up largely of the average independent. Sen. Scott Brown used the independents\u2019 conservatism to get elected in Massachusetts and Brown\u2019s strategy will be emulated throughout the Republican Party \u2014 including a new respect for a revitalized conservatism.<\/p>\n

As usual, the arrogant liberals marginalize opposing philosophies and resort to unfounded name calling.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Don Wilbur, University Place<\/em><\/p>\n

Movement hypocritical when assessing spending<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank you for the article on the tea partyers [\u201cNo rainout for tea partyers,\u201d NWSunday, Feb. 28]. I found it an interesting, if puzzling, reading. I am puzzled because these folks have become so shrill over government spending.<\/p>\n

My question is: If they are so concerned about the deficit, where were they for the eight years of the George W. Bush administration when Bush enacted an estimated $1.8 trillion in tax cuts for the rich? Even wealthy people such as Bill Gates Sr. and Bill Clinton campaigned against this, saying they didn\u2019t need the money from the tax breaks and that it should stay in the coffers of the U.S. Treasury.<\/p>\n

Where were the tea partyers when President Bush launched his unnecessary war with Iraq, which is now estimated to ultimately cost us $2 trillion?<\/p>\n

At least the money President Obama spent on the stimulus plan prevented the country from going into another Depression. And the money spent on health-care reform will help ordinary Americans in a big way.<\/p>\n

It would seem that, for the tea partyers, if a Republican president spends money like a drunken sailor, that\u2019s OK. But if a Democratic president attempts it, they go nuclear.<\/p>\n

What exactly is in that tea they\u2019re drinking?<\/p>\n

\u2014 Dave Richards, Bainbridge Island<\/em><\/p>\n

I hate government \u2026 for different reasons<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tea partyers claim to hate government. I do too \u2014 at least some parts.<\/p>\n

I hate it when insurance and pharmaceutical lobbyists succeed in buying Congress to block health-care reform. I hate it when the fear-mongering neocons succeeds in starting tragic wars, costing U.S. taxpayers a trillion dollars and counting.<\/p>\n

I hate it when right-wingers pass an unneeded Patriot Act to take away my civil liberties. I hate it when Republicans succeed in cutting taxes for the wealthy, eliminating $2 trillion in needed revenue and putting more burden on me. I hate it when conservatives keep needed regulation out of our financial markets, then force taxpayers to bail out banks and companies \u201ctoo big to fail.\u201d<\/p>\n

Locally, I hate it when our state sales tax keeps going up instead of just installing a much more equitable state income tax.<\/p>\n

So, I guess I agree with tea partyers: There\u2019s a lot to be upset about with government today.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Dave Gamrath, Seattle<\/em><\/p>\n

Attack on Beck wrought with irony<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is disappointing that David Sirota desperately tries to equate the violent pogroms against Jews and blacks to the legitimate criticism of a political belief system [\u201cGlenn Beck\u2019s movement: It CAN happen here,\u201d Opinion, Mar. 1].<\/p>\n

Sirota misconstrues the message in the speech given by Glenn Beck. The \u201cprogressive movement\u201d is a belief system not based on race or creed. It is correct, courageous and patriotic to argue for the demise of a belief system one finds harmful to society.<\/p>\n

Sirota hysterically tries to induce readers to believe that Beck suggests acts of violence and hatred. In fact, Beck challenged listeners to assume responsibility for their own actions and to strive for greatness for themselves and fellow citizens.<\/p>\n

Sirota derides conservatives as \u201conce principled,\u201d then derides Beck as having a \u201cporcine complexion\u201d and being \u201cdrenched in sweat.\u201d Sirota furthers the irony by accusing Beck of using \u201ccoded and menacing language.\u201d Why did the left change their label of \u201cliberal\u201d back to the coded \u201cprogressive\u201d?<\/p>\n

I will look for future columns by Sirota in the comics section.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Chris Gormley, Everett<\/em><\/p>\n

Reactionary pandering to the ultra-left<\/strong><\/p>\n

David Sirota\u2019s knife-fighting skills are evident in \u201cGlenn Beck\u2019s movement: It CAN happen here.\u201d Too bad that he uses the wrong tense: It HAS happened here and this is the problem.<\/p>\n

The creep of progressivism is the problem, not the solution. Too many writers like Sirota toss \u201cprogressive\u201d around as if the readers know and accept the notion that \u201cprogress toward equality\u201d is liberals\u2019 banner for redistribution of all wealth and all accomplishment. It is apparent he recognizes a willful ignoramus by looking in the mirror on his elevated Denver perch \u2014 the capital of The Empty Quarter.<\/p>\n

Beck\u2019s delivery style is definitely grating, but Sirota\u2019s attempt to equate that with some of history\u2019s most vile national leaders shows just how desperate the radical leftists have become. Sirota should do better, but it is evident he can\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Richard Starr, Sammamish<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tea party too often marginalized Editor, The Times: Joni Balter\u2019s column gives us the liberal evaluation of the tea party, which is \u201can amorphous group known mostly for its collective anger\u201d [\u201cVoters with short attention spans could lure Rossi to the ballot,\u201d Opinion, Feb. 25]. Then, Balter cherry picks a perceived negative comment from distant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2861,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-381410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2861"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=381410"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381410\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=381410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=381410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=381410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}