Apr 16, 2009 Article by Kate Gryn | 2 comments

Tea Party a Bit Weak?

The Boston Tea Party is one of those iconic moments in the history of the American Revolution that every child learns about at an early age and continually revisits during his or her studies of American history. “No Taxation without representation,” was the battle cry of those protesting the Tea Act, a violation of a then imagined constitutional right to be taxed only by elected representatives. That was December 16th, 1773.

Fast forward to 235 years and six months later. All across the country communities saw various Tea Parties protesting taxes on April 15th, commonly called Tax Day.

Or rampant government spending.

Or Muslims.

Or if President Obama is, in fact, a natural born citizen of the United States.

In Texas, perhaps unsurprisingly, some of the signs protesters held even called for secession from the Union. Not only is the true meaning behind the tea parties seemingly a mixed message, but so is the origin of the idea. Some state it’s a grassroots organization, some claiming it’s sponsored by Fox Business News, The Republican National Committee or Americans for Tax Reform or even Rick Santelli. Never mind the fact that the Libertarians have been holding protests in favor of a flat sales tax every year on Tax Day.

A more concise message could have greatly aided in the movement. Holding it on Tax day offers the impression that it’s taxes that are being protested, rather than spending. Like a lot of protests of this size (some estimates state there were almost a thousand different gatherings, with attendance in the tens of thousands) there seemed to be a lack of focus. Was it simply about taxes? Doubtful. Recent Gallup polls state that nearly half (46%) of Americans say the amount of federal income taxes they have to pay is too high, down compared to years past, and majority (61%) say the amount of income tax they have to pay is fair. General consensus puts the aim of the protests against runaway deficit spending, a reasonable protest these days as we hear every week about more money being spent to bail out companies or about record budgets.

The protests in many places lost their focus on the economy. In some parts of Texas the chants turned to talk of secession, in other places signs read, “Obama, You Bow to Kings.” Letting the talk turn away from the issue at hand, becoming a free for all ranting session over the current economic situation, takes away from the point of the gatherings. This leaves many to wonder if some aren’t protesting for the simple sake of protesting anything in their need to show their displeasure.

The problem in my mind is that the analogy to the Boston Tea Party just doesn’t hold. This is not taxation without representation, or even spending without representation. These are duly elected officials who are putting forth these policies, and we are the ones who put them there, for good or for ill. To claim that the government is not following the will of the people means that we, the people, have failed in our duty to elect those who will go and listen to our voice and act in an accordant manner.

The grassroots approach to reform has a long-standing tradition in America – one can say that the entire revolution that formed our country was a grassroots campaign. Voicing one’s opinion on a situation that one finds undesirable is to be commended. If we want our elected officials to act in the interest of their constituents, the constituents have the responsibility of letting their interest be known. Protesting is but one form of this, and this one offered complaints, but little in the way of solutions.

So was this reincarnation of the Boston Tea Party the answer to our social and economic woes? No. These questions need better answers than simply throwing tea into the harbor. A protest of unruly taxation and wasteful spending marked by dumping perfectly useful tea in the closest body of water only highlights the confused nature of this new Tea Party.