I did read the article that this cartoon refers to – about how a couple of billionaires are making sure the Tea Party stays strong – and I sometimes do some head-scratching over the odd connections that Tom Tomorrow mentions in this cartoon. Are the TPers really thinking this stuff through?
Michael Lind writes about how the Tea Party should perhaps be called the Whiskey Party because it resembles the Whiskey Rebellion rather than the original Tea Party:
“The Whiskey Rebels failed to understand that the federal funding of state debts almost certainly spared them much higher state taxes in the long run. Although the federal excise tax on whiskey was regressive, as a whole Hamilton’s scheme for funding the state debts was more progressive than debt payment schemes by the individual states would have been. ”
I learned some U.S. history today.
You are a better student than I. It is hard for me to reason in most circumstances that the feds taking my money and then giving it to the states to meet my needs is less costly and more efficient than me using my money to meet my needs. I might even have some money left over to be charitable with.
When I have more time for big thoughts I would like to figure out a voting system whereby you are not allowed to vote on issues that do not affect you directly. Clean air – affects everyone and everyone votes. Voting to increased taxes on your neighbor when you are not willing to pay the same seems wrong somehow.