One Man's Opinion

Some of us look for fairness in the affairs of mankind, others look for absolutes. The Tea Party, as an example, believes in the absolute that government, along with it's regulations and taxes, constitute the fundamental problem of America. Life seems to me to be a little too complex for one size fits all solutions, and history suggests that one size fits all solutions are fraught with peril. How odd that the folks railing against government want to work for the government. And have they considered that the model for a country that dispenses with government and it's bothersome taxes and regulations exists? It's called Somalia. And that the highest standard of living in the world is in Scandanavia, which also has substantial taxes and robust regulatory systems?


Herman Cain, Tea Party favorite who won the Florida GOP candidate straw poll last week, announced last night at a gathering not far north of my home, that the problem in America is that "stupid people are ruining America", a statement that was made with a great welcoming roar from the audience. He went on to identify what constituted  "stupid people" and, in his estimation, it had a direct correlation to anyone who didn't share his beliefs, i.e. liberals. Left unsaid was how he was going to mitigate the effect of these "stupid people" on our great republic. This is a chilling reminder of the times throughout history that people rose to power on the back of bombast and blaming others, often identified as degenerates and fools, for a nation's problems. Earlier in the week Cain said announced that African-Americans (he is black himself) are brainwashed. So he is consistent in considering anyone who doesn't think like him is  a fool. The gathering that Cain attended last night was the first Midwest Tea Party Convention. The other keynote speaker is a U.S. congressman who it appears has shirked his responsibility to pay over $100,000 in child support for the children he brought into the world. The man who organized the convention didn't attend because it was revealed that he had been arrested this past year for soliciting a prostitute. It all fits.


The conservative movement in America preaches that we need to "drown the government in a bathtub", and decrease regulations.


Were they conscious when Wall Street almost destroyed the world economy by gaming unregulated financial instruments three short years ago?


"As Elizabeth Warren said recently, nobody in this country got rich on his own. "Nobody." 

Goods are moved to market "on the roads the rest of us paid for," Warren said. "You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for." The social contract, she said, requires America's wealthiest to give enough back in taxes so that future generations can enjoy the same opportunities."

Read more:     If You Are Rich, Just Say Thanks     by Robyn Blumner : St. Petersburg Times