It's just too easy

I said in my last post that if we can just fix the economy, we can put an end to this TEA Party nonsense. Turns out I couldn't have been more correct. These people just make it too easy.

It's no secret that I can't stand the TEA Party. As someone who is all about making America better, I am scared of the TEA Party. I'm scared of people who think it is ok to throw around racial slurs when they know they're not going to get what they want. I'm scared of people who vandalize the homes and offices of elected officials after they don't get what they want. And finally, I'm scared of people who are just plain dumb. Consider this, “Government is absolutely responsible, not because of what they did recently with the car companies, but what they’ve done since the 1980s,” he (A Mr. Brown) said. “The government has allowed free trade and never set up any rules.”

Mr. Brown has a point; there needs to be more regulation in our market. So instead of getting on board with the president who is trying to set up tighter regulations, the TEA Party is questioning the citizenship of that president. Instead of relying on the government to create jobs, which is what every economist advocates during a recession, the TEA Party is trying to reduce the role of government. Of course, most of they hypocrites are receiving unemployment benefits. They hypocrisy and stupidity are breathtaking. Maybe the TEA Party will destroy itself. Now THAT would make America better.

Do your part to make America better. Combat lies, fight fallacy, stop the TEA Party.

Doing my little part

In my most recent blog I said I wasn't going to continue talking about the health care law, but I must renege on that promise now.

You see, currently President Obama is touring the country to promote the new law and explain how it will benefit all Americans so maybe I can do my little part to help him out. Let's start by highlighting what the bill will do and then combat the fallacies that still abound regarding it.

First of all, and perhaps most importantly for you, my readers, is that the new law will keep insurance companies honest. Perhaps you, like me, have never been screwed over by insurance companies, but many people are and it could just as easily happen to you or one of your loved ones. Should an insurance company really be allowed to take your money when you're healthy and then refuse to cover you when you get sick? Should they actually be allowed to turn away people with "pre-existing conditions," the sick people who need insurance the most? These changes have already taken place which could mean good news for you or your family. Hopefully no one you know or love will get sick, but if they do, you can thank the new law for making sure the insurance companies don't screw you.

If you are concerned with social justice - stop reading Glenn Beck fans - then you will also be happy to know that this law extends health insurance to roughly 31 million Americans. If you're not concerned with social justice, you should still be happy to know that this will save you and our country money. The system as it is currently set up, mandates that anyone in need of health care receive such care even if they can't pay. This means that people who don't have insurance don't go to the doctor until they absolutely have to which means that you and I and the government are paying for these people to receive the most expensive type of care, emergency care. If these uninsured people have insurance then they will be able to go to primary care physicians and pay for it themselves rather than waiting until things are so bad that they need us to pay for their emergency room visits.

So whether you are concerned with the general well-being of the American public or the money our government spends on health care or even your own expenses, there is something for you to like in the new health care law.

Now let's combat some of the fallacies that still exist about this law.

Something that I hear and read frequently is that this law constitutes a government takeover of health care and that it is communist. I'm not exactly sure what to say about this except that it is wrong. The government is mandating that you buy insurance - which helps you and the government - but they aren't selling it to you. People will still get their insurance from privately run insurance companies, but now the government will make sure those plans don't screw you over. I know there are some people out there that don't trust the government but my question to those people is simple: do you really trust a company whose sole purpose is to make money more than you trust the officials you elected? Some people may take offense to the fact that the government is forcing people to buy insurance but I fail to see how this infringes upon our rights as Americans. Do we not have the right be healthy and know that if we get sick we will be able to afford health care? Is it communist for the government to make us buy health insurance from a private company? If so that is a strange definition of communism. The government hasn't taken over our health care system, they've stepped in to make sure that it benefits us rather than bankrupts us; helps us rather than harms us.

There also exists the notion that this bill will bankrupt our country. I won't pretend to be a fiscal expert and yes, this is an expensive law, costing nearly 1 trillion dollars over the next 10 years. However according to the "official scorekeeper" of Congress, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, this bill will save 100 billion dollars over the next 10 years and, get this, 1.2 trillion dollars over the next 20. It's like the anti-credit card, spend now, save later. That sounds good to me. Different people have different predictions for how much the law will save or cost. Republicans say that it is doomed to increase the deficit rather than lower it while some people - Nobel-Prize winner Paul Krugman among them - estimate that it will actually save more than the 1.2 trillion projected by the CBO. I won't offer my own speculations, but that fact that the CBO says that this law will save money has to count for something. That is actually a huge deal. Far from being a "fiscal Frankenstein," this law will save our country money. How can we lose?

I understand that the government has taken a big step and it makes sense to be nervous about it, but this is not a communist undertaking. It is a cost-effective measure designed help the American people. Not all legislative undertakings are perfect, but I can't think of one that was designed to hurt our country. At the very least, Americans need to give the new law a chance. Even the Republicans know that; their talks of repeal have been tempered with talks of replace, an acknowledgement that this bill does some very good things for the well-being of our nation.

What's up next?

America has taken a step forward with the passing of "Obamacare," and despite the fact that some people are threatening elected officials while others are threatening repeal, I'm convinced that more and more people will see how helpful this bill will be and that health care is firmly behind us. I'm also convinced that the TEA Partiers - these people are true lunatics - will all shut up and go home when they get their jobs back. That, of course is based on the assumption that anyone who has the time to go spit on Congressmen who are actively trying to improve our country must be jobless. It's also based on the analysis of Mr. Richard Mack, former Arizona sheriff and TEA Party nut job. "He (Mack) said he has found audiences everywhere struggling to make sense of why they were wiped out last year. These audiences, he said, are far more receptive to critiques once dismissed as paranoia."

In other words, when people lose their jobs, they'll listen to anything. Which brings me to what we can do now to improve America, fix the economy so the TEA Partiers will go home and shut up. We'd also be helping millions of other Americans and the economic health of our country.

I'm receptive to the criticisms that perhaps President Obama should have focused on the economy more than he has. And while the stimulus package has been helpful, it has certainly not saved the day; neither have the unpopular - though probably necessary - bailouts given to banks and the auto industry.

I've got some ideas though. If we're smart about this we can tackle two problems at once. Let's invest in a novel new concept called green energy. In case you've never heard of green energy, it simply refers to alternate - not coal or oil - forms of energy that are both clean and on the way in. In case you missed it, coal and oil are the fuels of yesteryear. Oil will be probably be gone in our lifetime and coal is all kinds of dirty.

Green energy, while not perfect, is the energy of today. It comes in many forms, some like solar and wind power are natural while others, like nuclear energy we create ourselves. I know I'm not advocating anything new and radical here, but why are we clinging to dead and dying fossil fuels when we could be putting Americans to work in a field in which there is so much room for growth and potential. Check out Calera and tell me that it's not the future. Companies such as Calera should receive tax breaks and research funding. If we embrace these technologies by researching and building them here, we can create jobs for Americans while simultaneously increasing our exports, because - call me Nostradamus - the world is going to be clamoring for these technologies in the very near future. Ask China, the world's number one producer of wind turbines. That should be us. It's not too late.

Let's make America better by encouraging an investment in green energy, both for the sake of our economy and, oh yeah, the planet.

America, land of social justice - the remix

Sometimes the remix is good, sometimes not so much. Today's remix is great. Yesterday, America's brave lawmakers passed a health care bill that will extend health care coverage to nearly 31 million Americans. While they were doing it, America's timid lawmakers sat on the sidelines in protest and howled about the injustice of it all. Those same lawmakers are already talking about a potential repeal even though President Obama won't sign the bill into law until tomorrow! Bad morals and after the effects of the new law are felt, bad politics too.

Let's examine what this bill does and how it makes America better.

1. It extends health care coverage to 31 million Americans who are currently without it. Somehow America is still the last industrialized country that doesn't provide all citizens with health insurance but this goes a long way towards fixing that.

2. It limits the ability of insurance companies to take your money while your healthy and bail on you when you're sick. There exists this idea that the market can and will do things better than the government and this may often be true, but when it comes to my health and well-being, the last thing I want is for a greedy corporation to have control of my livelihood. You don't trust an elected government to look out for you but you trust a company whose sole aim is to make a profit? Insurance companies are currently allowed to drop sick people when their conditions worsen and deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. That bothers me, and it bothers me that some people trust insurance companies that would do that rather than the government that just made it illegal. Tomorrow, insurance companies, much to their chagrin, will have to start giving people a fair deal.

3. It will REDUCE the federal budget deficit over the next 20 years. How about that? Despite costing nearly 940 billion dollars over the next decade, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the bill saves about 100 billion dollars in the next 10 years and well over 1 trillion dollars in the decade after that. That's far from chump change.

It's hard to find a reason not to like this bill except for the fact that will ultimately be the political downfall of all those who have worked so long and so hard to derail it. This bill will benefit all Americans and those who stood in the way of progress will ultimately pay the price. Since those people are, for the most part, elderly white men, it is possible that we will be seeing them standing in front of the new death panels in the near future...just kidding guys, no one ever really believed your stupid lies and fear-mongering.

Health care is a social justice issue and I'm proud of America for doing the right thing. Despite having racial slurs thrown at them by, who else, the TEA Partiers, the brave men and women we have elected buckled down and did their jobs. Kudos Congress and kudos America. This should be a proud day for us all because today America became a little bit better.

The fragmented states of America and the fear of government

Apparently, we are forgetful of our history. In case you haven't been keeping score the last 150 years, we've had the states' rights vs. national government fight on a large scale twice. The first time it was called the Civil War. Contrary to what you may have heard the Civil War wasn't actually about states' rights but about slavery, or rather about a state's right to own slaves even if the federal government said no. Five years and over 600,000 Americans lives later, we settled the issue. Slavery was gone. Score one for the good guys. Of course, the states were down, but not out so they instituted Jim Crow laws and legalized segregation and so 100 years after they lost the first round, the states squared off with the national government again. History repeats itself and for the good of the country and the cause of what is right and good the national government won again and segregation ended.

It's interesting, then, that the states are at it again, and again, they've picked the wrong cause. Individual states are flexing their muscles at the federal government in an attempt to prevent said government from providing health care to millions of uninsured people while simultaneously lowering the cost for almost everyone and still saving money.

If it seems overwhelming that the states could choose the wrong side three times in a row and still be considered legitimate, that's because it is. The first two times, most people around the country rallied around the national government - the members of which were not scared to do what was best for the common good - and change was enacted. While states supported slavery and segregation, the good guy stepped in and good rid of both. You may be able to find a few people who think that federal intervention was bad; we call those people idiots and they are fewer and further between.

Perhaps then, the third time will be the charm. Perhaps the Tea Partiers and the other lunatics out there standing in the way of progress will realize the error of their ways and side with the country rather than with their states. This is, after all, the United States of America, not the Fragmented States of America.

Now don't get me wrong, the states' rights people aren't completely crazy. There is a strict, totally unambiguous constitutional amendment - the 10th - that grants states the rights to determine all laws not granted to the federal government. That completely uninterpretable amendment reads as follows: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

Of course, states' rights advocates are simply acting in the best interest of the people. For example, Alabama, Tennessee and Washington are considering amendments that would give state police authority over federal groups like the FBI. Imagine the guys from Super Troopers trying to solve a real crime. Then imagine what it would be like for the state police of Alabama to pull rank on the FBI. Scary isn't it?

It gets better, or worse - I'm never sure which - In Vermont, Rhode Island and Wisconsin, three liberal states, the state governments are trying to take control of the National Guard. That's right, the NATIONAL Guard. What would the government of Vermont even do with the National Guard? Disband it? Use it to crack down on post-hurricane looting? Stop Johnny Chimpo from smuggling marijuana across the border from Canada?

Fortunately, this battle, like the last two prominent ones that states' rights activists have fought, will be won by the good guys. States' rights defenders love the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution but they've forgotten the actual Sixth Article which declares that federal law is supreme to state law.

Hopefully when the economy recovers and the Tea Partiers get their jobs back they will go home and fade into history as a movement that inspired Joe Stack, the terrorist who bombed the IRS. Until then, we have to fight these people tooth and nail.

I don't think the federal government should run our lives and if they were trying to, I'd be scared. But we're talking about 31 million Americans without health care, countless more who pay way too much and a system that costs way too much to run and needs to be overhauled. We elect these people to make life better for us and that's what they are trying to do. Remember, this is the UNITED States of America and if we want it to stay that way we have to let our government officials do their job. Americans want health care reform and we need health care reform. Let's unite behind our government rather than in opposition to it. If we stand united, we get better. History has proven it twice. Let's make it happen again.

Indoctrinating the youth

An educated citizenry is the foundation for any great nation, especially a democracy. If we want our democracy to work and our country to prosper again we must continue to educate our children so that they will one day be capable of running the country and contributing to the well-being of the nation. Education is paramount. If you believe that don't move to Texas.

The Texas State Board of Education finds themselves in the unique position of being able to rewrite United States History. Better yet, because Texas buys more textbooks than any other state, the morons on the SBOE have dictated that students all over the country will be indoctrinated rather than taught.

As a teacher, I believe that the purpose of an education is to prepare students to be active and contributing citizens while simultaneously teaching them to think for themselves. It seems that the SBOE in Texas disagrees. They're more concerned with indoctrinating students than with teaching them. The new social studies standards that they've just approved verify that.

Led by Don McLeroy, an idiot posing as a dentist posing as a historian, the Texas SBOE has come up with a list of standards that emphasize America's flawless past while stressing the strict Christian beliefs of our founders. If you were unaware that America has always been in the right or that our founding fathers wanted this great nation to be strictly Christian, then you have already received a better education than most of the people on the Texas SBOE.

The new Texas standards emphasize the role of good citizens and patriots rather than ordinary citizens; they identify the characteristics of good citizenship so that students won't have to figure those out on their own - for the record the SBOE saw fit to delete the phrase "responsibility for the common good" as an obligation of citizenship. Maybe these people go to church with Glenn Beck. The standards require students to learn about the failure of "collectivist, non-market systems" and even makes an attempt at exonerating Joe McCarthy, a disgrace of a Senator who censured by his colleagues and died an alcoholic.

So the Texas SBOE isn't worried about what students learn, they're worried about what students believe. And they want students to believe that America is perfect. That scares me a little bit, because America is not perfect. And if you truly love something then you don't live in denial of its flaws, you work to fix them. Indoctrinating students sets them up for failure and thus sets our country up for failure. America needs leaders who can analyze the problems we face and come up with innovative solutions, not leaders who preach the infallibility of the America.

Let's make America better by combating the changes offered by the Texas SBOE and teaching our children. You shouldn't need indoctrination to love America. I know America's not perfect and I'd rather live here than anywhere else in the world. Telling students that America is flawless and that the American way of life is perfect glosses over the problems our nation faces and if we don't understand the problems then we won't be able to fight them. Teach the children; they'll make America even stronger.

America - land of social justice?

Not if my man Glenn Beck has anything to do with it. Check out Glenn's latest effort to improve our society.

I'm almost too baffled to type. I guess I could begin by pointing out that Glenn Beck is a Mormon and then ask you to Google: Mormon + social justice. If you don't feel like doing it yourself I already have; the first link that comes up is about Glenn. Here's the second...Mormons for social justice? Has Glenn left the church?

Hypocrisy aside, let's think about what Glenn is saying. We should start by remembering that the Declaration of Independence begins with "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal..." Of course, that didn't translate into immediate social justice and equality, but it certainly laid the framework for a country where all people are supposed to be treated equally. For someone who likes to talk about the Constitution on his 9/12 website, Glenn must not have a lot of use for the Declaration of Independence.

Furthermore, Glenn's knowledge of history appears to be, at best, abysmal and, at worst, completely absent. Equating social justice to fascism and the Nazis is ignorance at its very best, or worst, I'm not sure which. A history lesson for Glenn, the Nazis facilitated the worst atrocity in human history, it's known as the Holocaust. Maybe Glenn hasn't heard of the Holocaust, or maybe, like Mahmoud Admadinejad, he thinks it didn't happen. Is there a way to get these two guys together? I bet they'd be matched up pretty quickly on eharmony. Is there a way to make that happen? While we're talking about Nazis and simultaneously educating Glenn, it's worth pointing out that Hitler ran a euthanasia program for disabled veterans during the early years of WWII. Social Justice at its best right there. Of course, euthanasia is exactly what President Obama has prescribed for unsuspecting Americans in his health care plan right? Death panels I think they're called, maybe I should check in with Sarah Palin. Does eharmony encourage love triangles?

Now Communism is a different story. Communists are all about social justice. Just ask any North Korean. If you can't find one that's because they're locked in that prison of country. That's ok, there are plenty of Cubans that have fled their country to come here. Maybe we can ask them about social justice in Cuba. Or we can just study the history of Soviet Russia, you know, the one in which Stalin killed millions in his Gulag camps? Communism is a failed experiment and Glenn knows it. It's not the 60s anymore Glenn. We've beaten Communism. Stop trying to scare us with your paranoia and fear-mongering.

Of course, the real ironic paradox here is that Glenn is encouraging people to leave churches that preach social justice. You know who censored churches that preached social justice? I bet you do. That would be the Nazis and the Communists. So really, by encouraging religious Americans to flee their fascist and communist churches, Glenn is acting like Hitler and Stalin. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Religion has been both a driving force for progress and justice and also the spur that has led to many atrocities. People interpret religion in many different ways, but it is worth pointing out that the major western religious traditions were started by social reformers. Perhaps the message of those people has been lost, but if you're someone who puts faith in a holy text, go reexamine it. You'll find that both Jesus and Mohammed were interested in making life better for people. No matter how much Glenn Beck and other modern religious fanatics distort that message, it's undeniable that the very people that western religions are based around were trying to make the world better.

Which lead me to the ultimate, mind-boggling, Glenn Beck inspired conclusion - Jesus was a Communist!

Moving America forward

I've spent the past few posts admonishing certain people, all of whom deserved it, but this blog isn't about making fun of the morons - though I won't stop myself from doing so - it is about making America better.

Right now, I want to highlight two people who have made America better and in doing so, discuss some of the problems that face our country and how to fix them.

Remember, America is the greatest country in the world. We're not perfect, but if you'd rather live somewhere else, maybe you should talk to some of the millions of people who have come here looking for a better place.

I've said before and it bears repeating that if we want to maintain our status as the world's greatest nation, we need to face our problems head on and come up with creative solutions, even if they are unpopular.

Perhaps they don't always have to be that way. Did you read about those two guys? Here are people that highlight America's strengths: diversity and innovation. Tell them something is impossible and they'll do it. Maybe we should tell our government that.

But these two represent the answer to many of America's problems. Recession? Not if we create new jobs here in America by encouraging our entrepreneurs. Global warming? Not if we kill carbon emissions with new technology created here in America. These are the guys we should be focused on. These are the people we should be supporting.

I like the author, Paul Krugman, but he does have a tendency to focus on the behemoth that is China. I'm not ready to trade in America for China, but Krugman makes a good point, we've got to put the policies in place to encourage innovation if we want to compete with their rapidly expanding economy. With innovators like Vinod Khosla and K.R. Sridhar, we can do that. And if those two can do it, so can any American. Let's emphasize the importance of education and the implementation of innovation-friendly policies and make America, rather than China, the toast of the world's economy.

Be inspired. For every Glenn Beck, there is a Vinod Khosla. And one of those two is actually out there using his brain to make our country better. We should all go do the same.

The assualt on intelligence

As someone who considers himself educated, I'm often frustrated by ignorance. I consider it my job to battle ignorance. One thing I find ignorant is the assault on science and intelligence. Often times the attackers are religious but I'm not here to blame religion. I think religion, like science, offers explanations but also has shortcomings. However we need to separate the realm of religion from the realm of science.

Let's begin with a simple question: what happens to us after we die? This is a question that science isn't really equipped to answer. Aside from our bodies rotting in the soil does something happen to our spirit or soul? Do we have souls? These questions fall outside the realm of science and scientists, to their credit, do not attempt to apply their craft to answering these questions. They also do not offer guidelines for morality or prescriptions for how we should live our lives.

While scientists do not interfere in the questions that are reserved for religion, religious people often offer non-scientific answers for scientific questions. And when they do, they look like fools.

The primary example of this is the "debate" on evolution, which, if you read the linked article, has now come to encompass global warming. You see, scientists may not be able to tell us what happens to our souls after death, but they can tell us how we got here and they can certainly tell us that our planet is getting warmer.

The "debate" on these issues has been settled for quite a while, especially when it comes to evolution. However some people continue to try to force misinformation into our schools thus dumbing down the general populace and preparing America for disaster. The evolution issue is somewhat harmless because every smart American knows that we've evolved and it doesn't have severe consequences for the future of our society. In fact, here is a great article on how our culture has shaped the evolution of our species in the last 20,000 years. Wait, I forgot, the Earth is only 6,000 years old. That's my bad.

Any effort to make sure America remains the world's leading power and the world's greatest country has to understand the issue of global warming and has to embrace the future. I'm not a doomsday prophet, but scientists can prove the Earth is getting warmer. Almost all of them agree that people are contributing to this. This doesn't mean you should break out your bikinis early, it means that you should take every opportunity to make America better by making a contribution to preserving our environment while at the same time revitalizing our economy.

Whether we are killing the Earth or not (and we are), fossil fuels are the way of the past. Not even the present, but the past. Green energy and green technology are the now. Let's embrace the now. Let's start making it a part of our lives.

And most importantly, let's stop trying to teach our children garbage. I am a teacher and when I think about what my students will be doing in a few years and where I want them to be, denying science doesn't play a role in it at all.

Go to church on Sunday and receive some guidance for how to live your life, then read a book or a scientific journal and learn about how the world works. Recognize that these are separate spheres and learn to give each the respect it deserves.

My least favorite American...

...is this guy. See him there? Spouting some nonsense on the TV? He's just got one thing to say. Yes that's right, my least favorite American is Glenn Beck.

I'm not the only one that feels this way. In fact, I've found a great, constructive site that can help you join the movement to end Glenn's lies and hypocrisy.

Right now I want to examine Glenn's 9/12 Project, mentioned in the linked article in my previous post. In Glenn's mission statement he explains that our founding fathers built this great nation on 28 principles. In fact, the founders did not mention any such principles, but rather composed a system of government and laws. From my research, it seems that the 28 principles were actually created by W. Cleon Skousen in his book "The 5000 Year Leap." There is a list of these 28 principles here although that site is linked to Glenn's movement. I scanned the list briefly and found some interesting stuff. For example, principle #12: The United States shall be a republic. The text excerpt from below this principle is from the pledge of allegiance, composed in 1892, long after the founding fathers were dead...oopsy!

Anyhow, Glenn has taken the "original" 28 principles and turned them into 9:

1. America is Good: Yes, America is good, except when we torture people, ignore the plight of the impoverished and neglect the education of significant numbers of people in our country. Listen, America is the greatest country in the world, despite our flaws. If we want it to stay that way, we need take the important and difficult steps to improve our future instead of clinging to our past.

2. I believe in God and He is the center of my life: Actually, Glenn, most of the founding fathers believed no such thing. Many did not believe in an omnipotent deity and most expressed misgivings and reservations about organized religion. "Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law." - Thomas Jefferson, 1814...oopsy part 2! God may be the center of your life Glenn, and that's fine. But he's not the center of mine and he certainly doesn't have anything do to with the government of America. Let's clear that up right now.

Don't worry, I'm not going to pick apart every principle. And in fairness to Glenn, they're not all bad...#5 If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it. That one sounds good.

The question remains though, what is Glenn's goal? It seems unclear although he speaks of a 100 year plan (and you thought health care was going to take a long time to implement!) but reassures his followers, "All of the above will culminate in The Plan, a book that will provide specific policies, principles and, most importantly, action steps that each of us can take to play a role in this Refounding."

So maybe Glenn's just in it for the money. Buy his book! That way you too can sound silly when speaking in public. I mean really Glenn? This is just too easy. In fact, there's nothing I can say that puts it any better than one of Glenn's followers already has on the site...

L4S says:

December 1, 2009 at 6:46 PM

Glenn, you’re joking, right?

“All of the above will culminate in The Plan, a book that will provide specific policies, principles and, most importantly, action steps that each of us can take to play a role in this Refounding.”

Your “Plan” is another book? How convenient for you. Shameless self promotion does not mix well with the message you are trying to disseminate.

Let's (TEA) Party!

Actually, let's not, because those people are crazy. Learn more about TEA Partiers. Now fear them.

I'm not sure why it is that people don't trust but rather fear our government. Was it because you were wrongly accused of being a terrorist and thrown into Guantanamo Bay for years without a fair trial? Or maybe it was because you don't feel as though you should pay taxes but you still want to benefit from public services. Wait a minute, perhaps it's because the police searched your home without a warrant. Seriously, why are people afraid of the government?

This Tea Party movement freaks me out a little bit. Consider this quote from Richard Behney, a Republican Senatorial candidate from Indiana,“I’m cleaning my guns and getting ready for the big show. And I’m serious about that, and I bet you are, too.” This in response to what Mr. Behney would do if the midterm elections didn't turn out as he liked.

Whoa, big fella. It's not 1860 anymore. Please put the guns away. Funny that professed patriots seem ready to destroy our country over unfavorable elections results. It's a good thing we don't do this every election. We wouldn't have much of a country to love anymore.

More political poetry from Mrs. Southwell, a grassroots organizer, “The more you know, the madder you are,” she said. “I mean when you finally learn what the Federal Reserve is!”

I mean, when you finally learn! Most of us know what the federal reserve is Mrs. Southwell. And we realize that, while it is not a perfect organization, it was designed to protect consumers. Yes, it failed recently, but do you really think the nation's banking system is out to precipitate recessions and put you out of work? These things hurt the economy which in turn hurts the central banking system of the nation. Some trick they've pulled on us here. A banking system that hurts itself by hurting us. You'd think the conspirators pulling the strings would have put a little more thought into that one.

It gets better..."People are more willing, he said, to imagine a government that would lock up political opponents, or ration health care with “death panels,” or fake global warming. And if global warming is a fraud, is it so crazy to wonder about a president’s birth certificate?"

The he we're speaking of is a certain Mr. Mack, a former Arizona sheriff and a certified dummy. People may be more willing to imagine a government that would lock up political opponents or kill grandma with death panels, but they'd be doing just that, imagining. Is something going on that I don't know about? Is President Obama throwing Republicans in jail? Is he throwing Tea Partiers in jail? Was President Bush throwing Democrats in jail? How did this slip by me? Maybe it holds that if global warming is a fraud then a president's birth certificate could be. But global warming isn't a fraud. There is indisputable scientific evidence that the world is getting warmer. We won't delve into global warming now, but since global warming isn't a fraud does it then mean that President Obama is, in fact, an American citizen? Makes sense to me.

Tea Parties are traditionally for proper, sensible people. Now it seems they're attended by gun-toting conspiracy theorists who don't actually have a clue about what's going on but do have quite a bit of pent up paranoia.

Let's make America better today and combat the fallacy that our government is out to get us. Our government is far from perfect, but they're trying way harder than the Tea Partiers to make America better.