I call BS on this posting. This country has lasted, financially, without massive government spending in the past, and will continue to do so for the future. We are hitting spending levels never before seen in this country's history *just* to bail out the bankers. Lets have a little accountability... hold the bank CEOs accountable for what they have created, dismantle institutions that are incapable of running themselves, and let others take their place. This is a capitalistic society... let it run as such with both the it's downsides (a certain level of instability) and it's upside (potential for growth) This is not a "be capitalistic when advantageous and fascist when not" economy.


Yes, people may have made some bad decisions (ARM mortgages) but, IMO, this simply means they should not have owned a house to begin with! We need to revert to the living within our means and not buying simply because the bank says we can.

So yes.. I say down with bailouts, down with massive government spending. Our problem isnt just a lack of faith in the economy, but a lack of faith in government.

Furthermore, to add to this, I make far less then $250k... I just think that if I have to live within my means so should anyone else in this country.

I suppose you are on of those who should rule. Well, just another fool in Washington won't hurt. But you should try to find out what people are protesting befor you write about it.

Gotta love liberals who think it is fine to spend a $3 trillion federal budget.

You have no clue Joe and you never will. That is the biggest issue. You think yourself to be an intellectual but in all economic matters you are as small minded as they come. This is not a rally against all taxes. This is a rally against unnecessary taxation. Nobody is saying we should cut national defense or parks. The majority of the budget is unnecessary spending. Every single social welfare program needs to be cut 100%. None of them should have been implemented.

It says something when even fighting two wars the defense budget pales in comparison to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Welfare.

When you make $50k a year and $14k goes to taxes it creates a massive burden. You make too much to qualify for many of the low income credits. In fact you are better off making $18k with one kid. At least then you can get government health care and other programs.

"Since the Tea Parties expressed concern about taxes, let's focus on that issue. Obama's tax policy will cut taxes on 95 percent of Americans and raise taxes on those earning more than $250,000 per year, with some exceptions for small businesses."

Your belief in this garbage runs the gamut from stupidity to shear insanity. Are you going to sit there and honestly say that Obama's oh so generous $500 tax credit is going to matter to the real middle class?

This $500 tax credit when $14,000 is taken from a median income. This tax credit that is given to those who pay no taxes at all.

It isn't that you are just wrong it is that you are dangerously wrong. You feel yourself to be in a position to influence others into believing your point of view. There is nothing more dangerous than social liberals. The entire history of man shows that liberal policies and diversification has brought down every empire. We are watching the destruction of our empire now. The social policies instituted by the liberal government over the past century have fully eroded the base of our economy. Within the next 20 years we will need to spend more wealth than is created just to pay for the social program obligations.

You are completely out of touch. Perhaps if you really learned anything from your education other than how to profit from the unethical actions of financial liberalism you would see what following that philosophy has done. We have allowed unethical and immoral practices to run wild in our financial and commercial institutions. That is the real problem. The liberal mindset of the ends justify the means has corrupted society almost to the core. We have lost all values and in doing so lost our souls. It is easier to make money through corruption and we have that in spades. Until we bring back some sort of ethics to business we will forever be controlled by the greedy and the corrupt. It just so happens that the majority of those just happen to be of the liberal persuasion.

This is what they are teaching in our colleges.Put your kids in private schools.

First, America does not stand for the "smart" "talented" "educated" people governing or setting policy. America stands for the individual governing their own lives, then towns, states, then the federal government - which has the least amount of power in that equation. The Founders understood this.

You've completely missed the point. Please move to France.

Iridium, who apparently is lucky enough to have a soul, coupled with a great ability to demonize, unfortunately does not have a memory.

President Bush increased the national deficit by 60%, conveniently coupling it with tax breaks for the richest Americans. Some soul food for thought.

I attended the local tea party in my area. I am proud to admit tha tI stand opposed to government corruption and reckless spending. In this article, "frozen capitailism" ismentioned. How would capitailism freeze exactly? I am sure people would not be buying houses, cars, or big ticket items, but the essentials would stil be purchased: shelter, food, electricity, clothing, etc. While it is true that the tendancies of the consumer may change, for example, buying Wrangler jeans at Walmart instead of Levi's at the mall, spending would not stop.

I protest the spending to bail out failed financial institutions before bailingout our failed legal system, our failed school systems, our overworked and underappreciated public safety employees, and our failed moral system. I do not protest to call for an end to taxation. I protest to call for a beginning to responsible spending with our tax money. I do not want to owe TRILLIONS of dollars to CHINA.

And for "Big Government" to be the solution is ludacris. Government did not create the mess we are in and government can not solve it either. We must take responsibility for our own actions, become the strong nation we once were and regain our work ethic and pride in our country before anything can be fixed.

Well, apparently this author doesn't know his audience. Here's 3/3 comments going against Joe.

Let's bring in a couple of key points lost here in the argument.

1) Didn't mention extra 3% corporate tax increase. Guess what, when companies aren't growing, the 3 % doesn't come out of the growth, it comes out of fixed expense (payroll) and that affects everyone working.

2) Let's talk about the fact that if you are employed, you either got no raise or took a pay cut. The U.S. Government doubled it's salary when Clinton was in office and had a surplus, now it has a deficit running up in the trillions. Guess what...the time to give some back.

3) The financial crisis was created by government that thought they were educated, smart, and talented (probably why he's working on a book and not able to offer ways to fix the economy either)

Needless to say, stop dropping anticdotal comments and trying to sound as smart as the politicians. It's a sham and you're not getting anywhere with anyone who thinks critically.

P.S. - - If you want suggestions to improve the nation's financial situation here's a couple:

1) Increase taxes on income that is actually windfall (Lottery)

2) Place tariffs on luxury imported goods - - that will give people the choice to pay taxes on imports and will reach more than 5% of the U.S. population

3) 9 government funded women's health groups - - all working together as one would be better than the Oklahoma land grab situation you have right now and would be far more efficient.

Written by someone who is surely brilliant, but is lacking in wisdom and knowledge of history

One has to say, that Mr. Lazzaro's comments border on the arrogant. By his judgement, there are pre-set criteria for those whom govern the people. Honesty certainly isn't one of them.

I also note that he supports the government taxing the benefit's of the unemployed. He must support it, because he kept silent.

To say that Barack Obama represents the "worker' is an insult to the worker. I admire the sly methods utilised by Mr. Lazzaro and the like, to bolster their often flawed arguments.

Barack Obama, with a great deal of assistance from Janet Reno and the two Clinton's, contributed in a very substantial manner, to the financial mess which constitutes the mortgage crisis.

Based on that alone, I can assure Mr. Lazzaro, that Barack Obama certainly does not represent myself. Barack Obama has such a high regard for the truth, that he seldom uses it.

The 'tea party' participants, sad to say, are in the minority, when it comes to $250,000 p.a. salaries.

Mr. Lazzaro, has a penchant for stating opinions, long on rhetoric and short on substance.

quite the biased article. There are plenty of government "programs" outside of the department of defense, soc security..etc

Implement the fair tax, get rid of income tax. Its ridiculous.

Tax items we buy, luxury items have more tax than necessities.

This is one of the worst articals I have ever read. The introduction fails to conclude its self and the writer is clearly on an anti-republican rant.

FOCUS ON A TOPIC YOU HACK!

I heard a woman that was interviewed who attended a Tax Tea Party. She was concerned about the growing national debt and how it would effect her daughter.
11 trillion in national debt seems impossible to deal with and it surely means that Obama will end up raising taxes for everyone but the poor.
By the way - President Bush lowered EVERYONE'S Federal income taxes - NOT just for the rich. President Bush drastically lowered the tax rate for persons making less than $10,000.
Obama voted to increase taxes on couples making only $42,000. I'm concerned that he will do so as President with no one to stop him.
I think our government works best when the majority in Congress is the opposite party to the President's, so their is a more equal representation in government and the President and his administration do not have total power. (Total power is corrupting.)
Only Socialist Democrats would approve of Obama.
Freedom loving people want less federal interference and less taxes in order to thrive and prosper.

Well, let's see ...

How long after the French and Indian War did the American colonists confine their rebellion to "useless" chatter (that had no significant immediate effect on British policy) around their hearths, greens, and watering holes; to pathetic symbolic acts; or to tough-talking but "impotent" speeches to the already-converted?

10, 15 years, by my count -- each day of which saw articles just like this one published in all the London papers, and each day of which saw the tension ratcheted up just that barely-discernible extra notch that led inexorably towards the tipping point.

That fist-sized stone at the top of the hill -- insignificant in mass, good only for maybe tossing through a window (if the gendarmes don't catch you first) -- can, if kicked even carelessly from the summit, create as it tumbles a landslide whose cumulative power to bury that shack at the bottom is all out of proportion to the initial innocuous stimulus.

Which is just another way of saying, Mr. Lazzaro, that he who laughs last ...

"But then what did the Tea Parties feature?

* People who were mad that their candidate or party had lost the election, and that President Obama and the Democratic Party won. "

Not really, many of the people attending these are just regular people that normally aren't activists at all. Many also didn't like the expansion of government under the republicrat regime, much like the demopublican regime has been carrying on and 'improving' on.

" * People who opposed government spending for financial stabilization and fiscal stimulus. "

Actually, the tea party groups are opposing spending money that the government doesn't have. There are economic and fiscal consequences to borrowing money. Debt is a form of slavery that can be difficult to escape from.

" * An anti-intellectual strain mixed with an anti-education strain. "

I don't know you at all, but this appears to be a random falsehood on the surface of the comment.

" * People who appeared to be opposed to all taxes."

That's completely misleading. For example, FairTax (http://www.fairtax.org/) proponents are highly visible at these rallies, which is a revenue neutral solution for taxation, but results in significant savings. You may want to educate yourself on this topic, it's sure to come up again. As a point of interest, so far roughly 22 million has been invested in researching and proposing the FairTax solution to the 60,000 page current tax code that has seen an average of a change a day since the beginning of the Bush Administration (which was a deplorable administration in many ways, except for the simple fact that no more 9/11 like attacks occurred)

" * People who were opposed to 'big government,' "

In case you weren't paying attention during your education, this Republic's Constitution and the authors of that Constitution were opposed to 'big government'. I invite you to enjoy the final amendment of the Bill of Rights for some context:

"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."

To answer your question, the people attending these tea parties are folks that may or may not belong to a particular party, but are mostly concerned with federal government exceeding it's authority, spending beyond it's means and taxing beyond what is reasonable and just.

It is the purpose of government to secure the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (http://www.ushistory.org/Declaration/document/index.htm), not to increase it's size or endlessly expand it's scope. It is also the right of people to alter the government to ensure those rights, which are not granted to us by government, or people, but by Natural Law.

Wow, this post got 15 comments and I wanted to drop my 0.02 USD here.

To reiterate the purpose of these tea parties, the federal budget is going to jump 17% this year, with the nation's GDP most likely expected to contract as well. Lazzaro and the rest of the communists can call this an anti-intellectual rally (or what not), but when does common sense ever step in here???

Lazzaro starts off with the campaign rhetoric:

"Obama's tax policy will cut taxes on 95 percent of Americans and raise taxes on those earning more than $250,000 per year, with some exceptions for small businesses."

But fails to realize that Bam already hit the middle class with his first "tax hike", on tobacco back on 4/1. The next middle class tax hike coming our way: cap and trade.

If Larrazo and Rachel Maddow and the rest of the communist thugs want to give out free health care for illegal immigrants just so that they'll vote Democrat every four years, then they're free to do so. When they're expecting the federal government to confiscate the money from the economic engine of the country instead, that's un-American, un-constitutional and for the most part criminal.

That's what the tax day tea parties are about. America didn't vote for this crap, the swing voters fell for the "hope and change" bait and are now having buyer's remorse. Democrats don't give a *@#&$ about the middle class, they just care about their power. They'll campaign on rot gut like "hope and change" just so they can get in power and stay in power. FYI, Hitler ran the exact same campaign many years back. And his speeches were so marvelous!

Mr.Lazzaro,you're the one out of touch!The Tea Parties were not attended by the wealthy (maybe a few) but by ordinary people who for the most part hate going into trillions in debt that my & your grandchildren will stillbe paying for decades from now! Please get real before you write a book containing massive liberal lies that you gave us in this "intellectual" editorial!-Hugh & Con

I hope these comments post - seems many of mine just can't get accepted. It's not because of language, but perhaps, truth, and that doesn't seem permitted. I'll have to agree with most of you here - those who rallied were mostly middle class hardworking, tax paying citizens entirely FED UP with outrageous spending and taxation. Sure Obama gave us all a whopping $ 400/yr tax cut - which equates to a whopping $13.00 before taxes on your paycheck - but when the middle class gets hit with state and local taxes - sin taxes, entertainment taxes - and rising insurance premiums - health, property, flood, car, etc. - and rising food and gas expenses - and then get nailed for extra money for a hunting license or access to a state park - YES, we say "Enough is Enough!" Obama may give a few dollars, but now the local and state governments are digging into our pockets. There were over 11,000 projects being funded by OUR money through that last pork bill that sailed through - WITHOUT the People's approval - so that we can build roads to nowhere, pay for tatoo removals, fund special interest groups by building another museum or what have you - and WE get to pay for it. Billions of dollars are completely WASTED and we're fed up! It's time for a new party - one of accountability and one FOR the people. You think these tea parties were just a one-time thing? THINK AGAIN - there's a movement growing and 4/15 was just a beginning. It's time for the PEOPLE TO SPEAK and demand accountability...and common sense. The favors handed out by government to special interest groups, lobbyists, wealhy corporations, and banks are nearing an end. As for the media attempting to spin these rallies as something the "Republican Party" sponsored - I say BULL - this was and will remain a grassroots effort by and for the PEOPLE. Maddow REALLY surprised me by mocking the rallies - I thought she had more sense, but I guess since her notoriety has developed, she's been paid off to sponsor someone else's train of thoughts now. Let the tea parties continue....

How tempting it is to just call Joseph Lazzaro a democratic lapdog and be done with it! But there is something more sinister to highlight, although I'm sure that Lazzaro doesn't even recognize the relevance. Notice that Lazzaro does not try to argue against the message of the tea party, instead his message attacks the participants and supporters of the movement and labels them as a non-diverse (since we all know that any non-diverse organization is inherently evil) of group of "fringe" [implied] Obama haters that are bitter their side lost the election. Oh, and they're anti-intellectual and anti-education as well. A classic tactics of the left: attacking the person instead of debating the message. Who exactly is the "anti-intellectual" here?