Thoughts for Tax Day

Ok folks, this is teabagging. It’s also not really safe for work. 

So it turns out that most Americans are OK with big government, and almost half of us think we pay about the right amount of taxes. All things considered, that’s a remarkably high percentage

That being the case, what the heck is with these anti-tax “tea parties”? Is it in fact a faux-grassroots (tea tree roots?) movement? Have you noticed that most of the pictures are really close up, so you can’t tell if there are dozens or thousands of people present? Is anyone actually serving any tea? Because I could really use a cup right about now.

When you really boil off the ethers, the “tea party” crowd appears to be saying “what has the government done for us?” Indeed, I think it was put best in Monty Python’s Life of Brian:

All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?

Just insert Government where the original says Romans. See? 

Bloody Romans Government.

Look. Here’s who is paying taxes. Here’s where that tax money is going. Here’s what the President would like to do with the tax code. Of course I have an alternate idea, but it’s never going to happen. 

If you seriously think your taxes are too high, what do you propose be cut?  Roads (got helicopter?)? Give up public schools and live with the fact that even if you can afford private schools, most of the next generation’s workers will be illiterate? Give up city sewers, and all the power generated by Hoover Dam? Hire your own security team and get a sprinkler system, because police and fire department are both government? Food safety (not that they’ve been doing a great job, but you know)? I imagine property inspectors would be in demand, because building inspection is another government function. 

Do the “tea baggers” even really know what they are protesting?

In fact, if you want to see how well things run when there is no government, take a good hard look at Somalia. 

Follow up: Chuck Butcher has some interesting observations about the “crowds” too.

In Closing: how likely is Gramma to be online?; it’s almost iced coffee season; a creepy Japanfilter, kids playground on former execution site; a slow-motion environmental disaster; a quirk of the current recession is that more men are losing their jobs than women (perhaps because the men had relatively high wages compared to the women?); where to find pirates; Goldman Sachs joins the list of banks trying to pay back the TARP money; international travel may be difficult for some Bush Administration figures; extremists suck; study says charter schools close over money, not academics, but neglects the fact that the money wouldn’t be a problem if they had students, and having students would be easy if they had good academics; how to scare people about cyber-terrorism; and COLBERT in space. 

Finally, I may have missed Blog Against Theocracy Weekend. However, I think the most important thing you need to know about theocracy is how well it “works” in Afghanistan. Theocracy is not good. That’s why the First Amendment specifically protects us from government mandated religion.