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© 2011 Eric Odom - Movement Politics
UPDATE: Someone on Twitter pointed out that we are, as a movement, moving forward. I’m not suggesting we aren’t.
What I AM suggesting is that our enemies are moving forward at a much quicker pace. If they reach their end goal then we still lose, regardless of us having forward movement.
Someone needs to say this. I’ll be the one to do it, even if it isn’t the popular thing to do.
The tea party movement as a whole doesn’t currently have the unified guts to take on the union/progressive/leftist/government/Obama/Soros machine that opposes us. At least, not at the level our political enemies are fighting at.
I’ve been involved in a few discussions over the past few days where tea party organizers from various states expressed frustration over a lack of action on very, VERY important fights happening locally.
As I explained in my previous post, and as Ann Coulter makes clear in her column today, we’re celebrating the gain of an inch when our opponents are after a mile.
With all due respect to my friends in Congress and in politics, the “gains” Republicans are making are small. The speed at which our nation is spiraling into collapse by far outpaces the steps taken by Republicans to try and fix the problems.
Our political enemies, yes, ENEMIES are selfish and care nothing about the fabric of the nation. They care nothing about the Republic or the free-market realm’s ability to thrive naturally.
This includes public employee unions, government infused corporations and elitists hacks like Ron Schiller.
These people only care about themselves and they’ll get what they want at ANY cost. The state is going bankrupt? So what! How DARE you “tea partiers” suggest I don’t get my six figure overtime pay!
Even many within our own movement have subscribed to the “I’m getting what is mine and I don’t care what happens to YOU” mentality. (I’m not suggesting even our own are enemies, but I do assert some of the problems arise from within our own ranks)
Yesterday I wrote a few posts about social security and other government programs now paying out some 30% of U.S. wages. The selfishness displayed in many of the responses via email was staggering.
I’ll give you some examples and remind these are people who consider themselves members of the tea party movement.
I have reread your bullshit about soc sec, medicare and unemployment insurance being a handout. Well listen close dummy. All the aforementioned have all been paid for by the recipients that you are calling parasites that devour the host. I have come to the conclusion that you must be a parasite for begging money from these people to pay for your apparently leftist liberal agenda to use against them.
Again, I never said it was a handout. All I said is that there is no money.
GET REAL.SS IS NOT WELFARE IT IS A FINACIAL AGREEMENT ENTERED INTO
WITH OUR GOVERNMENT WHICH HAS BEEN SEVERLY MISMANAGED BY OUR ELECTED
OFFICIALS. IT IS NOT A ENTILTLEMENT PROGRAM & IS RELATIVELY SOLVENT IN THE
NEAR TERM..QUIT INSULTING THE INTELLIGENCE OF YOUR SUPPORTERS.
Based on the logic that SS should be paid, even if there is no money, simply because it was an agreement into with the government, we cannot properly argue against the end of union contracts. Since, in many cases unions have “agreements” with the government as well.
Again, there is no money. It’s been spent for political gain by those who have been allowed to stay in power over the years.
I have probably 30 or so emails like this. And for the record, I understand the frustrations here. But those venting to me fail to realize something…
As a 31 year old I’m paying into the system and I will NEVER see a penny of what I pay in. I’ve been paying in for almost half of my life and I get NOTHING back.
The tea party movement needs to realize something and fast… we’re in for much tougher times ahead. There is no way to avoid it.
Republicans proposed to cut some $60 billion from a budget that operates at a $1.5 TRILLION deficit. The budget is upside down and now getting worse than ever, faster than ever.
Our political enemies are taking everything they can get before it’s too late. Public employee unions are like economic looters making runs on the bank and shops before there is nothing left.
Many within our movement are trying to figure out how to keep the SS checks flowing, blasting those who suggest there is no money left, and spending time keeping the couch clean for the evening TV shows.
Our enemies are in the streets, crashing the State Houses, raiding the banks and infiltrating the entire political process.
And worse… they’re funded by global corporations and elitists like George Soros and his ilk. In fact, they’re funded by YOU and I through taxpayer dollars!
If we’re to continue on the same path we’re on and think we’re going to eventually win against this selfish movement rising across the nation… the joke is on us and we’ve been had.
I challenge you, if you haven’t already done so, to read Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky. This is the training blueprint that Barack Obama and the rest of his leftist army grew up with.
Once you start reading it, you’ll understand the mentality we’re up against.
We need to man up. For too long we’ve been showing up at a nuclear war with a butter knife.
Enough is enough.
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I have this “discussion” with someone at least twice a month. Dear tea partiers – Get a clue. The social security you “paid into” NEVER went into a LOCK BOX. THERE IS NO LOCK BOX. They lied to you. You were deceived into believing you were lending a little cash to the government for safekeeping – so the ultra-efficient, trustworthy federal govt would invest it on your behalf and return to you, with interest. They had ZERO INTENTION of ever giving you any of your money back. Seriously. It was a lie to get you to buy into a 6%+ tax increase willingly coughing up dough you’d never see again. Except, perhaps, being paid back out to some U.S. Congress-critter’s life-long pension. It’s gone. You were lied to. Get it? Now, let’s fight back.
Just to clarity, it’s not “social security” as a system that you dislike, it’s the fact that the current US system is mismanaged/bankrupt?
It’s an interesting post, I’m just not sure whether you think there should be a safety net (just one that’s properly managed) or there shouldn’t be a safety net, in which case what’s the alternative?
Thanks
Addison
Social Security is a pyramid scheme. It’s a crock and is in no way sustainable.
The fact that it’s run by a corrupt, power-hungry government makes it even worse.
Our “safety net” should be private, free-market means of retirement. People argue that’s too risky, but look what happened with social security!!!!
Personal responsibility over government control.
I’m very active in our local TP, and I do agree with you. SS is trivial to fix (or at least medium term patch), the real issues are medicare / medicade. And those are tough damn issues and we will get ONE chance to do this. Blow it and we are dead. So we’d best be real careful.
On a different issue, I got to this blog via an advertisement for “24 Liberty”. It sounds interesting, but I’m not going to send you any money unless I can bail after a couple of issues. I can’t be the only one that thinks that way.
Mike
Eric,
Keep up the effort. Whatever happens, there is going to be widespread hardship. At least one third of Americans are now DEPENDENT on government handouts. They are actually addicts. They cannot imagine existing without their monthly fixes. They cannot imagine a world without their pusher. The question is not whether this will end, only when and how severe its end will be. The longer government contraction is delayed, the more severe the contraction will be, and the more prolonged the withdrawl pains will be. The federal government will be much smaller than it is now (or much bigger)… and the standard of living in this country for nearly everyone will be half of what it was in 2000 – or even lower – in 2013.
Your critics may still remember the Housing and Banking Bubbles. Maybe they even remember the Internet Bubble. All these bubbles weren’t “bubbles” til they burst. The next bubble will be the Government Bubble. Right now we are still pumping air into that bubble at the rate of $1.5 to $2.0 TRILLION of new government debt per year. This new bubble dwarfs all earlier bubbles.
Your critics still think that a Government Bubble doesn’t exist… that their insistence on a “right” to entitlements actually trumps reality. I’ve paid into SocSec and Medicare since 1964. I’m 65. My contributions were stolen by the government and handed out to others. They’re gone. I know that. It happened on my watch. Your critics don’t want to accept that. They are in denial.
You are hitting the bullseye, Eric, and it can’t be stated often enough. WE THE PEOPLE MUST face our fiscal reality AS IT IS, make the necessary cuts and true changes IF we are ever going to reverse this mess.
Keep telling the truth, it is our only way back to a limited government chained to the Constitution and fiscal survival.
Most EVERYONE will have to be willing quit depending on the federal or state government for retirement or health care needs. We have got to drive a stake through the heart of entitlement thinking.
The Ponzi schemes of SS, Medicare, Medicaid are unmasked and they are absolutely unsustainable.
Where are the Patriots, who love America and the Founding principles that make her great, and will actually sacrifice to see she survives and remains free for future generations???
You are also correct that the R’s and Tea Partiers must steel our spines, gird our loins and fight harder than the relentless ALINSKY-ites.
I have a level of frustration in not knowing how to “man up” exactly. I write my representatives regularly, I contribute to causes, I comment on newstories, I “like” postings to facebook. I certainly appreciate Eric’s efforts to keep us informed. I think what has happened is the concerted effort by the left, with support from the MSM to portray Tea Party Activists as extremists, is working. The left is stealthy and devious, the tea party is open with their views and goals. Rather than change our tactics, we need to do more to expose theirs. The $104 Billion in sneaky appropriations is a prime example. This needs to be publicized and not just by head of the Tea Party Caucus, but by many other concerned groups. Every American should be outraged by this example of tyranny, not just the Tea Party.
you are never going to make any actual progress without leaders. Have you never heard any of the jokes about committees? If you continue to insist that you don’t need leaders, then you are wasting my time.
Once leaders emerge they will become targets of both enemies and your own ranks (see Sarah Palin), but the alternative is to be completely useless.