Recently a friend and loyal reader and I had a conversation about the Tea Party….I said that I was not opposed to the Tea Party per se, as it was in the original movement just that, IMO, the movement had been hijack by people with an alternate agenda and that my problem is with the people that describe themselves as members of the Tea Party and their thoughtless comments which is picked up and given a lot of undue notoriety…..I try to ignore stupid but sometimes it is just too blatant to ignore….

But I was told that the Tea Party principles were as follows……..(a neo-liberal in any other clothing is still a neo-liberal)…….

1. THE RULE OF THE MARKET. Liberating “free” enterprise or private enterprise from any bonds imposed by the government (the state) no matter how much social damage this causes. Greater openness to international trade and investment, as in NAFTA. Reduce wages by de-unionizing workers and eliminating workers’ rights that had been won over many years of struggle. No more price controls. All in all, total freedom of movement for capital, goods and services. To convince us this is good for us, they say “an unregulated market is the best way to increase economic growth, which will ultimately benefit everyone.”
2. CUTTING PUBLIC EXPENDITURE FOR SOCIAL SERVICES like education and health care. REDUCING THE SAFETY-NET FOR THE POOR, and even maintenance of roads, bridges, water supply — again in the name of reducing government’s role.
3. DEREGULATION. Reduce government regulation of everything that could diminsh profits, including protecting the environment and safety on the job.
4. PRIVATIZATION. Sell state-owned enterprises, goods and services to private investors. This includes banks, key industries, railroads, toll highways, electricity, schools, hospitals and even fresh water. Although usually done in the name of greater efficiency, which is often needed, privatization has mainly had the effect of concentrating wealth even more in a few hands and making the public pay even more for its needs.
5. ELIMINATING THE CONCEPT OF “THE PUBLIC GOOD” or “COMMUNITY” and replacing it with “individual responsibility.” Pressuring the poorest people in a society to find solutions to their lack of health care, education and social security all by themselves — then blaming them, if they fail, as “lazy.”

I understand their thinking in #1-4….it is 5 that I have a huge problem with…….”individual responsibility”…….don’t get me wrong….people should be responsible for their actions….all their actions and decisions…….but where I have my confusion is the laws and wanted laws that take responsibility from the people like what we eat or smoke or religion or abortion (now here is the one that most small minded people will fixate on…it is an EXAMPLE Only!)…..each one of those is a personal choice that some want to take away from the people…..it should be a total commitment to “individual responsibility” or let it go!