Name:   copperline - Subject:   The Tea Party platform Date:   4/27/2016 8:06:14 PM

Good post.  While its raining & I can't go fishing, I'll put up some counterpoints.   

1.        Illegal aliens are here illegally.   Yes, they are.   But over the years, a number of people have immigrated to the US, formed families and settled here in the US.   We just can’t round up & deport 11 million people, it would create all sorts of havoc from economic disruption to the scary specter of a police state.   Progressives simply believe there should be a path to citizenship to avoid this, but many progressives would agree that we have to address population growth in part by limiting immigration.  For that, we need a new immigration policy, but the Tea Party has opposed that.

2. Pro-domestic employment is indispensable.

This sounds good on the face of it, but pro-domestic policies suggest tariffs & trade protections that will run counter to many global trade agreements which the US benefits from.   This solution could come with new problems.   Bernie Sanders is really all about protecting US workers, it’s his main thing and one of the points I am cautious about, but not opposed to.   Many, many liberals would agree with this one.

3. A strong military is essential.

I can agree with that.  Liberals have always found that conservatives want to increase military spending by reducing domestic safety-net spending.   That’s what we oppose. 

4. Special interests must be eliminated.

“Special Interests” is a broad & vague term, but Liberals are certainly opposed to the role of “big money” in politics.  That’s why we oppose Citizen’s United.   I don’t know how you can realistically eliminate the political activity of individuals, corporations or other groups lobbying for what they want though… not in a democracy.

5. Gun ownership is sacred.

Saying something is sacred elevates it to a religious significance, and we can’t go along with that.   The right to own a Barrett 50cal sniper rifle or an assault rifle is not ordained by an Almighty God.   There are already some limits on gun ownership, we just disagree about how & what guns they should cover.

6. Government must be downsized.

I hear this a lot, but don’t think it really possible.   The country is growing, and the government needed to provide for all of us will need to grow, too.   I think people have unrealistic expectation of government already, are usually shocked when what they want isn’t forthcoming (for example, disaster aid assistance), and get really upset when programs that benefit them are slashed.   Alabama is downsizing its government.   We have reduced the number of state troopers, cut the Marine police down to next to nothing, and closed state parks.  That’s what a reduction in government looks like to me, it can cause harm by reducing services/protections we need.

7. The national budget must be balanced.

Good idea, the disagreement for me is in how we get there.  I’m not an economist, but I believe that when the country is in a recession or depression, it is the role of  government to create growth (and jobs) thru spending on public projects.  It is also necessary for government to create a safety net so that too many people don’t fall into poverty and allow a greater income gap develop between the upper and lower class.     It is not always possible for the government to sit back and wait for a hoped-for business boom to lift everyone up.   Business booms do not lift up everyone equally.

8. Deficit spending must end.

It can’t end until tax revenues grow to match government expenses.   It can’t end if we aren’t more careful about how many wars we fight.

9. Bailout and stimulus plans are illegal.

The bail out (of the Auto Industry) saved an important part of the US economy from disaster.   The economic stimulus plan & bail out of the big banks saved the entire global economy from sliding into a Depression.   We didn’t like having to do it either, but what choice did we have?   It’s not illegal for the government to keep the economy from collapsing, it’s job #1.

10. Reducing personal income taxes is a must.

Sounds good, but too vague.   We would not want to decrease taxes on those wealthy enough to pay more.

11. Reducing business income taxes is mandatory.

Business taxation needs to be sufficient to fund needed government spending but not so high as to strangle corporate growth.  It’s a balancing act.   A mandatory reduction of business taxes ignores the loopholes that already allow some corporations to pay little to no taxes and the necessary role government plays in maintaining the rules that allow businesses to operate.    For example, the airlines couldn’t operate without air traffic controllers & the FAA.   

12. Political offices must be available to average citizens.

This is probably a real point of agreement between the Tea Party and Progressives.   The difference is that we oppose Citizen’s United and don’t believe (to quote Mitt Romney) that corporations are people, too.   Unrestrained campaign finance rules will continue to discourage ordinary citizens from running for public offices in the future.

13. Intrusive government must be stopped.

Yes, if we are talking about the NSA and government looking into emails and phone records at will.  On the other hand, Liberals think that making abortion illegal is a primary example of the intrusion of government into the personal & private life of people.

But government needs to “intrude” if we are talking about making sure that one religion isn’t legally superior to another.  For me, Tennessee’s recent establishment of the Bible as The State Book is an example of government being hijacked by religious belief, and runs counter to democratic values.   A higher federal government might well need to "intrude" on a lower state government to prevent this.      Without government intrusion, critical social changes (like the Voting Rights act) would not have happened here in the South.    It's a mixed bag on this one and depends on what we think is "intrusion" as opposed to "protection".

14. English as our core language is required.

English is becoming an international standard already, we don’t need to legislate it.   Different languages represent & promote healthy cultural identities…   Liberals think that this is an example of portraying non-english speakers as “others” who are disrupting & dangerous to our society, nothing more.

15. Traditional family values are encouraged.

Traditional values vary from Christians to non-Christians, and even vary among Christians (remember multiple wives isn’t frowned on among all Mormons).   Usually, traditional values is a slogan for opposing gay marriage, which is harmless.   Perspectives change.     50 years ago, marrying outside of your race was against traditional values.   The problem is that the Tea Party wants to choose the traditional values for everyone to follow, and doesn’t recognize that we need to accept diversity.