Tea Party a Bit Weak?

The protests in many places lost their focus on the economy. In some parts of Texas the chants turned to talk of secession, in other places signs read, “Obama, You Bow to Kings.” Letting the talk turn away from the issue at hand, becoming a free for all ranting session over the current economic situation, takes away from the point of the gatherings. This leaves many to wonder if some aren’t protesting for the simple sake of protesting anything in their need to show their displeasure.

The problem in my mind is that the analogy to the Boston Tea Party just doesn’t hold. This is not taxation without representation, or even spending without representation. These are duly elected officials who are putting forth these policies, and we are the ones who put them there, for good or for ill. To claim that the government is not following the will of the people means that we, the people, have failed in our duty to elect those who will go and listen to our voice and act in an accordant manner.

The grassroots approach to reform has a long-standing tradition in America – one can say that the entire revolution that formed our country was a grassroots campaign. Voicing one’s opinion on a situation that one finds undesirable is to be commended. If we want our elected officials to act in the interest of their constituents, the constituents have the responsibility of letting their interest be known. Protesting is but one form of this, and this one offered complaints, but little in the way of solutions.

So was this reincarnation of the Boston Tea Party the answer to our social and economic woes? No. These questions need better answers than simply throwing tea into the harbor. A protest of unruly taxation and wasteful spending marked by dumping perfectly useful tea in the closest body of water only highlights the confused nature of this new Tea Party.