The TEA Party Express

Being in Ecuador right now, I have not kept up on world events as much as I should have simply because of a lack of resources. I don’t have a television here, I don’t use the Internet that often, and all the periodicals are in Spanish (which I am not fluent in.)

However, I recently had the delightful experience of watching the BBC World News Report. I heard things about the British Airways strike, massacres in the D R Congo by the Lord’s Resistance Army, and of course United States healthcare.

It seems that like any other new reform, people are either thrilled or disgusted. On the BBC, they choose to show some of the disgusted population, attending a rally with keynote speaker Sarah Palin.

This rally was put on by a Republican organization called Tea Party Express. I am sure that the historical connection offered them some rhetorical leverage, but in reality the situation surrounding the Boston Tea Party and this healthcare reform are profoundly different. During the Boston Tea Party, angered citizens were boycotting the tea that had been imported from England. This was a nonviolent way to put economic pressure on the tea trade between England and its colony in the New World. The main concern of the Boston protesters though was one of taxation without representation. Without representatives from the colonies serving in the Parliament of England, they had no say on what they were paying taxes for.

In this present day “Tea Party”, with Sarah Palin leading the charge, the sentiment might be similar. If I am a Republican opposed to this healthcare, it is probably because I feel unrepresented in Congress and therefore that I am paying taxes to something that I not only disagree with, but have no say in. I am not sure this is the case though. It seems that the major idea discussed at this rally was not taxation without representation, but simply too much tax. Republicans might feel under-represented, but that is because they are, and no Republican politician is going to bring that up because they know that it is the nature of Congress right now.

So, if it is boiled down to the bottom of the issue, the problem is not enough representation, it is simply a disagreement of where the taxes should be going. One man at this rally donned a sign that read “Taxed Enough Already.” In addition to enjoying his clever acronym, I agree with him. We are taxed enough already. No citizens want to see taxes go up. If we don’t want to see a raise in taxes though, we must communicate more than that to our government. Representatives already know that voters don’t like raised taxes. What they seem to be ignorant of is what we WANT to pay taxes for.

I don’t know what the man with the “Taxed Enough Already” sign really values other than his own money. He doesn’t want taxes to go up. It is true that we could cut this healthcare reform and decrease government spending in the healthcare area. But we are only directing our focus there because it is the most recent legislation. The Republican Party as a bloc is against raised taxes for healthcare, but sees no issue with funding the military.

So, what if we cut spending in other areas? What if we cut funding for our overseas military excursions? What if we cut back on nuclear arms and military bases? Every time an American soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan pulls the trigger and kills a Muslim, it costs our taxpayers money. We are paying to kill people. We are paying for helicopters, missiles, bombs, grenades, airplanes, tanks and guns. The worst part is, once a bullet is fired, its value has been spent. Once a tank is destroyed, another one must be built. If the tools of warfare do their job, they are rarely reusable. We certainly are taxed enough, and it is invested poorly.

Basically I see a choice. We can say “Taxed Enough Already,” and decide not to accept the addition of taxes, or we can redirect the taxes we are already paying. Can we tell our representatives not only that we want to cut government spending, but also that we want to cut it in specific areas? Can we invest our money in hospital beds, medical equipment and hiring nurses and doctors rather than investing it in bullets, bombs, and soldiers?

Can our taxes be directed towards preserving life rather than ending it?

Thanks, Republicans for showing us the reality of the situation. Taxes are too high. Now together let’s decide where to cut. Healthcare or warfare? Would we still be opposed to healthcare reform if it didn’t cost so much? Because if the answer is ‘no,’ I have a deal. Let’s remove the immense costs of war, and the medical cost won’t seem so daunting.