Tea baggin' in Roanoke

(Just went down and spent time with folks near the Roanoke River, that Tea Party thing...

Hangin’ with the teabaggers

There were already hundreds of people, if not more, lining Reserve Avenue at the start of the two-hour Tax Day Tea Party rally on Wednesday, one of many held around the country. There were numerous placards protesting all of the spending in Washington and President Obama’s stimulus plans. “We don’t want 15% inflation again!” read Barbara Martinet’s handmade sign. “I’m worried that the country is headed for serious financial difficulties,” said Martinet, alarmed that the federal government is printing money to pay for stimulus and bailout programs.

Another president she noted attempted to keep financing a war at the same time he introduced sweeping social programs – Lyndon B. Johnson. “It nearly ruined the country,” said Martinet.

“How’s that change working for you?” read another sign, referring to the change Obama ran on during his 2008 campaign. Bonnie Martin wore a hat adorned with tea bags. “I’m here to show my disgust for our government, period – both parties. All of this unnecessary spending and the bailout – and these ridiculous bonuses that they voted [in] late at night.” Clean house and start over said Martin.

Rich and Sherie Hilts held up FairTax signs as cars crawled down Reserve, honking their horns to supporter the Tea Party protestors. “The centralist government is not supposed to be [as big] as it is today,” said Rich Hilts, co-owner of a small gourmet spice manufacturing company. “There’s not supposed to be this much power and cradle to grave [legislation].”

His wife has little confidence that those inside the Beltway can enact legislation and spend money wisely: “The government can’t run themselves,” said Sherie Hilts. “How can they possibly run our investments and our fiscal future?” She compared it to the climate in fascist Germany and Italy before World War II, when Hilts claimed that constant dire predictions about the economy made it easier for politicians to enact programs that ultimately proved to be catastrophic.

My take: (random thoughts from a Facebook debate) Question for all Tea Party backers: what's your alternative to jump starting the economy with Fed spending? Tax cuts? $600 checks? Didn't we try that already? For the last 8 years? Can we really build a sounder, long term economy by getting more folks to go back to the mall?

Telling people to go to free clinics for health care coverage is NOT the answer! we all pay for those who don't have health insurance. Contrary to what Sean Hannity says, we don't have the best health care system in the world - at least for the 50 million or so who don't have it. And those with coverage pay for those without. Don't you folks read how about businesses crippled, or homes lost over health care costs!

Private industry does not have all the answers either…what if GM had used some of the obscene amounts of money it paid people like now-fired CEO Rick Wagoner for R&D ... and government is and has always been a big part of our lives (infrastructure, Social Security, student loans, Medicaid, etc.) .... we all need to make sure we have the right people in place to make tough decisions and supply leadership.