The News Sentinel has a video report that tries to explain the tea party movement from a variety of viewpoints.
In it, Instapundit notes that the movement started in response to the stimulus bill. But what if there hadn't been a stimulus bill? According to a recent study by two leading economists, GDP would have fallen 7.4% instead of 2.4%, unemployment would be 16.5% instead of 9.6% and we would be in the middle of Depression 2.0 instead of coming out of a recession.
It's also interesting to see seniors who are no doubt receiving Social Security and Medicare benefits complain about federal spending. Deficits are a major concern, too, but so are taxes. Yet no one in the tea party can explain how to cut taxes and reduce deficits at the same time.
The report also observes that the tea party is "mobilizing" and "organizing" and "energizing" people who are getting involved in the political process for the first time. One woman said she was inspired when Glenn Beck told her to get off the couch. They're mad as hell about something, but they're not exactly clear on what.
Where were these people during the eight years of the Bush administration? The bottom line, though, is a fresh new crop of gullible, low-information voters in November.
Woe is us.
|
|
Discussing:
- AI bubble burst? (2 replies)
- Tennessee paying $637 million over 5 years for voucher software program (2 replies)
- UT paying $2 million to fired professor? (2 replies)
- A bear in Alcoa (1 reply)
- Here are some good Presidents (1 reply)
- Alcoa Hwy construction to extend to 2030 (3 replies)
- Happy 250th, pfft (2 replies)
- Smith & Wesson noise problem (3 replies)
- Are Chat bots a waste of time? (1 reply)
- Musicians dropping out of President's Freedom Concert Series (1 reply)
- It's time for new blood in Congress, Barnett in - Burchett out (1 reply)
- Burning Down The House... (2 replies)
TN Progressive
- Alcoa property taxes will probably not go up (BlountViews)
- Smith & Wesson not a good fit for Blount County (BlountViews)
- Pellissippi Parkway extension delayed again (BlountViews)
- Blount County early voting record turnout (BlountViews)
- WATCH THIS SPACE. (Left Wing Cracker)
- America As It Is Right Now (RoaneViews)
- A friend sent this: From Captain McElwee's Tall Tales of Roane County (RoaneViews)
- The Meidas Touch (RoaneViews)
- Massive Security Breach Analysis (RoaneViews)
- (Whitescreek Journal)
- My choices in the August election (Left Wing Cracker)
- July 4, 2024 - aka The Twilight Zone (Joe Powell)
TN Politics
- Stockard on the Stump: Tennessee Republicans keep pushing for execution transparency (TN Lookout)
- Democrats, Republicans alike focus on states’ rights as a way out of America’s political woes (TN Lookout)
- Whose America is it? (TN Lookout)
- Tennessee’s emergency management agency becomes standalone state department (TN Lookout)
- Vonda McDaniel, Tennessee Labor leader, mourned after Tuesday death (TN Lookout)
- A proud history and a cloudy future: Congressional Black Caucus hit by Supreme Court ruling (TN Lookout)
Knox TN Today
- Anniversary of Pat Summitt’s death becomes what she always wanted (Knox TN Today)
- Townsend concert + FLC boost for Maryville parks ++ (Knox TN Today)
- Dishing It Out: 4th of July Coconut Poke Cake (Knox TN Today)
- Zoo Knoxville celebrates birth of two Red Panda cubs (Knox TN Today)
- Prepare now: Keep your pets safe this Fourth of July (Knox TN Today)
- Dining Duo finds The Magic Wok (Knox TN Today)
- Paralyzed Veterans of America and Food City team up with NASCAR legends (Knox TN Today)
- 7/3 HEADLINES: News and events from Knox, World, USA, Tennessee & Historic Notes (Knox TN Today)
- Close to Home, Far from Ordinary: Revolutionary roots in Jonesborough and beyond (Knox TN Today)
- Hiking with Harrington: Curry Mountain Trail (Knox TN Today)
- New climate resource online (Knox TN Today)
- What the Fourth of July asks us to remember (Knox TN Today)
Local TV News
- Roane County deputy, inmate injured in crash on Highway 58 (WATE)
- Fire causes damage to the Love Kitchen in Knoxville (WATE)
- Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce donate $2 million to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (WATE)
- How this VFL went from a 'mediocre' pitcher to one of the best in the U.S. (WATE)
- Motorcyclist dead after crash on I-640 in Knoxville (WATE)
- Rockwood police arrest suspect in child sex crime case (WATE)
News Sentinel
State News
- Birth tourism, Rock City’s transparency and more letters to the editors - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- State immigration checks, World Cup fun, Fleischmann funding and more Rants - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- What to know about the funeral and burial of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Dear Abby: Grown sons tell dad to ditch his wife of 45 years - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
Wire Reports
- Mamdani offers a contrast to Trump’s vision for America in a 250th anniversary address - NBC News (US News)
- Brutally hot weather through 4th of July in Maryland, risk of storms increases - CBS News (US News)
- Amazon 4th of July sales: Shop deals up to 60% off from Hanes, Ninja, Apple, Shark and more - Yahoo (Business)
- Major retailers open for July 4: Here's where you can shop and eat on America's 250th birthday - Fox Business (Business)
- The AI Trade Is Losing One of Its Key Signals - Bloomberg.com (Business)
- At the L.A. Warehouse Fire, First It Was the Smoke. Now It’s the Smell. - The New York Times (US News)
- A new plan to keep the Reflecting Pool clean – including annual purge of ‘nasty’ muck - CNN (US News)
- Ford achieves quality milestone, as CEO targets flawless new vehicle launches - CNBC (Business)
- ‘I want this on Donald’s desk’: Inside Melania Trump’s ambitious policymaking agenda - Politico (US News)
- Parade for 250th is canceled due to heat; Trump administration gets go-ahead to install its own President's House panels - Inquirer.com (US News)
- Millions of babies to get $1,000 in their Trump Accounts on July 4 - USA Today (Business)
- A hot summer trend in the sharing economy? Rental swimming pools - NPR (Business)
- Man holding Tibetan flag dies after setting himself on fire outside UN - Al Jazeera (US News)
- Dow jumps to record closing high after soft US jobs data, Nasdaq down with chip shares - Reuters (Business)
- NTSB releases preliminary report into skydiving plane crash that killed 12 in Butler, Missouri - KMBC (US News)
Local Media
Lost Medicaid Funding
Search and Archives
TN Progressive
Nearby:
- Blount Dems
- Herston TN Family Law
- Inside of Knoxville
- Instapundit
- Jack Lail
- Jim Stovall
- Knox Dems
- MoxCarm Blue Streak
- Outdoor Knoxville
- Pittman Properties
- Reality Me
- Stop Alcoa Parkway
Beyond:
- Nashville Scene
- Nashville Post
- Smart City Memphis
- TN Dems
- TN Journal
- TN Lookout
- Bob Stepno
- Facing South

Two Points
That's because no one wants to acknowledge the elephant in the room - that entitlement spending must be curtailed. It would be political suicide to propose extending the retirement age, trimming Medicare benefits, etc. Unfortunately, I believe it will eventually come to that.
We were not being represented. Look, I know a lot of dyed-in-the-wool conservatives who subscribe to the Republican mantra. Those folks are blind to the spending excesses of the Bush years. Many of the TEA Partiers though don't go near social issues in general as political issues, but they see the spending in Washington as a major illness in need of an immediate remedy. This includes Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike. We wanted small government in 2000. That has not changed. Hopefully, the next Congress will embrace that ideology, although even now, I remain skeptical.
entitlement spending
I haven't kept up with the latest studies and projections, but I seem to recall that eliminating the cap on payroll taxes would fix the problem. Sounds pretty simple.
Northrup Grumman is a Welfare Mom
None dare call military spending an entitlement, speaking of politically unpopular thought processes.
(link...)
Bully for Lockheed shareholders. Where do you think that 19% dividend originates?
Headline
Love the Buffalo Springfield shout-out. Particularly fitting on the week CSN were here. More fitting if it had been CSN&Y.
Having never before seen C,
Having never before seen C, S, N, Y, or any combination thereof, I feel fortunate to have seen all of them this year in Knoxville.
Thanks, AC!
Missed Y, but CSN was a life
Missed Y, but CSN was a life time treat. Nash is almost 70?
There's hope and promise for all of us!
N
I was lucky enough to first see Graham Nash with the Hollies when they opened for Herman's Hermits. He word a double breasted purple crushed velvet coat. Fabulous performance. I have since seen CS&N and CSN&Y. Doesn't get much better.