Wow! I do too.
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"Chris Christie weighed in on the Occupy Wall Street protesters yesterday asserting that they "come from the same perspective" but have "different solutions."
"What they are saying is, that 'Government is not working for me anymore, government is not being fair and government is not helping me the way it should,'" he added.
Christie said that he didn't agree with the solutions of the Occupy Wall Street protesters, but said, "I understand why they are angry."
This is a bit of a disappointment for conservatives, who look to Christie for angry "YouTube moments" deriding liberals.
Christie's attempt to equate the two movements will draw a lot of fire from conservatives, who bristle at any comparison of Occupy Wall Street to the Tea Party." - Source
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Tea Party supporters spit on Congressmen and women. I know!
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Art: Voluptuous Man Similar To Gov. Christie, Fernando Botero
Terry, when did Tea Partiers spit on Congressmen and women? And if it happened, it is very clear that there is no leader of the movement, even at the local level, that supports such behavior. Random idiots shouldn't count.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I say the difference is that one movement is calling through change through the democratic process, and demands restraint and shuns violent rhetoric. The other has many people calling for an overthrow of that democratic system (in several places, they are setting up "people's councils", which is just translation of "soviet" and are to operate on the same principles as the Bolshevik soviets of the 1920s), has numerous speakers who demand violence and revolution, and tends to spawn acts of destruction and obscenity.
I do not claim that the Tea Party is perfect, nor that OSW is all wrong - but I would really like to know of any instances where Tea Partiers did anything violent, obscene, or criminal - and not just random idiots, but where such behavior was sanctioned by leaders and speakers.
I understand the anger, but at the end of the day, the OWS rhetoric is "seize the wealth, destroy the system, revolution!" It's all been done before, hasn't it?
And please, someone correct me if I am wrong - really. I want to know.
ReplyDeleteMercury,
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for reminding me to check the comments box on the article in question. First of all, may I say that I admire someone who is passionate about this subject; too many are indolent. No apology is necessary, but is nonetheless accepted in the same gracious manner it was offered.
As for Europe, it is far - far - from perfect in its political / social systems; but then, is any area of our world perfect? In order to understand “Europe” I believe it is absolutely vital to remember that we have suffered (and caused others to suffer) the effects of two massive wars in the same century. The European Union, as cumbersome and bureaucratic as it is, has brought us to the stage where such a possibility is now unimaginable; we are all rather grateful for this fact. The EU is a comparatively new institution and one never before attempted; we can perhaps be seen as being in our teenage years.(LOL). There is a natural tension between what may be referred to as Federal vs States rights. However, we are becoming more democratic although - just as in the early days of the US - the process is not smooth. Give us time and keep us in your prayers.
You and I would certainly disagree that Europe “..is one giant welfare state…” but be in complete accord regarding our failure to bring more children into the world; as we both know, it is the taxes of those who work which finance the pensions of the old and such things as social welfare benefits. You will possibly also disagree when I say that the various imperfect European systems are nonetheless more akin to Gospel values than what is found in the U.S.
You mentioned that your comments were aimed at the nature of the protests in Germany; violence for the sake of violence, or the seizure/destruction of property belonging to someone else just to do it, is immoral. To be fair, the vast majority of European protests have been conducted peacefully. As for the desecration which took place in Rome…well, the BBC reported that other protesters tried, albeit in vein, to stop the vandalism. (Oddly enough, Sky News - Fox News’ UK cousin - conveniently neglected to mention that fact in its report). Speaking as someone who is financially rather comfortable compared to some in the UK, I can quite understand why the protesters are on the streets: they feel disenfranchised, cheated and used by both government and big business; I think they are correct.
As for the wealthy Americans being answerable to God for how they use their wealth, you can throw us Europeans in the mix. Matthew 25 always causes me to shudder.
Mercury, thank you for being not only passionate but reflective. Now it is my turn to ask forgiveness - for this horridly long post.
parepidemos - thank you for responding. I have some things to say, but I don't have time right now. I will say that I do believe that the social models of certain European countries are much more just than the US, but that at the same time, those systems rely on a) reproduction remaining at the rate it was in the 1950s and 60s when the social systems were established and b) countries remaining somewhat homogenous, if not ethnically, then at least culturally, especially in terms of attitudes towards work and fair play.
ReplyDeleteAnd I would also point out that in the US, the issue for me and for many conservatives is not that we object to government having a role in social welfare, but object to the federal government usurping rights that properly belong to the states, even if the cause is "good". Any system of wealth distribution, care, education, etc. is bets done as close to home as possible. The US is a country of 300 million with widely varying needs, values, etc. and is not and never was supposed to be a top-down system - most social issues are supposed to be managed at the state level, though federal funds may be able to be used in helping that.
That way you avoid forcing Southerners who have worked hard and saved to pull themselves out of poverty ending up having to pay for the parasitic policies of states like Michigan, who let unions and welfare run rampant. In the same way, Germans are rightly pissed that they are expected to bail out the profligate Greeks and their ridiculous system of benefits without the Greeks having to change anything about the way they manage money, etc. And in all fairness, it should be up to the Greeks to recognize their failures and changed, not be forced to do so from the outside (which is why THEY are angry now).
Oops! I used the wrong term for Tea Party people - my mistake.
ReplyDeleteMerc - I can't recall when or where the spitting took place - I was just echoing what Nancy Pelosi said recently. LOL! It's all good - I'm just having fun now.
Vote for Pedro!
Yeah, I thought you were repeating what Mrs. Pelosi said - but a lot of people questioned that. I know you're joking around. See, even I can fall victim to your humor! :)
ReplyDeleteI do think some one got spit on at some point however - wasn't it a black congressman? I can't recall for sure.
ReplyDeleteYep - it was Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (Dem) - and he is African American.
ReplyDeletehttp://lonelyconservative.com/2010/04/rep-cleaver-i-never-said-i-was-spit-on/
ReplyDeleteAnd even if some Tea Party person did that - can anyone find footage of leaders and public speakers actually calling for violence and armed insurrection? Overthrow of the government by any other means than the ballot box?
ReplyDeleteMerc - people said some mean stuff about Pelosi at the time. I was afraid for her safety.
ReplyDeleteWhat?
(I'm having fun now!)
Haha!
ReplyDeleteTerry, isn't that the situation in which spitting was alleged to have occurred but with all the video footage, nobody has been able to show that it happened?
ReplyDeleteI don't know Nan - Nancy Pelosi said it happened and I believe her. Joe Biden agrees. I love Joe Biden. (I'm talking about the SNL versions of these people - you knew that, right?)
ReplyDeleteThanks Mieux.
ReplyDelete