10 Questions for “Tea partiers” by Ralph Nadar (Answered by Jack Blood)

[Shawn B]

10 Questions for "Tea partiers" by Ralph Nadar (Answered by Jack Blood)

October 25, 2010 by Jack Blood 
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Thanks for not calling them "Tea Baggers" Ralph...... If My answers seem repetitive its because your questions all sounded alike...

NOTE TO DEADLINELIVE.INFO READERS: FEEL FREE TO ANSWER THESE "QUESTIONS" IN OUR COMMENT SECTION. I WILL READ SOME OF THEM ON THE AIR ~ Jack Blood

Here are ten questions for Tea Partiers that they want or do not want to answer. I say it this way because people who call themselves Tea Partiers do not have the same view of politics, government, Big Business or the Constitution. Their opinions range from pure Libertarian to actively furthering the privileges of plutocracy. Their income and occupational background vary as well, though most seem to be middle-income and up.

My guess is that most Tea Partiers come from the conservative wing of the Republican Party who are fed up with both the corporate Republicans like Bush and Cheney, as well as the Democrats like Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi.

With the above in mind, the following questions can serve to go beyond abstractions and generalizations of indignation and get to some more specific responses.

1. Can you be against Big Government and not press for reductions in the vast military budgets, fraught with bureaucratic and large contractors' waste, fraud and abuse? Military spending now takes up half of the federal government's operating budgets. The libertarian Cato Institute believes that to cut deficits, we have to also cut the defense budget.

A)No you cannot! But in this respect, how do the "Tea O Cons" differ from most Democrats, or "Neo Libs"?

2. Can you believe in the free market and not condemn hundreds of billions of dollars of corporate welfare-bailouts, subsidies, handouts, and giveaways?

A) No. Of course you may be confusing Free market Principals with "crony" or "cartel" capitalism. In order to have TRUE free market democracy, a nation MUST have a large base or educated, and knowledgeable consumers. Those that stray from the boundaries of economic freedom for all, must be punished by consumers who will perpetually vote with their dollars.

3. Can you want to preserve the legitimate sovereignty of our country and not reject the trade agreements known as NAFTA and GATT (The World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland) that scholars have described as the greatest surrender of local, state and national sovereignty in our history?

A) Again... NO. But you forgot CAFTA and the FTAA. Question for you Ralph: If National Sovereignty is valuable, why not mention State Sovereignty in the form of the 10th amendment? Or what about Personal Sovereignty in the form of the 9th? Also lets keep in mind that it was the DEMS and the Repubs working "across the aisle" that institutionalized "Free Trade" which is without a doubt the NAU!

4. Can you be for law and order and not support a bigger and faster crackdown on the corporate crime wave, that needs more prosecutors and larger enforcement budgets to stop the stealing of taxpayers and consumer dollars so widely reported in the Wall Street Journal and Business Week? Law enforcement officials estimate that for every dollar for prosecution, seventeen to twenty dollars are returned.

A) Maybe, but again I go back to my answer to Question 2! There are thousands or laws regulating "Wall St" and meant to crack down on corporate thievery! UNFORTUNATELY we have learned that all laws (and regulations) are political and selectively enforced. IE: Corruption STARTS with Government, so Government will never be objective enough to not punish those who paid to select them! It was Mayer Rothschild that famously said, "Give me control of a nations money supply and I can not who makes the laws." END THE FED!

5. Can you be against invasions of privacy by government and business without rejecting the provisions of the Patriot Act that leave you defenseless to constant unlawful snooping, appropriation of personal information and even search of your home without notification until 72 hours later?

A) Is the Tea Party really against invasion of privacy? Huh? REPEAL THE PATRIOT ACT! Repeal everything! I think that if the Tea O Cons got what they seem to be asking for "Small Gov." – they would be shocked to see things like the Patriot Act (War on Terror), and the "War on Drugs" go away. Totalitarian societies need to create giant bureaucracies to document and carry out punishments. Small Gov means small police state. Or it should.

6. Can you be against regulation of serious medical malpractice (over 100,000 lives lost a year, according to a study by Harvard physicians), unsafe drugs that have serious side effects or cause the very injury/illness they were sold to prevent, motor vehicles with defective brakes, tires and throttles, contaminated food from China, Mexico and domestic processors?

A) Buyer beware! Just because you like the commercial, doesn't mean you have to buy the merch! Freedom is Messy Ralph. Sometimes people get hurt. You will NEVER legislate total safety for we the people.
Many have tried, and yet here we are... Over regulating (which is again "selectively enforced") means higher costs for the goods, and services. Consumers regulate by word of mouth boycotts, and support for quality care. Also we need to BUY AMERICAN – Protectionism, and global economy be Damned!

7. Can you keep calling for Freedom and yet tolerate control of your credit and other economic rights by hidden and arbitrary credit ratings and credit scores? What Freedom do you have when you have to sign industry-wide fine print one-sided "contracts" with your banks, insurance companies, car dealers, and credit card companies? Many of these contracts even block your Constitutional access to the courthouse.

A) True. Localize financial institutions into the hands of the people. (Credit lists are a way to facilitate NO WORK LISTS, NO SHELTER LISTS, and eventually NO FOOD LISTS!)
Quit using debt to have things you cannot afford. LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS. Pay cash! BUT I MEAN REAL MONEY, and not deflation addled FIAT currency! Many "Tea Partiers" agree... We must end the practice of fiat currency, and fractional reserve lending! If banks or lenders abuse the trust with the public... BURN THEM DOWN AND SPIT ON THEIR ASHES!

8. Can you be for a new, clean system of politics and elections and still accept the Republican and Democratic Two Party dictatorship that is propped up by complex state laws, frivolous litigation and harassment to exclude from the ballot third parties and independent candidates who want reform, accountability, and stronger voices for the voters?

A) No! Ralphy... Being that you have been a paid stalking horse for the "One Party System" you should know that the bigger problem is the centralization of the Media. The illusion that a third party vote is a wasted vote. is a canard that has become a religion in this country.
The only answer in a Free market philosophy is to DEREGULATE the election process. (Bet that blew your mind! – Maybe YOU are the hypocrite here?) Even more important; is the apathy Americans practice every day but voting day! (keeping in mind that no more than 60% even bother to vote, which is exponentially lower in local elections!) Whomever gets "selected" needs to be held accountable for their actions 365/24/7! ALSO: Electronic voting needs to be abolished NOW! Smaller local elections will be the biggest beneficiaries! With decentralized Govt, we the peeps have a voice, and more control over our own lives.

9. If you want a return to our Constitution—its principles of limited and separation of power and its emphasis on "We the People" in its preamble—can you still support Washington's wars that have not been declared by Congress (Article I Section or giving corporations equal rights with humans plus special privileges and immunities. The word "corporation" or "company" never appears in the Constitution. How can you support eminent domain powers given by governments to corporations over homeowners, or massive week-end bailouts by the Federal Reserve and Treasury Department of businesses, even reckless foreign banks, without receiving the authority and the appropriations from the Congress, as the Constitution requires?

A) You had me until you begin the blather of Congressional Authority. (BTW Ralph: How can you be against Emmient Domain and FOR Agenda 21?)
In all examples listed above, CONgress took the easy way out. The back door or "Plausible Deniability"... If necessary, they would have gone in the front door and "Appropriated" my Freedom, and my Taxes to do whatever the hell they were told to do by their employers, which if you missed it... ARE the banks and the special interests they control (See AIPAC).

10. You want less taxation and lower deficits. How can you succeed unless you stop big corporations from escaping their fair share of taxes by manipulating foreign jurisdictions against our tax laws, for example, or by letting trillions of dollars of speculation on Wall Street go without any sales tax, while you pay six, seven or eight percent sales tax on the necessities you buy in stores?\

A) TAXES roll downhill Ralph. Besides most corporations worth taxing are lawyer'd up and covered for. Deferred taxes, Loopholes, Tax Exempt operations like Rockefeller, Carnegie Mellon, Ford, Gates... etc... do most of the controlling; and do so while hiding their real wealth which is ILL gotten through things like "Taxes" and phony economic bubbles. The REAL target of your plan will be consumers and small business. TAX the big Corporations? What a JOKE! Also... If you read above... IE Your questions.... Where does all that "Tax" go?
You got it.... right back to the "richest 1%" and their institutions.
I suggest a total REPEAL of all tax until the system is remade to help the bottom of the pyramid... not the capstone. Only a SHILL, or an ignorant would ask such a question.

Let's hear from you Tea Partiers. Meanwhile, see the work of video-journalist, Steve Ference, who has interviewed and given voice to those among you in his new paperback "Voices of the Tea Party" published by Lulu.com on July 4, 2010. Contact VoicesoftheTeaParty@gmail.com.

Ralph Nader is a consumer advocate, lawyer, and author. His most recent book – and first novel – is, Only The Super-Rich Can Save Us. His most recent work of non-fiction is The Seventeen Traditions.

[glenn kangiser]

My problem with the tea party-ers is that they still believe our political system works and can be fixed with a broken voting system.  It can not.

My uncle spent his life playing by the system rules and near the end he told me he saw that it was impossible.  The system is too broke to be fixed.  I drink very little tea.

I think a complete failure is what they are working for.  They want to continue to break it down until the people scream for a new government... then here it comes...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc7i0wCFf8g

[bayview]

I think a complete failure is what they are working for.  They want to continue to break it down until the people scream for a new government... then here it comes...

   I don't think we will see this in our lifetime . . .    The elitist are making to much of a profit with their smoke and mirrors.   Throwing in some terrorist threats and national emergencies will keep most in line.

   "The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders ... All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism."  - Hermann Goering

   There are to many citizens on the government teets.   None of them are looking for reform.   They would lose their standard of living . . .

   To me:   The tea-party exists to split the Republican ticket.    Much like Ross Perot did in the 92 election.  Allowing Clinton to win.

   Yeah, sure . . .    The elitist will allow some concessions to make it appear that there is some government reform.   But, in the end, it will really be without any meaning.

/.

[glenn kangiser]

I saw a similar move with Ron Paul.  He is an elitist shill also as I see it.  I thought he was OK until he gave himself away by dissing the 9/11 truth movement.  His followers thought he was different, but he showed them he was just another flavor of the same.  Like Perot, he dropped out on those who supported him at the end.

I agree that they will drag it out as long as they can keep pulling money from the future taxpayers into their pockets now.

"I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today" ....... J. Wellington Wimpy

[Shawn B]

Glenn,  I will have to disagree with you about Ron Paul. If you research his voting record and listen to his speeches he has been fighting the elite for decades. He doesn't have many victories, but that's almost, if not impossible when dealing with a bunch of traitors in Congress. Actually he did not drop out and was on the ballot in EVERY State primary. The fact is the GOP Neo-Con machine blocked and fought him every inch. Plus he simply did not win enough primary votes ( yeah Diedbold probably helped make that happen) to mathematically win the official primary. That is why he had the Rally for The Republic in Minneapolis the same days the GOP had their National Convention. To counter McCain and the Neo-Cons. Yeah people placed a lot of real hope on Ron and things did not happen they way they wanted it to, as in him going third party. But Ron said early on he would not go third party, because in his opinion third party politics doesn't work. I tend to agree with him somewhat, because the American people are constantly told by the media, and the duopoly that this is true, and most believe it. Sad, but true. Remember he was trying to awaken people to the ideas or real Liberty to counter the Neo-cons. In that regard I think he accomplished a lot of good. His followers founded the REAL TEA Party back in 2007. The Constitutional, Libertarian, True Conservative TEA Party, not the fake one that the Neo-Cons control.
About the 9-11 truth movement. Ron never once told anyone that he was a 9-11 truther, though quite a few thought he was. He did talk about false flag terror, new world order,blow back etc. Now I personally believe Ron *might* believe in some of the alternative theories about 9-11. Put yourself in his shoes, he's trying to build a nation wide liberty movement, and debate people live on TV, to support the so called conspiracy theories would have been political suicide. If you think back to 2007 when he would try to talk about the Federal Reserve people back then thought that was a conspiracy too, but many supported him on this, and not just those in the movement. So he ran with the End the Fed, and that movement is huge. Now it might not succeed anytime soon, but a lot of people now at least know one of the main enemies of liberty is. Remember it is the banking cartel that allows the military industrial complex to exist, it is the military industrial complex that pulls of false flag 9-11 events.

disclaimer: No I don't think Ron Paul is a Saint or anything like that.


**rant off**

[glenn kangiser]

I was still disappointed in his reply and stance on the issue though he didn't stand a chance of fighting the controlled media or owned system anyway.  I firmly believe it is fatally broken.

[Shawn B]

I was a little disappointed, but somewhat relieved too. But it was a big damned if you do somewhat little damned if you don't situation. That is what makes 9-11 the perfect crime. It is hard to approach people to have a genuine discussion, without emotion, Nationalism, or people building walls in their minds.