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Tea party is a term that has been used by the American politicians to define the changes that they desire to see in the government. It was first experienced in 1773 and later in 2009. The reform movements were formed after people expressed their dissatisfaction on how the government of the day was handling issues that related to economic policies, taxes and the likes. It was a strategy aimed at ensuring that there is balance between economic growth and people’s contributions towards development. There were reported cases of overspending where by the government was not able to handle some of the development projects and emergency issues in the land. When such a situation happened, the taxpayer had to pay for it by being deducted huge amounts in the name of taxes (Watson 98). This was reflected on the high prices that were charged on products and huge expenses in service provision. Despite the huge taxes that the people were forced to pay, there was no substantial development that was experienced. This suggested to the people that the government lacked a good planning and management strategy that will ensure that citizens acquired goods and services at reasonable costs.
Tyrannical government and we the people government
There have been various tea party protests in various countries for example USA. This was in an effort of freeing the Americans from tyrannical government. The tea party members understand and see some of the dangers of a tyrannical government as seen in most of the African countries for example Zimbabwe. Americans have however adopted “we the people government” which does indicate that the US government is truly and emphatically people’s government and not a states league.
Tea party 1773
The Boston tea party of 1773 was derived from its literal meaning ‘tea’. Tea was the main agenda of the issues that were facing both the people and the government. It was during these years that tea was viewed as a very important commodity. A cup of tea meant a lot to the people of those days that they would do anything to have it. Tea was mainly imported from India who had found a good market in America. 1773 was a year after America had gone through a number of transitions. There were a number of wars that had caused a lot of drain on the economy. The government was hence looking for an urgent means that will enhance the economic healing process. It was just after the colonial rule and the government-needed funds that would facilitate its independence. Taxes were introduced where by the citizens in the colonies were required to pay a certain amount to the government (Thomas 67). The people did not welcome this new strategy. This caused a lot of resistance that prompted the government to look for an alternative means. Tea being an important commodity of the time, and the fact that people would do anything to ensure that they had a sip, the government decided to impose tax on tea that was being imported to the country.
The issue of imposing levies on tea that was being brought to the port displeased the Indians who had to incur extra costs. They had to substitute the costs by selling it at a higher rate, which did not really work well for them. They also decided to boycott the taxes by demanding that it be allowed free entry considering the costs that they incurred while transporting it. The government did not agree to this and demanded that they either pay the taxes or not bring the tea to the land. This decision would not only hurt the Indians that transported the tea but also the people that had been so much used to the beverage. There was hence a rift between the two parties which made them question much about why they were being exposed to the pressure. The problem of paying tax was because the colonies are the one s who suffered the most. They were obliged to pay the taxes yet they claimed to have nothing to do with the government. The taxation issue was hence seen to be an exploitative measure to the colonies that did not support the government (C, J, 120). The tax laws were also considered to be unfair considering that they target specific individuals and were imposed on certain terms and conditions.
Tea party 2009
The tea party of 2009 was almost similar to that of 1773; the difference is however on the fact that tea was not the center of the complaints but the reforms that were taking place in the country (Hart 57). Every new government comes in with reforms that are aimed at bringing change to the economy. America was one of the countries that went through an economic crisis between 2006 and 2007. Many companies were shut down due to recession as a number of employees were laid off. This was one of the strategies that were used to minimize on expenditures and at the same time manage the crisis. This was related to poor governance where the government seemed unprepared for the changes they took place. People had suffered enough and were looking forward to a government that will deliver them out of the crisis (Labaree 16). When a new government came into place, there was a lot of optimism that what the nation had been long waiting for will now be accomplished. There was need for economic reforms to be adapted to put the situation under check. Since the government needed funds to implement the policies, there was no alternative but to impose extra taxes on the people.
Considering the economic crisis that the masses were trying to recover from, they were not ready to pay extra cash to the government to facilitate the development projects. Some of the laws that were initiated by the federal government included, Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, this was aimed at initiating programs and adapting a mechanism that would ensure that the economy is stable (Ayers 153). There was also the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that was aimed at recovering the economy of America, which was being faced with certain lows. There were also numerous healthcare reform beliefs to boost the economical health of the people. For the acts to be effective, then the government had to increase tax. This with some other reasons lead to the formation of the tea party. It should be noted that the tea party had no central leader but was formed by individual local groups that felt the strain was much on them (Gizzi 67). They raised concern over the issues of government spending and the high taxes that they had to pay. The size of the government was also too large for ant the people felt that they could manage with a smaller one. They wanted the federal government to consider reducing on their taxes.
Supporters of the tea party movement have had a number of issues on the Obama government. One of them is their involvement with the Muslim countries. The United States is a Christian nation and a strong supporter of Christianity. The involvement of the government in the affairs of the Muslim nations is hence causing many worries among some citizens. This is also so considering the efforts of the country to fight terrorism that is dominant in the Muslim countries. They feel that such involvement will tamper with the fight against terrorism. There is also the issue of gay and lesbianism where a big percentage of the tea party members disapprove it. The government has laid down policies that allow gay and lesbian marriage (O’Hara, 74). A survey was also carried out which proved that gay and lesbian couples had too much political power. The point at which the arguments were raised signifies that the majority of the tea party movement of 2009 is staunch Christian believers who are fighting for the spirituality of the nation. They feel that the government is leading the entire nation contrary to the Christian principles that they profess. In supporting the Muslim nation and giving political powers to the gay and lesbian societies, they feel that there will be a moral degradation on the nation.
In the just concluded midterm November elections a key player was the Nationwide Tea Party Coalition, which was formed in partnership with the John Bolton, a former US Ambassador to the United Nations. Initially Bolton had established the Election-Day-Tea Party as a project, with objectives of promoting participation and awareness for the November 2 2010 midterm elections. The company was mainly against the Obama administration blaming of the tyranny and the many economic problems facing Americans today. In fact, they had fifty seats races presently occupied by Congress members who advocated for the Obama agenda. Ambassador John Bolton was quoted in the media saying that, “… Election Day Tea Party is a great way for US citizens to participate in a productive, substantial way, no matter where you were in the great land of Americas.” This in itself meant that the Obama administration had no values and the national love of freedom and there was too much fear of tyranny. In fact, their campaigns revolved around the idea that Obama was out of touch with the people who elected him to power, therefore the tea party movement wanted to correct this. To them the American dream was no way and the soft heart Obama was giving Muslim nations was driving the nation to dictatorial regimes like in Iran and Pakistan.
By concentrating on the fifty seats in the House of Representatives, the tea party founders had an idea that it was the only way to start the reverse process of bring the country back to the American declaration of independence principles of a free nation, fiscal responsibility, and respect of the constitution.
