TEA (political)

[August]

Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen

Again, I imagine that if the Tea Party had broken from Team R, they probably would have posted it on their website.

"Their" website? Which one? As far as I know there is no national tea party that is recognized by the various local tea parties.

[Takeda Shingen]

Originally Posted by August

"Their" website? Which one? As far as I know there is no national tea party that is recognized by the various local tea parties.

It seems that you are correct. The site is run by Dale Robertson, who many regional groups have rejected as a leader. This would also seem to indicate that the Tea Party is a long way off from being a party independent of the Republicans.

[SteamWake]

The Tea party never said they were an 'orginized party' rather it is a movement towards conservatisim regardless of party afilliation.

Many have eschewed their republican registration and have registered as conservative or independant.

Its just that its pretty damn hard to find a conservative democrat.

[nikimcbee]

Are you sure it's not the "rent is too damn high"party?

[Takeda Shingen]

Originally Posted by SteamWake

The Tea party never said they were an 'orginized party' rather it is a movement towards conservatisim regardless of party afilliation.

Many have eschewed their republican registration and have registered as conservative or independant.

Its just that its pretty damn hard to find a conservative democrat.

Well as long as they are tied to the Neo-Conservatives, whom I suspect they will vote with en masse, I will not vote for them; I'll stay home. The mood of the independents is such that they will get in with or without my vote, but I will need to see their actions before they earn my support. The 'we're not the Democrats' line does not appeal to me, as I find the Neo-Conservative Republicans as repugnant as the Progressive Democrats.

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen

Well as long as they are tied to the Neo-Conservatives, whom I suspect they will vote with en masse, I will not vote for them; I'll stay home. The mood of the independents is such that they will get in with or without my vote, but I will need to see their actions before they earn my support. The 'we're not the Democrats' line does not appeal to me, as I find the Neo-Conservative Republicans as repugnant as the Progressive Democrats.

That's what I did the last election, and I'll do the same this election. Ain't nobody up there worth voting for, and (in my opinion) the end results will be the same regardless who gets the office.

[the_tyrant]

you guys know that we have a marijuana party here in Canada right?

[Platapus]

Not voting accomplishes nothing. Now if our elections were based on a percentage of people voting, it might mean something, but that's not how our system works.

In a representative government, it is the duty of all citizens to vote for the best candidate, not some mythical perfect candidate.

To paraphrase Donny Rumsfield -- you go to the polls with the candidates you have and you make the best of what is most likely a compromise decision.


Choosing not to vote is choosing not to support our form of governance.

Please give serious consideration to vote. Yes, it may seem like we are always picking the lessor of two evils or as South Park puts it, between a turd and a douche. But that's who we have to work with.

If you are not happy with the candidates, then work on the campaign of someone you do like. But let's make the system work as opposed to abandoning it.

[Bubblehead1980]

Originally Posted by SteamWake

The Tea party never said they were an 'orginized party' rather it is a movement towards conservatisim regardless of party afilliation.

Many have eschewed their republican registration and have registered as conservative or independant.

Its just that its pretty damn hard to find a conservative democrat.

"conservative democrat" lol that is an oxymoron .Yea let me know when someone finds that unicorn....

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by Bubblehead1980

"conservative democrat" lol that is an oxymoron .Yea let me know when someone finds that unicorn....

http://www.house.gov/melancon/BlueDogs/

[Bubblehead1980]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

http://www.house.gov/melancon/BlueDogs/

They are not really Conservative, just enough to get elected in their districts is all.

[August]

Dunno I haven't had time to thoroughly go over each point but the general idea sounds pretty good to me...

Blue Dog Blueprint for Fiscal Relief

1. Restore Pay-As-You-Go budget rules. The first step we can take to ensure that government does not spend beyond its means is to restore the proven, bipartisan pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) rules that effectively brought about budget surpluses in the 1990’s.

2. Put the lid on federal spending. In addition to balancing the federal checkbook, Congress should set limits on discretionary spending. Just like American families who make tough decisions every day, Congress must learn to live within its means.

3. Cut programs that don’t work. Congress must work with the Administration to identify and cut programs that don’t work. A commonsense budget enforcement tool, “expedited rescission” was passed by the House with bipartisan support in the 1990’s.

4. Reduce the deficit. This tool forces Congress to live within its means by keeping our federal budget on setting a path towards balance. Congress would be required to cut spending to meet these targets, effectively reducing the deficit over time.

5. Balance the budget. A critical component of the plan, a constitutional amendment would require that Congress balance the budget by 2020.

6. Be honest about our long term fiscal obligations. Congress should be required to produce an honest and open assessment of the government’s long-term financial obligations as part of the budget resolution every year.

7. Establish a bipartisan fiscal commission. A fiscal reform commission should be established to force Congress’ hand in making the tough decisions necessary to put the country back on a fiscally sustainable path.

8. Improve transparency and accountability. Congress has a responsibility to hold government agencies accountable for wasteful spending. This measure would reduce the estimated $98 billion that is wasted annually when a federal agency pays too much or pays twice for a product or service.

9. Establish performance-based budgeting. Performance-based budgeting is a results oriented budget tool that sets goals and performance targets for agencies, and measures their results, much like a small business. It is a commonsense policy that has been successfully implemented on the state level for many years.

10. Eliminate waste, fraud and abuse. Research shows that for every $1.00 we put into “program integrity accounts” that identify and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in government spending, we get $1.50 back. The authorization levels for these programs should be increased.

11. Account for every dollar. Evaluating every dollar spent on our national defense is not only good fiscal practice; it is a matter of national security. Like all other major federal agencies, the Department of Defense should be subject to annual audits.

12. Close tax loopholes. It is critical that the federal government continue to identify and report loopholes and inefficiencies within the current tax system. We can expand on these reports to reflect the total revenue lost and to identify inefficient tax subsidies.

13. Take the politics out of the equation. In order to promote efficiency and eliminate undue political pressures, this provision would transition the Joint Committee on Taxation to an independent, nonpartisan legislative branch agency.

14. Eliminate duplication and inefficiency. Government programs that are duplicative or inefficient can be a substantial drain on the federal budget. Establishing an independent, bipartisan commission to recommend reorganizational changes to the federal government would help to streamline these programs and save taxpayer dollars.

15. Review and terminate unnecessary federal programs. A “Sunset Commission” should be established to conduct regular reviews of federal programs and agencies, and make recommendations as to those which should be terminated.