Hostile Takeover of Washington is brewing

[Fisherking]

There are lots of reasonable tea-partiers, but they don't set the agenda. At best "moderate" tea party types will talk about long-term reform of the institutions that surround employment and secondary education, they see these things in terms of social engineering in a dispassionate way, at best. You show me a Tea Party caucus at any level that's willing to put a $15 min. wage on the table, and I'll eat my shoe. Well, figuratively eat my shoe.

Look, I am with you on paying a living wage. It is just that you can’t set a minimum wage that is going to work. No matter how much you may wish it politics does not void economics. Wage and price controls don’t work in the long run. My divergence from the free traders is that I believe that businesses have to be socially responsible, pay a decent wage, and bring value to the community other than political donations.

To me the largest political divide is not left and right but authoritarian vs. individual rights and liberties.

The very concept of the "revolutionary right" is fascist. Rich, privileged people wanting to subvert democracy because they fear their views and status are in danger of being overlooked, or possibly vetoed by the democratic mass. They are backed by big business, and their leaders are funded by big business.

Fascism in Europe developed in the same way under the same threats. The rising revolutionary movements of the left. Of people fighting against the concentration of wealth - of 5% owning 95%. At the same time as this left wing protest were right wing protests. The fascists (backed by media tycoons, lords, big businesses) claimed that democracy wasn't working, and that this concentration of wealth was because of Jews and communists. At the time the two groups probably appeared to have common ground in discontent with the world as it is. Just as the Tea baggers and occupy seem to have a common thread now.

But don't be fooled. One is reactionary, built by the powers that be, and is highjacking the rightful discontent to foist fascism upon us. Yeah, laugh away, but remember that the fascists were considered just a fringe source of outrage - right up to, and including 1933.

Here you assume everyone on the right is authoritarian. There are authoritarians left and right. To me there is little difference between living under a Stalinist government or a Nazi government. We are already living under a fascist managed economy. Government laws which protect some businesses at the expense of the less politically connected is exactly where we are today.

Again, the most important divide is not left and right it is authoritarian and libertarian.

I want to make my own decisions. I do not want to be property of the state managed for the greatest public benefit.