Weak Tea

By Jim Rockett

I recently had the opportunity to hear, in person, three Florida Tea Party leaders express their views with regard to a number of political issues.  And I heard the repetition of some pretty lame political mantras.

For example, “I never expect to see a dime of my social security”.  Boy, this one was popular, repeated three times by one fellow and emphatically seconded by his two compatriots.  A unanimous belief.  Now, let’s put this belief in context.  Social Security checks have been issued and cashed for many decades.  The Social Security Actuaries say that this will continue for several decades to come without the Social Security program losing a dime.  They recommend making minor adjustments now to handle shortfalls that will begin to occur in the distant future (about the year 2050 or so).  The Congressional Budget Office presents us with the same set of facts.  Yet, I  was faced with three full-grown adults, all of them within a few years of retirement age, telling me with straight faces, they do not expect to get anything.  I wonder if each of them would be willing to bet their first social security check?  I doubt it.

Another mantra that has enjoyed recent popularity was offered up: “forty-five percent of my fellow Americans pay no taxes”.  Forty-five percent!  (The percentage varies depending on who is doing the talking and what day it is.)  The clear implication is that we are burdened with a huge chunk of freeloaders who are dragging the rest of us down.  But is this true?  Hardly.  Many people suffer such statements with patience, pointing out over and over again that they “probably” meant to say “no federal income tax”.  And, say the patient people, if you account for payroll taxes and sales taxes and property taxes and excise taxes, the pool of freeloaders drops down to, uh, what?  Retired people?  No, even retirees still pay some of those taxes, don’t they?  Does the Tea Party want to raise taxes on the working poor?  If so, why don’t they just say so?  Instead of pretending that they pay “no taxes”.

This was all pretty weak tea.  After all, I can listen to such mantras all day long on Fox if for some strange reason they entertain me.