Tasteless Appeal by Tea Party Group

One would think that trying to save lives would be something that could be done without injecting politics into it.

But if you're talking about something tea-baggers do, that would not be the case.

Livingston County tea-baggers are organizing blood drives, a worthy thing to do and something local Democrats have done in the past. But they couldn't just let it go at that. They had to make it political by using the theme, "Donate Blood, Before the IRS Bleeds Us Dry."

First of all, the tea-baggers vastly exaggerate the tax burden in this country. They ignore the fact that the overall tax burden in the U.S. is at the same level as 1950 and that federal taxes under President Obama are 13 percent lower than when George Bush was president. The decline is due in part to tax cuts included in President Obama's stimulus package -- something that tea-baggers conveniently forget when they attack the measure for adding to the deficit. So the appeal is not even accurate. The IRS is not bleeding anyone dry.

One wonders if the only way the tea-baggers could get their members to do a good deed for someone else was to resort to a bald-faced political lie as motivation.

Furthermore, what are the limits to injecting politics into saving lives? Will the Red Cross, which is supposed to be non-partisan, start allowing groups to designate their blood only for "red-blooded Americans," leaving out undocumented residents or gays or Muslims, for example?

Trying to save lives should be something all Americans can agree on. It should be done in a way that unites us, not divides us. Sooner or later, we all need help, and when we're helping each other we should help each other as human beings, not because we want to make a political point. Using someone else's misfortune to score political points is tasteless.

Time to Drop Tea Party Fig Leaf

Now that the New York Times has published its poll of tea-baggers, it's time for a tea party name-change -- to the Republican Party.

The poll found that tea baggers are simply Republicans using a different name.

According to the Times:

"They do not want a third party and say they usually or almost always vote Republican. The percentage holding a favorable opinion of former President George W. Bush, at 57 percent, almost exactly matches the percentage in the general public that holds an unfavorable view of him."

Despite the poll, Michigan media will continue to refer to the group as Tea Partiers. The only way the media can justify its overblown coverage of this minority is to let them describe themselves as some new phenomenon.

What would be the news value of covering a Republican rally, after all? Call it a Tea Party rally and it's suddenly exciting.

What Mike Cox and the Tea-Baggers Want to Repeal

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox thinks he can make headway in the Michigan gubernatorial race by getting in bed with the far-right extremists of the tea-bagger movement by trying to block implementation of the health care reform measure in Michigan. Cox and his buddies are trying to scare the public into believing the health care is somehow a threat to motherhood and apple pie.

In reality, blocking the measure -- through a lawsuit that Cox has filed or by trying to get voters to approve a ballot issue as the tea-baggers want -- will mean a lot of suffering for a lot of Michigan residents.

Organizing for America has prepared an on-line video summing up what health care reform really means for people in Michigan.

The reforms are so common sense -- many based on Republican ideas dating back to the 1994 health care reform debate -- that it's hard to see why anyone would oppose them. Which explains why the right-wing extremists had to make up lies about 16,000 armed federal agents coming to your door to enforce the law.

It's easier to say that than to admit you are against making sure sick kids get insurance coverage or giving tax breaks to small businesses to pay for health insurance premiums.

Wonder How Many GOP Candidates Will Rally With Tea Baggers Against Auto Jobs?

Tea baggers are planning to protest at the Detroit Auto Show to show their opposition to people in Michigan having jobs.

I wonder how many Republican gubernatorial and congressional candidates are planning to show up and support them. How closely do they want to be associated with a political movement that actually wants people to be thrown out of work?

Anonymous Calls Promoting More Tea Parties

Livingston County residents may be receiving anonymous telephone calls promoting more of the supposedly grassroots tea-parties.

The calls (I received one on Thursday) consist of a male voice saying America should wake up to what is happening to the country and participate in the next tea party. No identification is given as to the voice of the caller or who paid for the call. Neither is there any information on when the tea parties are supposed to be held, although Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindahl has been reported nationally to be organizing these "grass roots" events.

The call is a little late. America did "wake up" to what was happening to the country -- last November, when voters elected President Obama.