Blog Assignment #3
read the article written about NYC's Tea Party (http://thenewrepublicans.net/2009/04/28/my-view-from-the-nyc-tea-party/)
then post at least 1 question/comment about the article, and respond to 1 other person's question or comment. So you will need to have 2 separate comments- 1 question or comment of your own, and 1 response to someone else's remarks. Due FRIDAY, Sept. 11.
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Are these protests effective? The government has already heard our complaints and knows that we're unhappy. I'm not sure if these protests are going to do a whole lot, although I'm sure it feels good for the protester to express his/her opinions and feelings towards the government openly.
ReplyDeleteI think it's lame that the media is trying to belittle the citizens that are out acting on their responsibility to keep the government in check (doing what they're supposed to do when the government doesn't do what it's supposed to do)
ReplyDeleteBut like Ellen said, I almost feel like these protests don't accomplish much. It's good that they unite people from around the country for one cause, but I never notice that the government does much in response to them.
I think that even if the tea parties do not cause a change in how our government uses our taxes, it is a step in the right direction for the American people. The government is of the people, by the people, for the people, and if the people aren't involved, the government is not being controlled. People need to be telling their representatives what they want changed and not sitting back and watching their country fall to pieces. The tea parties are effective in getting the American people to voice their thoughts freely.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Olivia about the media poking fun at the protestors and putting them down because they are doing what they are supposed to be doing. It shows how backwards our country has become when important figures in national media make fun of regular people doing what we should be, telling the government what we want to see happen for our country.
This is one of the few times where I've seen the american people come together and unite on something we feel passionate about. No matter who was there, what race someone was, or how old they were, everyone was accepted and were one group.
ReplyDeleteBut like Olivia and Smellen have already said, the protest probably did not affect the government. The only thing the american people can do if we want to change things is is to get rid of the people associated with the government and vote new people in. But I think America should have another protest, this time with more people and more burning things.
i think that this is greeeat! thomas jefferson said that a nation needs a revolution every 100 years, though that may be a bit extreme, the idea is right. we need to unite together and say how we feel. whose to show the government where to draw the line? we are..
ReplyDeletei agree with jon, smellen, and olivia and the thing that will make the greatest change is to vote new people in. or to run ourselves. but every little bit helps
I think it's great when the American people come together to protest governmental spending and taxing that will only deepen our economic crisis. It's patriotic when Americans unite against government policies that will only hurt our country and have a profound affect on our generation and future generations who will live here. Our children and our children's children will pay for the debt the government is accumulating right now if the citizens do not take action.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Olivia. It is very lame that the media is belittling those citizens who are excersizing their duty to keep the governemnt's power balanced. The government anwsers to us, not us to it.
I agree with most everyone in that this is one of the few times I've seen American citizens come together fully on any issue. It's something we all agree strongly on, it's something that's dividing us and the government, not the american people. It's helping us to come together and realize that we have to support each other in order to promote change in our government.
ReplyDeletei think it is great how all people no matter the age were there to protest and get there point across. i think that it is so cool how the people at the protest elected people in the crowed to speak for them and be their voices. this shows how motivated the people in America can get when something that they believe in is threatened. i think that it is good how the article tells people that all the problems of the USA are not all caused be the Democrats, but they are also caused by the Republicans. if our country is united under one God, should we not take some of the blame that is deserved of us.
ReplyDeletei also agree with Olivia, this is the USA it is our right to protest. it what is granted us in the Constitution. the government is to look to us when it needs advice, not to other countries when we get in a tight spot. i also agree with Ellen that it is refreshing to see that there are people in the USA that care about what happens to the USA, are people who are willing to do something about it.
it seems that protest do not really get much dun. yes there have been a couple in the past. but most of the time the people that the protesters are trying to reach dont care enough to listen to them. its not protesting that will change the country is action. if you want something changed u have to take action against it. not by standing around with sines but with voteing people in who have the power to make the changes that the people want.
ReplyDeletei agree with what olivia said. the job of the media is to report the news not to make fun of people for standing up for what they believe.
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ReplyDeleteI think the idea of the protest is great; we the people have the right to stand up for our beliefs. We shouldn't have to spend such a large percentage of our hard-earned money repaying the monumental debt that our leaders have put us in.
ReplyDeletePeople keep commenting on bringing in new leaders; I completely agree with this. In the article it says, "Not one of our current or previous leaders, Republican or Democrat, can escape their share of the blame." This isn't just the fault of Obama, or Bush, or any other of our past leaders. It is a collaborative effort. At least the leaders of our country have found one thing in common.
"One thing was clear: this was a policy, not political, issue." I found this quote interesting because not necessarily everyone there was either Republican or Democratic. People of all parties can disagree with the current policies in place. The people united, setting aside the fact that one person was a "Democrat" while the other was a "Republican" to fight against something they believe in.
ReplyDeleteAnd in response to those who asked if the protests really matter or make a difference, I firmly believe that they do. Many fatal mistakes that American leaders have made was because the American people stood back and assumed that the leaders knew they were dissatisfied. We, the people run the nation, and we shouldn't give our leaders too much power by allowing them to make crucial decisions without the citizens input.
- Brittany
Interesting, this article….November it was last I heard cries for change in healthcare and everyone loved the ideas Obama had in his eloquent speeches… now people stand up!
ReplyDeleteHow can we make a change in politics??
I strongly…no…I vehemently disagree with the complacency of people who oppose the gathering together of Americans citizens who wish to speak out their thoughts and desires (you know who you are). If everyone had this mindset to stay in their homes and let the government run over them there would be no America! It is not only our right to the freedom of speech, but our job as responsible citizens to let the government know what they can and can’t do. If enough people do this, change will happen. As a republic, we elect Representatives to reflect the views of the people, when these congressmen fail to do so; one must step up and voice out his/her concerns. If you never stand up for anything then we might as well let Capital Hill run the country because they got nothing to lose!
I am glad that Americans of all age and race have come together to protest against our government. I agree that both Democrats and Republicans are responsible for our fiscal problems. However i am angry with liberal news channels like CNN and MSNBC that continually associate conservatives as the ones protesting. I believe that a majority of the Americans, including democrats,are upset with our government's approach in dealing with our financial issues.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Olivia a.k.a. "LivDawg". The media needs to chill out and let the Americans speak what they believe.
I like the quote Alex shared from Thomas Jefferson. Maybe we don’t need a full-blown revolution every 100 years, but a good shake up just might be good for us all. I think this recession is really causing people to regroup and take things a bit more seriously…. a mini revolution maybe. We’re not okay with people doing as they please with our money….that’s what the taxpayers were trying to tell Washington.
ReplyDeleteWhy aren’t more of us willing to take a stand? Have we as a nation become so busy with our own individual lives that we fail to see what’s needed for the common good? I admire people who organize events like this and it makes me think that as a nation we’ve all become a little self-centered. What if our forefathers had felt that way, would we be the nation we are today if Jefferson decided he really wanted to concentrate more on his inventions and maybe not make it to every Continental Congress?
ReplyDeleteI really like what alex said. I think our country is way over-due for some type of revolution. We may not need a complete revolution but we deffinitely need a change in the government personel. If the people had taken a stand during FDR's reign i think it would have been easier but the longer we wait the harder it will become for us to change the government without a complete revolution.
ReplyDeleteI really support these tea parties because i think its great for the american morale to bind together for a common good. The problem is that the people in the government have been there forever and obviously dont care what we want because they just keepdoing the same thing over and over again, digging a deeper and deeper hole. If the people want to really do something then they need to trash the people currently in office, establish term limits and start electing people, not politicians, to run our government. this is a government by the people for the people. Not a government by the rich politicians for the rich politicians.
P.S. my question is why didnt we the people start voicing our opinion a long time ago when all of this first started. We've almost waited until the last minute and it may be too late.
ReplyDeleteI think it is really cool that citizens are actually standing up to the government and their ideas concerning the taxing and spending philosophy. It is extremely reassuring to know that we do have some educated citizens in America who care enough to make a difference because we often only hear about the ones who are ignorant and indifferent to the important issues facing our country.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Olivia and pretty much everyone else said about how we may protest, but the government doesn't take much action in response. This is infuriating to me because the very basis and foundation of our country was a "government by the people, for the people" and that is simply not what we're getting.
I really liked how the author made a point to address what "the people" is. He put that it was people of all economic groups, race, gender, and age which is important because in modern society, we often put people in groups, (like all older Democrats are ex-hippies) which tears us down as a people and a nation instead of build us up. I also liked how he blamed both political parties instead of just one because it is the policies of BOTH sides that got us into this mess.
ReplyDeleteTo answer Brandon, I think that people have, it just hasn't been in a big enough way to change policies. If people really want change, something BIG needs to happen-like we go back to the sixties and have the hippie movement all over again.
This protest is extremely encouraging to me. I think we citizens need to stand up for our rights more often, like this group did. Hopefully as more people get fed up with government policies and realize the financial path we're on as a nation, we will exercise our right to revolt a little more. Then, maybe the government will listen.
ReplyDeleteI really agree with Jessie. Even as I was writing my opinion above, I noticed that my tendency was/ is to say, "THEY need to exercise their rights." If I always depend on other people to defend our rights, I'm not fulfilling my duty as an American citizen.
This article makes me want a revolution.
i really love the driving force behind these protests and would have loved to take part in them but...i feel like it's not well-supported enough to be a national success. the issue of tax payers dollars needs to focus on a deeper level than just surface things like republican versus democrat. If there's going to be a powerful movement that really brings about change, high taxing has to be something that affects every American, something both political factions have in common.
ReplyDeleteok and here's my other comment. i agree with everyone who's been saying that these protests are encouraging. even though it's a pretty small organization right now, i think that it's definitely a start. and hannah said it well, maybe one day if we get upset enough, the government will have to acknowledge the people.
ReplyDelete