Keeping Their Word!

I notice that people like me with a strong anti-right wing bias are complaining about the rigidity and stupidity of Tea Party Republicans elected last year. Their fanatical adherence to misguided policies is going to put the country in the economic toilet, we say. They will vote against anything that can possibly be construed as raising taxes, even if it means that the United States will default on its financial obligations.

We cannot fathom how these people can be so pig-headed and stubborn.

Well, consider this: They are just doing what they promised to do when they ran for election. They said, “No new taxes. Reduce the size of government at any cost.” And they were voted into office on that platform.

My political compatriots and I complain that politicians never keep their word and then excoriate these same politicians for keeping their word. They are just doing what they said they’d do. In a way that’s a breath of fresh air. That we are appalled at the position they’re taking and are concerned at the implications of their action doesn’t change the fact that these people are walking their talk, standing tall for their convictions.

Slightly less obvious, but still in the same domain, are my Democratic friends who go ballistic at even the mention of a change in Medicare and Social Security. Raise the eligibility age to 67? Horrors! Charge wealthy people more for health care? A shocking idea! And so on. It’s the same knee-jerk reaction as those on the other side. Neither makes sense. Both are nonsensical and predictable.

So hats off to the Tea Partiers. You will destroy the country, but you should be praised for maintaining your integrity.