Danville Register & Bee Chides TEA Party Movement

The Danville Register & Bee, generally understood, is a moderate, right-of-center daily. Today, the newspaper published a great editorial chiding the arguments employed at Danville's TEA Party rally, a rally attended by 400 people this holiday weekend. Conceding that the government is spending money at an uncontrollable rate, the editorial staff, after sorting through other inane arguments, points out the ideological dissonance inherent within the movement. Money quote:

The best arguments made — that federal government spending must be brought in line with revenues and that existing programs have to work as well as possible before the public can be confident of adding new ones — sometimes got lost in the white-hot rhetoric.

Even the TEA Party’s timing — coming to life after the Democrats won power in the last election — says a lot about the ideological dead weight this group is carrying around.

Where was this group when previous conservative governments were running up ever-growing budget deficits? Why was it OK to borrow money to rebuild Baghdad but not Danville? (emphasis mine)

I love that question. Anyways, according to the editorial board, with all of the focused anger against the government, some of the tea party-goers did admit to the positive benefits of the government (i.e., healthcare and social security). To which they conclude:

That’s why reforming the existing system makes a lot more sense than all the tough talk that could lead America down a road few have the stomach to travel.

Not only do we not have the stomach to travel down this road, but America has moved past the debate of the size of the government. Now we are onto debating the role of the government. But I digress.