Thursday, March 31, 2011

The truth is different than what you think.

When the Tea Party gained power the last couple of years, they claimed they were representing American interests, real American values, protecting American business from big government and from attacks abroad- in short, they claimed to be real Americans.

Looks like the truth is different that what most people think.

The Institute for Liberty, a Tea Party organization that claims to represent the small businesses of America, has for some strange reason defended the interests of a giant Indonesian company, Asia Pulp & Paper, who hired it to avoid paying tariffs the United States Government has imposed on it. Now that's interesting, for all this while I thought the Tea Party of America was supposed to represent the little man, the man who fears big government who is choking small businesses. Turns out they are lobbying for a big company, an Indonesian company nonetheless. Now, I'm not saying those people at the Institute for Liberty shouldn't be doing this- they have every right to be doing this, seeing as it is a political organization, but the point here is the fact that while claiming to be defending American values, it is lobbying for an Indonesian company who has a questionable record and in fact, most Tea Party groups are leery to Big Business. Yet in a way is the Institute for Liberty lobbying for Asia Pulp & Paper? Let's check it out. And of course we have to start with the great founding fathers and the good old Constitution. Andrew Langer, the leader of the group compared the tariff to those the British imposed on the colonies in the 1700's. However, we have to point out some holes in this argument- while the British at that time were imposing the tariff's in a attempt to teach the colonies a lesson in rebelling against the Mother Country, the U.S. government is imposing the tariff to protect American business, something which I thought was a big goal of the Tea Party Movement- protecting American interests. Sounds very hypocritical, don't you think? In an unusual turnaround they also started attacking American businesses. I also thought the Tea Party was Pro-Business. Doesn't sound very pro-American, Pro-Business to me, and since this a huge company, wouldn't the repeal of the tariff hurt American small businesses, which I thought this organization defended? Hmm, very puzzling, don't you think?

Let's go to the Asia Pulp & Paper, the company who seems to be allied with this organization- they have been cited for questionable logging polices, receiving subsides from China & Indonesia, and questionable labor practices as well. Do they want us to think that is just a coincidence that a Tea Party organization starts supporting the company last year when the government was on the verge of announcing the tariff? Of course they do. It's worthy to mention what Mr. Langer's reasons in saying that this is important to Americans- Textbook and Children's books prices could increase (Gasp! Oh, wait, they have rising for some time, and textbooks have always been expensive), and Americans will end up paying more for fried chicken because the paper the bowl is made of is from paper made in Asia- he might as well just say that this is taking away American's choice on how to die- obesity-since this will raise the price of fried chicken, a chief factor in the obesity epidemic. He claims that by raising tariffs we are taking away jobs from Southeast Asia that desperately need it -I didn't know it was our duty to provide jobs there. I thought our duty was to protect American business. Sounds very hypocritical doesn't it, if the Tea Party was founded to defend American interests and businesses. Leaves you thinking, doesn't it?               
      

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