FESTIVUS: Airing of the Tea Party Grievances

FOR THE 2012 VERSION, CHECK OUT MY LEGAL INSURRECTION POST: “I’ve got a lot of problems with you people, and now you’re going to hear about it!”

Dear Readers: A seasonal greeting from Instapundit reminded me to wish you all a HAPPY FESTIVUS! For those of you wondering what Festivus is about, click HERE for details. There are four key components of Festivus:

• The Festivus Pole
• The Airing of Grievances
• Festivus dinner (filled with carbohydrates)
• The Feats of Strength

 

 

Hat-tip: http://www.festivusweb.com/

I thought the Shrine might be a good forum for airing Tea Party Grievances. I want to send this message clearly to both Sacramento and Washington DC: “I’ve got a lot of problems with you people, and now you’re going to hear about it!”

* Hands off my Irish Coffee: Four Loko was recently punished when it attempted to sell a mixture of two perfectly legal (and quite divine, I might add) substances — alcohol and caffeine — without first seeking permission from masters at the FDA. Little did I realize my after-dinner-drink of choice was so regulated.

* California Boozing: Speaking of seasonal alcoholic beverages, California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer and Stephen Levy (director of the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy) published an op-ed in the LA Times that can only be explained by excessive ethyl alcohol consumption. Using a combination of mathematical manipulation, wishful thinking, and tequila shots, Lockyer and Levy explain that this state has no problem with run-away government spending. A more detailed, and reasoned, look at the budget numbers show something quite different: Let’s run those per capita numbers comparing 1984-85 to 2007-08 for both general fund and total budget spending. Keeping the numbers constant at 1984-85 dollars, general fund spending increased 31.9% during that time, while total budget spending jumped 46.9%.

(In related news, read Left Coast Rebel’s great piece in Pajamas Media: Missing the California of My Youth. W.C. Varones posts this own thoughts on California’s recent history here: California bleeding)

* Elite Beltway Pundits Telling Tea Party Peeps what to do: It’s stuff like this that makes me want to drink. So, I was on my favorite Fox Business Network show to opine — David Asman’s America’s Nightly Scoreboard. During the panel discussion, one of their elite pundits told me and the other Tea Party activist that we shouldn’t bother trying to repeal Obamacare — obviously not paying attention to my earlier statement that we are looking to repeal, reform, replace and hit it with anything in our Tea Party arsenal. He thinks we should be doing other things, because this issue as a “loser”. Made me wonder if he works for Rove or other elite, GOP types. Frankly, I think our Tea Party troops have been multi-tasking just fine. This DC egg-head is worried that we will “split the right” — as if this Democrat would give a rat’s rear end as to what the “right” is going to do. I would have had a stiff drink, too; however, I had to take my son to his Christmas pageant practice (he is a shepherd this year) and I couldn’t show up inebriated! 🙂

* The FCC attempt to take over the Internet is currently my #1 grievance. Beers with Demo has a great review: Obama era regulations and legislation kept in secret until the last minute before a forced vote? Shocking, we know. For a panel that was put in place simply to distribute limited radio bandwidth fairly, its power-grab attacking free communication and capitalism is disturbing.

I will be adding more Grievances from the other SLOBS, as I get them. In terms of the other Fesitvus frivolities, the pole is an umbrella. Lorriane has a great round post about THE BIG STORM. Charles Caesar’s Cleopatra posted this picture of the San Diego River from her office:

W.C. took an amazing post-storm picture:

Click HERE for a great video report on California’s mudslides and HERE for the jet-stream diversion that has impacted global weather (sans SUVs, I might add!).

I will snacking on cookies after the pageant for the Festivus carbs — and hopefully, tonight, practice a few “feats of strength” with Horemheb. 🙂 HAPPY FESTIVUS, and God Bless Us, Everyone!

UPDATE: Charles Caesar just chimed in with his grievances:

1. Nothing should have been passed during the lame duck session by people who have been rejected by the voters.
2. Islamic attack advertisements against Christianity in England during Christmas.
3. Californians voting is a Greek tragedy (MUT note: I would argue it’s a Roman farce — a rare Tea Party disagreement).

UPDATE 2: W.C. has an uplifting response:

As much as I love the spirit of Festivus, my heart is more full of joy than grievances this season.

So many of my grievances have been avenged already: Arlen Specter, Bob Bennett, Charlie Crist, Bart Stupak, Mike Castle, Abel Maldonado, Mike Villines, the Omnibus, the DREAM Act…

The Feat of Strength was performed all year long by the Tea Party, and it was truly a spectacle to behold.

Happy Festivus and Merry Christmas, everyone!

UPDATE 3: From B-Daddy of The Liberator Today:

Grievance: Dictatorial overreach by Obama.
Feat of Strength: Tea Party inserting a spine into the Republican Party.
Favorite Carbohydrates: Caffeinated soda (coke) with partially oxidized sugar cane extract (rum).
Festivus Pole: I’ll let Mrs. Daddy opine if she is so inclined.

And Shane’s Grievance: Out of control entitlement spending.