I don't want to be told anymore that Fox News is fair and balanced. I never believed it to start with, but its involvement, nay, promotion of, what is being called a new Boston Tea Party is shameful.
The right likes to accuse the mainstream media, the one they call the liberal press, of being one-sided. Well, what are they going to do now? Is it OK for the conservative media to be one-sided but not the "liberal" media?
Fox has promoted this April 15 event for weeks. Some of its anchors, or what I consider TV personalities, were even out conducting the protests.
This is a movement to protest taxes. In earlier times, a year ago, such a protest would have been limited for the most part to Libertarians and others who hate government and any sort of taxes. But with the election of Democrat President Obama and the unpopular bailout of banks, it has attracted a slightly more diverse crowd.
The Republicans, still wincing from the November debacle, have jumped on board, with the help of Fox News. Republican congressmen and senators are making appearances at many of the rallies. Our First District Rep. John Sullivan was expected to address one of the rallies in Tulsa.
For the life of me, I have not quite figured out what these people really want. My guess is they want to pay no taxes at all. I heard one woman interviewed on one of the morning news shows saying that she wants to abolish the property tax. I suspect she is likely a home-schooler with no use for public schools, which rely on property taxes.
And why are they billing this as a new Boston Tea Party, other than it is a catchy phrase? The patriots threw the tea into Boston Harbor in 1773 in protest over taxation without representation.
That's the same rallying cry of these present-day protesters. But it's not the same. Those protesting today have representation. It's called Congress. And they were sent there by the very people who are addressing their rallies.
I have no problem with protesting. It is their right to assemble and voice their problems with the government.
But Fox should drop that fair and balanced baloney. And the protesters should quit besmirching a famous historical event that led to the birth of our nation.
