Posted on 04/10/2009 7:04:28 PM PDT by BuckeyeTexan
Don’t be surprised when a reporter for the liberal mainstream media shoves a microphone in your face at your local April 15th Tea Party demonstration and smugly asks, “Are you aware that the Boston Tea Party was actually initiated over a tax cut, not a tax increase?” Smile politely and answer oh-so-sweetly, “Yes, a tax cut for the British.”
Confused? That’s the point. The liberal left is out to embarrass you ignorant, backwoods, Bible-thumping, gun-toting, conservative rednecks. Rather than speaking their lies to power, they’re playing cat-and-mouse with the wretched truth this time: The Tea Act of 1773 was actually a tax cut.
As the liberals are wont to do, they seize upon a technicality and completely ignore the historical context within which the Boston Tea Party occurred. Yes, liberals really do think we’re stupid enough to believe that the Colonists protested cheaper tea!
“No Taxation Without Representation” means nothing to the liberal left. It’s just another tired, political slogan from those wing-nut conservatives. If the liberals had any desire to learn a small fraction of the truth, much less the whole truth, they’d crack open that fading 1965 set of unused Encyclopedia Britannicas on the bookshelf in their parents’ basement. They don’t, so they won’t.
But you do, so look it up. Know the facts. Understand the historical context. And on April 15th, serve those libtards a big ol’ portion of truth with a side of sweet tea to wash it down. Happy Educating!
I’ll be attending the Port Huron Michigan Tea Party and I can’t wait for some liberal to shove a mic in my face....
“In addition the government made a loan of £1.4 million to the East India Company which was to be allowed to ship tea directly and on its own account to America. The Company would pay the 3d duty on the tea’s entry into the colonies but was exempt from reimbursing the English customs for the 1/- English duty which would previously have fallen on it. The consequence was that tea would sell at 10/- per lb in America, not the £1 which it had fetched recently. This would increase its consumption and so the Company would be helped out of its financial difficulties. Furthermore, the Company aided the government by taking measures against smuggling now that it was delivering direct to America. The tea was consigned in known quantities and to authorized merchants acting as Company agents.”
“It is important to understand that the Tea Act actually placed no new tax on tea. Instead it simply gave a tax break to the East India Tea company.
“With the existing tax still on the books from the Townshend Duties, East India Tea company was losing money because its legitimately imported tea could not compete with the tea being illegally smuggled by the colonial merchants. Obviously the British government preferred to help the struggling East India Co. than to see colonial smugglers profiting and using their newly gained financial power to sponsor anti-British protests.
Boston Tea Party - Tea Act, 1773
“The new measure was also supposed to win the minds of tea consumers in America by driving down the market price of tea. But in the situation already aggravated by the previous heavy-handed tax measures, this obvious economic benefit was overlooked by the population and the new law was regarded at ‘Taxation without representation’.”
Anyway, what does “10/- per lb” mean?
Thanks for heads up. Will be part of my tea party handout.
Exactly. The Huffies and KosKiddies who are looking for volunteers to “infiltrate” the tea parties were presumed to be violent in nature. And they may well be, but that’s not their primary forcus. They intend to mislead and misdirect, while catching the shell-shocked and uninformed on camera.
Dunno.
...while catching the shell-shocked and uninformed on camera.
This is something we do need to watch out for. Thanks for the heads up. I’m going to make sure that everyone I talk to is aware of this.
I, like thousands of other people, feel very strongly about this and I would hate to see it falter by our own people.
I suspect the ACORNs will try to play conservative and be wildly over the top as usual.
Tell ‘em it was CORPORATE WELFARE.
That ought to shut them up.
Bwahahaha! That’s funny right there - I don’t care who you are.
I do have a problem with some of the tax increases, like over a buck on a pack of cigarettes to pay health care for illegal aliens, but it’s not the tax part alone that I have a problem with, its the tax part AND not having any say in what happens to those tax dollars. We’re represented, it’s just NO ONE is listening to “we the people”.
Our voices will be heard, but we must be LISTENED to. We have not a moment to waste.
It stands for 10 shillings per pound
Excellent idea.
So the Boston Tea Party started over tax MANIPULATION -- in this case a tax CUT for an English company favored by the crown -- to help drive "smuggler" (unlicensed, unconnected, non-aristocrat) American tea merchants out of business
If you need to know what a shilling is I believe it was a coin equal to 12 pence.
Thank you.
Ping. Don’t let the media trip you up in front of the camera on this issue. The left-wing blogs are ranting away about it this weekend in preparation for Wednesday.
Ping to our resident historian.
My reply would be: "It doesn't matter what exactly happened over 230 years ago. What matters is what's happening today and what is happening is we're being taxed to death and we're bloody tired of it."
**ATTENTION FREEPERS**
If anyone spots this kind of activity by the news media:
FOLLOW THE CREW AROUND AND ANSWER THE QUESTION LOUDLY BEFORE THEY GET THE SOUND/VIDEO BITE THEY’RE LOOKING FOR.
BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THIS TYPE OF THING AND DON’T GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY.
SPOIL IT! (But do not touch them or their equipment.)
And bring your camcorders—FILM EVERYTHING!
FREEP ON!
“[to discourage smuggling] the tea was consigned in known quantities and to authorized merchants acting as Company agents [for the Crown]. However, by that time, the colonists were suspicious of British motives and the Tea Act led directly to the Boston Tea Party. “
To supress independent power generation, the Carbon Credits were consigned in known quantities to authorized power plants acting as company agents [for the Clown]. However, by that time, the proles were suspicious of Goreish motives and the UN’s “climate change” treaty led directly to the American tax revolt of 2010.
In other words, a government bailout.
And precious few in the local media are quick enough on their feet to come back with a second question when their “zinger” doesn’t “zing”.
That’s the whole point of the corporate welfare angle.
Since liberals are opposed to “corporate welfare” in principle, you’ve just put them in the position of having to contradict their own philosophical position if they try to attack you further.
Can you say “dead air”, boys and girls?
Right. It was equivalent to the modern British 5p coin. There were 20 in a pound, or 240 pence per pound. Prices looked like this: £10 8/6, meaning 10 pounds, 8 shillings and sixpence.
If that's not confusing enough, there was also the florin (2 shillings, or one-tenth of a pound), the half-crown (2 shillings and sixpence, or one-eighth of a pound), the crown (5 shillings, or one-fourth of a pound), and the guinea (One pound and one shilling.)
After decimalization, the shilling became the 5p coin, the florin became the 10p coin, and the sixpence remained legal tender for some years with a value of two and a half new pence.
A hundred years ago, one guinea was a large sum of money, equivalent to perhaps $250 today. Auctioneers, real estate agents, lawyers, tailors, fancy shops and other places that catered to the aristocracy would quote prices in guineas, to cadge a few extra shillings out of their wealthy customers, much as prices today typically carry an extra 99 cents that the merchant hopes you won't notice. The guinea survives today in the British horse racing world, where race purses, betting increments, and auction prices of racehorses are often quoted in guineas (1 pound and 5 new pence.)
A very eye-opening post. Thank you for this.
I wouldn’t have researched until this post. My vague recollection is based on school teaching 30 years ago.
By comparison, US prices might be 10/3/2/7 For
10 Eagles (An eagle was 10 dollars with a double eagle being worth 20 dollars)
3 Dollars
2 dimes
1 penny
Ping to the DFW list
When you figure what a shilling in those days is equivalent to today, that was still darned expensive.
If I get a mic shoved in my face, I’m going to throw it.
Yes it was. At one time salt was very expensive too. Today we see things like state of the art computers reduce in value to almost nothing on the open market in maybe 5 years due to advances.
It goes even deeper than that. Since the Act ended up reducing the cost of tea to all tea drinkers in America, something the majority of tax payers would applaud and support, the Boston Tea party was an effort by tea black marketers and tax evaders to maintain their price advantage in the colonies.
Smuggling accounted for 80% of the tea coming into the colonies---the result was an ACTUAL tax increase on the most basic of items of some 50-60%. So, no, it really wasn't a "tax cut" that the colonists were protesting.
I tell my students it would be as if Gov. Strickland looked at I-75, speed limit 65 mph (but the ACTUAL average speed is probably close to 72), and said, "I think Ohians could go faster. I'm going to raise the speed limit to 70, but at the same time, quadruple the number of Highway Patrols and also make speeding a felony punishable by at least one year in prison."
What happens to the average actual speed? It falls to BELOW 70---so despite the "raising" of the speed limit, the other factors resulted in a lowering of speeds.
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