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March 13, 2009
The Tea Act of 1773
It's worth mentioning this again. The British law that eventually precipitated the Boston Tea Party was the Tea Act of 1773. One of the many inconsistencies of the wingnut tea bagging revolution is the unfortunate fact that the Tea Act was basically a corporate tax cut. How do we know for sure? Here's the long form title of the act:
An act to allow a drawback of the duties of customs on the exportation of tea to any of his Majesty's colonies or plantations in America; to increase the deposit on bohea tea to be sold at the East India Company's sales; and to empower the commissioners of the treasury to grant licences to the East India Company to export tea duty-free
Consequently, the East India Company could export tea to the American colonies tax free, thus severely undercutting independent merchants.
So the wingnut tea parties are emulating a protest against a corporate tax cut while also "going Galt" which is a protest against a corporate tax hike.
Smart!
Adding... I think the Sons of Liberty, who boycotted corporate tea, would be flummoxed by the notion of the wingnuts tea baggers purchasing thousands of corporate tea bags.
Filed under: Ayn Rand || History || Wingnut Revolution
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Posted By Bob Cesca | March 13, 2009 1:31 PM
Comments
Maybe instead of "going Galt" they should go "gestalt."
Posted by: Packy at March 13, 2009 1:51 PM
Not to mention that if they REALLY wanted to go Galt, we wouldn't be hearing from them right about now...
Come to think of it, I wish more of them WOULD really go Galt...
Posted by: The Dogfather at March 13, 2009 1:58 PM
"Consequently, the Easy India Company..."
mmmm...easy...
Posted by: thespacecowboy at March 13, 2009 2:12 PM
Be careful of that easy thing there Bob. That asshat in the EU that owns the trademarks to EasyJet™, EasyThis, EasyThat, and EasyTheOtherThing is a vexatious litigant when it comes to defending his perceived ownership of everything Easy*.
Posted by: SillyRatfacedGit at March 13, 2009 2:27 PM
"...corporate tea bags."
I've been on the receiving end of that for a long time. It's nice to see a slight role reversal happening right now, though I fully expect it to blow over so we can return standard positions.
Posted by: camel54 at March 13, 2009 2:32 PM
Come to think of it, I wish more of them WOULD really go Galt...
Yeah, no shit. If there's an Oil Exec out there making $98 million in 5 years that wants to Get His Galt On and fuck off to Aruba, I'd be happy to step up and take his place at 1/10th his salary. Hell, 1/50th! I'm a bargain, Oil Companies! Come and get me!
Posted by: Elvis the Dingeldein™ at March 13, 2009 2:55 PM
>>>Maybe instead of "going Galt" they should go "gestalt."
God love the Germans for having a word for everything. I think they should come together to form a gestalt consciousness and maybe, just maybe, they would actually read the book the they've all been talking about.
Posted by: ElMystico at March 13, 2009 2:56 PM
