[MMM]

I agree that the racial issue is not often stated overtly, but is a part of what at least some of the tea party movement is motivated by, and there are those that even admit it overtly.

In November 2008 when Barrack Obama was elected it was on a promise of hope and change. It didn't take more than a few weeks after he entered office for the tea party rage to declare "Let's take America back!". Back from what? Back from who? I don't think it is hard to figure out.

And regarding taxes, post-WWII the highest tax rate in the US was 91%. The thinking was, if you make enough to live comfortably, then you can afford to give back to the country. In fact FDR wanted to make a tax rate of 100% over an income of $25,000. In the 1960s the top tax rate in America dropped to 77%. Reagan dropped it to 50% in the 80s. In the early 90s Bush dropped it to 31%. Now that Pres. Obama is thinking of reversing that temporary cut that Bush made over 8 years ago he is called a socialist and a lot of worse things. We didn't have multi-billionaires in America a couple decades ago. How much money does an individual need to live comfortably, and when 1% of an individual's income is enough to keep 1000 families in their homes, heated and with food for a year, and doesn't affect the livelihood of that individual, then I think their taxes should go up.

People are screaming that Pres. Obama wants to move things over 35% (for those making over a quarter million dollars a year) when only half a century ago the tax rate was close to three times that. Americans are not known for long memories.