"Network" Revisited

The movie "Network" was released in 1976 or 1977. The best recalled line is the anchor screaming out into a thunderstorm "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!" In the movie, the anchor goes insane and is eventually assassinated. He expresses outrage, he expresses confusion, he expressesa lot of FEELINGS, but he never DOES anything with those feelings other than to convince a lot of other people that they feel the same way too.

I thought about it today while reading an article about the Tea Party. The article explained that while on the grass-roots level the Tea Party is helping people articulate their anger/frustration/whatever at government in general, one of their weaknesses is that they have no platform, no program for dealing with the frustration. They do tell people to go out and vote, and at times impliadly, at times expressly tell them to vote out the incumbents.

However, when it comes to what the new members of the legislative bodies will do, are expected or anticipated to do or would please the Tea Party by doing, the silence is deafening.

The Tea Party, like the anchor in Network, is screaming "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" However, what they are going to do (and what is it they are not going to take) is never stated.

Unless they want to meet the modern-day equivalent of assassination (being forgotten and relegated to oblivion) the Tea Party needs to present CONCRETE objectives. They need to not merely express a desired result but to articulate definate steps to achieve those results.

They want less government? What do they think can be eliminated (and how much do they think such elimination would save?) Cut back the IRS? How will the government collect the tax monies to fund defense? Eliminate the Department of Education? With no National standards for math and science, how will the next generation compete in the jobs market? Eliminate the EPA? Who will force BP to clean up the next oil spill?

I am not saying that any of those aims are not achievable, or even not admirable. I just would like to know HOW they will be achieved.

Being mad as hell and not willing to take things might be a good starting point. However, without an idea of WHERE you want to end up, you are just running in circles.