So over a hundred thousand protesters turned out, many more spectators and passersby learned that there is a resistance movement, few provocateurs were spotted, and a good time was had by most.
Now what?
Historically, the Tea Party movement is a misnomer. The 1773 Boston Tea Party was an act of civil insurrection, of violence against property following the then British Empire's attempt to force the colonists to drink imported and taxed tea. Yesterday, there was no violence and no insurrection, instead a civilized protest, the fevered imaginings of the left notwithstanding.
The other element missing, however, gives a clue as to where to go next. The original Tea Party followed a widespread colonial boycott of taxed tea, and resistance to other coercive acts imposed by a distant and unrepresentative Parliament. Since the revenue of the royally chartered East India Company was on the line, these were actions that had more impact in London than street protests.
Boycott is the logical next step for today's Tea Partiers. While bureaucrats and elite of both parties do the "na-na-na-we-can't-hear-you" routine, something that takes money out of their pockets, or from companies that have become codependent on an overweening government, isn't going to be missed. If half the population are sufficiently fed up with nannyism, income redistribution, and financial fecklessness to change their buying habits, it will rock their world. The citizenry, at least for now, controls most discretionary funds in the economy, and should act accordingly.
The nice things about boycotts is that they can be much more discriminating than the blunt instrument of voting every two years, and they impose little if any costs on the protester. A free market provides plenty of alternatives, or if not, keeping the money in pocket is seldom harmful. Unlike 'Going John Galt', a producer's strike that may be impractical to those raising a family or with other cash needs, a boycott is a consumer's strike, available to everyone making purchases.
Who to boycott? That's a matter for public debate and individual decision. Here's my list of targets, starting now:
The Main Stream Media. While many of them are already on the way down, they are still doing plenty of damage. Their activity yesterday ranged from a smear from the LA Times, to open mockery by CNN. They ignore the actions of nearly 200,000 Tax Day protesters, while featuring the antics of mere dozens of 'antiwar' activists. History is already doing these guys in, but we can help. Drop subscriptions, cancel paid video channels, and move advertising to media that aren't shilling for big government.
Government Motors. Since when should we be buying products that we were forced to subsidize through our taxes? Since when should the government be bailing out failing companies when there are plentiful alternatives? We all know why it's happening, and it deserves rebuke. General Motors and Chrysler don't deserve your business. They deserve to go bankrupt and be restructured under law, not by Obama. Time to tell them they can't simultaneous steal your money and posture as 'All American'. You can buy plenty of vehicles made by American workers in American factories, they just have nameplates like Honda, Toyota, and Nissan. And Ford deserves a fair chance at your business, for having the gumption to turn down the Federal bailout and control.
TARP Banks and Insurers. It should be obvious by now that the TARP program is as much an instrument of government coercion as it is of financial rescue. While the Fed originally claimed they wanted a lot of banks in the program to avoid an attached stigma, the open government interference (both executive and legislative) and the spectacle of the government refusing the return of TARP funds gives away the game. TARP bank aren't run for the benefit of their depositors and shareholders - they are run for the political benefit of the government. The Treasury regularly issues a list of banks having taken TARP funds. If you find your bank on the TARP list, move your money and your business. The Bailout Sleuth blog maintains a list of banks that have turned down or returned TARP money. And with the TARP program being extended to insurers, you'll soon find out which of them no longer deserve your confidence. Though it seems that some of the insurers realize that TARP is now the mark of Cain.
Pork and 'stimulus' looters. Not all companies are equal. Some actually compete in a free market. Some pay off the political class and collect the spoils. Many try to do both. It's time to force them to choose a side: freedom or statism. Figuring out who's taking the government cheese may take a bit of work. Fortunately, porkulus projects are going to be specially labelled. Find out who's working on them, and you've got a starter list of your local looters. Spread it around, and take your business elsewhere. Since the government is paying off the unions by forcing high wages on these projects, by choosing other vendors you will likely get a better deal and not have to compete with politically favored projects to get your work done.
I can't claim any of this is original. In fact I suspect there's a lot of this going on without public discussion. But the corporations are noticing: Last night I saw a Farmer's Insurance ad pointedly observing that they haven't dabbled in derivatives and junk bonds, and don't need a bailout.
What we need is a little of what the left has called "consciousness raising". Those sick of government overreach of all kinds have economic power, particularly in the current situation. It's time to use it, and talk about it openly.