Something political actually happened in Missouri?

Too bad it's stupid.

Protesters gathered today outside the Arch on the St Louis Riverfront to show their displeasure with the stimulus package by throwing teabags into the river. Don't get me wrong, being opposed to the stimulus package is reasonable. I can understand why people of a particular economic and political philosophy may feel that the stimulus package will be ineffectual for fixing the current economic crisis. The stupidity comes from the obvious historical ignorance of the group's choice of location and activities.

1) The St. Louis Arch is constructed upon a federal park which came directly from the New Deal stimulus programs, ok'd by FDR himself (which Obama's stimulus is obviously attempting to mirror). The Arch may as well be a monument to government stimulus spending. It would've made sense to choose it as their location if it wasn't well received and integrated into the identity of Missouri as a point of pride. Usually it's a good idea to surround yourself with evidence that supports your point.

2) The Boston Tea Party only worked because the tea dumped into the harbor belonged to the British. It was an economic retaliation for the unfair policies colonists felt were being forced upon them without any say in the matter. Not only do these minority voices dumping the tea into the Missippi have a voice in Congress (the Republicans), but they're dumping their money into the river, not the Democrat's.

I can't believe the media even covered this. I guess pop culture loves hollow, irrational references to important historical events.

Vista Irony

Advertising

"Every year thousands of Americans have their house catch on fire while they're away" a television advertisement assures me. I guess the marketing department that wrote that was expecting me to think, "Thousands? Crap I need to buy THAT alarm! It happens to Thousands of Americans!" But instead I thought, "Thousands out of 300 million... And I should care why?"

Lets say it happens to 3000 Americans a year, because I'm lazy and like nice numbers. That means that the average American faces a 3000 in 300,000,000 chance of it happening to them every year. Which results in a yearly .001% chance.

Imagine if the Advertisement said that? They're clearly banking on it having an effect, does this mean they're betting that the average American doesn't have any idea what the population of the United States is?

Sadly as much as I hate advertising, I would bet on that too. I hate finding common ground.