What if the Tea Party viewed parents the same way they seem to view the government?

Often times, I think of government as the parents of citizens. They're the ones looking out for us, trying to keep us safe, but at the end of the day, knowing full well they can only do so much, and at some point, they're going to have to let us make our own mistakes. In fact, they tend to be more sophisticated parents (well, so long as they're not members of the Tea Party). If a child does something the parent disapproves of and he or she says, "Stop that!" and the child responds with, "Why?" the parent will often times reply with, "Because I said so!" That's not the case for government officials. They'll pass laws, refer to studies and the like, to inform citizens of what they should and shouldn't do. Sure, some of these rules and laws may seem silly to most common-sense individuals. However, in hindsight, many of our parents' rules seem pretty silly as well, and most of us implemented similar rules with our kids. In other words, these rules appear to be silly but necessary.

This is one reason why I often times see the far-right as being silly. It appears that with every passing day, more and more members of the Tea Party, and other far-right Republicans, basically believe that we should have fewer laws in place for our citizens than the Chicago Cubs have World Series titles since 1908. Whenever I hear such politicians speak in this manner, I think to myself, "What if they believed in no rules with regard to actual parenting, which would allow the kids to do and get away with anything they wanted?"

Setting: The far-right's ideal home life

Father: "Sweetie, what are you doing? Are you running with the scissors again?"

Daughter: "Yup!"

Father: "That's cool. I was just wondering."

Daughter: "This is so much fun!"

Father: "Well, wash your hands and get ready for dinner. It's almost ready."

Daughter: "I don't have to if I don't want to, so there!"

Father :: sighs :: "Yeah, I know. Well, if you want dinner, it'll be ready in about five minutes."

Daughter: "I'll warm it up later. I'm going to try sticking this metal thing in one of those holes in the wall again."

Father: "Didn't you get shocked the last time you tried that?"

Daughter: "Yeah, but that doesn't mean it will happen again."

Father: "Whatever you say, sweetie. Well, I'm going to go and eat. I'm pretty hungry."

Daughter: "Okay, daddy. Don't wait for me. I kind of want to run back and forth across the street without looking both ways."

Father: "Oh geez..."

Daughter: "What was that, daddy?"

Father: "Oh, nothing. Just please be careful."

Daughter: "I will. Oh, and daddy?"

Father: "Yes?"

Daughter: "Will you leave the stove on so I can touch it and feel how hot it is?"

Father: "No!"

Daughter: "You know you can't say that! You're so bossy!"

Father: "Don't you have homework you should be doing?"

Daughter: "There's no such thing. If I don't want to do it, I don't have to do it, and you can't make me."

Father: "Please... You're almost 13. You should be a little more mature about this."

Daughter: "I am!"

Father: "But you're still in 2nd grade... Don't you want to graduate high school at some point?"

Daughter: "Maybe..."

Father: "Before you're 30?"

Daughter: "Whatever, dad. I'll be the most popular girl in 5th grade, because I'll be the only one that can drive!"

Father: "Jesus..."

Daughter: "What?"

Father: "Oh, nothing. I'm just going to sit here and pray for a while."