One of the best articles to date on the contradictions inherent in the Tea Party conception of the nexus of individual, society, and political economy, by J.M. Bernstein, University Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research.
Quote:
The implicit bargain that many Americans struck with the state institutions supporting modern life is that they would be politically acceptable only to the degree to which they remained invisible, and that for all intents and purposes each citizen could continue to believe that she was sovereign over her life; she would, of course, pay taxes, use the roads and schools, receive Medicare and Social Security, but only so long as these could be perceived not as radical dependencies, but simply as the conditions for leading an autonomous and self-sufficient life. Recent events have left that bargain in tatters.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/the-very-angry-tea-party/?src=me&ref=homepage
Inspirations and Aspirations 