"Coffee Roasters" spotted as new political movement

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The Coffee Roasters seem to attract intelligent Americans from the “union” north and the “confederate” south – as well as folks from peaceful and productive alternative lifestyles


By Rocky Boschert
Guest Commentary

While doing some research about the Tea Party movement that has asserted their willful right wing mob muscle ever since our first black President was elected, I discovered an interesting counter movement that call themselves the “Coffee Roasters.” Although they are largely silent and exert their own style of political muscle through consumer and investor activism (as well as the ballot), the Coffee Roasters are gaining recognition and influence.

The Coffee Roasters appear to be multi-denominational Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindis, Buddhists, agnostics, and atheists. Coffee Roasters strongly condemn Muslim terrorism and dislike as well, neocon-nativist bigotry, racism, xenophobia and hypocrisy.

Apparently the Coffee Roasters are a critical thinking, problem-solving group of American patriots, whose membership is made up of most ethnic groups, including the US dominated white immigrant Europeans. The Coffee Roasters seem to attract intelligent Americans from the “union” north and the “confederate” south – as well as folks from peaceful and productive alternative lifestyles.

Politically, the Coffee Roasters are made up of skeptical democrats, open-minded republicans, thoughtful independents, and practical libertarians. The Coffee Roasters, unlike the Tea Partiers, don’t hate and blame government for their problems because they know that the big US corporations and the rich elite control our government – making government ineffective and inefficient on purpose – by owning and manipulating the politicians for their benefit with their billions of dollars in legal bribe payoffs called lobby money.

Economically, the Coffee Roasters believe that the real threat to the American economy is corporate totalitarianism, not government socialism (as the Tea Partiers assert). Coffee Roasters contend that as long as non-human corporate entities controlled by a group of American oligarchs have more “rights” than our individual citizens and consumers, Americans will continue to watch Wall Street firms and the politically connected business elite gain more and more wealth and control – simply because they receive clear preferential treatment from government-embedded political lackeys.

As a result, Coffee Roasters deem it imperative to decentralize the American economy by buying goods and services from local businesses while boycotting the purchase of products and services of the large corporations whenever possible. Also, Coffee Roasters believe corporate executives and their Director boards need to be held criminally liable for pollution that endangers lives as well as any business malfeasance that results in a major threat to the economy, the collapse of a company, and the resulting layoffs of large numbers of workers.

Moreover, Coffee Roasters support tax incentives for US companies that bring jobs back to and keep jobs in America. Coffee Roasters would also like to see American companies that outsource manufacturing and services overseas pay a 10% to 20% import tax for products or services that are sold back in the US.

The Coffee Roasters would dissolve the IRS and the Federal Reserve Board. According to the Roasters, both agencies no longer reflect the realities of the 21st century and have become abusive or elitist in their authority. Coffee Roasters also envision a simple 20% flat federal income tax for a family of three or more earning over $40,000 a year (no tax with family incomes under 40K).

Regarding America’s energy policy, Coffee Roasters believe that the United States can only alleviate most forms of terrorism against us by weaning ourselves off our massive Middle East oil addiction with an intelligent program of domestic renewable energy infrastructure development. Coffee Roasters believe that until our Middle East fossil fuel addiction is “sobered,” the US will continue to experience terrorist acts against Americans.

Additionally, once America is no longer dependent on Middle East oil, the Coffee Roasters think the US should remove our military bases from most countries and cease the highly suspect invading and overthrowing of oil rich countries and countries who don’t want US multinational corporations to control their economy.

Then, Coffee Roasters would like to see the massive tax savings realized from a reduction in unnecessary and unwise overseas military expenditures be used to fund a single payer universal health care system in America. But rather than implement a government-run program, the funding agent would be an independent non-profit agency designed and managed by a consortium of private health care providers, public health administrators, private health insurers, public health planners, and educated consumers.

Finally, Coffee Roasters in America promote their own global economic competitiveness by mandating bi-lingual education for their children and believe it should be core curriculum in the US -- beginning in elementary school. Moreover, Coffee Roasters believe all public education should re-incorporate the sensible teaching of secular science, the three R’s, music and art, as well as physical education, and competitive sports. Religious education should primarily be the domain of private schools, the Church, and home.

My research indicates the Coffee Roasters are here in Hays County. However, they are not easily identifiable. They are most likely a neighbor who is building smaller, more energy efficient homes and driving energy-efficient automobiles, borrowing and consuming less, maintaining banking services using credit unions and local banks (rather than the fee-abusive national banks), and perennially donating a percentage of their annual income to the needy and less fortunate.

Rocky Boschert has resided in Wimberley since 1993. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Katherine Anne Porter School (KAPS) in Wimberley. Mr. Boschert owns and manages Arrowhead Asset Management.