I Guess This Should Be Obvious, But It Needs to Be Said Nonetheless

Contrary to what most of the media report, Tea Party members are not bigots or racists.  We are not terrorists.  We believe in fiscal responsibility, smaller government, adherence to the constitution, the free enterprise system, less government regulation and less taxes.  Does that sound like terrorists, bigots or racists?  Don't believe everything you hear on the nightly news.

Everyone is welcome at tea party meetings, which are always held in public places.  We don't check party affiliation at the door, but I'm sure we have republicans, democrats and independents that attend our meetings, and probably a few libertarians and constitution party members, too. 

Here is the agenda of a typical tea party meeting: recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance (the same one children used to recite in grade school - why and when did this stop? - but that's another blog entry); a review of any old business (which might be a report on a recent blood drive or a discussion of how the last parade went and what the turnout was); new business (usually a list of upcoming events members might be interested in attending, such as a political fundraiser, a congress person's town hall meeting, and usually an urging to attend our local government meetings, to be informed of local issues); and then we have a speaker or two.  Speakers in the past months have been prospective political candidates (all parties are welcome, but so far, only the GOP has responded), our local state rep giving us an update of what bills he voted yea or nay on and why, a person talking about his research into the health effects of living near wind turbines (a big issue around here), etc. 

I'm pretty sure this is the same kind of stuff that is going on at tea party meetings all over the country.  If you are still wondering whether the media is right and the tea party folks are agents of the devil, gather up all your courage, bring a few friends, and attend a tea party meeting.  You'll find a nice group of folks (most likely your neighbors) who are just fed up with the mess our country has gotten into over the last decade or more, who want to educate themselves so they can elect like-minded people in the future who will bring our country back from the brink of economic self-destruction.  Many are worried about what the future holds for their children and grandchildren.  If that's not scary, I don't know what is.

Note to Harry Reid: Wishing Things Doesn't Make Them Happen

In an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal published on Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that he expects the Tea Party to fade away. He even thinks they will lose seats next year. Read the whole thing. Oh Harry, if only wishing things would happen would actually make them happen.

It doesn't work. I've tried it, and Barack Obama is still president, Eric Holder is still AG, you're still a senator, and Medea Benjamin hasn't had any snakes grow out of her head yet.

When will the Tea Party fade away? When America gets its fiscal house in order and when all the closet socialists are voted out of office - how's that for starters? When America returns to the values put forth in our founding documents, that would be a time when I'd expect to see the Tea Party conclude that they are no longer needed.

As our president likes to say, "Change doesn't happen overnight." The Tea Party people know that it will take several election cycles to complete these goals. We are in it for the long haul. Mark my words, the Tea Party folks will be around long after Harry Reid has gone on to the big Cowboy Poetry Festival in the sky.

Caution: Spin Doctors at Work

Obama's spin doctors are working overtime. This from the Daily Caller:
"The left-wing activist group MoveOn.org picked up the new liberal slogan bashing conservatives for Standard & Poor’s U.S. credit rating downgrade: “Tea Party downgrade.” President Obama’s chief campaign strategist David Axelrod and Massachusetts Democratic Sen. John Kerry both used the phrase on Sunday talk shows." And then Howard Dean parroted the same phrase, too. What a crock. Does anybody really listen to these blowhards anymore?

Tea Party downgrade, hah! If that's true, then I'm the long lost twin sister of Lady Gaga. If anybody believes that the Tea Party is to blame, they'd better get their head examined - they might be a living brain donor. Ever since the first 'stimulus' in 2009, Tea Party folks have been screaming at the top of their lungs: "Stop the Spending!"

Standard & Poor's is now threatening a second downgrade unless we cut spending. Over at American Thinker, there's an interesting article about the credit rating downgrade. Here are a couple of take-away quotes: "It is a good thing that S & P did what they did because it takes the debt fight out of the political realm and makes it purely financial." And: "Canada lost their AAA rating in 1994 but they cut spending and got it back in 1997. It will probably take us longer. What this mandates now is action. The time for talk is over." (Emphasis mine.)

All I can say is the Tea Party is right and Obama & company are wrong. Cutting spending is the answer, and the sooner the better.