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.

Uber-Partisan Senate Dems Kill House's Cut, Cap & Balance Bill

This morning about 11:00 am EDT, the Senate Dems sealed their fate for the next decade. They voted 51-46 on a straight party line to kill the bipartisan House bill known as Cut, Cap & Balance. I say they sealed their fate because this will be the moment recalled in the future when pundits will say the tide of public opinion turned toward the GOP and heralded in another Reagan-like era. The GOP should use this vote to illustrate that the Democrats are the party of spend, spend, spend, and drive this fact home to the American public again and again between now and November, 2012. As I recollect, something upwards of 65% of voting adults were in favor of Cut, Cap & Balance in a CNN poll yesterday. When those who represent us vote against our will, there MUST be consequences. The GOP needs to capitalize on this for the next 15 months. So, if I am right, the Democrats did the Republicans a favor.

For the immediate future, though, the GOP needs to do their very best to hold the line on any spending/tax increases and get the biggest cuts they can in this debt ceiling deal.