What does the TEA Party want? - Granite Grok

What does the TEA Party want?

They say, “If you’re taking flak, you’re over the target.”  Thus the TEA Party, whose common sense demands for fiscal responsibility and constitutionally limited government are shared by most Americans, is attacked by people who most likely never attended a TEA Party meeting or understood TEA Party documentation.

Thousands of TEA Party groups and millions of members agree that passing debt to our children and grandchildren is immoral and un-acceptable, and that government spending must be limited to government revenue. 

Either raise revenue or cut spending.  Most TEA Party people believe spending must be cut because to balance the budget by raising taxes would devastate the economy.  Raising over $1 trillion more in taxes would mean taxing away all corporate profits and all personal/family income above about $100,000.  What company would stay in business or take the risk of employing people, and what people would work hard if all their efforts go unrewarded?  Few?  None?            

Many TEA Party members rejected the excess spending, including the bailouts, during Bush’s Presidency and accepted the Democrat promises in 2006 of fiscal responsibility including PAYGO (pay as you go) and Candidate Obama’s promise to cut the deficit in half. 

Yet, President Obama’s irresponsible spending has resulted in our nation’s credit being downgraded twice (!) in just one Presidential term.  People around the world no longer want our bonds.  Last year the Federal Reserve bought over half of our nation’s debt (with money it just prints meaning our money loses value causing higher prices).  Interest payments ($246B) on our debt at today’s miniscule interest rate still costs more than the Departments of Commerce, Energy, HUD, Agriculture, Transportation, Treasury, Labor, Interior plus NASA and Intelligence COMBINED.  Internal interest payments to things like the Social Security Trust Fund are another $203 B annually (the cost of HHS, Education, and Homeland Security).  When interest rates return to normal, about three times current rates, we will NOT be able to pay both the interest and the rest of government.  Do you need more evidence that we must return to balanced budgets? 

Our Federal Government was established, and strictly limited by the US Constitution, to protect people’s liberties.  Its authority was limited to what States, local governments and the people could not do for themselves.   Unfortunately, our Federal government, driven by bureaucracy’s natural drive to grow and politician vote buying and self-aggrandizement, has taken powers reserved for the States, local governments and to the people.  

No matter how ineffective, how counter-productive, how harmful to people, how unnecessary, and how much fraud they include, it is nearly impossible to eliminate, fix, or even to cut a government program.  This situation must change.       

Our behemoth, inefficient, ineffective, wasteful, costly, inflexible, and often corrupt and counter-productive government exemplifies what our founders were concerned about.  Do you need a better example than the government requirement to use costly, wasteful, harmful, and performance reducing ethanol?            

As long as our Federal Government continues operating beyond its Constitutional authorities, it will continue to push us and future generations towards a valueless currency and a loss of our liberties.  It is time to eliminate from the Federal Government the things the states, local governments and the people can do.  And it is time to eliminate from the States those functions that the communities or people can do.  And it is time for citizens to be more responsible for themselves. 

Our country is racing towards a debt problem that is making the value of our money plummet, making our people and our country poorer, reducing job opportunities, and reducing the liberties of current and future Americans.  The TEA Party advocates the only solutions that will avoid a disastrous future, fiscally responsible and constitutionally limited government. 

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