The Tea Party: Who Are These People?

On Thursday, like thousands--perhaps, millions--of others in America, I attended one of the Tea Party rallies on Tax Day.

If you believe the talking heads of the Mainstream Media, they will tell you that the people who make up the Tea Party crowds are violent, hateful, racist people who want to undermine our country and our way of life.

What a bunch of hogwash!

I met a number of these people at the Tea Party gathering, and they are truly the salt of the earth. They are your parents and grandparents. They are your next-door neighbors. They are the guys that offer to jump your car when your battery goes dead in the grocery store parking lot.

They are you.

They are the people who donate their money, time, and skills to other Americans, when a natural disaster happens somewhere in America. They are the ones who offer to help a stranded motorist on the side of the road. They are the ones who prepare and bring food to your house after you suffer the death of a loved one.

They are you.

The Tea Party people are the people who regularly pay their mortgages. They are the people who consistently pay their bills. Reluctantly but proudly, they pay their taxes. But despite all of the demands on their paychecks, they are the people who toss a few dollars or a check in the offering plate on Sunday.

The Tea Party people are you.

The Tea Party crowd are the people who think their taxes are too high. They are the ones who think government spends too much. They are the ones who are tightening their belts and cutting back on their spending, while porkbelly politicians in Washington are increasing their taxes and enlarging their budgets.

They are the people who attend your church or synagogue. They are your friends. They are the neighbor who offers to cut your grass or shovel or driveway when you are disabled. They are your postman, your secretary, your policemen or firemen, your boss, your meter reader, the guy carrying a lunch pail out the front door at the same time every morning. They are the ones who risk their lives to guard your liberty.

They are you.

The media calls them "bitter and angry." And while these qualities are definitely a part of their makeup; it is not these qualities that define them. The Tea Party people aren't as bitter and angry as they are hurt and confused.

They are hurt to find themselves regularly attacked on the nightly news or by those elite and arrogant, privileged few in Washington. They are confused as to why their contributions to society are not greatly valued by those who supposedly serve them.

The Tea Party people place an equal value on freedom and responsibility. They worship from the Bible. They revere the Constitution. And they wipe away a tear over a handmade card from their children.

They go to bed at night, fearful of the future for their kids and grandchildren. They wake up in the morning, praying that their fears will not come to fruition.

They are impugned and mischaracterized. They are hated and reviled. They are demonized and degraded. They are misunderstood and underappreciated. Yet despite these things, our Republic cannot survive without them.

The Tea Party people are you.

Troubling Times Ahead

Yesterday, I saw a headline that stated that gasoline was going to $9 per gallon in the United Kingdom. I was not at all surprised by that.

For those of you who do not know, our gasoline isn't cheaper here just because we are Americans.

Gasoline costs more in Europe because its price is inflated by massive taxing, taxes that are necessary to pay for their "free" health care.

Well, wake up, America! It's coming here soon.

Our country is currently broke. We cannot meet our obligations now; so our president decided, against the will of the people, that we would heap even more debt upon our children and grandchildren.

Our country is a lot like the guy who cannot pay his mortgage, so he goes out and buys himself a yacht.

This mountain of debt that we've already accumulated cannot be sustained forever. Only a fool would willingly add another government entitlement program to the budget.

A family can survive for a time when they are spending more than they are taking it. But sooner or later, the debt will catch up with them.

I am afraid that our country is soon going to learn that lesson.

Everything is going to take a huge increase, from the price of gasoline and groceries to your income tax.

Unfortunately, our economy has already been weakened by these reckless financial policies. Added taxation will only hinder the recovery.

There are certainly some troubling times ahead for America.

Stevens and Stupak: Don't Let the Door Hit You on the Way Out

Today, there were two big announcements coming from the world of politics.

The phony pro-life, Democrat congressman from Michigan, Bart Stupak announced his retirement. In addition, Justice John Paul Stevens announced his retirement from the United States Supreme Court.

Now while most of my focus in this posting will be in regards to the retirement of Justice Stevens, I cannot ignore Stupak's departure from the House of Representatives.

With his support and vote for Obamacare, Stupak absolutely lost any and all credibility as a "pro-life" Democrat. By yielding to the threats of Obama and Pelosi, this man removed his mask, revealing to the world that he was fully in favor of taxpayer funding slaughtering the unborn.

You will bear the responsibility for the deaths of an untold number of souls.

I sincerely hope you are not foolish enough to use the same tortured attempts to justify your decision to your Maker as those you attempted to give your constituents. Moreover, I hope your thirty pieces of silver were worth the cost.

Happy trails, Bart!

The retirement of Justice Stevens was a gift to the country.

Yes, I realize that the president will appoint another liberal to fill his spot on the Court. That is not good news; but it will present no change in political balance.

However, the good news is this:

In their desire to fill this position with another liberal, Democrats in Washington will have to devote much of their time to winning his successor's confirmation. They dare not risk waiting until after the next election.

This is great news!

By devoting their energies to replacing Stevens, Democrats will have to use their majority to seat his replacement on the Court. This will in turn slow down the pushing of their liberal agenda.

If Republicans have any brains whatsoever, then they will take this opportunity to fillibuster Stevens' successor. The longer that the GOP can drag out these hearings, the less items that Democrats will be able to get through Congress.

This is a golden opportunity for the GOP to slow down the Marxist assault on our Republic!

The time is now. Let's pray that they are smart enough to use it.